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The Devouring Fungus
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To: yucks
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Subject: The Devouring Fungus
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From: Gene Spafford <spaf>
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Date: Wed, 07 Nov 90 19:16:40 EST
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Organization: SERC, Department of Computer Sciences, Purdue Univ.
I just recently got a copy of "The Devouring Fungus: Tales of the
Computer Age" by Karla Jennings (W. W. Norton & Co., ISBN
0-393-30732-8, $10.95).
As can be gathered from the unusual title, this is not exactly a
computer textbook. What it is, is a collection of anecdotes and
stories about computer technology and the people who spend their time
working with computers. The stories range from historical to
modern-day, and most are amusing to read. Not all are firmly grounded
in documented facts, but that doesn't detract from the amusement
factor; even the apocryphal tales convey a sense of the attitudes and
foibles of the "computer geeks" who have shaped our community.
The tales related in the book read like a cross between items in the
Risks digest and postings to the alt.folklore.computers newsgroup.
Many of the stories will be familiar, but that is what makes them
folklore -- we've all heard variants of these stories, and probably
repeated a few in turn. This is the first time I have seen anyone
collect so many of them together, and in such an amusing and readable
way.
For $11, this is a must buy if you're into computers. My copy is
going in a place of honor next to my Hacker's Dictionary, and just
down the shelf from my Sidney Harris cartoon book. Check it out
yourself.