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Good Morning
Aug. 7th, 2018 06:59 am
Aug. 7th, 2018
Just Wondering
Aug. 7th, 2018 07:06 amIf you were going to be stuck on a deserted island with a character from the last book you read, who would it be?
Have you ever gone beachcombing?
Do you like to drink milk?
Have you ever gone beachcombing?
Do you like to drink milk?
Graham Farmelo "The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius" (Faber and Faber)
Dirac was as taciturn as a person could get and not be a mute. His colleagues invented a term called 'a dirac' for the shortest answer possible to a question. He didn't keep a diary and his letters to his parents (postcards) usually contained twenty words or less. Stories abound from his fellow physicists on his lack of communication skills. With this dearth of material to work from, somehow, Farmelo puts together a near five hundred page comprehensive biography that is enlightening. A rabbit out of the hat so to speak.
Dirac was one of the founders of quantum mechanics and became the youngest Nobel winner in physics. Despite his communication problems in spoken language he was concise and literal minded in his writing. His textbook on quantum mechanics has never gone out of print. When Einstein was wrestling with quantum problems, he would often mutter, " where's my Dirac?" His contemporaries respected him but struggled to understand him. He lived in a mathematical world where he sought 'the beauty' of equations. Neils Bohr, who knew and interacted with many eccentric scientists called Dirac the strangest man. There is speculation that Dirac was a high functioning autistic. When his wife was in pursuit of him she quickly found out he was incapable of seeing questions as rhetorical. He would create a table in his replies, number them, and answer each one literally. Some of these are included in the book. It makes for one of the strangest wooing adventures ever. But she did manage to snag him.
Even though the book is about quantum mechanics, there is only about five equations in it and some of them don't even deal with physics. Farmelo is gifted at keeping the subject approachable for the average reader. Of all the books that have covered personalities from the early days of quantum mechanics, Dirac has been the least written about. This biography fills that gap.
Dirac was as taciturn as a person could get and not be a mute. His colleagues invented a term called 'a dirac' for the shortest answer possible to a question. He didn't keep a diary and his letters to his parents (postcards) usually contained twenty words or less. Stories abound from his fellow physicists on his lack of communication skills. With this dearth of material to work from, somehow, Farmelo puts together a near five hundred page comprehensive biography that is enlightening. A rabbit out of the hat so to speak.
Dirac was one of the founders of quantum mechanics and became the youngest Nobel winner in physics. Despite his communication problems in spoken language he was concise and literal minded in his writing. His textbook on quantum mechanics has never gone out of print. When Einstein was wrestling with quantum problems, he would often mutter, " where's my Dirac?" His contemporaries respected him but struggled to understand him. He lived in a mathematical world where he sought 'the beauty' of equations. Neils Bohr, who knew and interacted with many eccentric scientists called Dirac the strangest man. There is speculation that Dirac was a high functioning autistic. When his wife was in pursuit of him she quickly found out he was incapable of seeing questions as rhetorical. He would create a table in his replies, number them, and answer each one literally. Some of these are included in the book. It makes for one of the strangest wooing adventures ever. But she did manage to snag him.
Even though the book is about quantum mechanics, there is only about five equations in it and some of them don't even deal with physics. Farmelo is gifted at keeping the subject approachable for the average reader. Of all the books that have covered personalities from the early days of quantum mechanics, Dirac has been the least written about. This biography fills that gap.
Michael Foley "The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard to Be Happy (Simon and Schuster)
The Age of Absurdity by Michael Foley is an interesting commentary on our modern society that seeks to highlight some of the reasonings as to why we find it hard to be happy with our lot in life. Whilst I wouldn't call it laugh-out-loud hilarious the author does make some very wry observations on our twenty-first century age. Foley dissects the three most common components of our modern life - the workplace, love & relationships and finally growing old. He is clearly well researched and cleverly supports his views with the teachings of humanities main philosophies.
The book is high on criticisms and low on remedy, which in itself is understandable as we have collectively gotten ourselves into a position that is not easy to get out of. Foley tells us that the only way to be satisfied with life is to embrace its absurdity and snatch the glimpses of happiness when they happen. A wholly sensible, and I imagine, ineffectual plea.
The Age of Absurdity by Michael Foley is an interesting commentary on our modern society that seeks to highlight some of the reasonings as to why we find it hard to be happy with our lot in life. Whilst I wouldn't call it laugh-out-loud hilarious the author does make some very wry observations on our twenty-first century age. Foley dissects the three most common components of our modern life - the workplace, love & relationships and finally growing old. He is clearly well researched and cleverly supports his views with the teachings of humanities main philosophies.
The book is high on criticisms and low on remedy, which in itself is understandable as we have collectively gotten ourselves into a position that is not easy to get out of. Foley tells us that the only way to be satisfied with life is to embrace its absurdity and snatch the glimpses of happiness when they happen. A wholly sensible, and I imagine, ineffectual plea.
A Swell Day
Aug. 7th, 2018 09:35 amToday i will be doing a visit
Back in Swale,
Have not done any for awhile
Due to fund fail.
But recent sales on Ebay
Has made this a better day,
And after i pop into Past Sentence
To sell some paperback books
Then i can categorically say
This will have been a swell day.
Back in Swale,
Have not done any for awhile
Due to fund fail.
But recent sales on Ebay
Has made this a better day,
And after i pop into Past Sentence
To sell some paperback books
Then i can categorically say
This will have been a swell day.
In The Hope
Aug. 7th, 2018 06:02 pmCompleted two viists today in Sittigbourne ,and all reports done. So,now i am waiting for Phil for a few drinks at the Golden Hope pub in Sittingbourne.
Expect it will be a long drinking session!
Expect it will be a long drinking session!
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