Reading Quantico (2007-11-14/17)

"Goddamn it," the President said, "Did they give them to you without a subpoena?"....
Chao put on a stubborn look. "It is our job to find dangerous criminals. Would you have it any other way?"

--Greg Bear, Quantico

A friend who knew I had read local author Greg Bear's Darwin's Radio, Darwin's Children, and / offered another book after my appendectomy: Quantico. Like the Greg Bear books I've read, Quantico is still-relevant (copyright 2005, 2006) near-future hard science fiction. (The science is even more current than Quarantine.) Like the Darwin series, Quantico involves molecular biology; like /, significant events occur in Seattle and Washington (although some events take place at Quantico).

Quantico is a frightening techno-thriller set in the US after another attack similar to 9-11, intending to portray the dangers of bioterrorism like Amerithrax:

The biological weapons and process in this novel are possible, but not in the way I have described them. I have tried to persuade of the dangers without providing salient details.
The dangers are real, and immediate. Sober judgment, selflessness, nonpartisan planning, and sanity are the only solutions.

The story also includes a female president with a stand on violations of personal privacy as a strong part of her campaign. The tension between liberty and security is therefore part of the book. In the scene with the President and Chao, I also wondered why the FBI would not pursue a subpoena. (To their credit, several agents in the book express skepticism about information extracted via rendition or torture.)

Such famous quotes as, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," and "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" show this tension is part of the history of the United States of America. Unfortunately, so is depopulation from imported infection--see Guns, Germs, and Steel.

Sometimes on issues with different but similarly important needs, debate becomes polarized around the conflicts between those needs. For example, economic growth and environmental health are in tension in environmentalism. In such cases one can sometimes search for solutions with synergy between the two needs, e.g., bright green environmentalism. This is the type of solution I support.

In Quantico, Bear uses his "powerful [imagination to]... conjure up not only possible methods of attack, but also ideas about how governments and individuals will respond and what kinds of high-tech tools could prevent attacks." Let us hope they respond in ways that enhance liberty rather than reduce it.

Reading Conned Again, Watson! (2007-10-24/28)

We all lose time and money every day to bad decisions. Often, we are not even aware of it. We continue in blissful ignorance, happy in the illusion that our native common sense is doing a good job of guiding us.

--Colin Bruce, Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of Logic, Math, and Probability

In my apartment the week following my emergency appendectomy, sometimes I had the energy to read (as opposed to only energy enough to watch Battlestar Galactica). As a break from personal finance books, I read entertaining Sherlock Holmes tales that were also instructional. Like Blink, Bruce's book is ultimately about decision-making. Conned Again, Watson! incorporates paradoxes and problems into nearly every chapter:

1. "The Case of the Unfortunate Businessman" discusses the "cab driver's fallacy", the prior investment fallacy, and the fallacy of mistaking relative for absolute savings. It begins with a scam modeled after The Big Con.
2. "The Case of the Gambling Nobleman" discusses the gambler's fallacy and the Martingale betting system.
3. "The Case of the Surprise Heir" includes the birthday paradox.
4. "The Case of the Ancient Mariner" connects the drunkard's walk to Pascal's triangle, and both to the normal distribution.
   
5. "The Case of the Unmarked Graves" illustrates both the Monty Hall problem (using probability trees) and the Wason test.
   
6. "The Case of the Martian Invasion" explores permutations in Bible codes and failure rates.
7. "Three Cases of Unfair Preferment" includes one with nontransitive dice.
8. "The Execution of Andrews" discusses the conditional probability fallacy using contingency tables.
   
9. "Three Cases of Relative Honor" describes game theory games similar to the Prisoner's Dilemma, including one similar to Arthur Conan Doyle's in "The Adventure of the Final Problem."
10. "The Case of the Poor Observer" discusses the problem of drawing conclusions from limited observations.
    
11. "The Case of the Perfect Accountant" mentions Benford's law.
12. "Three Cases of Good Intentions" discusses the theory of double-blind medical trials.
    

Reading Quarantine (2007-09-29)

Given my enjoyment of speculative fiction, it makes sense to follow a science book with a science fiction book. While I make occasional references to fantasy, most of my speculative fiction reading is science fiction; the books I've read this year include /, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and The Diamond Age. (I recommended in their reviews the following science fiction books: Xenocide, Children of the Mind, A Deepness in the Sky, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Number of the Beast, Animal Farm, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, The Left Hand of Darkness, Nineteen Eight-Four, and Cryptonomicon).

I didn't follow An Inconvenient Truth with a rereading of Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune. However, The Universe in a Nutshell discusses such science fiction topics as time travel (albeit concluding with Hawking's Chronology Protection Conjecture). Consequently I followed it with the Greg Egan's novel Quarantine.

The Universe in a Nutshell discusses the uncertainty principle often, including Feynman's multiple histories idea. Stephen Hawking explains the wave function as "a number at each point of space that gives the probability that the particle is to be found at that position." He discusses particle motion as a sum over multiple histories. In addition, he notes that "[t]he anthropic principle says that the universe has to be more or less as we see it, because if it were different, there wouldn't be anyone here to observe it."

These ideas appear in Quarantine. In Quarantine, Earth after the year 2034 is surrounded by a bubble preventing observation outside the solar system. Afterward researchers develop a mental device to inhibit wave function collapse. While the device operates, the first-person protagonist plays with probable histories, all the while wondering which history will happen, and which version of himself will observe the results.

The setting of Quarantine relies to some degree on the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, with reference to other interpretations. The many worlds interpretation appears when the book's story line is several times inconsistent between periods in the protagonist prevents wave function collapse and subsequent events (e.g., a combination that is 1450045409 in one part of the narrative and ten nines in another). Even the Ensemble interpretation appears in name.

Greg Egan's plot is like a thought experiment, similar to Wigner's friend. As such it imagines how the quantum scales of books like The Universe in a Nutshell could affect observable life. In this way it is both entertaining and instructive.

Reading The Diamond Age (2007-08-26/09-03)

Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer has a future earth setting in which nanotechnology has significantly reduced scarcity but artificial intelligence has not been achieved. I enjoyed Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (especially its encryption themes, which are present as well in The Diamond Age) and decided to read another of his books.

The "Diamond Age" is due to molecular control of matter making diamond--with multiple productive properties--a common material. (Wikipedia attributes this idea to "It's a Small, Small, Small, Small World" by Ralph C. Merkle.) It is interesting that the social organization in the story still contains classes, even though matter compilers make clothing, food, and covering available to all. I like to imagine how a just society would work.

The lack of artificial intelligence appears reasonable. The actual achievements of AI have always fallen short of predictions. Alan Turing estimated that by the year 2000 machines would be able to fool 30 percent of human judges during a 5-minute Turing Test. In 1965 H. A. Simon wrote that "machines will be capable, within twenty years, of doing any work a man can do." In 1967 Marvin Minsky wrote, "Within a generation ... the problem of creating 'artificial intelligence' will substantially be solved." Clearly none of these predictions have appeared.

I look forward to seeing how these areas--nanotechnology, scarcity, justice, and artificial intelligence--develop during my lifetime. Perhaps I will see some possibilities fulfilled.

Reading The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2007-06-29/07-02)

"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."
--Thornton Wilder, The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Hanging in our hallway is a painting from Peru of a hanging bridge, bequeathed to me by my maternal grandmother, along with The Bridge of San Luis Rey. I received these after January 2006 when she died in Panorama City Convalescent Center in Lacey after a period of ill health. Thornton Wilder writes, "Even memory is not necessary for love," but both love and memory of her still remain.

Reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (2007-05-24/06-17)

Thing that got me was not her list of things she hated, since she was obviously crazy as a Cyborg, but fact that always somebody agreed with her prohibitions. Must be a yearning deep in human heart to stop other people from doing as they please. Rules, laws— always for other fellow. A murky part of us, something we had before we came down out of trees, and failed to shuck when we stood up. Because not one of those people said: "Please pass this so that I won't be able to do something I know I should stop." Nyet, tovarishchee, was always something they hated to see neighbors doing. Stop them "for their own good"—not because speaker claimed to be harmed by it.

--Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

I recall a time I looked through everything in the school library by Robert A. Heinlein. Although this blog only holds one such book review, I love speculative fiction--especially science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism. Nevertheless, I only really recall reading Stranger in a Strange Land and The Number of the Beast. I don't remember reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, even though I tend to remember social science fiction I read (e.g., Animal Farm, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, The Left Hand of Darkness, Nineteen Eight-Four).

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress was published in 1967--the year of the Summer of Love--and mentions themes common in the hippie counterculture movement of the 1960s. Its society excites me and inspires my imagination. It appeals to my civil libertarian leanings. I want freedom from conventional careers, freedom to travel, freedom from relationship restrictions, etc.; and I believe in responsibility and the importance of individuals. Luna in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is among the societies in speculative fiction that seem desirable and viable to me. However, I don't know how our current societies would evolve into them.

Reading The Pearl (2007-05-07/09)

"I know," said Kino.... "The loss of the pearl was a punishment visited on those who tried to leave their station. And the Father made it clear that each man and woman is like a soldier sent by God to guard some part of the castle of the Universe. And some are in the ramparts and some far deep in the darkness of the walls. But each one must remain faithful to his post and must not go running about, else the castle is in danger from the assaults of Hell."

--John Steinbeck, The Pearl

A couple of years ago my birthday wish list included "Perl references, like... CGI Programming with Perl." At my birthday party a friend gave me a Steinbeck Centennial Edition of The Pearl, partly in jest. The Pearl is a fable based upon a story Steinbeck heard in 1940 when traveling in the Sea of Cortez.

Three different reviews treat The Pearl as novella version of the fable of the boy with the filberts, or the monkey with his hand in the jar. First, the Penguin Books jacket says, "For Steinbeck, Kino and his wife illustrate the fall from innocence of people who believe wealth erases all problems." Second, Wikipedia summarizes the book as telling "the story of a poor Mexican diver who finds a magnificent pearl which he hopes will improve his family's life; however, he finds that his new wealth brings only corruption of the soul and the blinding luxuries of 'civilized' life." This review calls Kino a "greedy psychopath" and a "greedy sociopath." Finally, an About.com review states that Steinbeck "made the story into a parable, warning his readers of the corrupting influences of wealth." All three emphasize Kino's obsession, greed, and insanity.

(To contradict these reviews I must fill this post with spoilers.)

While greed may lead to trouble, the protagonist, Kino is guilty of nothing more than wanting a better life for himself and his family. Below are his plans for the wealth of the pearl:

• "We will be married--in the church."
• "We will have new clothes."
• "A rifle," he said. "Perhaps a rifle."
• "My son will go to school."

It is important to note that Kino receives none of these "blinding luxuries of 'civilized' life," a phrase I can only write with irony.

In his quest for a better life for himself and his family, Kino takes the following actions:

• He requests the aid of a doctor in healing his son.
• He works as a pearl-diver, diving for pearls and attempting to sell the pearl he finds.
• He chases a thief out of his house.
  
• He refuses to be cheated by a pearl-buyer cartel.
• He defends himself when attacked in the dark.
• He flees with his family to protect them from harm.
• He stops the trackers who would kill his family.

These actions do not represent corruption of the soul; they are neither psychopathic nor sociopathic. If Kino shows a fatal flaw in keeping the pearl, it is his refusal to accept economic, racial, and social injustice. It is other men--corrupt men with religious, economic, or political power--that are characterized by lack of empathy or conscience, and poor impulse control or manipulative behaviors:

• A greedy doctor refuses to treat Kino's baby's scorpion bite when Kino cannot pay.
  
• A patronizing priest requests a contribution to the church.
• The same doctor poisons the baby in an attempt to extract payment from Kino.
• A thief--informed by the doctor--attempts to steal the pearl in the night.
• Pearl buyers collude to keep the price of the pearl low.
• A robber attacks Kino in the dark; another damages his canoe.
  
• An arsonist burns down the hut in which the family lives.
• Trackers attempt to hunt down Kino and his family.

These behaviors--not Kino's--are the ones violating social rules and norms and showing indifference to the rights and feelings of others.

Kino and his wife fall from innocence not in the sense that they are corrupted by wealth, but in the sense that they are the victims of the corruption and greed of others. Which others are corrupted by Kino's new-found wealth? It is not his brother and sister-in-law, nor even his friends and neighbors. It is the rich and powerful in the town, those who already have more than Kino.

In Steinbeck's story, "Don't leave your station," is spoken by the rich to the poor, the powerful to the weak, the educated to the uneducated, the European to the native. It is advice designed to protect the wealth, power, and advantages of those who have them. To call Kino "greedy" is thus to speak with the voice of the oppressor. Instead of a parable about greed, I see this as a story about the injustice experienced when the oppressed attempt to better their lives.

Reading Catch-22 (2007-03-16/28)

Joseph Heller's Catch-22 appears to illustrate the insanity of war. Many have warned about the perverse incentives war creates--Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell address (with its warnings about the military-industrial complex) and M. Scott Peck's People of the Lie (with its analysis of the My Lai Massacre and comments on standing armies) come to my mind. Catch-22 illustrates it with mostly-humorous stories of contradiction.

I wish, however, that the fictional stories of wartime insanity hadn't totaled 453 pages in my paperback copy. I had been reading it since finishing Don't Let's Go to Dogs Tonight, and I became bored with the theme. The book club for which I read Invisible Man selected Catch-22 to "fulfill my hipster quotient." Unfortunately I finished Catch-22 in Colorado Springs and so missed the monthly meeting to discuss a book.

Reading Invisible Man (2007-01-28/02-19)

"My belated appreciation of the crude joke that had kept me running, was not enough."--Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

The narrator in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man lives through a seemingly surreal sequence of events. The nightmarish quality of the plot may have been ordinary for a black man in the United States before Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her seat. (The book's copyright is 1947.)

Invisible Man illustrates the power of society to define reality, "running" its members without their awareness. This cynical thesis has no relief in the pages of the story, as the narrator finds no escape other than to hibernate. "A hibernation is a covert preparation for an overt action."

The book club for which I read Invisible Man has suggested Catch-22 for their next meeting March 26. In the meantime, I have several books to read to meet the goal of blogging 50 books this year, especially since I read Invisible Man slowly, alternating with other media.

Reading the curious incident of the dog in the night-time (2007-01-14)

"'...[Y]our father is really pacient [sic] but I'm not, I get cross, even though I don't mean to.'" --Mark Haddon, the curious incident of the dog in the night-time

None of the traits I've observed in people I know are anywhere near as upsetting as the behavior of Christopher Boone, the narrator of the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. An old letter from his mother describes this:

And Mr. Land was realy [sic] nice about it but there were boxes and bits of broken bowl on the floor and everyone was staring and I saw that you had wet yourself and I was so cross and I wanted to take you out of the shop but you wouldn't let me touch you and you just lay on the floor and screamed and banged your hands and feet on the floor and the maniger [sic] came and asked what the problem was and I was at the end of my tether and I had to pay for two broken mixers and we just had to wait until you stoped [sic] screaming.

The adults in Christopher's life act and react differently to his behavior. His mother was much less patient than his father, but his father later ends up apologizing and making amends. His mentor is the most admirable, explaining to Christopher the unwritten rules of social behavior--the "hidden curriculum"--in precise literal terms:

Siobhan understands. When she tells me not to do something she tells me exactly what it is that I am not allowed to do. And I like this.

Criticism of the book suggests that the narration is too self-aware for even a high-functioning autistic at Christopher's age. So the traits I've observed in people I know are much less upsetting than the symptoms of various disorders.

In fact--in years as an engineer, graduate student, or software developer--I've explained to significant others that I don't want them to take offense when I am in hack mode, a state of hyperfocus likened to ADHD characteristics. So I understand different ways of thinking that lead to social differences.

Nevertheless I got cross with former subconsultants and friends. I expected empathy, explanation of feelings, repairing of feelings, social time, mature social relating--expectations that may worsen social anxiety. I don't like my reaction; I'd rather have the patience of Siobhan.

Rereading / (2007-01-07/11)

"There is no great genius without some touch of madness. "--Seneca, Moral Essays. On Tranquility of the Mind, 17, 10
"'Without effective therapy, widely available and used, we wouldn't be able to support the dataflow economy we have today.'"--Greg Bear, / (Slant)

Several science fiction authors explore the relationship between sanity and society. In Xenocide and Children of the Mind, Orson Scott Card imagines a society which regards obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as possession by the gods. In A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge imagines a far-future society which uses hyperfocus--which my society regards as a symptom of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism--for enslavement. In /, Greg Bear imagines a near-future society which stresses its best and brightest into unhappiness--until technological therapy restores them. / adds Tourette syndrome alongside OCD and ADHD to the list of disorders with subplots in science fiction.

I read again my autographed copy of / in Seattle. In this city my programming work and play, in business and hobby projects, have brought me into contact with "neurodiversity." In former subconsultants and friends I have observed these traits: preoccupation with a single subject, repetitive rituals, idiosyncratic speech, inability to express empathy, impaired ability to perceive nonverbal cues, perfectionism, perfect alignment of objects, echolalia, self-injury, social avoidance, fidgeting, poor impulse control, unusual reluctance to take risks, sexual preference uncertainty, substance habits, and a subvocalization behavior I don't know how to classify. One could regard these traits as symptoms of Aspberger syndrome, OCD, high-functioning autism, Tourette syndrome, borderline personality disorder, social anxiety, avoidant personality disorder, ADHD, or a comorbid combination of these.

One could also regard these traits as personality weaknesses associated with expert knowledge, technical thought, humor, helpfulness, attention to detail, organization, problem-solving, cognitive motor control, artistic temperament, or shyness. Hacker culture certainly has some skepticism about Aspberger syndrome and ADHD:

After all, people in authority will always be inconvenienced by schoolchildren or workers or citizens who are prickly, intelligent individualists — thus, any social system that depends on authority relationships will tend to helpfully ostracize and therapize and drug such ‘abnormal’ people until they are properly docile and stupid and ‘well-socialized’.

Whether disorder or personality, I am intrigued by the range of experience, and curious about the requirements of excellence.

Watching Boy Culture (2006-05-26)

The first of three films spawned in Seattle--a total of four local films--that I watched, Boy Culture was a witty adaptation of the book. The hot "boys" included Darryl Stephens, who we would later see in Another Gay Movie.

Anticipating Sherman Alexie salon (2005-08-18 19:30)

I want to invite readers of this blog and others to a salon with Sherman Alexie and Jess Walter at 7:30 PM on Thursday, August 18 at Finn MacCool's Irish Public House, 4217 University Ave NE. I read Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven the year I saw Smoke Signals. I imagine he will be entertaining in person. If you like, put the salon on your schedule and stop by my office that evening and we'll walk to Finn MacCool's.