Archive
Article: Dangerous liasons at IBM
I’ve written a fair amount about IBM’s Smarter Planet and analytics ideas. Now here’s something on the seedier side of the company. Insider information, sex and millions of dollars. The higher they are, the further they fall…
Finally Fortune magazine has written something worth reading, and there is no link available. Oh well, when there is I’ll post it…
UPDATE: Here is the link… Dangerous liaisons at IBM: Inside the biggest hedge fund insider-trading ring
Mini review: Inception
Stunning.
Absolutely stunning.
See it.
Sleep on it.
• Empire: Inception review
• Inception soundtrack on Spotify
• Watch the trailer (watch out – takes away some of the magic…):
Review: Hope by Len Deighton
It is pretty remarkable that there can still be revelations in the ninth book of a ten book series, but it is clear – this story isn’t finished yet. This time there is no introduction from the author to say that this could be read as a standalone book. It couldn’t – any new reader would be lost. Loyal readers will be pleased that the action kicks in from the start. The dialogue is laser focused, the humour low key and dark. I’m not sure why the death of Bernard Samson’s sister-in-law has become such a defining event in this trilogy (maybe there are some details from previous books that have faded with time from my memory), but it is centre stage here. The book involves back and forth trips to Poland in a harsh winter, featuring some rather bleak descriptions. Berlin features prominently too, but is its importance on the wane? Financial cutbacks threaten London Central. The cracks are showing.
I can only hope that the final book in the series – Charity – provides the story with the dignified ending it deserves. Expectations are high. I shall know soon enough…
Spare Cycles turns three…
This lovingly crafted blog is celebrating its third birthday today. A beer (or three) is cooling in the fridge to toast the reaching of a milestone. Happy birthday!
Review: London Match
To celebrate the re-issue of Len Deighton’s Game, Set and Match trilogy, I’m posting a review of the books that originally appeared on my old website. The book cover shown is the new re-issue cover… All three books are worth checking out if you fancy some old style Cold War espionage.
Game, Set and Match trilogy:
Book 1: Berlin Game
Book 2: Mexico Set
Book 3: London Match
———————————————
The final part of the Game, Set and Match trilogy, and I’m racing through this series like nobody’s business. It’s strange how this trilogy has got me hooked – I’ve finished the lot within the last six weeks or so – this last book in under a week.
Fears abound in the London office that there is a second mole, and the finger of blame is pointing in more than one direction. It’s not doing departmental stability any favours at all.
The pace of this book is slower, after the full-on power of Mexico Set. The confusion of the characters, trying to figure out what is going on is passed directly to the reader, and it makes for a bit of a muddled middle section of the book. Just you’re starting to wonder if this is going to be a disappointing end to the trilogy, the last hundred pages kick in again. All of a sudden everything falls into place, and you settle back to see how it all plays out – it works fantastically well. You are immersed into what is going on, more of a spectator than a reader. The quality of the writing really shines through – you are flung along with the characters as the situation suddenly overtakes them and the final showdown occurs. There are repercussions, fallout and casualties. Riveting stuff.
Review: Mexico Set
To celebrate the re-issue of Len Deighton’s Game, Set and Match trilogy, I’m posting a review of the books that originally appeared on my old website. The book cover shown is the new re-issue cover… All three books are worth checking out if you fancy some old style Cold War espionage.
Game, Set and Match trilogy:
Book 1: Berlin Game
Book 2: Mexico Set
Book 3: London Match
———————————————
When Erich Stinnes is spotted in Mexico City, Bernard and Dicky are sent to investigate. Their job is to find him and “enrol him” – persuade him to defect. Events in the first book shape everything that takes place in this second part of the trilogy. Bernard is viewed with suspicion by the London office, and only the successful completion of the job will help convince them. His loyalty to the British secret service is put in serious doubt as elaborate games try to make him look like a traitor.
The tone of this book is different to that of the first – there is less of the banter that lightened up the introductory chapter. The higher personal stakes means the dialogue is more determined and sober.
Setting the story in Mexico City is incredibly clever; the contrast with Berlin could not be any greater. Where Berlin is damp, cold, and determined by man’s political desires, Mexico is ruled by the oppressive forces of nature – the harsh sun, high temperatures and pollution. Berlin is portrayed as very grey, whereas you are given the impression that Mexico is a bleached out yellow that permanently strains the eyes. Berlin is a police state; in Mexico the lawlessness runs wild. For Bernard, Berlin is very personal, whereas Mexico is detached and alien.
The story powers itself along, and although there are a couple of niggles, once it gets its claws in you, you can’t escape. The pressure never lets up. The book is hugely solid all the way through, and the last hundred pages just do not stop – all accusations and an explosive ending – perhaps the best thriller writing I’ve read since The Day of the Jackal. High praise indeed.
Review: Berlin Game
To celebrate the re-issue of Len Deighton’s Game, Set and Match trilogy, I’m posting a review of the books that originally appeared on my old website. The book cover shown is the new re-issue cover… All three books are worth checking out if you fancy some old style Cold War espionage.
Game, Set and Match trilogy:
Book 1: Berlin Game
Book 2: Mexico Set
Book 3: London Match
———————————————
“Sharp, witty and sour, like Raymond Chandler adapted to the British gloom and the multiple betrayals of the private spy” – The Observer
I picked up this book as a beat up second hand copy, its pages fading to a great light coffee colour. The spine is beat and if it had any more wrinkles it would qualify for a pension. The quote on the back seemed to describe the book perfectly. This copy has obviously entertained many a reader.
Every new thriller these days promises a whizz-bang ride of a story and a fantastic sting in the tail. Every new thriller writer tries to invent their own flawed detective, dealing with their own demons and mysterious deaths; even better if they are on the trail of a twisted serial killer. Or something like that. With their fancy covers and designer quotes, the books gleam – promising everything but rarely delivering all the goods.
This book seemed to have a quiet confidence about it, as if it knew it was in a different class. Strange but true…
These books are often overlooked because they are set in the Cold War – a period that has been and gone, well overtaken by current events and seemingly irrelevant. Ever since reading The Day of the Jackal my opinion of these older books has changed and I was ready to give this a try.
The main character, Bernie Samson, is a middle aged, middle ranking official in the British secret service. He is pushed back into active service when one of their sources of information in East Berlin becomes convinced that he is about to be betrayed by a mole in the London office. Bernie is sent to calm his nerves.
Such a simple premise is possible because the book is totally driven forward by character. Conversations are perfectly pitched. The characters have their own individuality, mannerisms and moods. The importance of this cannot be overlooked. We are not dealing with the bright young things that appear in today’s thrillers. We are dealing often with a group of old men who increasingly feel bitter because they are no longer seen as relevant and are being sidelined. Cranky and set in their ways, they have had to ensure suffering.
They also have to face their own mortality.
The biggest character of all though belongs to Berlin itself. A city that is unique in the world, it has been totally defined and divided by the actions of men. The East side is dismal and foreboding, hostile and menacing, but it’s past glory and beauty still manages to resonate through. People there have adapted and they still have a pride in their home.
This book maintains the tension fantastically. You know what has to happen but you need to find out how and it doesn’t let you down. You won’t be disappointed.
Товарищи, это, как это делается
Wolfram Blog: Doing Spy Stuff with Mathematica
Article: How Will You Measure Your Life?
I’m not a religious man, but this sounds like good advice:
• Harvard Business Review: How Will You Measure Your Life?
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