Some Remarks (2012)

This slim collection Some Remarks is a good entry into the relentless mind of the autodidactic writer (Snow Crash), covering everything from the rise of China to a defense of Zack Snyder's 300, plus padding like a Salon interview with the author. It's almost worth buying just for ''Mother Earth Mother Board'' (first published in Wired), a novella-length look at global fiber-optic cable installation. I say ''almost'' because like much of the writing collected here, ''Mother Earth'' is readily available online. B-