New books / Poems

There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America. Otto von Bismarck

New books

Some of the books I have ordered from Amazon arrived yesterday. They are in a large box, and thus the customs seized them. I had to go to the custom and pay VAT for the books and also for the postage. Funny that I have to pay VAT for a postage used in USA. Well, it does not matter that much since the books are not available in Finland and even if they were, they would be much more expensive here.
My new books are:

• Between human and machine – feedback, control, and computing before Cybernetics by David Mindell
• American Generis – a century of invention and technological enthusiasm, 1870-1970 by Thomas P. Hughes
• Networks of power – electrification in Western Society, 1880-1930 by Thomas P. Hughes
• Energy systems and sustainability – power for a sustainable future by Godfrey Boyle and others
• Sustainable Energy – choosing among option by Jefferson W. Tester and other. This is the MIT-coursebook on the topic.
• The human motor – energy, fatigue, and the origins of modernity by Anson Rabinbach
• Science in Action by Brono Latour
• Does technology drive history – the dilemma of technological determinism by Merrith Roe Smith, Leo Marx
• Inventing accuracy – a historical sociology of nuclear missile guidance by Donald Mackenzie

Well, now I will have fresh reading for some time. Especially, since I have some 10 unread books on the history of technology on my novelty-shelf already and some more should arrive from USA any day.

Poems

Yesterday, I went to the Kohina-club in the Kuudes linja-nightclub. A girl sang and a boy played guitar. The lyrics were old poem, the performers were shy. Later, Kauko Röyhkä answered some questions. Nothing too revealing, some arrogant boasting as expected. In all, the club was worth visiting. Next one is on 18th of April and then on 9th of May. I will be there.
Kuudes linja has live music, poems, etc daily. Since it is only 5 minutes walk from our home, I am sure I will start to frequent it. The events are rather cheap. They try to make profit by selling alcohol.

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs March to June 2006".