Much ado has been made over the current “vampire trend” and its potential longevity. People are curious: why and how have vampires become so popular? What has caused them to capture the fancy of the mainstream public after years of being appreciated mainly by fans of the horror genre? The answer to that question lies in the slow move from terror to sympathy that people have made over the past few decades, due in large part to the efforts of many authors, screenwriters, directors, and other artists.

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, vampires were the bad guys. Remember those days? Dracula bending menacingly over a delirious Lucy Westenra; Kurt Barlow and his servant Mr. Straker slowly bringing the town of Salem’s Lot to ruin; Keifer Sutherland and his cronies menacing Corey Haim’s family … vampires were nearly always portrayed as voracious, evil killers …

If you’re interested in reading the rest, you can find it at Reading with a Bite. I think it’s a pretty solid essay, and of course I get to plug my book, The Blood That Bonds, as well! Thanks very much to Lindsay for the opportunity.

Oh, and the control to turn off the music that starts when the site loads is over on the right, a little bit down the page. ;)

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ray Kurzweil has been accused by some as being incredibly optimistic in his vision for the future of humanity and the computer’s that we’ve created. His predictions, however, have an uncanny way of coming to pass, at least in large part. Spiritual Machines was written in 1999 and speaks of the advances that computers will make in the twenty-first century.

Now, a decade later, it is possible to look at the first of Kurzweil’s predictions, helpfully listed out in a chapter labeled “2009″ and evaluate them. He missed the mark, badly, on a few things — we’ve not yet reached a point where most books are consumed electronically, nor do we interface with out computers mostly through voice — but he is more often right than wrong, and even when the predictions fall short, it’s usually in a way that leaves the reader saying “well, not YET” … these things will come, they’ve just been a little slower in getting here than predicted.

Kurzweil is an unapologetic transhumanist – a person who believes that mankind can and should continue the evolutionary process through voluntarily seeking to “upgrade” his own body via technology. Whether this is done by re-engineering cells, creating remedies to sickness at the DNA level, inventing nanobots, or digitizing the human conscience and moving it to a machine reality seems to matter less to Kurzweil than that we continue to pursue all evolutionary options. Indeed, he would likely argue that we not only must force this self-evolution, but that we are incapable of NOT doing it. Even should our machines rise up, Terminator-like, and destroy us all, Kurzweil would still view this only as another evolutionary process. After all, was it not Homo Sapiens’ superior intelligence and technology which allowed us to beat out the other human variants, such as the neanderthal?

The Age of Spiritual Machines is an absolutely fascinating book even if you think Kurzweil’s a crackpot. I don’t. I share the belief that he’s an optimist, and that some of the predictions he makes won’t come fully to pass, or happen as quickly. Still, I feel that he is able to look at the future with an unflinching eye and, drawing from a wide variety of reputable sources (the footnotes in the book are so voluminous that they take up an entire chapter unto themselves), make many compelling statements about what humankind’s ever-advancing technological capabilities may bring.

This was by a wide margin the best book I’ve read so far this year, and one of the best of the last several years.

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My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve seen Eugene do stand-up several times, and he’s pretty funny, though not my favorite comic of all time. His style of humor is relaxed, sometimes self-deprecating, often ironic and … confused? It’s not uncommon for him to say something and then immediately ask “wait, what?” — the book pretty much follows the same template, combining amusing observations with off-the-wall statements that may not even make sense to the author, let alone the reader. It suffers slightly from the inability to display video, which is a big part of Mirman’s live act, but some of the illustrations and timelines are pretty great.

It’s an up-and-down book. There are sections that I thought were kind of lacking, but also multiple points during each chapter that made me laugh out loud. While I never had any trouble putting the book down, I never had any trouble picking it back up, either. It’s fun and funny, easily accessible, and a very quick read that will probably make you laugh a few times per chapter. It won’t go down as history’s greatest comedic work, but if you’re into comedy books or in particular if you’re a fan of Mirman’s work, it’s worth picking up.

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My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you live in New York City, which I do, the subway is probably a substantial part of your life. Even if you don’t, it’s a pretty fascinating place to visit, in person or in print. Randy Kennedy’s collection of articles, Subwayland, covers a variety of topics within the tiny world running underneath the city.

Interesting and easy to read, the book touches on a range of subjects. Some are sentimental, others amusing, others mildly baffling (such as the guy who insists he’s not that much of a subway buff, and yet has built a complete replica of a conductor’s station … in his one-bedroom apartment). The end of the book does choose to group several September 11th pieces together, and I found this a bit questionable, as it seems overly maudlin and like an overt attempt at manipulating the reader’s emotions. Still, it didn’t dissuade me from finishing the book quickly.

Perhaps what I enjoyed most about Subwayland is that it is nearly the perfect book to read while riding the subway. The articles are short and easy to read, meaning you can get through two or three of them during the duration of a typical subway ride (or more, depending on your commute).

All in all, an enjoyable glimpse into a world beneath a world.

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Ah, yes … E3. The gigantic hype machine has been toned down compared to its heyday, to be sure, but it’s still a major industry event designed to get gamers salivating over the latest and greatest offerings from developers, publishers and hardware-makers alike. Or, in the case of Nintendo, it’s a chance to leave gamers confused and mildly frightened. Either way, there’s been so much gaming news coming out of LA this past week that, unless you’re dead or stuck on a desert island, you’ve probably been caught up in the hype.

Hype sucks.

Look, there were interesting-looking games at E3, for sure. Resident Evil 5, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2 — these titles and others are looking exciting and fun. Some of them even look like they might change or advance the face of gaming in some minor way. I’m particularly intrigued by Prince of Persia‘s “no punishment for sucking” philosophy, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is really starting to sound great.

But for all of the intrigue and excitement, a bunch of games on the slate that got some major press at this event just don’t do it for me. So here, in reverse order, are my least compelling games of E3.

Read More at Crispy Gamer