Reading: Joan Slonczewski – Daughter of Elysium

The second of the three I acquired of Joan Slonczewski last Friday, Daughter of Elysium follows on from A Door into …

Reading: Joan Slonczewski – A Door into Ocean

A special arrival on Friday: three books of Joan Slonczewski, who is now on my Illustrious List of Science Fiction …

Reading: Shi Naian — The Water Margin: The Outlaws of the Marsh, Trans: J. H. Jackson

This is one of the classics of Chinese literature, and me being the philistine could only gawp over how thick …

Reading: Paul A. Van Dyke — The Canton Trade: Life and Enterprise on the China Coast, 1700-1845

Continuing my return to reading China, as with my focus on women in the history of China, so too is …

Christian & his Verdienstkreuz

One of the first freelance jobs I got in Berlin was salvaging a website for Christian Ender. Over the past …

Reading: Joan Slonszewski – Brain Plague

I’ve already finished it. Joan Slonczewski I discovered through Charles Stross, when she guest-blogged there, and her The Highest Frontier was my …

Reading: Susan Mann – Precious Records: Women in China’s Long Eighteenth Century

Shortly before departing for Brussels, I finished Susan Mann’s brilliant The Talented Women of the Zhang Family, and began Gail Hershatter’s …

Reading: Gail Hershatter — The Gender of Memory: Rural Women and China’s Collective Past

This is the book I was so intimidated by I went off and read Charles Stross and Harry Potter for …

Reading (2nd Time): Charles Stross — Rule 34

The first time I read Charles Stross’ Rule 34, I wasn’t writing about why I read certain books. So, taking …

Was it something I said? (or, supernaut blocked in China)

I noticed a few weeks ago that traffic from China was low — single digits low instead of being in …

Reading: (2nd time) Susan Mann — The Talented Women of the Zhang Family

In early 2008, before I moved to Berlin, I had a book-buying spree, and a couple of those books I …

Ozco cuts Leigh Warren & Dancers Funding

I just heard from Daniel Jaber that the Australia Council for the Arts have cut Leigh Warren and Dancers triennial funding. Having …

“Reading: … ” Book of the Year 2011 (Non-Fiction): Nazif Shahrani – The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan

nazif shahrani – the kirghiz and wakhi of afghanistan

“Reading: … ” Book of the Year 2011 (Fiction): Joan Slonczewski — The Highest Frontier

Joan Slonczewski — The Highest Frontier

“Reading: … ” Book of the Year 2011 (Fiction): China Mieville — Un Lun Dun

china miéville – un lun dun

Reading … a 4th anniversary

Another year of books. Not as many as last year; I took a pause for some time, unable to find …

Reading: Joan Slonczewski — The highest Frontier

A new author for me. I heard of Joan Slonczewski for the first time only a couple of weeks ago when …

Reading: Neal Stephenson — Reamde

There are five science-fiction writers — though this is a loose term, and none write in this genre exclusively — …

Occupy the World

Published on Sunday, October 2, 2011 by NYC General Assembly Declaration of the Occupation of New York City by NYC …

Reading: Rodric Braithwaite – Afghansty: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89

This year I’ve been attempting to fill in an embarrassing omission in my Central Asian studies. Mainly because my interest …

Reading: Liao Yiwu – God is Red

It was only in July this year, Liao Yiwu paid himself into the hands of smugglers on the border of …

Reading: Thomas Barfield – Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History

Thomas Barfield – Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History

Reading: Charles Stross — Rule 34

charles stross – rule 34

Reading: Paul Hockenos – Joschka Fischer and the Making of the Berlin Republic

paul hockenos – joschka fischer

the sound of the people gives me hope

There has not been enough of this in my lifetime. It’s almost 4am, I should be going to sleep but …

The last free people on the planet

I started reading Neuroanthropology a couple of years ago at least, and it has been one of the first blogs …

third and some thoughts on revulsion

(I wasn’t so happy with what I wrote here last night, so I’m splitting this up and hopefully will write …

Reading: Reza Negarestani – Cyclonopedia

reza negarestani – cyclonopedia

Burka Bondage

The past couple of months Dasniya has been rehearsing with Helena Waldmann, in a piece she helped with last year …

Reading: China Miéville – Un Lun Dun

china miéville – un lun dun

Zwei Bäume weniger in Berlin nur Baustellen und Bagger und brave Bürger..

zwei bäume weniger – 1 zwei bäume weniger – 2 zwei bäume weniger – 3 zwei bäume weniger – 4 …

Uferstrasse Trees

A few months ago various people in Uferstrasse got together to save some trees that were to be felled in …

Reading… a 3rd anniversary

Regarding the two-score books of the last year, it is surprising which of the non-fiction – a term I use …

Liu Xiaobo 刘晓波

Congratulations to Liu Xiaobo for being awarded the Nobel Peace prize. I’ve been keeping up with my reading on this …

Reading: Nazif Shahrani – The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan

nazif shahrani – the kirghiz and wakhi of afghanistan

Reading: Peter Hopkirk – The Great Game

peter hopkins – the great game

Reading: Peter Hopkirk – Foreign Devils on the Silk Road

peter hopkins – foreign devils on the silk road

Reading: Peter Hopkirk – Trespassers on the Roof of the World

peter hopkins – trespassers on the roof of the world

Reading: William Gibson – Zero History

william gibson – zero history

(Some) Stuff I Read This Week

For some reason I decided to start using Twitter again — I suspect iPhone — and without any clear purpose …

Reading: Matthew T. Kapstein – The Tibetans

matthew t. kapstein – the tibetans

germany is (slightly) embarrassing itself

Reading signandsight’s From the Feuilletons this week… it’s been dead in my feed for some time, but returned with excellent …

Christoph Schlingensief

christoph schlingensief

Werner Bab

One of the first sites I did as a freelancer was porting imdialog-ev.org from a dead cms into WordPress for …

die bäume bleiben

(Just before cycling back to rehearsal…) Our beautiful tree of Uferstrasse will remain for the moment. The Berliner Wasserbetriebe has …

Reading: Christopher I Beckwith – The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia

christopher i. beckwith – the tibetan empire in central asia

meine bäume

Outside the window where I work with Dy are many beautiful trees. My view, as I sit here and write …

reading: frank dikotter – the age of openness: china before mao

frank dikotter – the age of openness: china before mao

reading: charles stross – the clan corporate

charles stross – the clan corporate

reading: hanna arendt – eichmann in jerusalem

reading: hanna arendt – eichmann in jerusalem

reading: charles stross – wireless

reading: charles stross – wireless

reading: charles stross – the family trade

reading: charles stross – the family trade

reading: juan cole – engaging the muslim world

juan cole – engaging the muslim world

art sunday

Some rather nice art has fallen my way recently, falling around something that might become abjection. Of course it induces …

reading: hanna arendt – eichmann and the holocaust

reading: hanna arendt – eichmann and the holocaust

I am a Muslim

Coming to Berlin caused my attention to drift to a small part of my life I know little about, and …

reading: fiona mcgregor – strange museums

fiona mcgregor – strange museums

reading: edward said – orientalism

edward said – orientalism

reading: primo levi – if not now, when?

primo levi – if not now, when?

anouk van dijk & falk richter – TRUST

The set is moody, gloomy, dark, chrome chairs and black leather sofa, matching seats, a stylist-industrial minimalist clutter extending back …

reading: christopher i. beckwith – empires of the silk road

christopher i. beckwith – empires of the silk road

reading: iranophobia – the logic of an israeli obsession – haggai ram

iranophobia – haggai ram

reading: iain m banks – excession (4th time)

iain m banks – excession

Reading: Feng Jicai – Voices from the Whirlwind

feng jicai – voices from the whirlwind

Reading: Katherine Pratt Ewing – Stolen Honor – Stigmatizing Muslim Men in Berlin

katherine pratt ewing – stolen honor

Reading: Iris Chang – The Rape of Nanking

iris chang – the rape of nanking

claude

claude lévi-strauss

Reading… a 2nd anniversary

My reading the last year has not been of either the volume, nor the breadth of the previous, in no …

orgy of tolerance

To have your idols disappoint. It is a delicious sensation. And probably inevitable, necessary. My Friday Antwerp wanderings, despite the …

reading: j.g. ballard – empire of the sun

j.g. ballard – empire of the sun

reading: iain banks – canal dreams

iain banks – canal dreams

reading: iain banks – walking on glass

iain banks – walking on glass

reading: iain banks – song of stone

iain banks – song of stone

reading: ohran pamuk – istanbul

ohran pamuk – istanbul

save the vca

It is a long time ago now, camping on the lawn outside the front of Victorian College of the Arts …

a chronology of burnt-out corpses

Mainly that I laughed and snorted when I read the title and looked at the familiar map of Berlin drowned …

Gunter Kroemer

Over much of this year I’ve been working with Christian Ender on rebuilding the code of one of his documentary …

Reading: Alexandra Richie – Faust’s Metropolis – A History of Berlin

alexandra richie – faust’s metropolis

記得天安门

buchstabenmuseum

I’m not sure where I stumbled upon this, but it wasn’t so long ago and immediately thought of someone whose …

reading: ahmed rashid – descent into chaos

ahmed rashid – descent into chaos

greg mortenson – three cups of tea

greg mortenson – three cups of tea

blog stuff

I shouldn’t be on my laptop today; I am bad. Working around 12 and sometimes up to 16 hours a …

i was…

… going to title this “all hail the true metal warriors”, in a private joke for myself, which I think …

a retrospective

Sitting in my lounge with Daniel talking about dance and my old works, many of which I am still very …

things to do at silverfuture this weekend

Because I haven’t been there for oh so too long, and I need a bit of queer drunkenness… and books …

Annemarie Schwarzenbach

And so I discovered Annamarie Schwarzenbach, who to a certain kind of Berlinerin is probably quite famous, yet in English …

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is not self-defence – it’s a war crime

This letter of attorneys and academics appeared in the Times of London on Sunday. I suggest that all bloggers who …

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