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Computers you notice. They sit on your desk and hum, ever smaller, ever faster, and always obsolete if bought longer ago than last week. But the equally impressive technology that turns millions of terminals into a global network is less obvious. The phone line that comes into your house probably still pushes electrons through metal. But not far away, the signal will join millions of others relayed down fiber optic cables by laser. Jeff Hecht's fascinating account of this undersung technology goes back 150 years to find the origins of fiber optics. Then he chronicles the many ingenious and determined engineers who fashioned it into a technology that festoons the globe with cables carrying pulses of photons. It was harder than pioneering copper links because supplanting an existing technology needs more persuasion than establishing the first one. And there was competition from the satellite industry, as well as unexpected setbacks, such as sharks who ignored copper but chewed fiber optic cables. Hecht tells a good tale, combining a light journalistic touch with a scholarly knowledge of the industry he has covered for over two decades. The story is not over yet, but this is a rich account of how we got this far in a technology that really has fueled a revolution. --Jon Turney, Amazon.co.uk

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5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary novel that deserves all prices, December 27, 2010 This review is from: The Last Songs of Autumn: The Shadowy Story of the Mysterious Count of Lautr?amont (Paperback) I loved the novel immediately. It is the real metaphor of the true world in which we live. It is a strong, passionate book that deserves to be distributed throughout the world. (Antonio Sk?rmeta)

The Last Songs of Autumn can already be considered as one of the leading novels to have appeared in this new millennium. Here is an extraordinarily well-written book, esthetically perfect, which can be appreciated and understood by all generations. (Continente Magazine)

An extraordinary novel that deserves all prices (Lu?s A. Giron, ?poca Magazine)

In the splendid and disturbing Last Songs of Autumn, the author renews the genre of fictionalized biography to the degree to which he allows himself to be "contaminated" by the genius and the existential drama of his character. (Ivan Junqueira, Poet and President of the Brazilian Academy of Letters)

It is a monumental novel, frightening and moving, which should be read and reread with care. (Ziarul financial Magazine, Romania)

In this deliciously written novel, Ruy manages a brilliant take on the turbulent life of Isidore Ducasse, Countof Lautr?amont. As a literary consultant and agent it is not every day - or every year - that I come across a novel like The author is a master of his genre, his artistic talent and writing style never cease to enchant and amaze me. I am truly grateful to have been made part of his world success. (James, Literary Agent)

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5.0 out of 5 stars excellent translation of a cautionary but compelling tale, April 25, 2010 Ruy C?mara's "The Last Songs of Autumn" is a remarkable account of the life of Isidore Ducasse (the "Comte de Lautr?amont"), a 19th-century Uruguayan exiled in France, whose poetry influenced the Surrealist movement. C?mara's book would be of great interest, not only to specialists of 19th-20th-century French literature and cinema, but to generalists as well, since it tells a cautionary tale of the tragic toll that abandonment and exile took on a talented but unstable young man.

John Jensen's translation is outstanding. Since I am fluent in Portuguese, I was able to read "through" the translation to uncover the original, which must have been extremely difficult to translate; nonetheless, the translator did an admirable job in conveying the nuances of the original Portuguese - as well as in simplying its style.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Sumptuous Literary Achievment, February 5, 2010 This review is from: The Last Songs of Autumn: The Shadowy Story of the Mysterious Count of Lautr?amont (Paperback) As a university professor (CUNY) I have often referred my students to biographies of outstanding personalities. Through biography the student learns about others while enhancing knowledge about himself. Reading novels and biography is an essential adjunct to understanding human psychology.

It is no wonder that Ruy Camara, Brazil's most prominent literary novelist, was awarded the prestigious Prize of Fiction for the best novel of 2004, by the Brazilian Letters Academy for his work, "The Last Songs of Autumn." Dealing with the life of Isadore-Lucien Ducasse, who adopted the pseudonym of Count of Lautreamont, Camara delves deeply into this mysterious and impenetrable poet, lending insight into an extraordinary life. I was immediately captured and thoroughly engrossed by the opening chapters of this remarkable literary achievement, and remained so to the vary last pages. While others have attempted to portray the enigmatic Ducasse, only Camara has successfully illuminated our understanding of the poet.

In reading this biographical novel you will be rewarded with an unforgettable literary experience!

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There is greatness in film that can be discussed, dissected, and talked about late into the night. Then there is genius that is right in front of our faces--we smile at the spell it puts us into and are refreshed, and nary a word needs to be spoken. This kind of entertainment is what they used to call "movie magic," and there is loads of it in this irresistible computer animation feature. Just a picture of these bright toys reawaken the kid in us. Filmmaker John Lasseter thinks of himself as a storyteller first and an animator second, much like another film innovator, Walt Disney.

Lasseter's story is universal and magical: what do toys do when they're not played with? Cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Andy's favorite bedroom toy, tries to calm the other toys (some original, some classic) during a wrenching time of year--the birthday party, when newer toys may replace them. Sure enough, Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) is the new toy that takes over the throne. Buzz has a crucial flaw, though--he believes he's the real Buzz Lightyear, not a toy. Lasseter further scores with perfect voice casting, including Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head and Wallace Shawn as a meek dinosaur. The director-animator won a special Oscar for "the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film." In other words, the movie is great. --Doug Thomas

Price: $22.99

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