2 comments about Letters to Father : Sister Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623-1633.

1. Virginia Galilei entered the Convent of San Mateo near Florence at the age of thirteen, taking the name Maria Celeste. From then on Suor Maria rarely saw her father, though she wrote to him nearly every day. Although the letters Galileo wrote to his daughter do not survive, he kept the letters he received from Suor Maria, hence this volume. "Letters to Father" is a collection of 124 of her letters spanning the years 1623 to 1633, translated into English by best-selling author Dava Sobel ("Galileo's Daughter") and printed alongside the original Italian.
   
   The period in history during which Suor Maria wrote these letters witnessed the occurence of such events as The Thirty Years War, the outbreak of the Black Plague, the election of a new Pope and, last but certainly not least, the arrest and trial of Galileo for heresy. Suor Maria, though cloistered in a convent, exhibits considerable knowledge of current events of the day through her commentary contained in her letters.
   
   Sour Maria's letters also illustrate the loving relationship she shared with her father (apparently Galileo had a great love for candied fruits, which Suor Maria cheerfully made for him), as well as details of her day to day management of his estate while he was being held by church authorities, such as maintenance of the house, decanting casks of wine in the cellar (lower quality wine was given to the servants, who presumably wouldn't know better), etc.
   
   Suor Maria's letters provide insights into Galileo's private life as well as the important events of the day. In reading these letters I felt as though I were getting to know Suor Maria, and I found the experience to be fascinating and sometimes moving.
   
   Sadly, Suor Maria fell ill and died shortly after the last letter reprinted in "Letters to Father". Her letters are a fitting memorial to her life and her love for her father.



2. Beautiful, well written glimpses into Galileo's daughter's life in the convent, her relationship with her father, his scientific work, and interactions with the Church. Easy, engaging, and rich read.

3 comments about Tupolev - The Man and His Aircraft: The Man and His Aircraft (Reference).

1. If ever there was an excellent book on Soviet aircraft to emerge from the post cold war era, this is the one. Not only do the authors have a lot of knowledge on these impressive aircraft, but also a collection of photos never before published of many little-known aircraft. Some of these aircraft are truly impressive such as massive bombers from the pre-war period to the Strategic Bombers fielded by the former Soviet Union. Tupolev is also the constructor of most of Russia's commercial jets and the book is therefore useful for anyone interested in civil aviation. there are also tables giving the production levels of most Tupolev aircraft and also others indicating the registration numbers of Tupolev airliners. But most of all it describes the personality and contributions to aerospace of Andrei N.Tupolev, one of the world's greatest aircraft designers, who dominated his country's aircraft industry for much of this century.



2. Andrej N Tupolev is the greatest aeronautical mind of all times. Like clockwork for 50 years of his unmatched career, every aircraft this genius designed had scored several world records! Tupolev's TU-144, the world's first giant supersonic transporter and the true marvel of aeronautical engineering still remains unsurpassed today, some 30 years after its maiden flight.
   However, the book's courageous attempts to illustrate the unique and exceptional talent of Tupolev falls short of its mark. Although well-structured points are made regarding the revolutionary milestones achieved by Tupolev, such as the variable geometry canard winglets and nose-cone or the delta wing design, which ushered in the 3+ Mach epoch, they are lost on the average reader.
   Tupolev's work isn't even fully understood by the West aeronautical community today let alone by a biography reader. It helps to know some facts on the TU-144 victory before reading.
   The Brito-French monopoly Airbus, although painstakingly retracing Tupolev's steps with a network of spies, only managed to trudge haplessly behind the master producing no more than a pathetic feat with an equally befitting humdrum name, the Concorde. Concorde, following years of development snags, eventually turned out to be nothing more than a miniature copy of the TU-144. Its carrying limits made it an economic disaster and the wrong power plant and nacelle mounting was its undoing making the only West effort crash and burn in an inferno outside of Paris.
   The book gives good examples of Tupolev's superiority throughout but spares the West, namely the USA, the 30 years of its greatest aeronautical embarrassments save for the JFK moon landing sham.
   While Tupolev connected the far reaches of Asia and Europe with a regular supersonic service, especially Americans stood confounded. The German-birthed Boeing managed only a few pencil drafts - nothing more. Unable to come close in 30 years, to obtain the Tupolev's marvel, the US government bought the TU-144 in 1996.
   This book is a well-written proof of the ongoing Russian superiority over the West and USA. It will reveal facts like that while Tupolev was breaking one world record after another, Americans managed only to repaint their flag on the Russian fuselage.
   The book is an absolute necessity for every schoolboy, it will stun rigid all airplane buffs, and it will floor even those who understand nothing about aeronautics.
   WELL RECOMMENDED!!!



3. This is a finely detailed work on the historical achievements of Andrei Tupolev and the firm that bears his name. Every aviation library should have a copy as well as any aviation buff.
   
   Co-Authors: Amazon should recognize the late Mr. Paul Duffy as well as Mr. Kandalov as authors of this work. With all respect to Mr. Kandalov, Paul Duffy was very close to the Tupolev family and without him this book would not have been written.

3 comments about "Most of the Good Stuff:" Memories of Richard Feynman.

1. Fascinating and insiteful lectures from many of the great people in the world of physics. Amusing anecdotes, touching tributes, and glimpses into the private life of a genius who was also extremely human and persevered through very painful personal problems to help create the atomic bomb while his wife was seriously ill, yet keeping his spirits up and his sense of humor. Never a person to rest on his laurels Feynman is shown in this book as a person who listened intently to other people's theories, no matter how odd they sounded and never assumed anything was right or wrong until he worked it out for himself from first principles. It's all here, his life, his work, his friends, family and colleagues - but most of all his spirit.



2. Divided into seven sections (The Early Years, At Los Alamos, The Cornell Years, The Research Physicist at Caltech, The Teacher at Caltech, The Public Physicist and Consultant, and Feynman--The Man), this fine book presents Richard Feynman as he was seen by those closest to him--his friends and colleagues. To their credit, they present him as they knew him, the qualities with the flaws.
   
   The book is especially successful in communicating Feynman's way of thinking, the processes he used in attacking problems. The essay entitled "Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine" by W. Daniel Hills is notably successful in this regard, and by itself justifies the purchase of the book. I found it especially interesting that Feynman was fascinated, as I am, by the potential of cellular automata for modeling fluids. Readers with the same interest should also consider purchasing Seek! Selected Nonfiction by Rudy Rucker.
   
   Five or so essays by other physicists who knew Feynman contain mathematics that is proably beyond the ability of the average reader (certainly mine), but even these contain gems of insight that reward readers who wade through them.
   
   All in all, a most satisfying experience.
   
   Also recommended: Feynman's Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and in Life



3. This is probably not the first book to read about Feynman. I think the best introductory read is Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman. However, this one is unique in that it gives a first hand objective account of his life, personality and achievements (particularly in Physics). It's unfortunate that I have had to skip parts of certain essays (written originally for Physics Today) because they required the kind of Physics knowledge that I do not have, in order to understand and appreciate what Feynman's contribution was to the problem. Nonetheless, the book is a pleasure to read, and some essays are gems in that respect. I especially liked Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine by W. Daniel Hillis. Just when I'm thinking I've learned all of the interesting Feynman stories that I will ever get to know, I come across yet another one that makes me smile and shake my head. I wonder if there are any left after reading this book :)

3 comments about Time Of Their Lives.

1. It was very informative, a behind the scenes look at the people who were involved with the Dionne family. But, it skipped around a lot and ended way too soon.

   It was so much more straight-forward than the somewhat angry book the girls wrote about themselves.




2. I never would have purchased this book if I had known that the first sentence of the Authors' Note states that "This book is a fictionalized account of actual events". There are also NO pictures in the book.



3. Informative. Worth reading. Well-written. Fictionalized perhaps, but based on true events. Third person accounts are sometimes better than biographies because it takes out the personal bias and often looks at events with greater perspective.

3 comments about Moth Catcher: An Evolutionist'S Journey Through Canyon And Pass.

1. Michael Collins' book very effectively bridges the gap between the passions of a lover of nature and the frontiers of scientific discovery - in new evolutionary thought.
   
   The book is introduced with a beautiful poem written by his daughter, who says so much in a few chosen words.



2. Told with the narrative fluidity of a memoir, Moth Catcher: An Evolutionist's Journey Through Canyon and Pass is an amazing look into the scientific research of author Michael M. Collins. Moth Catcher introduces the reader to a fascinating canyon and pass environment in Sierra Nevada that is what geneticists call a "hybrid zone" for silk moths. In the hybrid zone, two species of silk moths interbreed to produce fertile offspring - unlike lab-bred hybrids between the same two species. These naturally occurring hybrid populations serve as unique, non-reproducible laboratories in nature, offering an exceptional opportunity to gain greater insight into how evolution itself operates. A handful of color photographic plates illustrate this exceptional account of the hidden wonders of one of nature's smaller species. Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Moth Catcher is as highly recommended to the lay person with a budding interest in natural science as it is to professionals curious to hear a firsthand account of fieldwork and its astonishing results.



3. It provides some great information about the distribution of the various silkworm moth species and how some of them have evolved in recent history, and how some of these events came to pass naturally.

No comments about Biography of James Prescott Joule (History of Physics) (History of Physics).

No comments about Fritz Muller: A Naturalist in Brazil.

2 comments about Arnold O. Beckman: One Hundred Years of Excellence (Chemical Heritage Foundation Series in Innovation and Entrepreneurship).

1. An interesting book about an interesting man. In 1997 "USA Today" listed the top 10 charity givers in America, and Arnold Beckman was listed 10th as having given $280 million to charity. A man who does that is worth reading about!



2. This biography of Dr. Beckman was created to coincide with his 100th birthday last year.

   While many will not recognize his name, all have had their lives improved by his many innovative contributions to science, medicine, and education. Chemistry as we know it mostly advanced through the development of instruments that can rapidly, inexpensively, and accurately analyze biological and mineral substances. Our modern manufacturing processes rely on these instruments as do our physicians in isolating and diagnosing diseases. Many of these tests were first accomplished by either Dr. Beckman or the company he founded, Beckman Instruments. His company also played a key role in pioneering critical components and instruments for secret projects such as those for radar and the atomic bomb during World War II.

   In parallel, Dr. Beckman played a big role in the development of Cal Tech, as a student, professor, major donor, and trustee. The rise of that institution from being a small school to one of the world's very top universities benefited, in part, from Dr. Beckman's efforts on Cal Tech's behalf over many decades.

   Dr. Beckman's company continues to thrive today as Beckman Coulter, and is leading the way to finding new ways to diagnose diseases.

   If you are like me, you will enjoy reading about how many important chemical and electronic innovations occurred. Dr. Beckman was often involved. For example, Beckman Instruments was at one time briefly a leader in work developing the first semiconductor technology, before there was a Silicon Valley. It was fascinating to see how the team split off to become Fairchild and later Intel.

   Dr. Beckman was very generous with his charity, and has donated hundreds of millions of dollars.

   The biography is unusually detailed on both the personal and the scientific side. The book also benefits from having many excellent photographs. I particularly liked the many side bars that made it possible to read in more depth about particular aspects of Dr. Beckman's life. .

   Anyone who wants to understand about the challenges of being an inventor-businessperson will enjoy this book. Those who are interested in understanding more about how modern instruments developed will find the book like a history of science. Anyone who wants to learn about being a good example will find Dr. Beckman to be a worthy source of study, as well.

   After you finish this book, consider where you have stopped following your curiosity. Then take some more steps in those directions. Like Dr. Beckman, your greatest accomplishments may be ahead of you as you follow your curiosity into the uncharted territory of the next big thing.

   Look on life with interest and pursue it with high standards!

No comments about Edward Bouchet: The First African-American Doctorate.

No comments about George Perkins Marsh: Prophet of Conservation (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books).