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Weekend Reading - RAW 170217

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The weekend is upon us again and here are some articles which may help you choose a new book. Enjoy over a cup of coffee in the morning or anytime you want to put your feet up.
Last Sunday I published an article about J.R.R. Tolkien and Epic Fantasy. It has some interesting advice for aspiring readers... and whenever you do this weekend, remember to Read More and Think More... with your favourite beverage.



Neuroscientist Sam Harris Selects 12 Books Everyone Should Read | Brain Pickings

On an excellent recent episode of The Tim Ferriss Show — one of these nine podcasts for a fuller life — neuroscientist Sam Harris answered a listener’s question inquiring what books everyone should read.



4 Series To Read Instead Of Watching Star Trek: Discovery (because it’s pushed back to who knows when) | Hachette Australia

We begin with Becky Chambers. Why? Because Becky deserves your love, respect, fandom and hard earned dollars. She deserves them because she’s a damn fine author who has this to say about Star Trek: First Contact: ... it confronts the reality of poised, measured hero Jean-Luc Picard struggling with – and owning up to – the psychological remnants of a horrifying trauma that occurred well in the past



Scientists Probe Mystery of Pluto’s Icy Heart | Astrobiology Magazine

Was Pluto’s frozen heart formed in an ancient impact basin and was it once closer to the north pole? And does the icy heart conceal a subsurface ocean?



How Japan’s Radically Different Approach to AI Could Lead to Wild New Tech | TIME

Honda's "emotionally intelligent" car highlights Japan's unique philosophy regarding artificial intelligence.



Why the Technology in 'Rogue One' Is So Old-Fashioned | The Atlantic

We expect certain storytelling forms to pay special attention to setting. Historical fiction spends a great deal of energy in recreating the past. Fan fiction does something similar for its source material. Science fiction and fantasy fans expect world-building. Rogue One, a combination of all of these forms, does this very well on multiple levels. It is, after all, science fiction, and the Star Wars universe has long had a strong fantasy vibe.



The Hyper-Examined Life Is Not Worth Living in 2017

As we approach the end of 2016 and the beginning of the new year, many of us will reflect, even if briefly, on our lives and loved ones in the past year. For some, that will mean reliving warm and cherished moments, and for others, feeling yet more grief and pain. In either case, there can be no doubt that American culture, as distracted and unfocused as it often is, encourages a kind of serious introspection this time of year.



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