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Old 08-04-2011, 06:58 AM   #1001
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Sure that wasn't a 60s song?
DW confirmed that yes, there was a 60's song with that line. But apparently it wasn't attributed to Tolstoy whereas Seinfeld directly attributes it to him. Important historical point!!!

Source: War (Edwin Starr song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 08-04-2011, 12:39 PM   #1002
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HaHa, My husband said he liked this book and it's on Amazon. Hope this helps:

Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace Dominic Lieven (Author)



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Old 08-04-2011, 09:37 PM   #1003
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HaHa, My husband said he liked this book and it's on Amazon. Hope this helps:

Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace Dominic Lieven (Author)


Thanks Ally. I'll see if I can find it in King Co Library. Seattle does not have it.

Ha
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Old 08-10-2011, 05:54 PM   #1004
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I just read The Code Book by Simon Singh, which details the science and history of cryptography. If you have ever been interested in ciphers and codes, it is a very informative and well written book. As the author explained the historical cipher systems, I found myself thinking "But what about this weakness?". Inevitably, the very next page would say something like "You may ask -- but what about this weakness? Well . . ." Step by step he explains how the code/cipher was constructed and how it was eventually broken. The important historical figures in code breaking, such as Alan Turing, are brought to life in the pages. The final chapter of the book is a discussion of the inevitable fight between a government that wants to keep an eye on troublemakers and people who want privacy. It was written in 1999, so subsequent events will inform the reader's understanding of the debate. Overall, I give it two thumbs up.
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Old 08-10-2011, 08:28 PM   #1005
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larson. Excellent pageturner with interesting characters, a grisly development or two, a number of Volvos, and some unpronouncable Swedish place names. I can't wait to start the sequel!
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Old 08-10-2011, 08:53 PM   #1006
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I just read The Code Book by Simon Singh, which details the science and history of cryptography.
...(snip)...
Sounds interesting, I'll check it out. Just wondering if there was any depth to the discussion of the math behind the named algorithms? Not that I'd follow the deeper stuff.

When I looked it up in our library system the title was:
The code book : the evolution of secrecy from Mary Queen of Scots to quantum cryptography with 402 pages, year 1999
but Amazon has:
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography with 432 pages, year 2000

Slight title differences, that's curious. Oh well.
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Old 08-10-2011, 09:25 PM   #1007
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Sounds interesting, I'll check it out. Just wondering if there was any depth to the discussion of the math behind the named algorithms? Not that I'd follow the deeper stuff.

When I looked it up in our library system the title was:
The code book : the evolution of secrecy from Mary Queen of Scots to quantum cryptography with 402 pages, year 1999
but Amazon has:
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography with 432 pages, year 2000

Slight title differences, that's curious. Oh well.
It is the second one. At least, the one I read has the same subtitle. Although the book does open with a story about Mary Queen of Scots. And yes, it does get into some of the math. Gently in the text and in greater detail in the appendices.
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Old 08-10-2011, 09:53 PM   #1008
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I read two really great books recently.

1. "The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz. It's about seven men who escape from a Soviet laber camp in Siberia and walk to freedom.

2. "Dancing with Marmots" by George Spearing. I've read this book twice. The author is from New Zealand and hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail. He has a great sense of humor and I really did LOL several times while reading this book.
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Old 08-11-2011, 02:20 AM   #1009
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Colum McCann,Let the Great World Spin....mesmerizing.

Dipped into Retirement Rocks, Canadian Boomers Invest in Life Blas/Comton and The New Retirement by Sherry Cooper.
Seriously read, How to retire happy, wild and free.by Ernie Zelinski.Best book on retirement I have read so far. Believe his message - it is not about the money its about quality of life. All three books are written by Canadians so really relevant to this Canucklehead.
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Old 08-11-2011, 05:58 AM   #1010
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I just read The Code Book by Simon Singh, Overall, I give it two thumbs up.
+1 I enjoyed it enough to buy Code, another book on the topic which isn't as good. And, of course, Cryptonomicon, a novel by Neil Stephenson which jumps in time from code breakers in Bletchley Park to a modern day data haven - definitely a good read.
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Old 08-11-2011, 04:49 PM   #1011
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+1 I enjoyed it enough to buy Code, another book on the topic which isn't as good. And, of course, Cryptonomicon, a novel by Neil Stephenson which jumps in time from code breakers in Bletchley Park to a modern day data haven - definitely a good read.
I read Cryptomnicon and really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed his Baroque Cycle of books. He is a very entertaining writer.
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Old 08-11-2011, 04:51 PM   #1012
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I read Cryptomnicon and really enjoyed it.
+1
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Old 08-11-2011, 05:51 PM   #1013
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Sounds interesting, I'll check it out. Just wondering if there was any depth to the discussion of the math behind the named algorithms? Not that I'd follow the deeper stuff.

When I looked it up in our library system the title was:
The code book : the evolution of secrecy from Mary Queen of Scots to quantum cryptography with 402 pages, year 1999
but Amazon has:
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography with 432 pages, year 2000

Slight title differences, that's curious. Oh well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby View Post
It is the second one. At least, the one I read has the same subtitle. Although the book does open with a story about Mary Queen of Scots. And yes, it does get into some of the math. Gently in the text and in greater detail in the appendices.
Huh? I saw Gumby's post, and thought it sounded interesting so I put it on hold at our library. But it was the first on that list:

The Code Book
The Evolution of Secrecy from Mary, Queen of Scots, to Quantum Cryptography
Singh, Simon (Book - 1999)

Author is Simon Singh, so I assume this is the same, or maybe just a slightly different edition?

Ahh, a little more info:

Edition:1st ed
ISBN:0385495315

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Old 08-11-2011, 08:04 PM   #1014
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The version I have is the "trade paperback" It has 411 pages (counting index) and is ISBN 0-385-49532-3
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Old 08-11-2011, 09:02 PM   #1015
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The version I have is the "trade paperback" It has 411 pages (counting index) and is ISBN 0-385-49532-3
Thanks, I see the ISBN #'s vary only by the last two digits 15 versus 23. I'll assume the content is similar, probably just a different cover style or something?

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Old 08-11-2011, 09:33 PM   #1016
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If I understand correctly, the final digit of an ISBN is a checksum. The preceding three digits identify the title and edition. So the ISBN in your post is the first edition and mine is the second edition (if I have read the code on the back of the tile page correctly), although it is noted as the "First Anchor Books Edition, September 2000"
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Old 08-12-2011, 10:19 AM   #1017
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Just finished reading Black Wave by Jean Silverwood, about their family sailing adventure's sudden end on a reef in the South Pacific. Gripping read, and unexpectedly interesting even before the nitty gritty of the disaster. The dynamics of the family and how they put their private dramas "out there" in the book made it very compelling reading.
I finished it in two nights. I first heard about the book from Abby Sunderland's blog. She's the teenager whose own boat came to grief in a massive storm in the Southern Ocean. I have an odd affinity for disaster at sea stories.
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Old 08-12-2011, 12:20 PM   #1018
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...(snip)... I have an odd affinity for disaster at sea stories.
Nowadays I do not have to go to sea ... I just take a look at my investment portfolio

Sarah, you might be interest in a classic written (I think) in 1959: Amazon.com: The Wreck of the Mary Deare (9780330342414): Hammond Innes: Books
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Old 08-12-2011, 01:05 PM   #1019
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Thanks for the tip--I added it to my wish list at paperback book swap--the local library didn't have a copy.
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Old 08-12-2011, 01:21 PM   #1020
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Did anyone mention 'Pacific Glory' by P T Deuterman ? Very entertaining.....
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