Books and some interesting stuff I read in July 2026
This month I read some though provoking books, a nice science fiction book, and had a lot of fun reading several essays and short stories.
The authors of both the books "A Darwinian Survival Guide" and "To Have or to Be?" work from the viewpoint that human life as we know it is seriously threatened, and advocate a societal change as the only solution. They understand that this change can only be brought bottom up, from the grassroots level.
Sometimes the mind works in mysterious ways. My mind associated a piece I read on the internet with the wonderful essay "Street Haunting" by Virginia Woolf, about buying a pencil. I don't know what triggered this association. Anyway,I re-read this essay again, came into the mood, and started reading more essays.
Non-fiction books
A Darwinian Survival Guide, Hope for the Twenty-First Century by Daniel R. Brooks and Salvatore J. Agosta (2024)
- 360 pages
- 5 stars
Climate change is altering human surroundings forever. It threatens the survival of technological humans. The biosphere will not collapse, but society will.
This book looks at options to regain a certain level of technological achievements as quickly as possible after the collapse, with lessons learned from studying evolutionary principles.
To Have or to Be? by Erich Fromm (1976)
- 216 pages
- 5 stars
In this book the author introduces the terms "having mode" and "being mode' and shows that Western society is mostly based on "having mode", resulting in egotism, selfishness, and greed.
A society based on having mode generates leaders who value personal success more highly than social responsibility. It is no longer shocking when political leaders and business executives make decisions that seem to be to their personal advantage, but at the same time are harmful and dangerous to the community.
The author recognizes threats to the survival of human life as we know it, because of the arms race of nuciear and biological weapans and the need of endless growth.
Being aware of these threats and the fact that living in being mode is the way towards personal happyness, the author proposes societal changes.
This book contains a ton of statements worth quoting. I can't show them all, so I picked one:
Each political party exploits the voters by persuading them that it represents the true values of humanism. Yet behind all political parties are only two camps: those who care and those who don't care.
Fiction
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham (1957)
- 220 pages
- 4 stars
In a typical small English village the quiet piece is disturbed by an extraordinary event. Nice story, a little less exciting than I remember the well-known book from this author, "The Day of the Triffids". Good read non the less.
Essays
"Street Haunting: a London Adventure" by Virginia Woolf (1927)
- 8 pages
- 5 stars
Virginia Woolf has written a number of lovely essays. Street Haunting is my favorite, and the one I keep coming back to.
In this essay, Virginia uses the need to buy a pencil to let us experience the world through as she did.
I re-read it again this month, and enjoyed it as much as ever. This really is a comfort read to me.
You can find it on Project Gutenberg Australia
"The Fourth State of Matter" by Jo Ann Beard (1996)
- 13 pages
- 5 stars
This essay is what is called "creative non-fiction". Which means that it is non-fiction disguised as a fictional story. Don't worry about it, just read it.
Is is sad and heartbreaking, and a very well done masterpiece.
It is published by the New Yorker. Open with a Javacript-free browser to read it without an account.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/06/24/the-fourth-state-of-matter
"Total Eclipse" by Annie Dillard (1982)
- 8 pages
- 5 stars
In 1979 Annie and her husband drove five hours to see the total eclipse of the sun. It was an overwhelming experience, bringing up primal emotions.
A great essay.
This essay is published in the book "Teaching a Stone to Talk", a bundle of essays by Annie Dillard
You can find the essay here:
https://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/readings/dillard_eclipse.pdf
On Self-Respect by Joan Didion (1961)
- 3 pages
- 5 stars
This essay from Joan Didion is best read slowly. Like most of Didion's essays it is an excellent read with a wonderful depth.
https://www.vogue.com/article/joan-didion-self-respect-essay-1961
Short stories
The Feeling Of Power by Isaac Asimov (1958)
- 6 pages
- 4 stars
Short story about the dependency on computers.
Interesting internet reads
Some noteworthy internet reads:
A century of brilliant books
The blog "Stuck in a Book" made a list of book recommendations. The list contains a book for every year of the 20th century.
There are many book lists, of course. This one is on an indepent blog, is an awesome piece of work, with many surprising entries that are are new to me. Also there are only a few books in the list that I have already read.
https://www.stuckinabook.com/a-century-of-brilliant-books/
The Last People Who Know How It Works
You only ever know the things you can lose to.
Wonderful blogpost by Cyrus Lopez about the dying acquaintance with tech. We are the last people who knew a machine the only way a machine was ever really known: by having it be difficult. And we are also the last people who will know that anything is gone.
https://unix.foo/posts/last-people-who-know-how-it-works/
Juneau Something? Emacs Teaches You How to Fish!
The June 2025 edition of the Emacs Carnaval had many wonderful entries! I picked this one to mention here.
In his entry, Charlie Holland shows the autodiscovery powers of Emacs. Most Emacs users will know at least a part of the commands Charlie showcases here, but there are always more to learn.
https://www.chiply.dev/post-june-emacs-carnival
I bought a Sony Walkman
82MHz wrote a lovely essay about buying a Sony Walkman.
And also a tape!
https://82mhz.net/posts/2026/07/i-bought-a-sony-walkman/
The Cloud-City Logistics Hub: Why Our Future Starts on Venus, Not Mars
Strangely enough, Venus is easier to mine than Mars.
This post goes into why Venus is a good candidate, and how mining could affect the economy. And of course about the international tensions that comes with that.
It reads like a good news post, and maybe it is. I only wonder if this will keep the "unlimited growth" doctrine alive, something that we should get rid of as soon as possible, IMHO.
Hate "The Algorithm?" RSS Is One of the Tools You’ve Been Looking For
Great essay by Thorin Klosowski published by the EFF.
“The algorithm” is shorthand for the ways the tech giants control what we see and when we see it.
In the age of enshittification, there is a push to reclaim our feeds and networks.
The good news is that RSS can help you take back control.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/hate-algorithm-rss-one-tools-youve-been-looking
Open Bookcases
An short essay by Robert Benchley written in 1920.
This essay shows the first signs of enshittification of the market of bookcases.
Read it here:
https://hex.ooo/library/open_bookcases.html
The Zilog Z80 has turned 50
The Z80 was a major player in its hayday.
I have worked on a Nixdorf Quattro powered by Z80's, using a terminal that was also powered by Z80's, owned a ZX81 on which I learned programming in assembler, and probably have used systems not knowing they were powered by the Z80.
https://goliath32.com/blog/z80.html
Fix Your Analog Life First
An essay by Katherine Martinko about a more balanced relationship with our devices.
It is import to reduce screen time and get off one’s phone — but first think about what is supposed to replace it.
We need more practice and less consumption in our lives. But reducing consumption does not automatically lead to practice; it must be actively sought, and that requires conscious choice, persistence, and stubborn adherence to routine.
Unfortunately, not a smol-web post, but a substack publication, but worth reading.
https://katherinemartinko.substack.com/p/fix-your-analog-life-first
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