Welcome to Bookmarker!

This is a personal project by @dellsystem. I built this to help me retain information from the books I'm reading.

Source code on GitHub (MIT license).

120

Mother Earth, Mother Board

1996

3
terms
2
notes

wayyy too long. article for WIRED about undersea cable-laying. clearly inspiration for cryptonomicon. it's kind of uncomfortable to read about his hard-on for guys like himself tho (very specialised, intelligent, hacker types who are white and probably have asian girlfriends)

Stephenson, N. (2012). Mother Earth, Mother Board. In Stephenson, N. Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing. William Morrow, pp. 120-237

(noun) a flat-bottomed skiff used in eastern Asia and usually propelled by two short oars

150

a sampan is a small utility craft with an enclosed cabin

—p.150 by Neal Stephenson
notable
7 years, 5 months ago

a sampan is a small utility craft with an enclosed cabin

—p.150 by Neal Stephenson
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
153

[...] The business is as close to being a pure meritocracy as anything ever gets in the real world, and it's only because these guys know they are good that they have the confidence to call themselves cable trash.

about the cable-laying business

the unintentional irony of extolling the virtues of this quasi-meritocracy juxtaposed with the implication that all of its members are male

—p.153 by Neal Stephenson 7 years, 5 months ago

[...] The business is as close to being a pure meritocracy as anything ever gets in the real world, and it's only because these guys know they are good that they have the confidence to call themselves cable trash.

about the cable-laying business

the unintentional irony of extolling the virtues of this quasi-meritocracy juxtaposed with the implication that all of its members are male

—p.153 by Neal Stephenson 7 years, 5 months ago
186

[...] In any event, this library was burned out by the Romans when they were adding Egypt to their empire. Or maybe it wasn't. It's inherently difficult to get reliable information about an event that consisted of the destruction of all recorded information.

lol

—p.186 by Neal Stephenson 7 years, 5 months ago

[...] In any event, this library was burned out by the Romans when they were adding Egypt to their empire. Or maybe it wasn't. It's inherently difficult to get reliable information about an event that consisted of the destruction of all recorded information.

lol

—p.186 by Neal Stephenson 7 years, 5 months ago

lee (en)

the sheltered side; the side away from the wind

195

In the lee of an unburied concrete manhole nearby

—p.195 by Neal Stephenson
notable
7 years, 5 months ago

In the lee of an unburied concrete manhole nearby

—p.195 by Neal Stephenson
notable
7 years, 5 months ago

(noun) an employee whose duties include running errands; lackey

195

the American technique of sending a gofer down to the 7-Eleven

—p.195 by Neal Stephenson
confirm
7 years, 5 months ago

the American technique of sending a gofer down to the 7-Eleven

—p.195 by Neal Stephenson
confirm
7 years, 5 months ago