Adam Batkin's Interests

Various factoids about Adam

If you have ever wondered something about my interests, this is the place to find your answers. If you are my friend, you probably know everything on this page. If you are in fact Adam Batkin reading this page, then this is a reminder of what I like for when I forget.

Media I Enjoy

Music

There is too much to count. But I happen to own a large number of albums from the following artists. Through some weird coincidence, I also just noticed that I have seen them all in concert at least once. Sorted alphabetically by name, the way they would be in a real Bricks & Mortar music store (though this isn't necessarily true since no one can seem to figure out where to put Dave Matthews Band, and even Ben Folds sometimes gets stuck under B with Ben Folds Five)):

Movies

I don't really have any strong views with regards to movies. Weird. Off the top of my head, I remember liking Good Will Hunting, Big Fish and Office Space. Also the entire Start Wars series.

Fiction/Popular Books

I generally like Science Fiction and Non Fiction (including the consumption of weird computerey textbooks in my free time), but my wife has also turned me on to the Fantasy genre, and Terry Pratchett in particular. When it comes to fiction, once I decide that I like a particular author, I have a strange tendency to read everything that I possibly can read from that author.

Isaac Asimov - No introduction necessary
Bill Bryson - I suppose you could call him a travel writer, though he writes about plenty of other topics too. All I can say is that his writing is hilarious. Neither Here Nor There may be the funniest book I have ever read.
Arthur C. Clarke - Again, no words necessary. And come on, he basically invented the communications satellite. What's not to like?
Richard Feynman - One of the greatest scientists ever. Has written a large number of well regarded scientific works, an entire University Physics curriculum (in The Feynman Lectures, as well as a condensed version, Six Easy Pieces and a few autobiographical works, the most notable of which is probably Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!.
John Irving - My wife tells me that I like John Irving, and I remember reading a number of his books so it must be true.
Terry Pratchett - Has written far too many books. I particularly liked the Moist von Lipwig group (Going Postal and Making Money) of the Discworld series.
Carl Sagan - Best known for his 1980s TV series Cosmos but also more recently, his Sci-Fi novel Contact, which was turned into a movie.
Neal Stephenson - In the Beginning was the Command Line is a fascinating and amusing explaination of how all of our various operating systems differ. My favorite book (and one which I believe helped propel him to fame) is Cryptonomicon. Also worthy of mention is The Baroque Cycle, an historical fiction story spread over about 14.6 million pages (or at least that is what it felt like) and 3 volumes (no, not like sequels or books in a series, they are actually all the same story but if published as one they would be about 12 inches thick).

Technical Books

These are books that I have read which I believe are notable for some reason.

C++ Primer, Fourth Edition Lippman, Lajoie and Moo, Addison-Wesley, 2005, ISBN 0-201-72184-1 - If you want to learn C++, or even if you already know it, this book is amazing. It approaches learning C++ (and programming in general) from differently than any other programming book I have read. Really, it teaches you the hows and the whys instead of just a bunch of syntax like most programming books.
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software Petzold, Microsoft Press, 1999, ISBN 0-7356-0505-X - An accessible book that explains how a computer works. No not the whole "here is a CPU and here is some RAM and here is a keyboard". It starts from an electromagnet, explains how to build a relay (and why you might want to) and builds up into logic gates, adders, memory, stored instructions, assembly and high level languages with lots of stops in between. It's basic digital design, but not in textbook form, easy enough for my mother to understand (she's very smart, but for some reason I don't think she'd be able to build a microprocessor). Programming Windows is also considered a classic. If you are in to that kind of thing. Or once were.
Programmers at Work Lammers, Microsoft Press, 1986, ISBN 0914845713 - I read this book even before I started High School, and I think it really inspired me. More recently, Susan Lammers has gone back to find out What Happened to those People.
The Cathedral and the Bazaar Raymond, O'Reilly, 2001, ISBN 0-596-00108-8 - If you don't "get" Open Source, this is the book. The content is all available freely (and legally) over the web, but a dead tree version is also available and well worth the money. Also useful is The New Hackers Dictionary (3rd edition) (aka The Jargon File). If ever you have wondered what the word "Munge" meant, or the exact wording of Murphy's Law, wonder no longer.
The Mythical Man-Month Brooks, Addison Wesley, 1995, ISBN 0201835959 - Classic

Sporty Things

Hiking (or Hill Walking as they call it in the UK)
Biking (I should mention that while I enjoy the sport, I'm nowhere near as obsessed as most people who would list Biking as an interest. As proof, my bike cost less money than an Eee PC)
Squash
Badminton (in the US, folks often break out a $9.99 Wal Mart Badminton kit on July 4, but over in Europe they (and I) play badminton as a real sport)

Miscellaneous Favorites

Color: Blue
Foods: Steak. But in reality, anything my wife makes
Drink: 10-20% Orange Juice (Not from Concentrate) mixed with water