One of my colleagues raves about David Lindley’s Where Does the Weirdness Go? as a basic introduction to odd quantum effects, but somehow, I’ve never managed to get around to reading any of his books until now. I recently had a need to know a bit more about the historical development of quantum theory, though,… Continue reading Uncertainty by David Lindley
Category: Physics Books
Why the Sky Is Blue, by Götz Hoeppe
Why the Sky Is Blue, by Götz Hoeppe is subtitled “Discovering the Color of Life,” so I was a little puzzled when Princeton University Press asked me if I wanted a review copy. But, hey, free books! This is ultimately a physics book, but it’s really in the category that I think of as “Smart… Continue reading Why the Sky Is Blue, by Götz Hoeppe
Pick a Number Contest: The Winner Is…
The Official Uncertain Principles Cosmic Jackpot Giveaway Contest was even more popular than I expected, with 122 comments (at the time of this writing) each trying to pick the “best” number. As promised, the winner will be announced today, but this really comes down to deciding which number is the best. So, what’s the best… Continue reading Pick a Number Contest: The Winner Is…
Pick a Number, Win a Book
As you can see from the picture, my desk is a mess. Also, I’ve come into possession of a second free copy of Paul Davies’s new book Cosmic Jackpot: Why Our Universe Is Just Right for Life (one is an advance reading copy in trade paper, the other a spiffy new hardback). You can read… Continue reading Pick a Number, Win a Book
Dorky Poll: Least Favorite Textbook
It’s going to be a very busy day, in ways that will keep me away from the Internet for most of the day, so you’ll need to entertain yourselves. Here’s a question for the science-minded: What’s your least favorite science textbook of all time? It could be a book that you loathed when you were… Continue reading Dorky Poll: Least Favorite Textbook
Cosmic Jackpot by Paul Davies
Paul Davies’s forthcoming book Cosmic Jackpot is subtitled “Why Our Universe Is Just Right for Life,” so you know that he’s not going after small questions, here. The book is a lengthy and detailed discussion of what he terms the “Goldilocks Enigma,” and what others refer to as “fine-tuning”– basically, how do you account for… Continue reading Cosmic Jackpot by Paul Davies
Lee Smolin, The Trouble With Physics
Lee Smolin’s The Trouble With Physics is probably the hot physics book of the year. Granted, that’s not saying very much, relative to whatever Oprah’s reading this week, but it’s led to no end of discussion among physics types. And also, frequently, the spectacle of people with Ph.D.’s squabbling like children, so reviewing it is… Continue reading Lee Smolin, The Trouble With Physics
Meta-Contest Results
A week ago, I suggested a meta-contest for The Trouble With Physics, with a copy of the book going to the person with the best suggestion of an appropriate way to give away the book. The turnout wasn’t exactly overwhelming (maybe a little too abstract to really draw people in, or maybe too obviously fishing… Continue reading Meta-Contest Results
Meta-Contest: The Trouble With Physics
Through some quirk of the publishing industry, I find myself with two free copies of Lee Smolin’s The Trouble With Physics, one from my Corporate Masters at Seed, and the other direct from the publisher. This seems a little excessive, even for a confirmed bibliophile like myself. (I know, I know, this is a problem… Continue reading Meta-Contest: The Trouble With Physics
Peter Woit, Not Even Wrong
The two most talked-about books in physics this year are probably a pair of anti-sting-theory books, Lee Smolin’s The Trouble With Physics, and Peter Woit’s Not Even Wrong, which shares a name with Jacques Distler’s favorite weblog. I got review copies of both, but Not Even Wrong arrived first (thanks, Peter), and gets to be… Continue reading Peter Woit, Not Even Wrong