1 comments about Beyond Innocence: An Autobiography in Letters: The Later Years.

1. Jane Goodall is one of my personal heroines. Any time I might think that one person cannot make a difference and that I should just continue to sit and do nothing, I can read about Goodall and her singular and single-minded vision of changing the world.
   
   This volume of Goodall's autobiography consists of hundreds of her personal letters, adroitly gathered together and explained by the editor so that there is a cohesive whole. We follow her through years of expanding her work with chimpanzees at her original research facilities in Gombe (where, as a very young woman, she worked ALONE), to her expanding environmental empire, to her ceaseless lobbying, traveling, letter-writing, speech-making, and appeals to leaders throughout the world to help in her efforts to save her beloved chimps (our closest primate cousins), baboons, other wildlife, and especially the rain forests upon which these animals depend for life.
   
   Her letters show the private Jane, full of the joy of motherhood (she raised her only son, Hugo Jr., or "Grublin," in the wild in a childhood that had to be spectacular beyond belief, but was like any other mother worried about teething, late talking, naughtiness and refusal to do his math!), battling bouts of malaria while writing endless (it seems) books, proposals, thank-yous, acknowledgements, and so forth.
   
   We see her through the pain of divorce, a happy remarriage, and the horror of seeing her new husband die of inoperable cancer. We see her renewed efforts to save her beloved chimpanzees, and her first horrified visit to a lab, where she was reduced to kneeling in tears at the plight of captive apes treated like things rather than the sensitive creatures they are.
   
   The book ends in the late 90s, with Jane's latest conservation efforts still going strong. I was so intent and so wound up in her story that I immediately went to the Jane Goodall Institute Website to see what I could do in some small way to further her cause. But you don't have to be a conservationist to admire this strong, brilliant, single-minded and fabulous woman. This is a book for everyone, and I recommend it highly and unequivocally.

3 comments about Einstein: A Biography.

1. Very well written, excellent translation fro German. Neffe gained access to many new documents and letters previously hiddedn in archives. Science very accessible to a general reader.



2. This is an excellent biography of Albert Einstein, whom Neffe considers "...one of the greatest men in the history of the world...." In addition to special and general relativity (including how these ideas developed in his mind), there is very good coverage of Einstein's contributions to quantum physics, including the photoelectric effect, the duality of light, Bose-Einstein statistics and condensates, stimulated emission, and the EPR paradox. Neffe explains how Einstein's work in relativity and quantum physics is influencing research in physics today. There is the interesting story of how East Germany (GDR) honored Einstein by renovating his vacation home in Caputh and of the woman--a former art teacher--who was hired by the GDR in 1979 to be its caretaker and who continued in that role after German reunification. The biography also covers Einstein's private life as well as problems caused by anti-Semitism both in Germany and in the U.S., where his humanitarian concerns in the latter also caused difficulties. This comprehensive biography should by read by anyone with an interest in Einstein, science, or human civilization.



3. Drawing from a wide variety of globally dispersed primary documentary sources as well as personal recollections, Neffe's bio is engaging, tragic, amusing and highly informative. And Frisch's translation seems perfect and makes for smooth reading. Neffe synthesizes Einstein's lifetime scientific achievements and anchors them into a broader scientific framework. Simultaneously, he also presents Einstein's personal experiences and the political and social context in which he evolved, in which he tried to mediate, though often unsuccessfully, if not provocatively.
   
   Having already made lots of observations re electro-technical workings in his parents business, Einstein absorbed even more of the same as a technical expert working in the Swiss patent office. Contrary to the myth, he was a top student from the beginning though rebellious against the widespread discipline inflicted on students of his era.
   
   What emerges is a highly talented person endowed with a lifelong intense curiosity and obsession with finding answers to what falsely may appear as childlike questions----all qualities necessary for profound breakthroughs which cannot be achieved without what many would call an infantile curiosity and grinding obsession. Neffe frequently points out Einstein's boyish humor, which lasted to the end, as well as his stubborn defense of his interests in carrying on his research to the point of damaging familial and personal relations. With the necessary aid and carried on the shoulders of mathematicians and scientists who pushed research and knowledge already close to breakthroughs, Einstein formulated his special theory of relativity in 1905, the year of miracles. There is the sine quo non of reciprocal ratcheting, the constant intense interaction, at times almost offensively so, between competing talented researchers who submit ideas, concepts, equations and publications, etc., to which others react, criticize if not modify. This is the process in which Einstein dwelled, to which he made first-rate contributions and from which he benefited. And this is what produced his general theory of relativity which was then verified in 1919, his year of glory and which was followed up with the Nobel Prize in '22, though not for the theory of relativity.
   
   A commendable pacifist during World War I and a consistent life-long anti-militarist except for WWII, Einstein, seemingly like an unruly teenager, defended Friedrich Adler, his former housemate who assassinated the Austrian Premier, von Stuergkh, in '16. He correctly, though with some detachment at first, observed the post-war turmoil in Germany with its rising anti-Semitism, visited the U.S. where he ironically advised fellow Zionists amidst thunderous applause to "follow the leader", an ironic answer to what the emerging Nazis were doing which sort of manifests itself as the political equivalent of the scientific reciprocal ratcheting which becomes eventually catastrophic and to which Einstein unwittingly contributed when he deserted his commendable WWI pacifism for war advocacy before and during WWII, for building the atomic bomb, etc. which cements a framework in which mass murder is maximized. Later in life he regretted having affirmed the atomic bomb and expiated commendably through his reviving pacifism and warnings re nuclear catastrophies.
   
   Neffe carries the story further after Einstein's move to the U.S. and the brilliant physicist's unsuccessful and relentless efforts to forge a unified theory combining cosmological macro and micro events. He recounts how Einstein was temporarily neglected and forgotten but eventually revived. After WWII, Einstein correctly fathomed that the U.S. was "drunk on power" and becoming militarized a la Germany and sure enough he was confronted with being outcast, spied upon, defamed, maligned and shunted. The FBI had a massive dossier, much of it based upon material from the Women Patriot organization which attempted to prevent his immigration. On the other hand, Einstein was not beyond inviting some of his criticism to the point of having more letters criticizing him coming from Jewish sources who were worried about his excessive radicalism causing a backlash. He defended the Rosenbergs as he had defended Adler. Neffe points out that Einstein admired Lenin, had his living quarters used for Soviet spying and, according to his physician, may have died from an abdominal aortal aneurism caused by weakening due to syphilis.
   The story is carried forward into the present with scientific updating on how Einstein's work, having been revived, contributed to laser, digital cameras, among other products and how quantum research, string research, etc. are being expanded by scientists around the world such as Anton Zeilinger in Vienna.
   
   Neffe's Einstein appears to have been a womanizer with plenty of lovers including a Russian spy and a N.Y. dancer, among others. He did not always treat his first wife nor his lovers with courtesy. There were illegitimate children and the fate of his first wife, Mileva, is nothing but tragic to the point of portraying Einstein as being somewhat misogynistic. Neffe provides a balanced view as he does with all events. Those interested in finding out how female researchers contributed to the major breakthroughs can find some satisfaction in Mileva' role and the brief mentioning of others female scientists who actually came either close to what Einstein discovered or were making major contribution to atomic research. Einstein's first wife could be cited as could Lisa Meitner, Ida Naddock, etc.. On balance, this is a riveting biography of a brilliant scientist living in a turbulent period.
   
   
   
   
   
   

4 comments about The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize: Advice for Young Scientists.

1. This book is part memoir, part autobiography, part philosophy, and part several other things, and the result is a delightful read. The title needs to be taken just a bit in jest as no body can tell you how to win the big one. In science that's the Nobel, in sports its the Superbowl or World Series, in acting a Tony or Emmy.
   
   What the book can tell you is how the big one changes your life around. When the Nobel committee called to inform him that he was a winner they said, 'I'm going to give you ten minutes to call your families and friends before I release it to the press. After that expect the phone to be continuously busy.' In the case of the Nobel, a surprising number of people can't get back to the life of research they previously did, they are too busy making speeches and the like.
   
   Another part of the book is on the conflict between science and religion. Back in Galileo's day the Church had decreed that everything went around the Earth, the center of God's perfect universe. Looking through his home made telescope, Galileo saw that moons went around Jupiter. He was shown the instruments of torture and kept under house arrest for the remainder of his life. After this, astronomical research moved to areas not under the tight control of the church.
   
   Now it seems to be the time for biology to be held in contempt. There exists the possibility that religion will stop biology, at least in the United States, substituting faith in the Bible to replace observable facts. This is pretty scary in view of AIDS, bird flu, and other possible pandemics.
   
   Finally there is a section on What's Next. There are too many thoughts here that I can't even begin to do justice to them in a list. Lets just say that there are tremendous problems, tremendous opportunities.



2. It is not a How-To book to get the Super Prize, it is a journey of a Nobel Prize winner from his childhood to manage to get a nobel prize.
   
   I really like it



3. In 1996 author Peter Doherty found himself receiving the Nobel Price for Physiology or Medicine from the king of Sweden - an unlikely event for a boy who grew up in an Australian working neighborhood where his schoolmates ended up working in the local slaughterhouse. His journey from Australia, his evolving interest in immunology, and his eventual award-winning work are revealed in a memoir which surveys the life of a research scientist, discussing how scientific projects are selected, funded and organized. This approach makes this more than just a memoir of a prize-winner - and important to any aspiring scientist.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. Professor Peter C. Doherty was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine with Swiss colleague, Rolf Zingerngel, in 1996 for discovering `the nature of the cellular immune defence', and was also recognised as Australian of the Year in 1997.
   
   Brief history of Noble Prize/s and autobiography of his childhood. Technical in places on immunology. A very informative read.

5 comments about Edison: A Biography.

1. This is really a fantastic book. It's extremely well-written. From what I've seen, it's by far the best, most readable Edison biography. The author does a very good job of cutting through the legends and rumors to report accurate facts... always in such an inviting manner that it's very hard to close the book and take a break from reading. Buy it, you won't be disappointed. I'd give it six stars if I could.



2. This was an awesome book! Very well written and keeps you interested. I read it in a week and would recomend it to anyone. Matthew Josephson is an excellent writer who gives a wonderful account of Edison's life and his character.
   
   The life story of Edison is just amazing. The challenges that he had to overcome where incredible. His persistance to keep trying and never give up is one of the many great lessons we can learn from his life that are in this book. Absolutly one of the best biographies I have read. His struggles over electricity and what brought him into partnership with JP Morgan are very interesting. The mistakes that he made are also detailed here so the reader can see the full scope of Edison's life. This book also covers the business aspects of Edison and all of his major inventions.
   
   This book shows the great triumph that one can attain when believing that one can make their dreams a reality with some hard work and persistance.



3. I felt that this book was somewhat interesting. It was not very difficult to read however, at times it became very boring. It allowed some insight into Edison's professional and personal life. The book also allows for the reader to get great insight into why Edison's projects failed or succeeded. It shows his failures with the DC current and also shows how his family, especially his mother, influenced his adulthood and his experiments. The book also conveys how Edison was able to manipulate the market for electric light bulbs and keep others from using the secrets he invented to make the light bulb.
   The book has a novel feel yet is a very easy read and is very interesting. However, the book does become repetitive at some points and irritates the reader. However, overall the book was entertaining and worth reading, if you are interested in Thomas Edison and his inventions. Matthew Josephson gives an accurate description of Edison's life and inventions as well as showing the importance of these creations. The only problem with this book is that it was written over 50 years ago and does not show how today some of the inventions effect today's world.



4. In the December 2006 Atlantic magazine, there was a list of the 100 most influential Americans in history. Nine of the top ten were political figures: Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, FDR, Hamilton, Franklin, John Marshall, Martin Luther King (not a politician, but involved with political movements) and Woodrow Wilson. The tenth person, ranked number nine on the list, was Thomas Edison. Reading Matthew Josephson's biography of Edison, you might feel that there is a good argument to raise him even higher. On the other hand, an argument could be made that he should drop a bit too.
   
   In many ways, Edison personified the American dream. With little formal education, little money and a hearing impairment, he was able to become wealthy and one of the most admired people in the country (and throughout the world). He played a pivotal role in modernizing the United States through electronics.
   
   Although it may seem a tautology, Edison proved that to be a good inventor, you need to be inventive. From an early age, he was constantly tinkering and developing new ways to do things. At first, his jobs with telegraph companies led him to create new methods to speed up his work. Eventually, he would move on to other things, most notably the phonograph, the motion picture and most importantly, the light bulb.
   
   To some extent (and this is why some would drop him lower on the Influentials list), it is exaggeration to fully credit Edison with these inventions. Most of his work was done with people working under him. In addition, other people were also developing similar devices, so even if he had not been around, chances are we would still have had these devices in roughly the same era. (Contrast this with political figures who definitely alter the course of history; the U.S. would be a much different place if someone other than Washington was our first president or if someone besides Lincoln had served during the Civil War.)
   
   But such an argument also sells Edison short. First of all, he may have not done all the work himself (in particular, he hated the theoretical side of things), but he provided both the vision and the leadership. With the light bulb - probably his greatest invention - he (unlike his competitors) thought beyond the device itself and saw how it would fit into an electronic infrastructure. Even in the late 1800s, the era of the true solo inventor was over, but Edison knew how to build a team that would do the inventing together.
   
   As Josephson points out, Edison also had his negative points. As a family man, he was lacking, often ignoring his wife and children for long periods of time when he was consumed with his work. He could also be exceedingly stubborn, which would sometimes lead him from seeing the right way of doing things; the best example of this deals with his failure to acknowledge that alternating current was superior to direct current in creating an electric network.
   
   At almost five hundred pages (plus an index), this book provides as much details about Edison's life as almost anyone would require. Josephson is a good, readable biographer who has obvious affection for his subject, but doesn't let this taint his objectivity. Where Edison fits on your own "most influential" list is a matter of opinion, but this book will help you make that an informed opinion.



5. First:
   
   How re-affirming it is, is it not, when one comes to the biography of a man like this, and we find out his great afflictions and handicaps, and see the unbelievable heights he arose to in spite of these! Simply Inspiring, for sure.
   
   Of late (last 10 years, roughly) I have been on a great "feeding" of history and historical stuff...I hated it in school, and now, I simply cannot get my fill of ALL things historical, especially of the biographical nature...I have spoken with others, and they tell me the same thing in many cases. What is this, that we, apparently with age, wish to come to know more about those that came before us??? If anyone has ideas or suggestions, I certainly would appreciate their contacting me and letting me know.
   
   I read this book (just finished, actually) in a special reprinted edition from History Book Club, which I bought last winter. I must say that I was simply blown away to actually read all the accomplishments of this Great Great Man, and not just the "verbally-quipped stuff", that of the "legends" and the "stories", but the true, hard-copy, black and white, sweat and toil, frustrating, but to him infinately fascinating and challenging quests to solve "the problem" at hand at any given moment in his long and certainly illustrious career.
   
   And, of course, to see the integrity of the man, also behind the "legend". No crooked, attention-getting theatrics from this down-home, quiet spoken, simple man...by that I do not mean simple minded, but the every-day man that he was. To see the way this man began to plan the invention of the electric light, not with an end-result (the light), but with the planning of the system that would have to deliver the power to it, based on something he knew about first hand (where NOBODY before him had gone, and thus, failed), the trunk-lines of the telegraph, and the delivery system of natural gas for the gas lights that were in use at that time. This, truly, is amazing, breath-taking stuff...a kind of thinking that is truly rarely seen, maybe once in a hundred or two hundred years.
   
   And, later, the phonograph, his many episodes of "losing it all" and "building it up again", the motion picture, how many things he had "invented" or "discovered" while trying to do something else, some, not realizing their unbelievable potential. This book is simply one of the most fascinating reads I have had in a very long time.
   
   I could go on, but that would lead me to telling you the whole book, because it is so great, and that would defeat the purpose of this review. I heartily suggest, if you are interested in "How" and "Why" things are, today, the way they are, and work the way they do, that you check out this great biography, about one of the Chief Reasons for our current world of wonderful, electrical appliances, illumination(s), audio/visual toys, etc. If ever there was a Man who Changed the World, this little deaf man, Edison, certainly was the leader of them All! ~operabruin

5 comments about Love At Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection (Science Matters).

1. This is an extremely interesting book in terms of underlining how damaging scientific fads can be. The early twentieth century fad of data and cleanliness may well have led to the deaths many children as cleanliness was preferred over attention.
   
   Unfortunately, Harry Harlow is less interesting, and provides an abominable contrast to the subject. Harlow ignores both wives and his children in search for - as he wrote in his school's yearbook - 'fame'. He becomes a chain-smoking alcoholic. Bizarrely, Blum emphasises Harlow's visionary understanding of love with, at times, an almost 'here comes superman' manner. She appears incapable of reconciling her argument that Harlow is the scientist of love with the fact that he ignored his wives and all his children!
   
   If anything, I read the book as reflecting one man's selfish, desperate desire for achievement and fame. Thanks to his interest in monkeys, he and his students seemed to fall over the answer. Not exactly visionary.
   
   A good read though, reflecting the pitfalls of faddish thinking, and also how scientific discoveries (if the fact that a child needs its mother is a discovery) occur. The book also reflects how difficult it can be to refute incorrect arguments.



2. This is one of the most interesting and well written books I've ever read on this or any similar topic. To anyone who studies or has studied attachment, Blum offers an amazing look at how this early research changed the face of psychology. To anyone who has read countless poorly written descriptions of boring research studies, this book is an oasis.
   
   I don't believe Blum has portrayed Harlow through rose-colored glasses. On the contrary, anyone reading this book might even wonder whether Harlow's neglect of his own children was a good thing, given his lack of compassion and indifference toward the suffering he caused. My copy is well-worn and has been loaned out many times. I highly recommend this book.



3. This book was in great shape and is an excellent read for those who want to understand



4. Fifty years ago I had psych classes at the UW, and I helped tend the rats in 600 N. Park. I learned about Harry Harlow, Carl Rogers, and schools of thought in Psychology. Now, finally, I understand and see the importance of what was going on here.
   
   Deborah Blum has clarified the conflicts in behavioral science during the first half of the 20th century as my instructors never could. She has given human faces to the names that were listed in the semester timetables, but whom most students never saw. And Harry Harlow's flaws are not whitewashed, but they are understandable.
   
   Younger readers will be aghast at the parenting style that was advocated by child health professionals over 50 years ago. Many of us, although we were not neglected or abandoned, were not cuddled and made to feel cherished. Harlow, among others, was able to disprove the validity of a sterile upbringing in creating a human adult.
   
   And it is truly a page-turner, well written and captivating.



5. When Harry Harlow started exploring the science of affection it was in the face of disregard and opposition in the world of medicine and psychology. But he was able to show that affection is vital to the proper development of the newly born, as too is the measured rejection of the newly born's parents when the time is right. Consequently we now encourage the bonding of parents and children through physical handling. (Perhaps more affectionate and supportive friendships outside the family have developed as a result also.)
   
   These were great insights for society and yet Harlow did face opposition. Just when he was saying the role of the mother (and father - but he was less vocal about that) was vital to the upbringing of the baby, the womens liberation movement was trying to get women more freedom - more equality on the basis of being the same as men. How could this new emphasis on the importance of the role of parents (principally women as men were traditionally the 'bread winners') be tolerated? To me, however, there is a mistake in this. We should not be treated equally because we are the same - but for the very opposite reason - because we are all unique. If we are to get the best from each unique individual then each individual must have equal rights and opportunity. Unfortunately Harlow's approach to opposition was often rude and confronting.
   
   After his death Harlow's research faced another challenge - this time from the animal liberation activists. Harlow had done his experiments on monkeys principally, and these experiments necessarily had damaging (and surprising) results for the animals experimented on. Harlow did care for the animals and provided for them as well as he could in difficult circumstances - for example, he always tried to 'restore' emotionally damaged animals. Although we may now regret the methods he and his students used, and certainly not want to repeat them for the sake of student exercises, we should not lose sight of the vital information that was uncovered.
   
   Deborah Blum's book is engaging and revealing - especially concerning the history of human behaviour with regard to affection and love. It is surprising how recent (1950s) some attitudes were that are now totally overthrown, at least in part because of Harlow's work.
   
   But does psychology have more lessons to learn from Harlow? It is my belief that this is so. I recently had a workplace experience where I was confronted by a workplace bully. But immediately I knew this bully was not picking on me - this was just characteristic behaviour that was applied to everyone they worked with. All the stories and rumours I had heard - and continued to hear with more clarity - suddenly had greater presence for me. To overcome my distress at this situation I used the free staff counselling service offered by my employer. Perhaps in doing that I was already demonstrating my capacity to manage, to cope. What, however, of my colleagues who I now had insight to the terrible behaviour of the bully for them? Harlow would not have been surprised that I had bonded with these people - to some more closely than others. But the psychologist/counsellor understood nothing of this - as long as I was dealt with (the immediate client) nothing else could be done. But the only thing that could really be done for me was to smash all the bonds I had built with my colleagues so that I was no longer concerned for them. Was that reasonable?
   
   And what of psychology offered to one of a married couple privately from the bond that links them. What is the risk that this will actually prise apart the bond that needs to be strengthened or at least maintained? I'm not sure how psychology should handle these matters but it continues to alarm me that the insights of Harlow are still being overlooked in areas where they should not be. Is it the impact of the womens liberation and animal liberation movements that have denigrated the research sufficiently to block its use in other areas?
   
   other recommendations:
   'Workplace Monsters' John Clarke (Random House Australia)
   'Conditions of Love' John Armstrong
   'A Crystal Age' W H Hudson

5 comments about Einstein for Beginners.

1. This is an OK outline of the special theory described within its historical (physics) context. As expected with the "...For Beginners" series, diagrams are used well. The general theory is not covered. Note: Dollops of the authors' crackpot Marxism are found throughout.



2. This book is a very engaging tool for acquainting young people with Einstein and his work. My son enjoyed the cartoons and appreciated the fact that the author included personal biographical information as well as professional history. The book is most appropriate for middle schoolers on up.



3. I read this book some years ago when I was a young left-wing pinko liberal and found it fascinating!
   
   I am now an old left-wing pinko liberal and found it a bit harder going this time. I know it's great to have historical context etc. but I wish there was more on the theories...
   
   Anyway, an excellant read and just the thing to get young minds thinking outside the square. It's wonderful to see how quickly they can visualise the concepts, especially the moving train etc.



4. Einstein for beginners (aka Introducing Einstein), is a brief history of the early life of Albert Einstein incorporated into a history of electrodynamics but is focused on Einstein's discovery of special relativity (SR) which is explained with a thoroughly detailed mathematical walkthrough in this book.
   
   Introducing Einstein is not a complete biography of the life and times of Albert Einstein. If you want a complete biography of Einstein, go elsewhere. If you want a graphical explanation of Einstein's special relativity or a brief history of electrodynamics then this book does just that. Introducing Einstein does not cover general relativity.
   
   In terms of actually being able to sit down and go through the calculations, Introducing Einstein will help anyone get through the stages of each proof for special relativity. After 100 pages of the history of electrodynamics the reader gets 70 pages of SR. This means that unless you are willing to sit down and actually work through 70 pages of mathematics (really the pages are filled with illustrations and commentary so we can condense it down to about 10-20 pages of solid mathematics) you are only going to get the benefit of 100 pages of the history of electrodynamics and a short burst on the history of mathematics. These 100 pages are actually quite good and fit in well with other science books from the Introduction series, such as Introducing Newton and classical physics, Introducing Quantum Physics but especially Introducing Relativity. Introducing Relativity explains special relativity and general relativity but not in the detail that Introducing Einstein does for SR. There does not appear to be any Introducing book that covers the mathematics of general relativity like Introducing Einstein covers SR. If you are in for this book then you are in for Introducing Relativity, but that is how the Introducing series works.
   
   Einstein became a household name with his formula E=MC2 meaning energy is mass. As a consequence he established that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light because the energy required to accelerate mass to this speed would be infinite because acceleration also produces an increase in mass.
   
   Einstein understood Newton. Newton showed with his laws of motion how matter moves with and without force and established gravitational effects while Maxwell unified magnetism and electricity by showing that shifts in either electricity or magnetism produces a shift in the other. Newton however also implied that there was no absolute standard of rest because everything is moving. There was no such thing as absolute position or space in his mind. Newton did not believe that time was part of space but separate and could be measured with a good enough clock.
   
   Reality without time is actually like saying that everything is flat and we now know this is an error. This flatness can be imagined by saying that when all questions about matter (sun, moon, planets and forces) was connected through Newton's mechanics of explaining nature it was explained `linked' in a flat sort of way.
   
   Einstein discovered because of the properties of observing light that these `links' have an underlying nature that would change the Newtonian model with his SR.
   
   In SR Einstein showed time dilation at near light speeds. A simple theoretical model for this is a train with a light that goes off inside the train cart that strikes the front and back door at the same time. An observer standing in the cart will see both doors open at the same time. An observer watching the train go by will see the last door going past open before first door going past. This proves time dilatation.
   
   Newton's flat model was not in agreement with SR. Time could change relative to the observer. Only the speed of light remained constant and the law that it could not be broken.
   
   Ultimately Einstein for beginners aka Introducing Einstein, is a prelude to buying a complete biography of Einstein and is a partial guide to Relativity: The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein. If you collect the books mentioned in this review then you are well on your way to thinking and working out something very important about how the universe works in the same way Albert Einstein did.
   
   (Note: This book does contain proactive references to Socialism by Einstein himself.)



5. There is no question that the Einstein theories of relativity are difficult concepts to grasp. They are so counterintuitive to what we experience at the speeds with which we travel that at the beginning they seem impossible to comprehend. Yet, much of the structure of the theories is comprehensible to a non-physicist, as long as it is presented in the right way. That is what is done in this book.
   The authors use cartoons, captions and the occasional and necessary mathematical formulas to create an understandable and complete overview of Einstein's theories of relativity. While the title includes the word "beginners", some fundamental knowledge of mathematics, specifically algebra, is needed. If you can overcome this hurdle, then you will find it very helpful if you have an interest in or need to know the basics of relativity.

2 comments about No One Loved Gorillas More: Dian Fossey: Letters from the Mist.

1. The words "No One Loved Gorillas More" are the words put on Dian Fossey's tombstone after she was murdered. This book is her eulogy. It is composed of letters she wrote between 1966 and her death two days after Christmas, 1985. The letters are combined with more than a hundred color photographs of she and a reverential story of her life by journalist Camilla de la Bedoyere.
   
   Dian spent most of her adult life in the study of the mountain gorilla. She loved those animals more than life herself, and it was her dedicated attempts to preserve them and protect their future that lead to her unexplained killing.
   
   Her legacy lives on. Even with the tremendous upheavals in Rwanda, with the killing of a million or more people, the numbers of wild gorillas is growing. It can only be hoped that this book will help more people to understand what Dian stood and died for.



2. Diane Fossey has been one of my female science heroes ever since I was a little girl. This book gives an interesting view of Diane as a person. She was super dedicated to the Gorillas, but also had many personal demons. If you wanted an introspective view of this legend, I recommend this beautiful book.

1 comments about Viktor Schauberger: A Life of Learning from Nature.

1. This man was so ahead of his time! He was innovative and original. Some of his ideas are hard to understand but this book makes it a bit easier by far! I hope someone carries out on his ideas. The world is changing and it's scary to think it might be too late to listen to this man's ideas and do something about them. He was a fantastic observer of Nature, we need more people who can do something in our time!

1 comments about Scientists of Faith: 48 Biographies of Historic Scientists and Their Christian Faith.

1. This book is a good place to begin research of the topic of scientists of faith. The religious views of each scientist are summerized over several pages. The writing style is clear and concise. There are references given for more detailed information. Overall, it is an interesting read.

5 comments about The Honors Class: Hilbert's Problems and Their Solvers.

1. Due to rapid development of mathemtics in the last century, now one cannot master all subfects of mathematics. This is also true for those historians. Most of the boods of " History of Mathematics " end in the beginning of 20th century. So we know very little about the conteporary mathematicians. This book can be described as a gap for it. After readiming this book, not only you have a knowledge about the life of the great mathemaitcians, you also get the period in World War II how Nazis forced those mathematicians out of Germany and the reason why U. S. A. is now the leading centre of mathematics.



2. First, my background: I am not a mathematician, but an academic with fair knowledge of college math and even some advanced materials. I do greatly enjoy reading books about mathematics and mathematicians.
   
   This book is obviously a work of great effort by the author. My difficulty probably came from the work's ambitious premise: offering mathematical and biographical history of Hilbert's problems. There are simply too many ideas and persons (some well known, others a bit obscure to lay reader like myself) to cover in one book. The author dutifully and honestly gives references to his sources. My impression is that the author collected as much material as he could about each problem and solvers, and tried to squeeze the information as compactly as possible into the pages.
   
   The result: the narrative is very methodically told - explanation of the problem, some necessary ideas introduced, who the major solvers were, then a short biography of each solver, when and where they were born, who their parents were, where they went to school, who they married and so on; then another cycle begins. Halfway into the book, I began to get bored.
   
   I can imagine mathematicians enjoying a quick review of and glimpses into their discipline and heroes, but lay readers much beware. I recommend lay readers to check out a few pages carefully online or at your local library to see whether you like it. I certainly didn't hate it but did not like it as much as I expected.



3. As a career scientist for over 50 years, I am versed in mathematics but not exactly a mathematician. I bought it to become familiar with Hilbert's problems. I quickly realized that Yandell's book was more about the attempters and solvers than about the problems. Yet the problems are described too, in considerable and certainly sufficient detail.
   
   What was ultimately fascinating was the web Yandell weaves throughout the book. Those famous mathematicians and their colleagues, their personal lives, those famous problems, and all integrated so cohesively.
   
   When I started reading I knew I was in for a long adventure. In fact, it took me over a year to read - of course, only an hour or so every few days. What extended it was the temptation to go back and reread, again and again. Finally, a week ago, I turned the last page. With great reluctance I put it on my bookshelf. I had a strong urge to start all over again from the very beginning, and I knew if I succumbed I was in for another year with it.
   
   As I reflect, partly it was the subject - those difficult problems in such vastly different fields. Partly it was those mathematicians - many of them already heroes of mine. But mostly it was Yandell's skill in putting together this riveting accounting. His love of and fascination with mathematics, and his desire to share his romanticism with others, comes through so clearly. It is sad that he died, at the young age of 53, a scant two years after writing this book. Of a heart attack and multiple sclerosis. What a tragic loss. He was a gem.
   
   Even if you are only mildly interested in mathematics, its history and personalities, you will absolutely love this accounting of it.



4. I was hoping for something more like The Millennium Problems: The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time, an explanation of the problems and how they were solved, at a reasonably accessible level. This book appears to be just chat about the funny people who become math professors. Sort of interesting, but not what I wanted.



5. The Honors Class is the collection of mathematicians that individually or in collaboration solved or partially solved at least one of Hilbert's 23 problems. Yandell does a great of gathering up the historical information so that we have an up-to-date account of the progress on each problem and even how some problems evolved because of their vague or incorrect original proposal.
   This is a popular math book and is accessible to the nonmathematician such as the fine books by Casti on mathematicians and mathematical developments. It is also similar to Singh's book on Fermat.
   
   I think the historical research and accounting of the mathematics deserves 5 stars. I am a little unsure about how well the technical mathematics is conveyed to the layperson however. Admittedly, this is a very difficult task as much of the mathematics is very abstract, especially the early chapters on the foundational questions. The number theory, geometry and even some of the abstract algebra problems are easier to explain and Yandell does a fine job with them.
   
   As a mathematician who studied algebra, analysis and even some symbolic logic as an undergraduate and graduate student, I still had a hard time feeling that I got the essence of the mathematics associated with some of these problems. Yandell's discussion is at times detailed but is necessarily sketchy on some of the mathematics. This works for me sometimes but not so well at other times. I think it would be much harder for a novice, but I guess it depends on the depth of understanding one is looking for.
   
   I have always found the work of Cantor mysterious and so the ealry chapters that cover Godel and Cohen's amazing results are not the most enlightening for me. I had learned about the axiom of choice in my real analysis classes and was told something about the undecidability of it and its equivalence to the continuum hypothesis but have never really seen the connection or gotten much insight. The material on Paul Cohen is interesting to me because I attended Stanford in the 1970s when he was the buzz of the campus. A younger and less accomplished mathematician compared to many of his famous colleagues in Stanford's prestigious mathematics department, he still was revered because he solved one of Hilbert's problems. Still I am no closer to understanding symbolic logic and the method of deciding whether or not a proposition can be deduced from a set of axioms or can exist independently of the axiom system.
   
   I got hooked on the book with the chapter on the tenth problem. This problem seemed more easily understandable and it was very interesting to see how the many players work together and separately to attack the problem including the very interesting Julia Robinson who was a key player in the middle of alll this.
   
   The lives of these mathematicians, in some cases their suffering and insanity (similar to Nash) is very interesting and entertaining. There is too much here to handle in one reading.
   
   I think this is a book I will go back to again and again. I am interested in reading more on Kolmogorov and want to try to understand some of the abstract algebra and number theory questions in more detail. There is a great deal of commonality in many of the stories. A large number of the members of the Honors Class were from Germany and fled during World War II. Many also traveled through or spent great portions of their career at Princeton University (some at the Institute for Advanced Study).
   
   The book is thorough and gives an account of all the unsolved problems as well providing the insights of the mathematicians who have made attempts at them.