Alan McArthur

Remember that last book I said had the best title ever? Well, I was wrong, because this book actually has the best title ever.

UPDATE: Just threw this book across the room. Here's why: in an entry purporting to demonstrate why people who use audio books are philistines, the authors refer to Joyce's Finnegan's Wake (sic).

Now, here's a rule I consider elementary: if you're going to write a book that's essentially a long, sneering diatribe that purports to demonstrate your intellectual show more superiority over everything and everyone, you'd better not also demonstrate to your readers that you don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing wrong with a good sneering diatribe that purports to show why everyone but you (and perhaps your reader) is stupid and benighted -- it has a long and distinguished history in American letters. But if you're going to write one, you'd better be smart and you'd better be knowledgeable. That means that you don't get to make mistakes like writing Finnegan's Wake, especially when you're looking down your nose at people who use audio books. Once you do that (and they did it three times in one paragraph, so I know it's not a typo), you've told the reader that, in fact, not only are you are not intellectually superior to people who use audio books, but you're also an arrogant, witless, self-satisfied fuck who shouldn't be allowed to try and read a book, much less write one.

So you know, shut the fucking fuck up, don't expect me to read your book, and actually, don't be writing it in the first place. show less

Shame about the future

TSOSTC is remarkable for two reasons (Okay, three). First, it is a near comprehensive summary of all the new and up and coming nonsense perpetrated by Man. As opposed to all the old nonsense, like wars, wiping out wildlife and poisoning the ecosphere. The second is that it is done with humour. This book is funny. Its paragraphs are structured with knockout punches. There is sarcasm, irony, reversals and tangents. All in a book on future technologies. And third, show more something I usually never comment on, a cover that is irresistible. It’s an image of a robot covering its ears, having either heard enough, or holding its aching head in misery. Lovely.

The basic problem can be summed up as Man has made a mess, and is turning to science to correct it with a far bigger mess. Inspirations are uninspired. The wealthy elite are playing God. Sensible people should shriek in horror.

The humour saves it from being unbearably dark. In discussing the internet of things, talk turns to “toast 3.0” that your newly empowered toaster will be expected to produce. What that is, nobody knows. Nanotechnologists are also known as little people, which neatly tucks that topic away. And many paragraphs end by questioning themselves, as in: statement, Really? No, not really. OK, maybe. Think about it.

They also have an ear tuned to people’s names, forever congratulating them on neat-sounding ones. A consistent sidelight throughout this roller coaster read.

Surprisingly, this is a largely well researched effort, citing a wide variety of scientists and authorities. References are noted. Facts are laid out for all to judge. It doesn’t look good, but the spoonful of sugar helps.

David Wineberg show less

Reading this book is like listening to an overlong standup comedy routine. Taken in small doses, it is often quite entertaining, but it is very inconsistent. The theme of the book is to poke fun at silly, bizarre scientific endeavors and the people (some of them Silicon Valley tycoons) who are leading or funding them. The other theme of the book seems to be, as indicated by the title, to throw in a few curse words now and then to keep things lively. While I read lots of books with much worse show more language than this one, here it is just gratuitous and detracts from what are often sensible observations about the overreach of science. (And to think, this is one of a series! I'll have to stop at just one.) show less

The authors of this book do have a point; much our world’s culture today really is morally bankrupt, dishonest, and just plain hopelessly insane. In alphabetical order, Is it Just Me’s authors eviscerate these modern foibles with a sarcastic and humorous wit like Louis Black on speed with a potty mouth. There is little that escapes the authors’ ire from all sides of the political and cultural spectrum, although they seem to reserve a special disdain for the Bush Administration and show more certain music industry figures (including, no doubt, the term “music industry figures”). Some of their targets, like Hip Hotels, simply won’t resonate with the daily experiences of busy dads (our definition of a hip, trendy hotel is more likely to be the Nickelodeon Suites near Disney World). Others, like Organic Consumer Scans, are annoyances that we all share. But still others speak directly to the experience of being a modern father, and it’s both empowering and outrageously amusing to hear the authors say the things that we’ve all been thinking about topics like:

• Bratz: “It’s a sort of celebutard training course for six-year-olds.”


• Designer Baby Clothes: “Yes, it’s so important to dress the baby right – you know, to dangle wealth off it.”


• DVDs with Ads You Can’t Skip: “Just in case you thought it was perfectly legal to burn copies of DVDs but only if you went to Norway and did it.”


• Juice Drink: “What happened there, then? What did you do with all the juice?”

Whatever you may think of their opinions on other topics, when it comes to kids and fatherhood, you’ll find yourself nodding along and even laughing out loud to the authors’ observations of the modern and often baffling world that we’re raising our children in. (caution for extremely strong language). Review by Book Dads show less