I was and I suppose I always will be. His book Against the Grain was a milestone on the path back to Catholicism for me.

http://www.axess.se/english/2007/03/tradition_leandoer.php

This recent essay about Huysmans is good, and compares him to Houllebecq, whom you wrote about recently.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100/0,28757,1595326,00.html

The People Who Shape Our World

Here's our list of the 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.

* Artists & Entertainers
* Scientists & Thinkers
* Leaders & Revolutionaries
* Builders & Titans
* Heroes & Pioneers

Got this by way of Edge.org.
So, what's your take?

Here's another (and smaller) “list” of “important” folks that might be of interest to you:
MAVERICKS
Details anoints the 27 agents of change who are bending the future to their will. Plus: a glimpse into the lifestyles of the brilliant and innovative.
http://men.style.com/details/features/landing?id=content_5476

Is this the book you are referencing: http://www.amazon.com/Against-Nature-Rebours-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140447636/ref=sr_1_1/102-2009190-3713734?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178759419&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Against-Grain-Joris-Karl-Huysmans/dp/1406505714/ref=sr_1_3/102-2009190-3713734?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178759568&sr=1-3

http://www.transmittingonline.com/

Make of it what one will. (I'm still trying to make-up my mind on it…)

Somewhat related, a 4/13/07 post to Smartmobs.com:
“Malaysia fatwa against Internet trading”
http://www.smartmobs.com/archive/2007/04/13/malaysia_fatwa_….htm

I comment in detail on D5GW but for the most part I feel encouraged by Hammes' venture into 5GW territory.

http://www.fifthgeneration.phaticcommunion.com/archives/2007/05/colonel_hammes_enters_the_fift.php#more

The Fruit-Punch Tree
By Jenn Ross, from the November 2004 issue of The Walrus Magazine

http://301url.com/Fruit-Punch_Tree

EXCERPT:

Luis Carrasco's invention is, at first, hard to make out among the shrubs, trees, and rose bushes in his large backyard in an upscale neigh-bourhood at the foothills of the towering Andes mountains. At first glance, it appears to be a common-enough plum tree, if a little oddly shaped. A closer look, however, reveals that not all of its leaves and branches are quite the same — some have broad heart-shaped leaves, others have thinner dark-green foliage. From November until March, when the other fruit trees in the backyard are bearing mandarin oranges, peaches, or apricots, this six-foot-six stalwart grows peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, and plums — all at once.

The tree is the product of four years of painstaking labour. [...]

The idea for such a tree first came to him when he was in university, studying agronomy. But he didn't begin the project in earnest until 2000, when he mentioned his frustrated dream to his daughters, who were fascinated but immediately thought it impossible. Their skepticism spurred him to action.

He says he was troubled by the sense of grim resignation, a premature realism, in his daughters, then aged sixteen, fourteen, and seven. At an age when kids should believe in magic and in their own ability to change the world, they, like many young Chileans, instead exuded pessimism and a lack of faith. Determined to inspire them, he revived the idea to create a marvel of nature in his own backyard.

“They said it couldn't be done because if it was possible, someone would have done it already,” says a thin, bespectacled Carrasco, with a defiant grin. “I wanted my daughters to see what they can achieve if they strive for the impossible. And the idea of this tree seemed to have a magical component.”

Indeed, it does. Not only does the tree yield five different fruits (which each smell and taste as peaches or apricots or cherries should), it produces multiple varieties of the same fruit (such as white-fleshed and yellow-fleshed peaches).

No genes were manipulated in the production of this tree. Carrasco achieved his feat the old-fashioned way, through the time-honoured tradition of grafting.[...]

“Fourth Generation Warfare Evolves, Fifth Emerges”

http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/milreview/English/MayJun07/Hammes.pdf

A discussion thread on the article is being spun over at the Small Wars Journal:

http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=2775