I just finished The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers. Still need to digest the massive amount of information, but overall it was a worthwhile read.
The book was a dense 640 pages, full of verbal and mathematical links between genetics, music, emotion, and life overall. There’s a long (too long) stretch in the middle with almost no action – at times the narrator launches into long observations on science and music without advancing the plot at all. I found myself counting the pages left to go, just to wonder how long it would be till I could start a new book in earnest.
However, the entire book is about patterns and “codes” like DNA or music scores, so I guess the structure of alternating observation and plot thread matches the overall theme. In the last 100 pages or so the characters actually start DOING something, and the larger ideas presented in the book link up with the main narrative, the book builds to a satisfying crescendo and grand finale.
I can also give this book the highest recommendation I can give a book: it changed the way I viewed the world. The book gives insight into the intricacies and beauty of music, especially classical scores like the Goldberg Variations that give the book its name. Right now I don’t have the ear to appreciate such music, but I want to obtain the appropriate thought processes to decode the music’s pattern and signal.
Overall, a satisfying (if sometimes challenging) read.
Some interesting tidbits on the Thomson sale from around the net.
Financial Times gives a due date for final bids, as well as a hint that Pearson may acquire some Thomson assets:
Final bids are due sometime in late April to early May. Pearson would only be interested in acquiring a small part of Thomson’s learning division, the source added. Likewise, Bertelsmann’s role in the auction is a small one, according to the same source. more>>
Globe and Mail offers the possibility that Harcourt assets may merge back with Thomson:
Analysts believe private equity firms are looking to merge Thomson Learning with Reed Elsevier’s Harcourt education business, creating a giant in textbook publishing and digital software for university professors and school teachers. more>>
Times Onlineoffers a roundup of potential bidders (emphasis added):
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and Carlyle Group are among a group of five or six bidders chasing Thomson’s higher education publishing arm, in a deal that will set a benchmark for the sale of Reed Elsevier’s educational division.
The two firms are competing separately against Apax Partners, Warburg Pincus and a consortium of Blackstone, Thomas H. Lee and Bain, all of which owned Houghton Mifflin, the educational publisher, before selling last year. It is thought that bids for Thomson Learning could come in at around $3.5 billion (£1.74 billion).
Bertelsmann, the German media giant, is also involved in the auction. It was thought to have linked up with Holtzbrinck, its fellow German publisher, but some sources say that it was trying to hook up with the Blackstone syndicate. more>>
No idea what the culture is like at any of these companies, but I imagine life at Thomson Learning will go largely unchanged (though the focus on the bottom dollar will continue to rise in priority).
So, by June we should know who’s buying Thomson Learning, and possibly how the company will be divvied up for the sale.
Sometimes I worry that I’m not using my time in the most productive way possible. That I could spend time more wisely, and perhaps use my time to learn a new skill or read a new book.
Then I saw the video below, and realize that there is always someone out on the Internet willing to waste more time than I could ever spend.
I think I’ve developed a certain addiction to information – I work on a computer all day, but when I get home I turn the computer on and keep clicking.
After a while it’s not even research or stuff I have to do – there becomes something comforting in typing, clicking of the keyboard, pointing with the mouse, and seeing various colored pixels wash over the screen. Flickr and YouTube for visuals, MySpace and Facebook for brief snippets of friends’ lives and photos. It’s like drinking a coffee with a lot of sugar; I know it’s not substantial or necessarily good for me, but it gives me a little rush during the day.
For a while there, I had gotten into the habit of reading a book in the evenings, so that my rush of information wouldn’t keep me up at night. Even now I’m typing this a bit late at night; I’ll get back to my book after finishing up with a few blog posts and YouTube searches.
I just finished The Gold Bug Variations
