namva81




I'm doing 27 things
 

namva81's Life List

  1. 1. fuck my sister
    1 cheer
    102 people
  2. 2. play Football Manager
    5 people
  3. 3. find the love of my life
    787 people
  4. 4. volunteer for habitat for humanity
    58 people
  5. 5. visit New Zealand
    1,224 people
  6. 6. Live in New Zealand
    179 people
  7. 7. learn a third language
    1 entry
    141 people
  8. 8. get a Law degree online
    1 person
  9. 9. join Bertrand Russell Society
    1 person
  10. 10. subscribe to Scientific American
    2 people
  11. 11. learn to drive
    1 cheer
    4,957 people
  12. 12. learn to cook
    1 cheer
    6,554 people
  13. 13. Become a football (soccer) referee
    2 people
  14. 14. Visit Antarctica
    361 people
  15. 15. learn swimming
    233 people
  16. 16. learn to play the keyboard
    133 people
  17. 17. buy pool table
    1 person
  18. 18. play rugby
    120 people
  19. 19. go zorbing
    211 people
  20. 20. play tennis
    387 people
  21. 21. play golf
    131 people
  22. 22. visit Stonehenge
    1 cheer
    151 people
  23. 23. buy more soccer jerseys
    1 person
  24. 24. Never stop learning
    3,598 people
  25. 25. Enroll In Bob Bondurant's Driving School
    3 people
  26. 26. take cooking courses at Erna's Elderberry House
    1 person
  27. 27. buy a Nissan Altima.
    4 people
Recent entries
read all primo levis works
Read all that I came across 5 months ago

“If this were a Man” and “The Truce” are incredible books, an astonishing inside view of life at Auschwitz.

The semi-autobiographical “Periodic tale of the Elements” is also quite entertaining.


Read all Jules Verne's books
No, not as good as I thought... 6 months ago

I am from Bangladesh and have a Bengali translated collection of 31 of Verne’s novels (I have read most of them in English as well). Verne is not as good as I used to think, a few books such as Around the World in 80 Days and Five Weeks in a Balloon is worth the read, otherwise not. Reasons:

1) Anti-British sentiment: Needlessly portrays the British as tyrannical colonialists, probably out of spite since the French lost several wars against the British and the chance to colonise India themselves. Also tries to caricature ambitious industrial projects, such as in “The Steam House”, British officers in India travel the country in the elephant-shaped mobile home with a steam engine. Also caricatures British people as snobbish or odd to the point of being laughable, e.g. Phileas Fogg, Detective Fix from Around the World.

2) Heroes in one book become villains in another, or vice versa. The much hated Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea becomes a benevolent protector of the marooned party in Mysterious Island, and turns out to be an Indian prince(surprise…) tired of British rule and their appeasing of Nawabs and other rulers of princely states.

3) Too many inventions: Whenever his characters are in a spot of bother, something will be invented and disaster will be averted.

4) Not Always Scientifically Accurate: The means stated of sending men to the moon in “From the Earth to the Moon” would kill any human being subject to it.

5) Not really authentic: Many people wrongly claim Verne invented everything for his novels. In reality, hot-air balloons were flown in France since 1635, the drawings for a submarine were made by Joseph Bushnell in 1776, while Verne wrote in the late 19th century.

6) Too much optimism: there is a general air of optimism about Verne’s novels, that is, technological advances will make life easy and simple in the future, overlooking the dangers of technology, unlike, say, H.G. Wells wrote.


Read 1984
This is a book like no other!!! 6 months ago

It changes your perspective on politics, governance, censorship, pirvacy, freedom of speech and authoritarianism once and for all. A true masterpiece. Has to be one of the most influential books of the 20th century. I think the world should be divided into those who have read this book and those who are going to!! (but then, I can’t force anyone and become a Big Brother in the process!!!)


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