Currently open on various flat surfaces…

“Salmon of Doubt” by Douglas Adams. I’ve really enjoyed it so far; it gives you more of a feel about who this guy was. I’m glad they released it.

“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Persig. This book was a huge influence on me when I was studying philosophy at UCSB. I’m rereading it because it was one of the last ideas that excited me, and I’m trying to piece together why I turned that part of myself off.

“When Character Was King” by Peggy Noonan. I’m actually listening to this on CD during my commute, but I find myself not wanting to get out of the car, when I reach my destination. This is Peggy’s telling of the life of Ronald Reagan, and its very touching. I find myself wondering where my generation’s Reagan is; we could really use one. I also wish Peggy would run for office, so I could vote for her.

Recently finished:

The “banned chapter” of Kevin Mitnick’s book on social engineering. This chapter appears to have been OCR scanned from a prerelease copy that was primarilly distributed to the media. It features Kevin’s telling of his side of his criminal career… Its not as detailed as I would have hoped, and there’s some elements that seem to be deliberately glossed over… I don’t know that I buy any of it, but its good to see Kevin having his say.

“Proficient Motorcycling” by David Hough. This is probably one of the best books I can recommend to any motorcyclist. Its practical information that may save your life. Read this before you read Twist Of the Wrist I/II. Twist II is also a good read, especially for its description of survival reactions.

“The Bastard Operator From Hell” by Simon Travaglia. I went through the various online archives and reread everything from start to finish (including the reg’s archive). I wish I could be like Simon… He’s the man.