Book Description
You may not be aware of it, but a very powerful force is at work in your life.
It's called the Law of Attraction and right now it is attracting people, jobs, situations and relationships in your life - not all of them good!
If your life feels as if it has turned south and taken on the characteristics of a bad soap opera, it's time to pick up this book.
Customer Reviews:
Effortless Reading.......2007-10-14
I have read several books on the subject of the law of attraction and this one by far is the best written. The author's writing style is so very easy to follow and understand. The book can easily be read in an hour or so all the while comprehending and processing his excellent advice. I highly recommend this book especially if you are just starting to investigate this idea. Mr. Losier's writing style flows so nicely and he presents ideas clearly so they are easy to understand and incorporate into life. I believe this book will give you a good foundation on which to build your own ways to attract things into your life.
Law of Attraction.......2007-10-11
This is one of the most powerful tools I have come across in the personal development realm. Michael Losier is concise, to the point and makes it easy to follow the principles laid out. If you want to get to another level in your life whether, business, financial, relationship or other, this and Understanding: Train of Thought are the books for you.
Skip this one - there are much better books out there!.......2007-10-10
I've been listening to this guy drone on for about the last hour and I just can't take it any more. I am listing mine right back in the Used Copies for sale section. This guy obviously likes to make lists, enjoys lists, and finds lists fascinating. I do not.
He can't just make a strong point about something and move on, instead he has to support his conclusions with a detailed list of every possible thing associated with that point. I counted 17 items in mercilessly detailed list of how to train your mind to think about the LOA when he could have made the same point in a single, well-worded sentence. It's like he needed to flesh out the book so he decided to stretch out every idea to it's ultimate conclusion instead of giving you genuinely useful information and techniques. I think the LOA is fantastic, but I don't think this is a very good resource to learn about it. I just found it repetitive and annoying.
Synchronicity at Play.......2007-10-08
"Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want & Less of What You Don't" by Michael J. Losier is a fascinating book that demonstrates how SYNCHRONICITY is evidence of the law of attraction. The Law of Attraction responds to your vibration. Your vibration is your feelings, so therefore be joyful, optimistic, compassionate, and content. This facilitates life transformation by means of the power of the law of attraction.
The Law of Attraction explains how it is important for us to discern what our ideal financial situation is, to compose desire statements, overcome negative vibrations, and bring the law of attraction alive by means of creating a vibrational bubble as well as allowing statements.
The Law of Attraction is a most recommended book since it is easy to understand, provides an inspirational process, and an increased understanding of why you don't have what you want yet in order to transform your life.
Two of the most powerful transformational books that I also recommend are;
The Secret
Nexus: A Neo Novel
Abundance is mine!.......2007-10-06
I LOVE this book. I watched The Secret and flipped through book... BUT nothing beats the Law of Attraction book. Fast and easy read, plain english, makes sense, well written. BEST OF ALL: are the worksheets that he provides a link to for you to print out. PRINT OUT THE WORKSHEETS AND THE MAGIC COMES ALIVE!!! I have printed out all the worksheets and fill out the abundance worksheet every night. I've been attracting what I want ever since. Buy this book and DO the worksheets. Best book I've bought in years... money spent has come back to me ten-fold+!
Book Description
Success is simple, and scientifically reproducible, if you know the 5 Laws
Simpleology proves that success and happiness are easier to achieve than most people think they are. In fact, people can almost guarantee their own success simply by following a few simple rules. These "5 Laws of Simpleology" aren't new; they've been around forever. Throughout history, these 5 laws have helped the world's greatest minds amass fortunes and forge new paths. But until now, no one has committed them to paper in so simple and straightforward a style as Mark Joyner has here. Applicable to any challenge or goal and irrefutably commonsense, these 5 laws form the basis for almost any successful person or endeavor. Simpleology explains the 5 laws in detail and shows readers how to apply them to every aspect of their lives.
Mark Joyner (Auckland, New Zealand) is a leading authority on Internet marketing. The former CEO of Aesop Marketing Corp., he is the author of four previous books, including The Irresistible Offer (0-471-73894-8) and The Great Formula (0-471-77823-0), both from Wiley.
Customer Reviews:
Yuck! Please Please Don't Waste Your Time On This!!!.......2007-10-17
This book was so bad I felt like throwing up! Please don't waste your time and thus part of the world's potentially productive output reading this book. You'd do better if you simply slept instead! Read the other reviews to know more about what's in it if you have to waste time even on the reviews.
Note: This is the first review I have ever written and it is because this book was just so bad I felt compelled to log in, sign up for posting online reviews and actually take time out to write one!
A Different Way to Look at Things.......2007-10-05
I "read" Simnpleology in my car by listening to the CD version. I found it motivating and thought it provided a different way of looking at most things in life. It is accompanied by a free web site and several free tools. There is also a companion course (also free) that helps you put what you have heard into practice.
Excellent information & well written.......2007-10-02
Overall an enjoyable read. Delivers what is promised. Geeks will probably enjoy it the most.
How To Achieve Success.......2007-09-29
What do you do if you have a few sensible but very commonplace platitudes on setting and
achieving goals and you're writing a book? Worse what do you do if your "five laws", the
very heart of your "simple science for getting what you want" could easily fit on one or
two pages? Say you've already tried short one-sentence paragraphs that you double or triple
space, added some cartoons, and you've still only filled about a dozen pages?
First Law: You don't take the shortest or straightest path. Put your laws at the back of the book. Make 'em wait for the closing so you don't have to include any detailed real world examples of how to attain that "dream home" or "superhot lover."
Second Law: Write chapters that could be related to the topic. Google "A List of Fallacious Arguments" or dig up your old Philosophy 101 textbook out of the garage. Tell your readers you're "going to throw them a lifeline."
Third Law: Focus your attention on something "real world." Create a strawman who disagrees with your politics. He's a victim of "groupthink" and a user of "ad hominem attacks". And because everyone reading your book wants your political opinions, keep giving them these examples. If anyone wonders why your examples are virtually always negative examples, you can "appeal to authority". Accuse them of labeling you.
Fourth Law: Focus your energy. Although this law could easily have been included into the Third Law, it would deprive you of a law. Basically repeat some more slightly relevant ideas. Repeat them.
Fifth Law: Big Finish. Tell them stuff that - unless they're 13-years-old - they already know about straight lines, clear goals, focused attention and energy. And end with something like "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." That could be a pillar of your science alone!
Done.
Almost.
Advise them to spam email their friends and coworkers to buy the book, and then to tell
their friends to buy and...
That should be the Sixth Law!
way to simple.......2007-09-27
Simpleology is the truth. Written by a simple mind. Keep it simple and just don't bother reading.
Product Description
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
Customer Reviews:
Incedibly Riveting, Powerful Warning!.......2007-10-15
I came here to write a review and was surprised to see some of the negative comments, especially those written in the style of an elementary school student. Al Gore has written an incredibly revealing look into what lies before us if we leave things the the way they are and ignore the majority of reputable scientists who have the same predictions that Gore espouses. Any idiot can see that the pace of damage that we are experiencing now in the environment cannot be equated to any other time in history. The pictures in Gore's book are not fake. He is not the only one who discusses the issue of future loss of land due to the rising waters. The biggest problem for him is that being involved in politics unfortunately invites those who are on the other side of the aisle to criticize him, even when they know he's right. It's an infantile attitude - one that may very well be responsible for the ultimate destruction of our world as we know it. Next, they will be attacking the Nobel Prize Committee for giving their award to Gore. He well deserves it for his hard work and worthy work. Shame on those who find the need to put their childishly damning comments on here. It reveals so much more about them than it does about Gore.
All fluff, no content.......2007-10-14
There is a great deal of fluff and hysteria, accompanied by lots of heatstring-jerking pictures, in this book. Unfortunately, there is no useful/factual content: the only relevant graph amounts to a prime example for the book "How To Lie With Statistics".
Essential facts which Gore ignores and which destroys his case: (1) the long-term change feared is just one degree per _century_, (2) carbon dioxide is plant food, and (3) climate changes - cope.
SO..... what caused the Mini-ice-age of 1250-1850?.......2007-10-14
Between the years 1250-1850, the earth experienced a Mini Ice Age that froze-over rivers, destroyed England's wine industry, and nearly starved Europe (until they discovered how to use potatoes for nourishment). Al Gore admits in this book, "I don't know."
And that's the fundamental problem.
How can scientists claim, "We can predict future weather", when they don't even know how to explain the past weather events? They know there was a Mini Ice Age, they know the effects it had on humanity, but they don't know WHY it happened. The scientists don't know.
Until scientists learn to explain past Climate Changes,
they shouldn't be making guesses about the future.
One more example of religious fundamentalism and its not Christian or Muslim.......2007-10-14
Wind farms covering the great plains, how many birds do you want to kill, oh come on already! More corn farming driving up food prices. Solar cells that produce more toxic waste in manufacture than the petroleum products they deplore. And the only solution, nuclear power, buried in the fine print. Truly these people are loony , there are conspiracies everywhere, and I have to buy a rowboat now so I can get to Wall Street in few years. Please, 500 years ago the Thames was frozen over. Get a grip, give Al a pill, and remainder this nonsense.
An Incoherent Crock.......2007-10-13
What is important to remember above all else is that Al Gore is a politician and a journalist. He is decidedly NOT a scientist. In short, he is not even remotely qualified to be discussing the science behind global warming. Well, I suppose he's qualified to give a lecture to the average 3rd grade class, but that's about it.
So how do we explain the fact that so many gushing, starry-eyed brethren embrace Gore as some kind of prophet of global warming? More than anything, I suspect it is a reflection of just how incredibly ignorant and naive the American people are. Remember, a British court has ruled that his book is riddled with factual errors (and it is likely worse than the court's ruling). It is a real life manifestation of P.T. Barnum's famous dictum that "A sucker is born every minute."
Our society needs to stop equating fame with expertise. Gore is a famous politician, and his true expertise is as a con man. The scientific arena is the last place he either understands or belongs.
I suspect that in 25 years time the expression "the sky is falling" will pass out of vogue, to be replaced by "that's an inconvenient truth."
I wish I could have rated this piece of scat zero stars.
Book Description
A pop-science journey into the surprising ingredients found in dozens of common packaged foods, using the Twinkie label as a guide
Like most Americans, Steve Ettlinger eats processed foods. And, like most consumers, he often reads the ingredients label—without a clue as to what most of it means. So when his young daughter asked, “Daddy, what's polysorbate 60?” he was at a loss—and determined to find out.
From the phosphate mines in Idaho to the corn fields in Iowa, from gypsum mines in Oklahoma to the vanilla harvest in Madagascar, Twinkie, Deconstructed is a fascinating, thoroughly researched romp of a narrative that demystifies some of the most common processed food ingredients—where they come from, how they are made, how they are used—and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they're often more closely linked to rock and petroleum than any of the four food groups), we follow each Twinkie ingredient through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder with a strange name—all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake.
An insightful exploration into the food industry, if you've ever wondered what you're eating when you consume foods containing mono- and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter, a food-grade equivalent of Plaster of Paris) this book is for you.
Customer Reviews:
does your homework for you.......2007-10-08
"Twinkie, Deconstructed" has a cool concept: find out where EVERy ingredient on the ingredients panel of a Twinkie sponge cake comes from, whether grown or made. It turns out a lot of ingredients are mined as well.
Steve Ettlinger does an exhaustingly thorough job of research. He visits wheat fields and salt mines and LOTs of chemical plants. He reverse engineers how a Twinkie is made, even though the manufacturer declined to help him. Ettlinger maintains good cheer despite additional obstacles such as having to change names or leave out certain details due to the Home Security act.
My favorite ingredient was sodium stearoyl lactylate, because my son is allergic to milk. I had to read ingredient lists for EVERything, including bread, and sodium stearoyl lactylate was everywhere. It sounds like it has milk but I was told it does not. Confusion! Ettinger explains all: lactic acid USED to be made from sour milk but now it is made from corn syrup.
The chapter on flavorings is wonderful, including a discussion of the 216 different flavor components of natural vanilla, and how artificial vanilla has even more. I learned more about flour than I ever cared to know, but passed the info on to my daughter who likes to cook (I found out why unbleached flour is better for pizza, and bleached flour for Twinkies, for example).
I read Twinkie, Deconstructed from cover to cover. If I read it again, I might instead look up different ingredients one by one, following my curiosity. (The book's chapters are organized by ingredients and the index is available as well.) By two-thirds of the way into the book, my fingers itched to make a huge flow chart, connecting all the raw components at one end to the ways they are used in a Twinkie cake at the other end.
Ettlinger does our homework for us, showing that all those strange ingredients DO have a purpose in modern food and ARE safe to eat. He uses the Twinkie as a stand in for almost any food we buy these days in a grocery. Good job!
You are what you eat.......2007-07-23
Especially in view of the tainted chemicals coming from China that are in our processed foods, this is a timely read.
Discover the fascinating story of what's in a Twinkie, and where it comes from.
Interesting for foodies, too.
I bought copies for a chemist friend, and for a curious friend.
Would make better television........2007-07-20
So much potential unrealized...I thought this was going to be much better. The concept of where all the ingredients that make up a Twinkie come from make disappointingly dull reading.
Mr. Ettlinger, I see your comment here, so may I suggest a TV series? I would love to have you examine an ingredient per week and actually see the places and things you wrote about as it was hard to visualize it all...now that would be great television!
Fun and Follies with Food Facts.......2007-07-13
Asked by his children what the ingredients in a Twinkie creme-filled cake really were, and where they came from, Steve traveled the world to find out, interviewing over a hundred people in the process. The book is well-written in the sense that it can be read very fast, and is entertaining until the number of technical errors and chemophobia intrude, which for me began on p8. I happen to enjoy processing plant and mine tours, even vicariously, and do not shy from hundreds of facts and factoids. It was fascinating to find where the biggest plants were that made the ingredients of a Twinkie, which are: wheat flour, bleach, iron(II) sulfate, vitamins B1, B2, B3, sugar, corn sweeteners, corn thickeners, water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, lecithin and soy protein isolate, eggs, cellulose gum, whey, leavenings, baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate, salt, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, natural and artificial flavors, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium and calcium caseinates, calcium sulfate, sorbic acid, FD&C Yellow No. 5 and Red. No. 40. All but 2 of the chapter headings follow this ingredient list. There is an inadequate index and no references, an ominous sign of what is to follow. There are no pictures or drawings, which this topic screams for. The concept was excellent, as were the metaphors. Between that and the potential entertainment value my rating would have been 5-star, even though the target audience was 12-14 years old, IMHO.
A fine appreciation of food chemistry was finally given on p258-260: "The fact that chemicals, especially those in foods, are part of nature..." Well and good, but Steve infiltrates all kinds of snide comments about "chemicals" almost everywhere else, such as one about the surprising purity of synthetic chemicals as opposed to natural (p208) -- the reverse of the truth -- that most natural chemicals are mixtures, and many synthetic ones are very pure. Part of the difficulty is that Steve does not define what a chemical is, or know the difference between an element, a compound, and a mixture, or between a rock and a mineral. Except on p173, where Steve appears to understand that the reactive and toxic elements, sodium and chlorine, react to form salt (sodium chloride), which has none of the properties of its precursors. Time after time he tries to scare the reader by implying that the toxicity of the precursors (called intermediates by chemists) somehow makes it into non-toxic products. On p261: "...try reflecting on the fact that one of the world's most lethal chemicals, chlorine, and one of the most reactive chemicals, sodium, have an exalted place...[in] the salt shaker." This, sadly, is more typical. Of course, there is no elemental sodium or chlorine in salt, and the properties of the elements do not persist in salt. And a rock should not be confused with a mineral.
So to repeat grade-school material, all substances are chemical. Dreams and electronic phenomena are not. Substances are either pure or mixtures. The smallest stable units of matter in substances are molecules. In an element, all the atoms in all the molecules are the same, except for isotopes, which still have the same chemical properties. In a compound, meaning that 2 or more elements are present in the molecule, all the molecules are alike. Sugar (sucrose) is a compound formed from a glucose and a fructose with loss of water; it is not a mixture of glucose and fructose as Steve claims (p71). A rock is a mixture of minerals. Granite is a mixture of the minerals quartz, mica and feldspar, and most minerals are well-defined compounds. Eating refined salt or calcium sulfate is not the same as eating rock. Steve wrote that the toxic and flammable element phosphorus is part of the Twinkies recipe (p154). This is nonsense. Steve never learned from a chemist to write: "phosphorus compounds, phosphates, are part of the Twinkies recipe"; no, he has to scare us and give chemicals in general a bad name on almost every page.
Steve wrote: "Ferrous sulfate is light gray with a bluish tinge, just as you'd expect an iron derivative to look" (p42). Pure iron(II) sulfate is actually pale green, just as I would expect it to look.
Steve wrote: "Despite being a mere mineral, calcium is really a so-called earth metal, like sodium...(p232). Calcium is not a mineral, because it is never found as the free element. Steve meant gypsum (calcium sulfate), I think. Calcium belongs to the family of elements called alkaline earths and sodium is in the family of alkali metals.
Whenever Steve has trouble with the chemistry of a food additive, his writing becomes very terse and flawed. From p250: "A reaction of benzene with nitric acid, itself a product of hydrogen (usually from natural gas) and nitrogen (usually from liquid air) that have been passed over over a thin platinum wire mesh, makes nitrobenzene and leads to the all-important aniline, a colorless oily liquid with a strong, pleasant odor that happens to be highly poisonous." When this is untangled, we find: (1) the reaction of hydrogen and nitrogen over a heated catalyst of iron oxide and potassium aluminate at 400 atm leads to ammonia, not nitric acid; (2) ammonia and air are heated to 650° and passed over a platinum/rhodium catalyst to make nitric acid, not nitrobenzene; (3) benzene and nitric acid with considerable sulfuric acid yields nitrobenzene; (4) nitrobenzene with iron powder or hydrogenation over nickel gives aniline; and (5) aniline does not have a pleasant odor in my nose. None of this makes much sense to a non-chemist without pictures of the molecules involved, which are sorely lacking. All the reactions are over 100 years old, so industrial secrecy should not have been an issue.
Steve fell for the myth that eating saturated fat causes hardening of the arteries (p181). See "The Cholesterol Myths" by Uffe Ravnskov, 2000; and "The Modern Nutritional Diseases" by Ottoboni.
A list of another 50 errors are available by e-mailing: kauffman@bee.net.
Eat your Twinkies and be happy.......2007-07-07
Author Ettlinger takes the reader on a fascinating saga through the world of how food ingredients are made and how many of the ingredients in our food are actually not food-based at all, such as benzene, petroleum and rocks. Ettlinger gives us the origin of every Twinkie ingredient in a offbeat, wink-of-the eye way that suggests mirth instead of mean-spiritedness.
If you enjoy learning about scraps of knowledge that will impress your friends, this book is for you.
Book Description
In this groundbreaking book, the renowned theoretical physicist Lee Smolin argues that physics—the basis for all other science—has lost its way. The problem is string theory, an ambitious attempt to formulate "a theory of everything" that explains all the forces and particles of nature and how the universe came to be. With its exotic new particles and parallel universes, string theory has captured the public"s imagination and seduced many physicists. But as Smolin reveals, there"s a deep flaw in the theory: no part of it has been proven, and no one knows how to prove it. As a scientific theory, it has been a colossal failure. And because it has soaked up the lion's share of funding, attracted some of the best minds, and penalized young physicists for pursuing other avenues, it is dragging the rest of physics down with it. With clarity, passion, and authority, Smolin charts the rise and fall of string theory and takes a fascinating look at what will replace it. A group of young theorists has begun to develop exciting new ideas that are, unlike string theory, testable. Smolin tells us who and what to watch for in the coming years and how we can find the next Einstein. This is a wake-up call, and Lee Smolin—a former string theorist himself— is the perfect person to deliver it.
Customer Reviews:
Cuts through the hype.......2007-10-13
This is an excellently written book, very easy to read,and with only one typo that I noticed. It starts with an excellent overview of physics from a technical point of view, without getting too technical,but a good basic understanding of physics is really needed to grasp what he is writing about, and shows the authors grasp of the technical issues, and then gets into a philosophical view of the state of physics and science generally. As an interested observer of science I have certainly noticed the lack of really big discoveries in the last twenty years or so, and this book confirms my view. Also being more of a creative thinker,rather than a conformist, a 'seer' as the author describes it,I can totally relate to the problems faced by people seeking a career in science, and the need to conform to currently popular programs and research where economic imperitives take precedence over original thinking,or even fundamental work, and where universities operate to build an image to attract students based on hype over substance. Its what put me off a career in science, and a university education, as I'm not interested in doing what others want in return for money,career,etc. The authors comment about some of the best scientists of the past being wealthy enough to support themselves in doing as they pleased is a very important point in showing that creative people are wasted if forced to do the work others want done in order to survive. Which basically leaves only those who want to conform and have an easy life and easy career path, who want to be technical experts rather than big thinkers or explorers of new concepts. It excludes most risk takers and entrepreneurs from a career in science,as you would end up bitter and unsatisfied. This book really just confirmed alot of what I thought, what should be common sense. And it makes an important point that only a few people think creatively,so it would not cost alot to employ these people and take a risk on them, in the hope that long term they will produce big things, while delivering very little of measurable worth in the short term. The book also goes into the sociology of science and scientists. Something I realised along time ago to my suprise was that scientists suffer from all the normal human flaws of bias and blindness, tribalism,etc that average people do,and often end up in religious type devoutness to their beliefs or tribe. I would have thought science would not attract such people, but it does,as the authors experience shows in confirming what I beleived just from watching science shows on TV,etc. Science would be an excellent career if not for the fact it suffers from the same B.S. that afflicts most human organisations and puts people like myself right off getting involved at all. The author is smart enough to realise that science must attract talent and compete with others for it,and his criticisms are done out of love for science and physics,not hate. It is interesting to see how carefully he treads in crisicising others, which just goes to show how religion-like science had become, and how risky it is to be a heretic, which so goes against what science should stand for,like open debate, constant questioning of all beleifs,etc, when ego's start getting in the way you might as well do something else, as its no better than any other politics or belief system. If you care about science this book raises many important points ,although I suspect it will find an audience with those that sympathise with its views and have no effect on those that need to learn from it most,as they will have closed minds and take all criticism as an attack to be defended against.A very enjoyable read.
A superb overview of the state of theoretical physics........2007-10-12
What a superb book. Lee Smolin starts by sketching our progress towards a unified theory, and then critically examines the claims of string theory to be the best contender for that throne. Having demolished our fuzzy belief that string theory has been somehow "proven," he then weighs in on the other candidates for a unified theory, namely quantum gravity and its cousins. These turn out to be little better supported by experimental evidence. The technical concepts are clearly presented, sans equations, as developments in a story peopled with fascinating characters: the great theoretical physicists of the last 50 years. As a non-math person, I found this narrative a positive pleasure to read. In comparison to other authors of books on physics for the lay public, Smolin really knows how to tell a story, without skimping the science.
The real depth of "The Trouble With Physics" becomes apparent when Smolin pulls back to focus on physics itself. Facing the fact that the academy is a human enterprise like any other, he subjects it to the same bold criticism that he applies to scientific concepts. Here are eyeopening revelations about the culture of conferences, recommendations, networks, and above all, the economic pressures that subtly favor "craftspeople" at the expense of "seers." It's a sorry indictment of our universities, the triumph of self-interest over vision, and Smolin explicitly includes himself in the great mass of insincere careerists who choose a safe research program over a risky one, to the detriment of scientific progress. One gets the sense that this book is, for the author, an atonement for having shortchanged his own creativity as a younger man.
But we the readers are the beneficiaries of Smolin's decision to lay all bare. I have read literally dozens of books on physics and cosmology, and this is the first one that has presented the human side of the story as a CONTEXT, rather than in a series of postage-stamp portraits. Smolin shows that tribalism and rent-seeking do as much to shape science as any ideas. It is a lesson that will lend an extra savor, and a much-needed depth of perspective, to every science book I read in the future.
Scientific progress is never cut and dried.......2007-10-08
Lee Smolin presents a harsh critique of the last 30 years in theoretical physics, written by one of its practitioners. He makes the excellent point that science is a human activity like anything else. Progress is always hard to predict; scientists can and do get caught up in dead ends. Smolin thinks string theory is one such dead end, and makes a good case for it.
I think that, if anything, Smolin is a little too gentle on the field. The development of the atomic and hydrogen bombs left a tremendous impression that big money put into physics would bring big results. In recent years that hasn't happened. There are so many unanswered questions out there in science, so many important fields where solutions are desperately needed. When I consider the construction and operation of particle accelerators and other high-tech equipment, I can't help but think of the huge cost. The same amount of cash invested elsewhere might have brought much more in the way of useful results.
I am the mother of a 10-year-old boy attending public school. His instruction sometimes seems to me like a mishmash of well-meaning educational reforms that have been implemented with little or no testing to see if they worked or not. I am frankly disgusted by the quality of most research in the area of education--sample sizes too small, no proper controls, subjects followed for too short a time, etc. The cost of operating a single particle accelerator for six weeks probably exceeds all the funding for educational research around the world for the entire year. Yet which has the most potential for making major progress? Maybe it's time to back off on funding big physics projects for a while.
I would also like to point out that the building and use of instrumentation for high-energy physics is highly dependent on cheap fossil fuels. The future supply of such fuels is by no means guaranteed. The peak oil problem appears to be largely ignored by high-energy physicists today, but has the potential to significantly affect their ability to conduct experiments.
I really enjoyed Smolin's chapters on looking for seers rather than technicians in science. I especially liked his description of how unconventional scientists have built a career without a university job. Smolin points out that a typical professor spends a majority of his week on teaching, grant proposals, administrative tasks, and the like, leaving a surprisingly small amount of time available for actual research. Having a day job outside the field is not as big a hurdle as it might seem.
I tend to agree with Smolin that the big advances of the future are likely to come from completely unexpected directions. I can't wait to see what they are.
physics from many angles.......2007-10-05
This book provided several discussions pf physics and quantum theory. its good because the author speaks of the history the the originators of physics theory and the current champions of thought.
A mixed bag.......2007-10-04
At the moment, string theory appears to have many (possibly an infinite number) of "metastable vacua", each of which would allow for a universe with its own laws of physics. (For a brief, comic, yet essentially correct summary of the history of this idea, see Peter Shor's review here. For those who don't know, Shor is a celebrated quantum-information theorist.) According to the (far from established) inflationary model of cosmology, there is a vast collection of universes (the "multiverse") with diverse laws of physics. Which universe we find ourselves in is a matter of random selection, but of course we must be in a "biofriendly" universe, one whose laws of physics allow for the appearance of intelligent life.
The core argument of this book is presented on page 164-165 (US hardcover edition), where Smolin writes, "when it comes to the biofriendliness of our universe, we have at least three possibilities:
"1. Ours is one of a vast collection of universes with random laws.
"2. There was an intelligent designer.
"3. There is a so-far-unknown mechanism that will both explain the biofriendliness of our universe and make testable predictions by which it can be confirmed or falsified.
"Given that the first two possibilities are untestable in principle, it is most rational to hold out for the third possibility. Indeed, that is the only possibility we should consider as scientists, because accepting either of the first two would mean the end of our field."
I find this to be an astonishing argument. First of all, I don't know what "most rational" is supposed to mean. More importantly, to reject a scientific hypothesis for purely personal reasons (it "would mean the end of our field") is at best novel, and at worst absurd.
Very few string theorists are happy that #1 seems, at this point, to be the most likely outcome of string theory, and many hope that #3 will somehow eventually emerge. But to throw out the whole framework, simply because we don't like the result, cannot be said to be a scientific attitude.
One thing you won't learn in this book (unless you read it very carefully, and between the lines) is that the other approaches to quantum gravity advocated by Smolin have not come any closer to predicting specific experimental results than string theory has. Smolin talks about possible violations of special relativity, but these are not (as he admits on page 237) a definite prediction of loop quantum gravity. He has said (on Peter Woit's blog) that any quantum field theory in any number of dimensions is compatible with loop quantum gravity. If true, this would make loop quantum gravity even less capable than string theory of picking out our particular laws of physics.
Smolin also discusses issues of sociology in physics. On page 335-336, he asserts that the all the truly negative characterizations of job candidates that he has ever heard have had a component of racism and/or sexism. I am on the faculty of the physics department of a research university, and I can only say that my experience has been entirely different. I have simply never heard a racist or sexist denigration of one scientist by another, nor have I ever felt that anyone was being evaluated by criteria other than merit. I think that there are definitely issues of culture and how we can construct scientific communities that have broader appeal, and that there are physicists who are not as sensitive to these issues as they might be, but I cannot accept Smolin's claim that the relatively small percentage of women and blacks in physics is due to "blatant prejudice".
Finally, Smolin discusses the issues of "seers" vs "craftspeople" in science, and argues that we should be supporting more "seers". Among the existing seers, he lists some (such as Roger Penrose and Gerard 't Hooft) who made their reputations primarily as craftspeople ('t Hooft received the Nobel Prize for his work on the renormalization of gauge theories, and Penrose did celebrated work on the singularity theorems of general relativity). Their record as seers has been less successful; none of their recent ideas on modifications of quantum mechanics have panned out as yet. Smolin laments the fact that more attention is not paid to these forays into alternatives to quantum mechanics. But 't Hooft and Penrose do not agree on what modifications are needed. Other seers identified by Smolin propose violations of special relativity, rather than (or in addition to) violations of quantum mechanics. Perhaps this is all deep thought, but there is little to decide, at this point, which if any of these avenues should be pursued. Most physicists have therefore sensibly adopted a "wait and see" attitude.
Even if we accept Smolin's argument that we need new seers, how are we to find them? Smolin writes (page 353) that in order to discover "the visionaries who ignore the mainstream and follow their own ambitious programs", we should "find at least one accomplished person in the candidate's field who is deeply excited about what the candidate is trying to do". So, the candidate's program had better not be *too* far off the mainstream; there has to be at least one "accomplished person" who is "deeply excited" about it. But if one deeply excited professional is good, wouldn't more be better? Wouldn't that up the odds that the program was, indeed, worthwhile? Oh wait, that would be just what we have now ... a system where there is constant debate, emergent consensus on the most promising approaches, and distribution of research funds primarily (but by no means exclusively!) to those approaches that appear, in the consensus view, to be most promising. To paraphrase Winston Churchill on democracy, this system for distributing funds for science may be the worst ever devised, except for all the others.
So, should you buy the book? I feel that it gives a distorted picture, by emphasizing the weak points of string theory while ignoring the (many more, in my view) weak points of the alternatives. It seems to me that the essence of the book's argument against string theory is captured by the excerpts above, and by Shor's review. Then there is a lot of discussion of groupthink in scientific culture. For me, it doesn't add up to an appealing package, but your mileage may vary.
Amazon.com
The largely blue collar citizens of Kansas can be counted upon to be a "red" state in any election, voting solidly Republican and possessing a deep animosity toward the left. This, according to author Thomas Frank, is a pretty self-defeating phenomenon, given that the policies of the Republican Party benefit the wealthy and powerful at the great expense of the average worker. According to Frank, the conservative establishment has tricked Kansans, playing up the emotional touchstones of conservatism and perpetuating a sense of a vast liberal empire out to crush traditional values while barely ever discussing the Republicans' actual economic policies and what they mean to the working class. Thus the pro-life Kansas factory worker who listens to Rush Limbaugh will repeatedly vote for the party that is less likely to protect his safety, less likely to protect his job, and less likely to benefit him economically. To much of America, Kansas is an abstract, "where Dorothy wants to return. Where Superman grew up." But Frank, a native Kansan, separates reality from myth in What's the Matter with Kansas and tells the state's socio-political history from its early days as a hotbed of leftist activism to a state so entrenched in conservatism that the only political division remaining is between the moderate and more-extreme right wings of the same party. Frank, the founding editor of The Baffler and a contributor to Harper's and The Nation, knows the state and its people. He even includes his own history as a young conservative idealist turned disenchanted college Republican, and his first-hand experience, combined with a sharp wit and thorough reasoning, makes his book more credible than the elites of either the left and right who claim to understand Kansas. --John Moe
Book Description
With a New Afterword by the Author
The New York Times bestseller, praised as "hilariously funny . . . the only way to understand why so many Americans have decided to vote against their own economic and political interests" (Molly Ivins)
Hailed as "dazzlingly insightful and wonderfully sardonic" (Chicago Tribune), "very funny and very painful" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "in a different league from most political books" (The New York Observer), What's the Matter with Kansas? unravels the great political mystery of our day: Why do so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests? With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank answers the riddle by examining his home state, Kansas-a place once famous for its radicalism that now ranks among the nation's most eager participants in the culture wars. Charting what he calls the "thirty-year backlash"-the popular revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment-Frank reveals how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans.
A brilliant analysis-and funny to boot-What's the Matter with Kansas? is a vivid portrait of an upside-down world where blue-collar patriots recite the Pledge while they strangle their life chances; where small farmers cast their votes for a Wall Street order that will eventually push them off their land; and where a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs has managed to convince the country that it speaks on behalf of the People.
Customer Reviews:
don't have to read the book.......2007-10-09
I don't care what state you live in, a democratic agenda (modern) is the most economically disadvantaged direction you can choose anywhere in the USA. Therefore I do not need to read the book to know that even with the sad state of the republican party today, it is preferable to the democratic party. However i plan on reading this book to understand what can possibly make the author write such a book directed at a state. (know your enemy)
don't waste your money.......2007-09-20
Do not buy this book. I came prepared to love it, I was really looking forward to an insightful, informed, inside view of this remarkable political 180 of our times. That is simply not this book. It may be well researched, but it is so poorly written that it is nearly impossible to find out. Negative, back-biting, harsh, judgemental, bad-mouthing, blame-the-other-guy psuedo "politics" IF you can call it "policits". Politically themed finger pointing is more like it.
The Land of Oz.......2007-09-15
The author writes a somewhat satirical look at middle America 's political affliations. He has two major thesis. The first being that by the Democrats trying to copy Republicans-and money interests have turned their backs on blue collar workers. These workers have only the social issues to make their political choices. The second part of the thesis ,is that the money interests of the backlash movement (as he calls conservative Republicans) have just payed lip service to ending abortion and gay marriage etc.
So the effect of this is to have a reverse French Revolution in which the common man votes Republican and against his/her economic interests. So farming communities shrivel up,unions die,people go without health care.
Frank a native Kansan explores with humor and interviews peeople of the backlash movement.He bemoans the fact that populism -a left wing philospohy born in the mid west is dead. William Jennings Bryan a fundamentalist Christion was a liberal Democratic Senator from Nebraska.He explores this transformation and his diagnosis would make Clinton supportors and free market libertarians both angry. Since he offend both ends of the sprecta his observations should be taken seriously.
Certainly their are flaws in his thesis. if the Republican party is only paying lip service to social issues ,why are Democrats so afraid of their Supreme Court picks. If Clinton was in the pay of moneyied interests why was the right so moblized against Hillary's health care plan ?
This is a provacative book that explains Red and White state differences and the psycholgy of political self delusion (Blue collar people voting for big moneu interests)
thought-provoking, albeit hackneyed, look at America's Third Estate.......2007-08-02
Looking at Kansas today, it seems hard to believe that the archetypal American Heartland was once a hotbed of left-wing populism. "What's the Matter With Kansas?" shows us a bizarre socio-political landscape where a rural-suburban proletariat ardently defends corporate privilege in hopes that there will be an abortion ban or flag-burning amendment in it for them somewhere down the line.
Given Thomas Frank is a native Kansan, the detached tone he takes in his survey is disappointing. At many points, he comes across as preachy and high-minded to the point that you almost understand why the people of Kansas are so wary of "liberal elites". Rather than focusing on the lack of corporate accountability and excess that bring about the layoffs and cutbacks that hurt working class Americans, Frank takes swings at NAFTA and the many other trade policies that helped make the economic salad years of the 1990s possible.
While it becomes clear that in many cases the white Protestant gun-owning Average Joe is making a mistake when he votes Republican, Frank makes a grave mistake when he turns his nose up at the social and religious values this stratum of society holds so dear. He overlooks the fact that liberals are guilty of this same indulgence of principles. If it's so irrational for a churchgoing factory worker in Kansas to vote for a Republican corporate shill in order to protect his Second Amendment rights, why does it make any more sense for a Harvard-educated six-figure-earning professional to vote Democratic and have his taxes hiked up for the sake of protecting the Roe v. Wade decision?
Frank also overlooks the fact that Kansas was reliably Republican for years before the conservative backlash of the 1980s. Kansas was a Red State back when the GOP was still the party of Dwight Eisenhower, Nelson Rockefeller and Gerald Ford (and the people who would eventually make up the neo-conservative Republican coalition were still Conservative Democrats).
As a moderate Republican who happens to support affordable higher education, I was particularly offended by Frank's portrayal of Kansas' "Mod Squad" as arrogant corporatists. All in all, Thomas Frank has raised a lot of important questions, but his survey of the state he grew up in seems sadly detached and out-of-touch.
Well-written, entertaining but fails to live up to the title.......2007-07-08
Thomas Frank stated purpose is to tell how Conservative won the hearts of the working class, the middle class and the rich all at the same time. His answer is that rich, Republican elites throw up red herring issues (abortion and gay marriage are two that he mentions frequently) that bamboozle the working poor and the middle class into supporting them and their greater cause of Free Market Capitalism and International Free Trade even though Capitalism and treaties such as NAFTA inevitably beat the little guy into a pulp (his thought, not mine).
Yep. That's about it, although Mr. Frank says it much better than I just did. He also never goes into detail about why Capitalism and Free Trade are both evil (he just assumes you agree, I suppose), although he is very critical of Bill Clinton for supporting NAFTA throughout the book. Big business, especially Wal-Mart, are also to blame for de-populating the Kansas countryside. Apparantly, Wal-Mart has some larger agenda in which they plan to drive their customers away from the stores they build in the country...
Seriously, the book would have been helped by further explanation as to why Mr. Frank is such an opponent of Capitalism. He has another book on just that subject, according to a tiny bit of research on my part. It might be a help if readers read that book first, especially in light of Mr. Frank's view that all politics is based in economics: "Most of us think of politics as a Machiavellian drama in which actors make alliances and take practical steps to advance their material interests." (p. 121)
Mr. Frank's fails to properly tell us "How conservatives wone the heart of America" because he does not really believe, deep down, that people will vote in ways that he sees that are economically disadvantageous (Free Trade, etc.) unless they are tricked into doing so. People really believing in other issues and voting for them are foreign to his way of thinking.
This teacher gives it a C-. Thomas Frank really fails to adaquately address the thesis of the book, as expressed by the title. Interesting readiing, nonetheless.
Book Description
Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. Over the past decade, the world has seen the most powerful El Niño ever recorded, the most devastating hurricane in two hundred years, the hottest European summer on record, and one of the worst storm seasons ever experienced in Florida. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a riveting history of climate change, Tim Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70 percent.
Customer Reviews:
A tale of global warming that gave me chills.......2007-09-20
Tim Flannery's "The Weathermakers" is not only an eloquent plea for the industrialized world to deal with the problem of climate change, but provides the science needed to understand this huge and vital topic. The book is spooky great fun too, with frights and chills enough to get the attention of any thrill seeker. Except that the thrills here come from contemplating near-irreversible global cataclysms that would wipe out humanity or make life darned near intolerable for us.
Flannery is terrific at making difficult science easy to understand, without dumbing it down or condescending to his audience. This was greatly aided by the narrator of the audio book, Drew De Carvalho, whose wide-eyed Aussie delivery was akin to the joy and wonder of that other fine Down-under naturalist, Steve Irwin. Flannery discussed the Earth's tumultuous climactic past, using data obtained from tree rings and ice cores, to paint a picture of a dynamic planet whose climate and biota have varied wildly over its existence. Glaciers advance and retreat. Gargantuan upwellings of methane overwhelm the biosphere. Oceans rise and fall hundreds of feet. Changes in atmospheric gases permit or debar shellfish from secreteing the carboniferous husks that pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. The message: what Earth has done, it can do again.
Flannery does a wonderful job of explaining the large weather phenomena known to most laymen -- carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, changes to the Gulf Stream, warming trends, etc. But he is equally good at describing the lesser-known but important elements that factor into climatic equations. I was not aware that transpiration -- the release of moisture from Amazonian trees -- was a main cause of precipitation in the region. I had never heard of clathrates, huge fields of methane-infused ice that underlie the oceans. And I had never thought of climate change literally chasing certain heat-sensitive species up into alpine regions, until they run out of room and become extinct. Flannery is also wonderful at explaining the feedback loops that, once triggered, can accelerate certain climatic trends. Air conditioning powered by burning coal can increase levels sulfur dioxide in rain, acidifying the oceans, making it harder for shellfish to secrete shells, thus leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere, causing further warming and leading to the need for more AC, and so on.
Climate change to Flannery is not a theoretical possibility, but a certainty whose effects are visible today. He tells of the now-extinct South America Golden Toad, whose habitat was fed by moisture in low-lying clouds, being wiped out when a Pacific ocean hot spot caused mist-giving clouds to form just slightly higher up the mountainside than usual. His tale of the bleaching of the reefs like Great Barrier Reef -- in which huge swaths of coral reefs ejected their symbiotic algae, then bleached and die in a single season -- was frightening and sad. His discussion of the measurable changes in salinity in the Gulf Stream -- changes that could imperil its flow with deleterious effect on climate -- was terrifyingly plausible. Most chilling of all, Flannery's telling of the planet's near-miss with significant ozone depletion (due to industry's fortuitous use of chlorine rather than hyper-reactive bromine in aerosol cans and refrigeration systems) underscored how easy it is for humanity to fatally foul our nest without even realizing we are doing it.
The book is alarming, but not alarmist. It does not seek the cheap thrill of scaring us to sell copies, but to educate and forewarn. Flannery is not afraid to call out the human practices that are warming our planet. Transportation needs (which account for 30% of CO2 emissions), accelerating burning of carbon-rich fossil fuels, and shortsighted self-interest are high on the list of culprits. Flannery points the finger at the big coal-gorging countries in the world -- the US and Australia among them -- for significant criticism. Neither does he spare the industrial giants who use deceit, misinformation and political contributions to steer politicians (and the public) away from limiting profitable, planet-damaging enterprises.
I came away from the book with a new appreciation for the complexity and the fragility of the Gaia -- the living organism that is the Earth. "The Weathermakers" increased my appreciation of the path on which we have put our world. If Flannery's descriptions and predictions are true, our fossil-fuel-burning habits have already committed us to significant extinctions of species and significant discomfort for ourselves. As Flannery states, future generations will curse ours if we see the looming problem and fail to take action to correct it. Flannery is hopeful (else, why write such a book?) about our ability to turn things around. He evaluates technological and political solutions to the problems he poses, which not all will like, for carbon-low solutions include wind, geothermal, solar and (gasp!) nuclear power generation. And Flannery dismisses certain hopeful technologies like hydrogen and biomass. Flannery is also hopeful that past global cooperation -- of the type that limited the production of ozone-killing CFCs -- will be repeated, as human beings band together to save their world.
"The Weather Makers" is a wonderful book that can open your eyes to the complexity of our world, of the difficulties of addressing climate change without wrecking economies, and of our responsibility to pass our planet, reasonably intact, to our children. Its stacks of facts can sometimes numb the mind, but they are the data needed to combat ignorance and deceit one often encounters when trying to persuade our friends and neighbors about the possibility of anthropogenic climate change.
Disappointed.......2007-08-07
I bought the book on the basis it would be an objective and well structured argument explaining how scientists had negated natural influences on climate change - Milankovich cycles, solar activity and plate tectonics - and isolated the anthropogenic influences.
However, I discovered the book is written in a mildly hysterical tone common to environmental activists. If you want to read a scientific account of climate change and how human activity is affecting the climate, read the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report.
Boo Hoo.......2007-07-27
"Well done China for improving the lives of your citizens" This is one of the many quotes that you will NOT find it Tim Flannerys book. Others include "Before the industrial revolution, average life expectancy was about 36 years of age" and finally "You can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs". However if you want to know how every living thing on the planet would be better off if we disapeared, you are on the right track.
Thought provoking!.......2007-07-25
This book is great reading in conjunction with Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The author convincingly demonstrates that global warming is real, and that terrible consequences loom ahead if nothing is done about it.
I was very surprised to read how the Australian government bullies its neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean. Many of the Pacific Islands nations are doomed to sink under water as the ocean level rise, yet they are bullied by the Australian government into inaction. Like individuals, nations are selfish and have no regard for other nations if it does not suit their purposes. This notion angered me. Unless the citizens of the world take action to fight global warming and CO2 emissions, governments, motivated by self-interest, will be very slow to act, if at all.
Many of the themes in the book were already familiar to me, especially after reading An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. One new concept was about hydrogen power. According to the author, hydrogen power is not the solution to global warming since to produce hydrogen power fossil fuels must be burnt. He proposes the use of electric, solar, nuclear and wind power which are all available and affordable.
The author also laments all the animals that became extinct due to global warming. For example, a frog, newly discovered by science, carries its newborn in its stomach. When ready to give birth, it regurgitates its babies. This is the only known species to do so, yet soon after its discovery, it became extinct due to our environmental carelessness. Many other species of animals, insects, and plants are becoming extinct.
Maybe when we learn to stop killing each other we can finally take care of our environment. Does that mean that our root is evil and that nothing can be done to save our planet?
The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth.......2007-07-24
Concise, easy to read, and right to the point. Everything anyone would want to know about how man is changing the climate and what one could do to alleviate their impact in this process. Each individual is responsible for their own actions and we MUST slow the global warming process or the 21st century will see catastrophic environmental changes. A must read book for information that could save the future of the planet and its inhabitants.
Amazon.com
How is the human brain like the AIDS epidemic? Ask physicist Albert-László Barabási and he'll explain them both in terms of networks of individual nodes connected via complex but understandable relationships. Linked: The New Science of Networks is his bright, accessible guide to the fundamentals underlying neurology, epidemiology, Internet traffic, and many other fields united by complexity.
Barabási's gift for concrete, nonmathematical explanations and penchant for eccentric humor would make the book thoroughly enjoyable even if the content weren't engaging. But the results of Barabási's research into the behavior of networks are deeply compelling. Not all networks are created equal, he says, and he shows how even fairly robust systems like the Internet could be crippled by taking out a few super-connected nodes, or hubs. His mathematical descriptions of this behavior are helping doctors, programmers, and security professionals design systems better suited to their needs. Linked presents the next step in complexity theory--from understanding chaos to practical applications. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
A cocktail party. A terrorist cell. Ancient bacteria. An international conglomerate.
All are networks, and all are a part of a surprising scientific revolution. Albert-László Barabási, the nation's foremost expert in the new science of networks, takes us on an intellectual adventure to prove that social networks, corporations, and living organisms are more similar than previously thought. Grasping a full understanding of network science will someday allow us to design blue-chip businesses, stop the outbreak of deadly diseases, and influence the exchange of ideas and information. Just as James Gleick brought the discovery of chaos theory to the general public, Linked tells the story of the true science of the future.
Customer Reviews:
Not deep enough (?).......2007-06-23
For some reasons both this one and 'The Tipping point' didn't really appeal to me. As an example in this book there is this attempt to superimpose the 'Bose Einstein condensation' to network properties. I personally didn't see any beef there
Network theory and its applications.......2007-06-07
After reading Mitchel Resnick's Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams: Explorations in Massively Parallel Microworlds (Complex Adaptive Systems), my exploration of decentralized networks went down a very viral path. This book, in particular, discusses the application of network theory in the context of its historical significance. The author explores how it can be used as a tool and device to understand cities, computer networks social networks, human-human interactions (speech), human-computer interactions (HCI), computer-computer interactions (protocol), diseases, computer viruses, nature. Based on this book and its related siblings, it inspires tremendous amounts of ideas for the next big thing in marketing strategy.
Superb popular science: the laws of networks........2007-04-14
Networks all have a meaningful similarity. Whether the network at hand is a party, a cell's molecular reaction, or the puzzling old bridges of Königsberg, Prussia, you could describe each one by using a branch of mathematics called "graph theory," invented by Leonhard Euler in 1736. His long-dormant concept bloomed in the 1990s with the advent of the Internet and continues to yield insights into many important problems. Sounds a bit dry? Don't worry. Albert-László Barabási writes in a lively style (there's nary an equation in sight) with fun, informative anecdotes. The tale of how he and other scientists discovered "the laws of networks" unfolds like a detective story. After reading this book, you'll see networks everywhere and gain deeper insight into disparate phenomena, from biological systems to business organizations to the economics of "increasing returns." We recommend this clear, accessible book to anyone who has ever wondered about the ubiquitous webs that encompass all things. This is popular science at its best.
Great for the layman.......2007-04-11
One of the best books I've read about the subject, especially good for those being introduced to the subject of graph theory and network thinking. One of the few technical page-turners I've had the pleasure to enjoy! Really, could not put it down!
If you liked Freakonomics..........2007-01-12
...then you'll love the connections drawn in this text. It more than touches on the realities of "Six Degrees of Separation" (as well as Kevin Bacon!)in an interesting, readable format. You don't need to be a scientist or a mathematition to understand the links, networks, and nodes assessed in this book.
I must admit that it started out a bit slow, but I recommend you stick it out for an enlightening outlook on the interconnectivity of everything.
Book Description
Everything you were taught about evolution is wrong.
Customer Reviews:
Good book from this point of view........2007-09-25
This book a fairly good critique of evolution. This book I'm sure will receive many poor reviews or raving reviews from people who have already decided which side of the debate they are on (or would claim there is not even room for debate on this subject).
"Icons of Evolution" points out flaws in the basic illustrations that are always given to people just learning about evolution. These illustrations are used as a basis to support evolution where no alternative theories are given in biology classes (particularly at the lower levels of education.) Anyone who advances to the upper levels of any type of science will realize that many theories that are used to simplify teaching at the lower levels of education are flawed or debateable.
I have to question a theory that uses such obviously flawed examples to attempt to show uneducated people how it works. I was particularly interested in the discusson on the fossil record (which shows a particular explosion of species in a certain period of time.) I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in finding out more about evolution, although there are many other books you should read as well.
Just the facts, maam.......2007-07-07
Jonathan Wells systematically examines and dissects 10 classic "examples" of Darwinian
evolution. Drawing on the published works of recognized scientists, Wells exposes the
logical fallacies and factual errors of the pre-biotic soup, peppered moth, homologous
structures, Archaeopteryx, and other "showcases" of evolution. He also considers the
perpetuation of these "examples" in current (up to Y2K) biology textbooks. I wish this book
had been available when I was in college 20 years ago. I hope it is on the shelves in major
universities today. I hope university biology professors have the courage to read it, and
tell their to students about it. But if all that fails, I hope you, with an interest in the
subject, get it and read it yourself. Other titles you might enjoy include "Evolution: A
Theory in Crisis" by Michael Denton; "Of Pandas and People" by Dean Kenyon and Percival
Davis; "The Creation Hypothesis", ed. JP Moreland; "Darwin on Trial", by Philip Johnson;
"Darwin's Black Box" by Michael Behe; "What is Creation Science?" by Henry Morris and Gary
Parker; "Uncommon Dissent", ed. William Dembski; "Darwin's Enigma" by Luther Sunderland.
Just read the top ten.......2007-07-05
You can skip the book and read his top ten. Your not missing anything new.
I love how he wants to debate the 'evils' of a scientific theory with fallacy of the single cause and slippery slope arguments and not just the scientific facts. For example:
"Darwinism has been used historically to justify social evils such as eugenics and racism."
Of course, I'd be accused of 'attacking religion and moral values' if I point out that religion has been the cause of woe. Salem Trials, 911, the Crusades, do I need to go on? Obviously humans misuse ideas to fit a cause. Science is not the cause of racists any more then religion is the cause of the IRA.
My favorite is how 'Darwinists' want to censor free thought by not teaching ID in schools. Since for years his camp has been outlawing the teaching of Evolution in biological science, it's a sadly lacking argument. ID is a good discussion for a politics or comparative religion course in any school. Since it lacks any scientific merit, it does not belong in the science classroom of our public schools.
What bothers me most is how the Creationist camp has attempted to use the tools of science and logical argument to mislead. ID is a silly attempt to make religion a science so they can force a doctrine to be taught in school. In the end, ID only has one 'proof', which is the Bible. That makes ID a religion. End of story.
Typical ID/creationist crack at evolution, great if you want to reinforce your world view.......2007-07-05
First thing is I suggest getting this book from you local library.
If you like the topic of evolution and have read Dawkins or Mayr you might want to indulge in this short book to develop a better understand of what evolution is not . This book will do an excellent job of providing the typically Christian creationist (or Intelligent Designer) a reinforcement of their world view by casting doubt on evolutionary processes.
That being said I do believe that Dr. Wells is a good writer, decent at constructing an argument for the uninformed reader and even better at sounding convincing.... Also his attempts at casting doubt on evolution are completely unsuccessful.
The book truly is a simple example of deconstruction. One of the basic techniques Dr.Wells employs is to take the disagreements about "how" evolution happens and turn it into the argument "does evolution happen"? It is somewhat intellectually dishonest.
The most incredible part of the book is the last few chapters. His blatant attacks on evolutionary biologists are uncalled for and his conspiracy theories about government funding for research based evolutionary biologists is as crazy as the Roswell aliens or the JFK assassination conspiracy, UFO's ... etc.
The fact is there is no debate among true scientist about evolution. The evidence for evolution is overwhelming, widely accepted, has undergone peer review etc... has all the elements of good science - Evolution is a scientific fact that is as well established as the theory of gravity. Then again if use deconstruction techniques and are sufficiently uninformed about physics you could probably disprove gravity.
In summary if you are uninformed about evolution and like conspiracy theories you might really like this book, the arguments do sound convincing. If you want to really learn about the science behind evolution you might want to pick up something by Dawkins or Mayr.
sensational tabloid garbage.......2007-06-01
my biggest beef with this book is the blatant lies and misuse use of facts.one example is the haeckels embryos and how the drawings are inaccurate.first off the drawings are 12o yrs old and i have yet to find those drawings in any high school or college textbook (with the exception of history of biology or evolution and only as an outdated example) so my question for all you so called intelligent design advocates that want the controversy taught, why would you intentionally mislead the readers ? if these are the so called icons of evolution why did he choose the stupidest and flimsiest example? quit living in a fairy tale and understand that science has to contain testable hypothesis not god did it .
Book Description
Why do so many world-changing insights come from people with little or no related experience? Charles Darwin was a geologist when he proposed the theory of evolution. And it was an astronomer who finally explained what happened to the dinosaurs.
Frans Johansson’s The Medici Effect shows how breakthrough ideas most often occur when we bring concepts from one field into a new, unfamiliar territory, and offers examples how we can turn the ideas we discover into path-breaking innovations.
Customer Reviews:
Better than it would appear.......2007-10-01
This book is about developing ideas. It starts out very slowly and it seems like just another rehash of the tales told a hundred times before. It goes through the normal diversity is better arguement, which is a plus and a minus (he never gives us the minus). But as the book develops he provides a family of keen insights. He reviews much of the literature in an interesting way. Even old news is presented nicely. For example, at this point most people know that brainstorming does not really get you anywhere. Indeed, individuals will come up with more ideas than a team all working together, one after the other. He goes through this and then suggests alternatives. By the time I was done with the book I was impressed and I would recommend it to others.
Nice Book.......2007-08-01
You actually feel inspired when reading it. Just get done and you'l feel real effect.
Good for getting in an innovative and integrative mindset.......2007-06-04
This book was really easy to get through and I came away thinking more about how to keep my mind open to ideas from lots of different disciplines. It provides good examples of cross-discipline collaboration and why you should care. The book provides a few little tricks to get you thinking in a different way, but I found the subject matter itself to be more inspiring than directly applicable.
Interesting, thought provoking and you really can learn "creativity" from it .......2007-03-13
Copied from pg 2, "The idea behind this book is simple: When you step into an intersection of fields, disciplines, or cultures, you can combine existing concepts into a large number of extraordinary new ideas." Somehow you may vaguely have a similar concept as the author's in mind. What he did much more than the rest is that he had studied and consolidated on it, given it a an exotic name "The Medici Effect", and furnished it with plenty of vivid, interesting and memorable examples for others, presumably less bright people like me, to read and follow. In short, quite outstanding in the sea of books on creativity and innovation. Really helpful! Highly recommended!
Ultimately society decides whether an idea is both new and valuable...It is impossible to determine if a person's products are innovative if they have never been seen, used, or evaulated. pg 15
In essence, these people (Marcus Samuelsson, Charles Darwin) succeeded at breaking down their associative barriers because they did one or more of the following things: exposed themselves to a range of cultures; learned differently; reversed their assumptions;, took on multiple perspectives. pg 45
The most successful innovators produce and realize an incredible number of ideas....Pablo Picasso produced 20,000 pieces of art; Einstein wrote more than 240 papers; Bach wrote a cantata every week; Thomas Edison filed a record 1,039 patents. This holds true today. Prince is said to have over 1,000 songs stored in his secret vault, and Richard Branson has started 250 companies. pg 91
Research has shown, in fact, that the vast majority of successful new business ventures abandoned their original business strategies when they began implementing their initial plans and learned what would and would not work in the market. The dominant difference between successful and failed ones, generally, is not their original strategy. Guessing the right strategy at the outset is not nearly as important to success as conserving enough resources (or having relationships with trusted backers or investors) so that new business initiatives get a second or third stab at getting it right. Those that run out of resources or credibility before they can iterate towards a new strategy are the ones that will fail. - Clayton Christensen pg 130
Risk homoeostatis: people will compensate for taking higher risks in one area of life by taking lower risks in another. - Gerald Wilde pg 167
The most effective way to combat fear is to acknowledge it...For starters, you have to come to terms with what is at stake and admit that you might lose it. Often this means that you must be comfortable enough to know that if everything is lost, you can still move on. pg 180
interesting book but need to be better.......2007-03-04
1. the author have something to say, and he say it in a easy way that friendly to understand. it's good. But the author seems too hush to run into the conclusion, it seems if he spend more time in detail study, this book will be much better;
2. For the same topic, I suggest "A Technique for Producing Ideas" which is short but powerful; and it from a master's hand, if you compare that book with "Medici Effect", you will find how good it is, ;-);
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