Sean Gillies (Posts about reading)https://sgillies.net/tags/reading.atom2023-12-31T01:26:21ZSean GilliesNikolaWhy do computers stop and what can be done about it?https://sgillies.net/2019/01/29/why-do-computers-stop-and-what-can-be-done-about-it.html2019-01-28T19:44:16-07:002019-01-28T19:44:16-07:00Sean Gillies<p>I have no formation in computer science and will forever be catching up on
reading classic papers from the field. Bill de hÓra posted a reading list on
his blog and I'm taking advantage of <a class="reference external" href="https://dehora.net/journal/paper-reading">it</a>. I've read a few of the papers
("The Law of Leaky Abstractions", "As We May Think") and
seen references to others, but some are completely new to me. <a class="reference external" href="http://www.hpl.hp.com/techreports/tandem/TR-85.7.pdf">"Why do
computers stop and what can be done about it?"</a> caught my eye. What
a title. <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_(computer_scientist)">Jim Gray</a> nailed it.</p>
<p>The paper outlines a playbook for highly available computer software systems in
general terms. Gray wrote it for all software engineers, not only for users of
a particular language or product. I didn't know that concepts like failing
fast, shared nothing, heisenbugs, and fail over were established 30 years ago.
I found the description of them from the time that they were fresh fascinating.
Gray wrote this paper in a simple and straightforward style and I'm grateful
for that. I've read a number of AWS product sheets this week and they are
opaque in comparison. Do AWS Glue or Step Functions use strategies from Gray's
playbook? Do they operate on different principles? It's difficult to tell.</p>
<p>I remember well the search for Jim Gray when he went missing at sea in 2007.
I didn't plan to write a blog post about one of his papers on the 12th
anniversary of his disappearance, but that's what has happened. Read the paper
if you haven't, I almost guarantee that you'll find at least a few interesting
insights and rules of thumb.</p>The Broken Earth Trilogyhttps://sgillies.net/2018/01/21/the-broken-earth-trilogy.html2018-01-21T11:30:00-07:002018-01-21T11:30:00-07:00Sean Gillies<p>I've just finished "The Stone Sky," and with that, J.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth
series. Damn, what a trio of books. I haven't been this engrossed in novels in
a long time. I'm behind the curve in reading and figure that almost anybody
reading this post has already them. If you haven't, don't worry, no major
spoilers here. There <em>are</em> spoilers in the blog posts that I link below,
however.</p>
<p>I predict that I'll be coming back to this series in time, like I have with Le
Guin's Earthsea books. <a class="reference external" href="http://nkjemisin.com/2015/08/tricking-readers-into-acceptance/">Essun</a> is,
I think, right there with Ged as the most complete and most human wizard in all
of fantasy literature. And her <a class="reference external" href="http://nkjemisin.com/2015/10/on-family/">family</a>, allies, and enemies are also
portrayed with great care. The descriptions of the landscapes and cityscapes,
both living and dead, warrant another read, for sure.</p>
<p>I shouldn't compare Jemisin to Le Guin, but I always (guiltily) wanted more
action in Le Guin's stories, and I found myself instantly hooked by the
punctuations of danger, force, and urgency in the Broken Earth series. It's
a thrilling tale that lives up to all the hype.</p>
<p>Next up on my reading list: "The Trail Runner's Companion" and "The
Architecture of Open Source Applications." I'm going to cherry pick some
chapters from the latter. I'm mostly interested in lessons from Berkeley DB,
HDFS, and LLVM.</p>Readinghttps://sgillies.net/2017/12/02/reading.html2017-12-02T11:03:58-07:002017-12-02T11:03:58-07:00Sean Gillies<p>I'm spending less time running and scrolling through Twitter this season and
more time reading. Reading what? Fiction and a memoir.</p>
<p>I've read the copy of "The End of All Things" that John
Scalzi signed for Ruth and me at his 2015 reading in Fort Collins. The story
about the Conclave leadership was the one I enjoyed the most.</p>
<p>Afterwards I read N. K. Jemisin's "The Fifth Season." It's harrowing and
mysterious and subversive and beautifully written. It's also a geography and
history book of sorts, complete with an intriguing map. Interestingly, Jemisin
has written that <a class="reference external" href="http://nkjemisin.com/2015/08/the-stillness-in-all-its-glory/">she's not a fan of maps in fantasy novels</a>. She had the
help of an illustrator named Tim Paul, who has a site full of <a class="reference external" href="http://www.timpaulillustrations.com/maps/">lovely fantasy
world maps</a>.</p>
<p>Now I am simultaneously reading the 33rd edition of "The Year's Best Science
Fiction," edited by Gardner Dozois, and "Girl in a Band" by Kim Gordon. I'm 100
pages into that 600-page collection of short stories and novellas. "Three Cups
of Grief, by Starlight" (Aliette de Bodard), "Ruins" (Eleanor Arnason), and
"Another Word for World" (Ann Leckie) are my favorites so far.</p>
<p>Kim Gordon is a founder of one of my favorite rock bands and a fine writer and
storyteller. Her reflections on growing up in L.A. in the late 60s are unique
and new, to me. I don't read memoirs, generally speaking. Gordon writes
frankly and, I believe, honestly and I find it pretty compelling stuff. Is this
book particularly good, or am I discovering that I <em>am</em> a memoir reader after
all? I read chapters 25-51 after cleaning my kitchen, while
listening to "Goo" and "Daydream Nation," an indulgent and fun start to my
Saturday.</p>