I'm only 4 chapters in, but this is the best piece of book-length nonfiction I've read, maybe ever? Good science writers are hard to find, and this is fascinating.Another reviewer (Jenn), who I don't know but wish I did, wrote the following review, and I totally concur (and told her so):Here's an...
Sir Isaac Newton is regarded as a genius. I recently got hold of his biography written by James Gleick, who has also authored Genius and Chaos. I always wanted to know more about Newton’s life. Having known Einstein’s biography, I was curious to know how Newton’s life was. “Newton was not a pleas...
I went into this book idolizing Feynman. But I finished it thinking that he was an asshole who got excused for his behavior by possessing high intelligence. I used to think that Feynman was a fun, eccentric, bongo-playing scientist who wooed women. Now I know that he was one of the original douch...
8113. The air channels of the radio-newspaper and world television broadcasting systems have been cleared for an important announcement…a story of international importance and significance.(Evidently it seemed plausible that the world’s communications channels could be “cleared” on command.)The t...
—Thomas Sprat (1667)♦ A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER AND PRIEST made a book in 1604 with a rambling title that began “A Table Alphabeticall, conteyning and teaching the true writing, and understanding of hard usuall English wordes,” and went on with more hints to its purpose, which was unusual and neede...
Wheeler had Bohr’s rounded brow and soft features, as well as his way of speaking about physics in oracular undertones. In the years that followed, no physicist surpassed Wheeler in his appreciation for the mysterious or in his command of the Delphic catchphrase: A black hole has no hair was his....