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[Kamshaaft]

Richard Dawkins: The Greatest Show On Earth (The Evidence For Evolution)

This is my 6th Dawkins book, and my first ever audiobook... a combination of reading academic papers as part of my job, staring at a computer screen all day, playing computer games, watching too many films, listening to loads of music, a prodigious appetite for beer, and an ageing brain have all conspired to make reading for pleasure a rare event these days. So I am putting my iPod and my other new purchase (some Sennheiser earphones) to good use, and hence I've gone for the audiobook option this time.

Are audiobooks somehting you get used to in time, or is it an almost immediate realisation that they do or do not work for you? I ask because I like the idea, but they've just not 'worked' for me the 3 ish times I've tried to listen to them. The longest I've been able to sit through an audiobook was one of the stories in Clive Barker's Books of Blood.

I suspect it might also be partly down to whether the person reading it suits the content of the book, or if at all the book lends itself to be narrated verbally. Is there much variation in quality form your experience? I'd like to have Doctor Karl Kruszelnicki narrate Bill Bryson's Life, The Universe & Everything In It.

 

[F1GTR]

Complete Works of Shakespeare by the RSC. In addition to that, I bought Ulysses by James Joyce, We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver and Literary Theory: An Introduction by Terry Eagleton.

Yum.

 

[TB]

The boys Halloween costumes:

Sadly, my wife won't let me get the one I want.

 

[Tornado]

So how do you left foot brake? It's kind of a big deal when racing in a turbocharged car.

I pivot my thumb.

 

[mrjoe]

ehm:

 

[GaryyC]

^^thats a hot purchase...super jealous right now

 

[Omnis]

ehm:

We expect pics.

 

[Turbo Lag]

Nice...! 👍

 

[Syntax error]

Sadly, my wife won't let me get the one I want.

Party pooper! That would be have been awesome, although I think my wife would probably divorce me if I came home with that.

 

[Philly]

The boys Halloween costumes:

Isn't it still September?

ehm:

. Pics. Now. Go. And I want to hear more about that thing. How is it to drive? We don't have them in the US yet so I haven't had a chance to take one out for a spin.

 

[TB]

Party pooper! That would be have been awesome, although I think my wife would probably divorce me if I came home with that.

Same here. Likely why I've wised up and started asking before I purchase.

For the record, even if she had said yes, I doubt I could actually pull the trigger and order it. $700!!! Hell. I had second (and third) thoughts about ordering my TV (which will get used every day, multiple times per) after she said yes and that was an outstanding deal!

Isn't it still September?

Every once in a while, you have to shock yourselves by actually planning ahead.

 

[Diego440]

Isn't it still September?

I haven't lived in the States for a long time, but the last time I was there Halloween was in October.

 

[Touring Mars]

That was released here in the US today, I might have to get it considering I have a Boarder's coupon. I like his books although I thought the "God Delusion" suffered from a preaching-to-the-choir effect. I had to read "The Ancestor's Tale" for an anthropology course and it continues to be one of my favourite books in the non-fiction genre.

I reckon there will always be this effect with a new Dawkins book... although this book is not just about the biological aspects of evolution, but deals with the subject in a much broader context. Also, he isn't pulling any punches on creationists - something largely missing from his previous books on evolution. He has already equated creationists to holocaust deniers and says "People who think that the world began less that 10,000 years ago are worse than ignorant - they are deluded to the point of perversity.", decidedly more combative language than in "The Blind Watchmaker" or "The Ancestor's Tale".

edit: I've reached a point where Dawkins is discussing experimental evolution, and is referencing some pretty bang-up-to-date literature (he's currently talking about this paper). I'll say a bit more about it in the C v E thread later (I'm trying to process data and listen to this book at the same time!)

Are audiobooks somehting you get used to in time, or is it an almost immediate realisation that they do or do not work for you?

I'm finding it a bit different - I've found myself more easily distracted from the audiobook than I would be if I were actually reading, but given that it is highly unlikely that I could read the book in 7.5 hours (the length of the audio file), I reckon it has some advantages!

 

[nk4e]

Party pooper! That would be have been awesome, although I think my wife would probably divorce me if I came home with that.

I wonder how that conversation would of went.

 

[Der Alta]

My previous MP3 player, was my Blackberry Storm. Which everyone I'd talked with noted had great sound out of it.

After reading multiple reviews of the Sansa online, I didn't think that the sound comparison could be that much better, and that many people would exaggerate the sound quality simply because of the price.

Much to my suprise, it lived up to the reviews. The sound quality on this little machine is fantastic.

I've seen the 1gig refrbed and available for less than $15 bucks, which is a steal. I paid just under $50 for the 8 gig. (Walmart!) Which is an absolute steal. Online, the cheap ones were still $65+ and shipping costs.

best investment I've made in a long time.

Sucks. Now I have something to put in the "Stolen Property" thread.

I was the last person out of the gym last night, and forgot my Sansa on teh owners desk. Stopped in this morning to get it at 8am (3 hours after it opened, was earliest I could get there) and it was gone. A month or so ago, I helped in install a security camera, so hopefully it caught the person.

Looks like I'm in the market for a new MP3 player. Or I could buy the missus an iPhone and use her iPod.

 

[exigeracer]

Or I could buy the missus an iPhone and use her iPod.

Sounds like a win-win situation.

 

[Kamshaaft]

Oh hey guys I was just working out at the gym and I scored myself a Sansa.

 

[Der Alta]

Sounds like a win-win situation.

Certainly a $500 win-win situation.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

I got a Giant ATX 860 bike...PIMP!!!

 

[Keef]

Finally got a new phone. An LG enV2, a whole fifty cents after the mail in rebate.

 

[TB]

The date and time are wrong.

 

[Sage]

Bought one of these online yesterday:

22", 1920 x 1080, $150. And yes, this will be my first ever Dell product.

 

[Keef]

The date and time are wrong.

Especially considering the enV3 is out already. Talk about delayed!

 

[Eric.]

Good luck with that Keef. One of my friends is on her third. One guy has had four and his still messes up.

 

[UnoMOTO]

Finally got a new phone. An LG enV2, a whole fifty cents after the mail in rebate.

Good luck with that Keef. One of my friends is on her third. One guy has had four and his still messes up.

It's worth it for the deal, but I am ready to kick my to the curb. It turns off at very random moments.

 

[Eric.]

It's worth it for the deal, but I am ready to kick my to the curb. It turns off at very random moments.

Exactly what their's all do. And the girl I mentioned had her display malfunction...It split the output in two and then mirrored it.

It seems like nobody really makes a quality phone anymore. The iPhone has been the first one I've owned that hasn't had some sort of bugs constantly plaguing it..

 

[Mark T]

And yes, this will be my first ever Dell product.

I've been using Dell machines in our office for four years, never had a single problem with ant of them. I don't think you'll be disappointed especially at that price.

 

[Sureboss]

Richard Dawkins: The Greatest Show On Earth (The Evidence For Evolution)

This is my 6th Dawkins book, and my first ever audiobook... a combination of reading academic papers as part of my job, staring at a computer screen all day, playing computer games, watching too many films, listening to loads of music, a prodigious appetite for beer, and an ageing brain have all conspired to make reading for pleasure a rare event these days. So I am putting my iPod and my other new purchase (some Sennheiser earphones) to good use, and hence I've gone for the audiobook option this time.

Interesting...I'll get it at some point. Still not finished Origin of Species or There's Only Two Tony Cottey's (I work with him, one of the funniest blokes you'll meet ), once I've done that, then may be.

 

[Dougboy]

for $1.39

Now my car smells like strawberries and i love it

 

[Rykon Zero]

At least it doesn't smell like perfume.

Wait for it...