Book 40 - Michio Kaku "Physics Of The Impossible"

Michio Kaku "Physics Of The Impossible" (Penguin)





This is a fascinating collection of thoughts on what might be possible in areas most people think is impossible. In the process, it provides a broad overview of what is happening on the edges of science. By describing how such concepts as invisibility, teleportation, time travel, parallel universes, and faster than light travel might…just might…be possible, Kaku introduces the reader to some of the latest scientific thinking going on in the most bizarre areas. (Don’t get me wrong – this is solid scientific study – it just seems bizarre when you think about what this research might mean.)

The approach is very accessible. While there are a few instances where the reader has the opportunity to get lost in the physics, Kaku is a master at explaining incredibly complicated concepts in a way that we common folk can understand. Sure, at times it comes off too simplistic, but that is the sacrifice that comes with trying to take these strange concepts and make them real. If I have any complaint, it is that Kaku is trying almost too hard to show he is “of the people”. In particular, there is constant reference to science fiction. That, in and of itself, is not an issue. What is an issue is that the references, while showing knowledge of the area, are a bit limited. How many times can references to Star Trek be the only appropriate analogy? (And how can you talk about robots without Asimov’s Three Laws?) It is hard to tell if this is a function of Kaku inadvertently pandering to the audience, or an actual limitation on his knowledge of the subject. (After all, he has been a bit busy with his science studies to have a well-rounded knowledge of science fiction.) At times it is a bit distracting, but it is easily forgiven when he jumps back into describing the new pioneers of science.

In the final analysis this book is a fun exercise in exploring the impossible and learning just how weird reality really is.

Book 41 - Mchael Hanlon "The Science Of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy"

Mchael Hanlon "The Science Of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" (Palgrave)






This was like discovering an extra, long-lost Douglas Adams book. It has the same blend of weird science, spot-on humour and philosophy that made the Hitchhikers series such a hit, without being a straight copy or a pastiche. It's also first-rate as a stand-alone popular science book, with something surprising in every chapter no matter how much you think you already know.

A jaunty and eclectic dose of scientific reality for readers whose only previous knowledge of science came, presumably, from Douglas Adams's goofy work of fiction..

The Heart of Dipping Into Things

Started dipping into the A.C.Grayling book "The Heart Of Things" that my bro gave me last time i was in Brighton. It is one that you dip anywhere, so perversely, i started near the back with the two potted biogs of Bernard Williams and Edward Said. Then went to one of the sections near the beginning of the book on "Reading".

Currently listening to a mix of music i might do for my next gig.