The end of the year provides a good excuse to reflect on the way forward. In my search for knowing the reasons behind a change of heart on the place to retire in after work, I stumbled upon my own narrative shift. That led me to thinking about signalling at large, and the impact it has on the lives we lead.
I associated Michael Crichton only with Jurassic Park. It was only thanks to Westworld that I even realised that he was really prolific. It then took a “science fiction must-read” list for me to finally get to this book. It’s one of his earlier works, and I found the premise very interesting. Though there is an extra terrestrial “invasion” involved, it’s not the run-of-the-mill advanced spaceship kind. That does not mean that humans don’t get killed off though. This interesting plot, reasonably well fleshed-out characters and a gripping pace makes it a must-read.
Edge offers a wide selection of food and drinks, and has an elegant yet cosy ambiance. We visited a couple of weeks after they had opened, and that’s probably why the crowd was thin and the place had a bit of a desolate feel. But the service is friendly and the food and drinks are not bad at all.
When Nike took a stand last year, I saw it as an excellent brand play. While that hasn’t changed, recent developments based on LeBron James and the protests in Hong Kong are proving to be a test of character for the brand, because billions of dollars of revenue from China are at stake. Despite the high stakes, this could prove to be an invaluable lesson for the brand on how to shape its personality to navigate the storms that lie ahead. The die is cast, and Nike now needs to fill its own big shoes.
Ken Liu believes that all fiction is about prizing the logic of metaphors over reality. This really is the underlying theme of this book, and therefore, figuring out the metaphors in some of the stories is what I considered the most exciting part of reading this book. It is speculative fiction at its best and cuts across sub genres – science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, historical fiction and so on. Excels in imagination and narration, and is highly recommended!