Inside Jokes (Matthew Hurley, Daniel Dennett, Reginald Adams)

The authors describe a very interesting theory as to the function and importance of humor, and why only humans seem to display it. What the human mind is best at is the very rapid and risky development of predictions and expectations, based on heuristics and unconscious ideas about the world. If there were no mechanism for checking those expectations to remove the ones that proved to be incorrect, we would become less and less effective as incorrect assumptions built up. Therefore we need to spend time looking for inconsistencies and discrepancies. What will motivate us to devote precious time and mental effort to doing this? There has to be some internal reward - and mirth is that reward. Evolution has set up this reward system to get us to do what we need to do. I find the theory interesting and think it has a lot of merit. I have to say, though, that what I enjoyed most about the book was the jokes!

Idoru (William Gibson)

This complex near-future tale entwines media and celebrity with technology and the Internet in unexpected ways, but it still feels familiar. Much of the story takes place in a post-earthquake Tokyo; the rest in various virtual venues. Gibson, who invented (or at least named) cyberspace, brings it home to a 14-year-old fangirl and a disgraced former data analyst. They are both linked with a rock star beloved by pubescent girls around the world when he announces that he intends to marry an idoru - a synthetic AI with her own career in music. She is not actually a person, but instead is a corporate creation designed to appeal to fans, but somehow she has become much more, and their intention to marry has created a firestorm into which smugglers, Russian mobsters, media moguls, and ex-felon bodyguards have all been drawn. I enjoyed the ride.

In the Neighborhood (Peter Lovenheim)

My book club was interested in this book because it's local; we are all from around Rochester, NY, and some of us live in Brighton, though none on the street that is the focus of this book. The author is disturbed when a murder-suicide happens in his quiet, well-to-do neighborhood, and reflects on the fact that nobody on the street really knew the victim and she had no one there to turn to. This book describes his idiosyncratic attempt to overcome the barriers between neighbors by introducing himself to people and asking if, as an author, he could get to know them, shadow them for a whole day, and even stay overnight in their homes. A few people said yes, and he was able to build a tiny community among a few of his neighbors. On the other hand, the link between a general lack of community on a street like this one, with imposing homes on huge lots, and the death of the murder victim was forced. She did know her next-door neighbors well enough so that her children knew to go there when something went wrong. She just didn't really believe her husband was going to kill her until it was too late. And the community he built was tiny and temporary. Was it worth it? With the communities we all build among more distant folks, is it really important that you be good friends with your next door neighbor? We weren't as convinced as he was.