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An interesting evening
Nov. 2nd, 2005 10:38 pmI'd been meaning to get together with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dclayh while he was still in town, so when he suggested getting together this evening to hang out with folk from his REU, I agreed. He thought I'd get along well with his adviser if for no other reason than the number of Science Fiction books he owned.
Said adviser turns out to be an interesting astrophysicist, who among other things is collecting information about everything humans have put into space. He also has walls made out of books, something I aspire to some day. While many of these were taken up with giant binders on rockets and various space programs, a substantial portion was devoted to history and another fairly large collection to science fiction. We got a tour of the library and many a story of the efforts gone through to collect the information, from a web of contacts across the globe to loyal newsletter readers to standing at a Xerox machine copying declassified materials while a guy with a machine gun stands guard behind.
We swapped book recommendations and then turned to the task of finding the other REU student something to start off with in science fiction. Lots of philosophy about what type of book would be best given the sorts of books she typically liked, and tossing ideas back and forth.
There is an interesting sort of figuring in trying to extrapolate from someone's shelves and preferences to other things they might like. It takes a lot of "so what do you think of _____" or "how about _____" to be able to predict someone else's taste. I think this case was particularly tricky because we liked a lot of the same books but got different things out of them. I know some of the big names in hard SF and straight-up philosophical SF, but less about how to recommend there. My taste is definitely more character and plot driven. I *like* all the other things, books all about ideas and all about new technology, but they have to be done just right for me to really like them.
Someday, all my books will be in one place. Someday I'll have enough bookshelves. Someday I'll have the non-fiction collection that reflects my interests there. This is one of those big things I want, and am starting to build toward. Its one of the reasons I want to become a grownup (not grow up, mind you, lets not take things too far...) Just seeing row upon row of shelves makes me a happy soul indeed.
dclayh while he was still in town, so when he suggested getting together this evening to hang out with folk from his REU, I agreed. He thought I'd get along well with his adviser if for no other reason than the number of Science Fiction books he owned. Said adviser turns out to be an interesting astrophysicist, who among other things is collecting information about everything humans have put into space. He also has walls made out of books, something I aspire to some day. While many of these were taken up with giant binders on rockets and various space programs, a substantial portion was devoted to history and another fairly large collection to science fiction. We got a tour of the library and many a story of the efforts gone through to collect the information, from a web of contacts across the globe to loyal newsletter readers to standing at a Xerox machine copying declassified materials while a guy with a machine gun stands guard behind.
We swapped book recommendations and then turned to the task of finding the other REU student something to start off with in science fiction. Lots of philosophy about what type of book would be best given the sorts of books she typically liked, and tossing ideas back and forth.
There is an interesting sort of figuring in trying to extrapolate from someone's shelves and preferences to other things they might like. It takes a lot of "so what do you think of _____" or "how about _____" to be able to predict someone else's taste. I think this case was particularly tricky because we liked a lot of the same books but got different things out of them. I know some of the big names in hard SF and straight-up philosophical SF, but less about how to recommend there. My taste is definitely more character and plot driven. I *like* all the other things, books all about ideas and all about new technology, but they have to be done just right for me to really like them.
Someday, all my books will be in one place. Someday I'll have enough bookshelves. Someday I'll have the non-fiction collection that reflects my interests there. This is one of those big things I want, and am starting to build toward. Its one of the reasons I want to become a grownup (not grow up, mind you, lets not take things too far...) Just seeing row upon row of shelves makes me a happy soul indeed.
