Fedorenko asserts that the part of the human brain solely responsible for language itself does not actually understand that language.
Japanese Tales of Times Past Review
I did not read all thousand-plus stories, but I was intrigued by the collection, and came across a selection of ninety stories from the Japanese parts of the original anthology recently chosen and translated by Naoshi Koriyama and Bruce Allen.
Comment Opportunity – NASA Technology Shortfalls
NASA is working on updating the shortfalls list, and they’ve changed the format in a way that maintains the detail while eliminating some of the overlaps and providing a higher-level basis for the ranking of shortfalls against each other.
Ruth Review
It focuses on individuals and intimate relationships, specifically women, in contrast to the immediately preceding books, and with a very different feel from the family relationships explored in earlier books.
The History of English (Podcast) Recommendation
Begun in 2012, the podcast is a history podcast about the English language, although it takes dozens of episodes for the host, Stroud, to reach the advent of the oldest English dialects from the start of the proto-Indo-European language.
Arthurian Romances Review
This is interesting from a historical perspective for its indirect insights into the cultural norms and beliefs of the French court at the time, but does not deliver the insight into the “authentic” form and function of the ancient Arthurian legends I sought.
Linguistics, LLMs, and Empiricism’s Dangers
This word “understanding” is being used to examine a broader, more philosophical question of motivation, of trying to parse why the LLMs respond to queries in the ways they do, but today’s, and the foreseeable future’s worth of tomorrow’s, LLMs don’t have motivation in the human sense.
The Craft of Research Review
It is a valuable book, well worth reading for anyone who is engaged in, or plans to engage in, research in any field – or, frankly, if you plan to engage in any kind of nonfiction writing. The sooner you read it, the better.
Lloyd’s Best Books of 2025
Ultimately, these five books are the ones I considered the best, the most memorable, the most impactful, of the books which I read this year. I wholeheartedly recommend them to you.
The Story of Cole Younger, By Himself Review
Some of this may be deliberate obfuscation, but to say all of it is intentional is probably lending him too much credit. Which would be inadvisable, as he’s apt to run off with it, the contents of your bank account, and your horses, too.
IGC Publishing 