Thread: What are You Reading?

Originally Posted by diesel

Doping is cheating, there is nothing "so called" about it. Performance enhancing drugs enhance performance beyond what is achievable through talent and fitness alone and are against the rules of every sport I follow, and rightly so. Many young aspiring athletes are pressured into doping and ruining their health in the process just to even the playing field to compete with the likes of Armstrong.

To keep my post on topic I am reading "Death Traps, The survival of an American Armoured Division in WW2" Belton Y Cooper

Doping is endemic at that level of competitive cycling and it has been at least since 1903. It used to be widely known and accepted, then the stance on doping started changing in the 1950s.

Put another way... in the past 53 years, only 15 Tour de France winners weren't eventually tested positive for a banned substance... and 6 of those were tested for a substance banned in other disciplines or got a waiver for "pre-existing medical condition". That leaves 9 "clean" winners in 53 years or possibly 9 cheaters who did beat the system. Basically the game is to take things not banned yet or for which there are no reliable tests.

I'm currently reading "1000 years of annoying the French" during the commute, it must be my fourth reading of the book and I still enjoy it

^^ i do love annoying the French

I've been reading "Under The Skin" by Michel Faber
It's pretty odd. It's basically about a girl who's job is to capture hitchhikers and deliver them to her race of subterranean humanoids that then turns them into meat.

My blood pressure medicine makes me ineligible to compete in the Olympics. Oh well... I guess I will just have to compete against myself and since it is to cold outside tonight I will curl up on the couch and read The Backwoodsman, Volume 35, No.6.

"The Bush War in Rhodesia: The Extraordinary Combat Memoir of a Rhodesian Reconnaissance Specialist" by Croukamp Dennis.

Then "32 Battalion - the Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit" by Piet Nortje.

Been taking an interest in the history of the region of late, and what an incredibly complicated, fascinating history.

Dang Phrank,,, you got a little violence going there,,,,

Originally Posted by Phrank

"The Bush War in Rhodesia: The Extraordinary Combat Memoir of a Rhodesian Reconnaissance Specialist" by Croukamp Dennis.

Then "32 Battalion - the Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit" by Piet Nortje.

Been taking an interest in the history of the region of late, and what an incredibly complicated, fascinating history.

We had a small contingent of the newly formed SOUTH AFRICAN SPECIAL FORCES come for training with the Project 52 (Delta) Recondo School in 1970 at Ninh Hoa, Viet Nam. They were some good boys...for sure and for certain!

I wouldn't mind reading that book!

After just finishing, "Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust", a book of nightmare's come to life, truly a terrifying book in every aspect, this almost seems light reading.

Reason I am reading about Rhodesia and South Africa, I went to University with a guy from SA, he did his mandatory service, he has some chilling stories about being in Namibia...the 32 Battalion guys, they were some highly trained, disciplined, scary individuals, I can't even imagine some of this stuff, and I think I'm glad I can't.

I blame pixelfixed anyhow, he got me on this non-fiction bender...going to take a few more books to shake it off and get back to swords and dragons or something...

Just wrapped up Frank Sinatra IN A Blender written by Matthew Mc Bride and starting Hand to Mouth, Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado

Reading this and almost finished. Good book!

Two books right now, "Kill Decision" - Daniel Suarez.

A great new tech writer, this story is a wild adventure into Drone warfare, Artificial Intelligence, facial recognition software and how ants, specifically the Weaver ant, is one of the few organisms, like humans, that will actively seek out and destroy other organisms for territory and defense. The novel discusses "swarm intelligence" and how this could be applied to autonomous drone warfare - the next logical step. We also share with them that they are one of the few other species that raise livestock, these Weaver ants keep other insects in their nests. They are also considered one of the most deadly "insect armies", or armies period on the planet. Afterall, they've had over a 100 million years to get good at it.

Hence, just checking out this .PDF file from Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, "Ants and the Art of War" by Mark W. Moffett. Fascinating stuff!

http://xenophobiaworkshop.wikispaces...icAmerican.pdf

"Kill Decision" is a great read, his other books are fantastic as well if you like a Tom Clancy type story.