The Mind's Eye
Length Of Time In Possession : 1 week
Oliver Sacks, now nearly 80 is the respected neurologist behind the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat, and the well known book and film Awakenings. In this volume he discusses visual perception, what blind people can "see" for example and relates a journal of his own, terrifying, experience of eye cancer.
It was different from the book I thought it was going to be because it did have a lot to do with actual vision as opposed to what we see when we visualise inside our own minds and how that works, inner visualisation is only really discussed in reference to blind people, and not how it works neurologically for most people.
Like in "Hat" Sacks includes several case studies of people he has known or treated who have had to adapt to unusual types of blindness, and then a new case study, his own, as doctor becomes patient.
It was still, despite not being the book I expected, very readable and I will certainly continue to read Sacks.
Verdict : 7/10
Destination : Ebook storage
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Monday, 31 December 2012
Sunday, 16 December 2012
Book #97 Flashforward by Robert J Sawyer
Flashforward
In 2009, the US TV network ABC ran a short lived dramatic adaptation of the Robert Sawyer novel "FlashForward" in which everyone on the entire globe suffers a black out for 2 mins during which they have a simultaneous vision of a day in the future.
Though the series shares its basic concept with the novel it was based upon, the novel is actually very different. The series "Americanizes" the idea, the drama focusing on ordinary Americans, and has a wide ranging scope of individual stories, but the novel focuses directly on protagonist Lloyd Simcoe and his colleague Theo; two physicists at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN who are shocked to find an experiment they have conducted has had far reaching and inexplicable consequences.
The fact that all of the focus is upon the workers of CERN throws away the global aspect of event impact. I have to say that in spite of some thought provoking passages on free will and existentialism, I didn't think much of Flashforward as a novel, it is a fascinating concept suffering from terribly poor execution. Neither its prose nor dialogue are up to much and its central whodunnit mystery is a sad, lazy reduction of the many possibilities for plotlines that the Flashforward idea gives rise to.
Additionally I didn't invest much in the characters whatsoever, and aspects of the ending made no logical sense. Probably the most interesting aspect of it is its historical context, the hysteria/superstition that built up around the Large Hadron Collider that fed a fear that "something bad" would happen as a result of searching for the Higgs Boson, which in reality nothing did. Passed a Sunday afternoon for me but will be going back to the charity shop from whence it came 4/10
In 2009, the US TV network ABC ran a short lived dramatic adaptation of the Robert Sawyer novel "FlashForward" in which everyone on the entire globe suffers a black out for 2 mins during which they have a simultaneous vision of a day in the future.
Though the series shares its basic concept with the novel it was based upon, the novel is actually very different. The series "Americanizes" the idea, the drama focusing on ordinary Americans, and has a wide ranging scope of individual stories, but the novel focuses directly on protagonist Lloyd Simcoe and his colleague Theo; two physicists at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN who are shocked to find an experiment they have conducted has had far reaching and inexplicable consequences.
The fact that all of the focus is upon the workers of CERN throws away the global aspect of event impact. I have to say that in spite of some thought provoking passages on free will and existentialism, I didn't think much of Flashforward as a novel, it is a fascinating concept suffering from terribly poor execution. Neither its prose nor dialogue are up to much and its central whodunnit mystery is a sad, lazy reduction of the many possibilities for plotlines that the Flashforward idea gives rise to.
Additionally I didn't invest much in the characters whatsoever, and aspects of the ending made no logical sense. Probably the most interesting aspect of it is its historical context, the hysteria/superstition that built up around the Large Hadron Collider that fed a fear that "something bad" would happen as a result of searching for the Higgs Boson, which in reality nothing did. Passed a Sunday afternoon for me but will be going back to the charity shop from whence it came 4/10
Monday, 24 September 2012
Book #79 A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
A Short History Of Nearly Everything
Firstly, what irritated me about this book was the title. It isn't a history of nearly everything, it's exclusively a history on Science. Neither, though it attempts to sum up the history of Science and therefore has abridged it would I consider it, at 579 ish pages to be especially short. So the whole title is a misnomer and annoyed me, though I'm probably just being a silly pedant about a fun title.
Bill Bryson's motive for the book was one of those old Science books that shows the inside of the Earth, he felt he never got the education he needed to appreciate the ideas behind the page. The book covers many things from cells to astronomy to atoms, to evolution and all the ideas as they developed therein.
Slightly frustratingly I have since read online that a lot of the information Bryson imparts is actually inaccurate, sometimes a little, sometimes entirely. The book is information dense, and I realised as I went along that though I understood it as I read, I wasn't actually retaining much.
Part of that is because the majority of the book didn't "blow my mind" though it's a history of Science, Bryson himself seems to have got side-tracked and made it a series of potted biographies about the scientists themselves, the tragic life of Max Planck, the rise of Einstein. He seems fascinated by the far most fascinating aspect of the book the unexpected cut throat rivalries between scientists and how many were done out of the credit they deserved. Though this is really interesting, it's not the history of the ideas but of the men.
The two things which really did stick in my mind during this book were his writings on asteroids and the consequences of impact and the possibility of an eruption from the Supervolcano under Yellowstone Park, the massive consequences of either event are both poo your pants scary, and a reminder of how fragile life on earth really is.
Towards the end of this book I got a bit fed up and was really looking forward to moving on to other things, so it was nowhere near as enthralling as other Science books I've read. Meh. 6/10
Firstly, what irritated me about this book was the title. It isn't a history of nearly everything, it's exclusively a history on Science. Neither, though it attempts to sum up the history of Science and therefore has abridged it would I consider it, at 579 ish pages to be especially short. So the whole title is a misnomer and annoyed me, though I'm probably just being a silly pedant about a fun title.
Bill Bryson's motive for the book was one of those old Science books that shows the inside of the Earth, he felt he never got the education he needed to appreciate the ideas behind the page. The book covers many things from cells to astronomy to atoms, to evolution and all the ideas as they developed therein.
Slightly frustratingly I have since read online that a lot of the information Bryson imparts is actually inaccurate, sometimes a little, sometimes entirely. The book is information dense, and I realised as I went along that though I understood it as I read, I wasn't actually retaining much.
Part of that is because the majority of the book didn't "blow my mind" though it's a history of Science, Bryson himself seems to have got side-tracked and made it a series of potted biographies about the scientists themselves, the tragic life of Max Planck, the rise of Einstein. He seems fascinated by the far most fascinating aspect of the book the unexpected cut throat rivalries between scientists and how many were done out of the credit they deserved. Though this is really interesting, it's not the history of the ideas but of the men.
The two things which really did stick in my mind during this book were his writings on asteroids and the consequences of impact and the possibility of an eruption from the Supervolcano under Yellowstone Park, the massive consequences of either event are both poo your pants scary, and a reminder of how fragile life on earth really is.
Towards the end of this book I got a bit fed up and was really looking forward to moving on to other things, so it was nowhere near as enthralling as other Science books I've read. Meh. 6/10
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Book #36 The Neurotourist by Lone Frank
The Neurotourist
I don't know what I expected from The Neurotourist but it wasn't what I got. In this book Danish scientist Lone Frank visits a variety of academic institutions and has conversations with a variety of neuroscientists and discusses how neurology impacts religion, ethics, sociology, crime, marketing and economics.
Some of these subjects are interesting but it's very much theory-lite. I covered Bentham, Mill and Kant for example in my A Levels and Frank did not add to my knowledge there. I've read the books on lying by Paul Ekman so discovered nothing really new in the crime section either. Neuro-marketing is interesting, the idea that in the future individuals will be sold things according to what their neurons react to, a real Big Brother is watching you idea. Other ideas such as whether you'll be refused for a job because your neurology reveals you may develop Alzheimers or schizophrenia have been covered in a deeper way than Frank achieves by genetic ethics in other books and novels.
I read this book because I was interested in knowing more about neuroscience, but my enthusiasm for the book quickly dwindled due to the manner in which Frank inserts herself, her feelings and her opinions into the narrative. This isn't just the latest Science in the field as say a Chown or a Kaku book is about theoretical physics. Frank in discussion about religion and neurology manages to segue onto a lengthy diatribe in support of Richard Dawkins, going off on a complete tangent. A strong atheist herself, proudly promoting it as confirmation of superior intellect, she stands on a total soapbox throughout this section.
Later, when she meets an eminent highly respected academic in Wisconsin, he speaks of his Buddhist views and she goes on to sneer at him behind his back by being sarcastic about his beliefs to one of his students. Via these two sections she reveals an unpleasant arrogant side to herself and makes it difficult to want to be in her company.
I strongly felt that the information she imparted in certain areas was heavily tilted to promote her personal views.
Also in this book, apparently about neuroscience, there is a tendency towards 'all about me' by Frank, particularly when she has a brain scan which reveals an average brain. I was taught that once a piece becomes about the person writing it rather than the subject it is on then it has failed.
By the end of this book, an end which I found myself willing to occur, I found I despised Lone Frank and I would not read further work by her 3/10
I don't know what I expected from The Neurotourist but it wasn't what I got. In this book Danish scientist Lone Frank visits a variety of academic institutions and has conversations with a variety of neuroscientists and discusses how neurology impacts religion, ethics, sociology, crime, marketing and economics.
Some of these subjects are interesting but it's very much theory-lite. I covered Bentham, Mill and Kant for example in my A Levels and Frank did not add to my knowledge there. I've read the books on lying by Paul Ekman so discovered nothing really new in the crime section either. Neuro-marketing is interesting, the idea that in the future individuals will be sold things according to what their neurons react to, a real Big Brother is watching you idea. Other ideas such as whether you'll be refused for a job because your neurology reveals you may develop Alzheimers or schizophrenia have been covered in a deeper way than Frank achieves by genetic ethics in other books and novels.
I read this book because I was interested in knowing more about neuroscience, but my enthusiasm for the book quickly dwindled due to the manner in which Frank inserts herself, her feelings and her opinions into the narrative. This isn't just the latest Science in the field as say a Chown or a Kaku book is about theoretical physics. Frank in discussion about religion and neurology manages to segue onto a lengthy diatribe in support of Richard Dawkins, going off on a complete tangent. A strong atheist herself, proudly promoting it as confirmation of superior intellect, she stands on a total soapbox throughout this section.
Later, when she meets an eminent highly respected academic in Wisconsin, he speaks of his Buddhist views and she goes on to sneer at him behind his back by being sarcastic about his beliefs to one of his students. Via these two sections she reveals an unpleasant arrogant side to herself and makes it difficult to want to be in her company.
I strongly felt that the information she imparted in certain areas was heavily tilted to promote her personal views.
Also in this book, apparently about neuroscience, there is a tendency towards 'all about me' by Frank, particularly when she has a brain scan which reveals an average brain. I was taught that once a piece becomes about the person writing it rather than the subject it is on then it has failed.
By the end of this book, an end which I found myself willing to occur, I found I despised Lone Frank and I would not read further work by her 3/10
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Book #25 The Never-Ending Days Of Being Dead by Marcus Chown
The Never-Ending Days Of Being Dead
The Never-Ending Days Of Being Dead by Marcus Chown has some crossover content with Michio Kaku's Parallel Worlds which I read in January. Both books tackle the possibility of the existence of parallel universes, both books use the mortality of Elvis by way of example and both books make reference to the short story All The Myriad Ways by Larry Niven.
Where the books differ is that Chown goes on to discuss different implications of quantum theory from the Kaku. Topics Chown covers include the possible existence of Extra Terrestrial Life, whether the universe is in fact the result of a computer program what happens to us when we die, what happens to us when the universe dies, what binary, pi and the omega point can tell us, and the problem of mass.
Between the Kaku and the Chown, I felt Chown's was the more accessible work. I understood it, as a lay person who didn't get on with Physics well at school better than I did the Kaku. I struggled significantly with the section on Mass but that's just an issue of personal deficit in knowledge than a reflection on Chown's writing.
As with Parallel Worlds, I found it incredibly heartwarming that unlike many atheists who use the Big Bang Theory to illustrate that "God" did not create the world, many physicists on the cutting edges of latest theories look to the existence of some sort of "Creator" as the only means to explain the unexplainable; and that physics at its most theoretical has more in common with theology than many would like to believe.
Some of the theories presented in this book are mindblowing and lead to much existential philosophising. I remember I asked a friend once whether he thought we might just be a really, really big game of "The Sims" and somewhat dishearteningly quantum theory by no means rules this out. Who are we, and why are we here? This book doesn't answer that question but it opens the door to many possibilities to be considered. I will certainly read more of Chown's books. 9/10
The Never-Ending Days Of Being Dead by Marcus Chown has some crossover content with Michio Kaku's Parallel Worlds which I read in January. Both books tackle the possibility of the existence of parallel universes, both books use the mortality of Elvis by way of example and both books make reference to the short story All The Myriad Ways by Larry Niven.
Where the books differ is that Chown goes on to discuss different implications of quantum theory from the Kaku. Topics Chown covers include the possible existence of Extra Terrestrial Life, whether the universe is in fact the result of a computer program what happens to us when we die, what happens to us when the universe dies, what binary, pi and the omega point can tell us, and the problem of mass.
Between the Kaku and the Chown, I felt Chown's was the more accessible work. I understood it, as a lay person who didn't get on with Physics well at school better than I did the Kaku. I struggled significantly with the section on Mass but that's just an issue of personal deficit in knowledge than a reflection on Chown's writing.
As with Parallel Worlds, I found it incredibly heartwarming that unlike many atheists who use the Big Bang Theory to illustrate that "God" did not create the world, many physicists on the cutting edges of latest theories look to the existence of some sort of "Creator" as the only means to explain the unexplainable; and that physics at its most theoretical has more in common with theology than many would like to believe.
Some of the theories presented in this book are mindblowing and lead to much existential philosophising. I remember I asked a friend once whether he thought we might just be a really, really big game of "The Sims" and somewhat dishearteningly quantum theory by no means rules this out. Who are we, and why are we here? This book doesn't answer that question but it opens the door to many possibilities to be considered. I will certainly read more of Chown's books. 9/10
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Book #11 Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku
Parallel Worlds
Last year I read Michio Kaku's Physics Of The Impossible in a bid to expand my knowledge around the subject of physics, something which, alongside maths and chemistry was not a particular strong suit for me when I was still in the education system. I enjoyed it so much that I determined that I would eventually get around to another. I've had Parallel Worlds now for some months and eventually got around to it this week.
Parallel Worlds is at once accessible and complicated. It splits into three categories.
1) Historical approaches to theoretical physics and the birth of the universe : Einstein, Big Bang
2) Literary approaches to parallel universes and how this could be possible within string theory
3) What might happen when the universe dies and how human life might survive
The early sections of the book are quite easy to digest as they are mainly historical. I found later discussions on M-Theory and string theory difficult to comprehend, but as is quoted in the book, if you think you've understood quantum mechanics then you probably haven't as it is at the farthest edge of what humans are capable of comprehending.
I came to this book mostly in search of quotes in relation to quantum science and got what I was looking for in that respect, but, the final third in relation to the possible death of the universe was so beyond my lifetime as to disinterest me a little.
What I did love about this and found rather heartwarming, is that Michio Kaku among others is clearly of the belief that the existence of human life with its frail balance of not just ecosystems upon Earth but within the grand exacting balance of the universe itself, points to some kind of argument of intelligent design. As a spiritual person I liked this a lot, but men of Science and men of faith are seldom one and the same. Kaku is an eminent physicist and like me, sees no reason why the two beliefs cannot coexist.
The book has dated slightly as it was published prior to the advent of the LHC in CERN in Switzerland. Kaku was aware of the approaching advent of the LHC and speaks theoretically of it in this book. I think I would like to read a bang up to date book by him.
Interesting and detailed if often a little overwhelming, Parallel Worlds is a gateway to some serious existential philosophising. I enjoy Kaku's approach and will certainly continue to read his physics books for lay people 8/10
Last year I read Michio Kaku's Physics Of The Impossible in a bid to expand my knowledge around the subject of physics, something which, alongside maths and chemistry was not a particular strong suit for me when I was still in the education system. I enjoyed it so much that I determined that I would eventually get around to another. I've had Parallel Worlds now for some months and eventually got around to it this week.
Parallel Worlds is at once accessible and complicated. It splits into three categories.
1) Historical approaches to theoretical physics and the birth of the universe : Einstein, Big Bang
2) Literary approaches to parallel universes and how this could be possible within string theory
3) What might happen when the universe dies and how human life might survive
The early sections of the book are quite easy to digest as they are mainly historical. I found later discussions on M-Theory and string theory difficult to comprehend, but as is quoted in the book, if you think you've understood quantum mechanics then you probably haven't as it is at the farthest edge of what humans are capable of comprehending.
I came to this book mostly in search of quotes in relation to quantum science and got what I was looking for in that respect, but, the final third in relation to the possible death of the universe was so beyond my lifetime as to disinterest me a little.
What I did love about this and found rather heartwarming, is that Michio Kaku among others is clearly of the belief that the existence of human life with its frail balance of not just ecosystems upon Earth but within the grand exacting balance of the universe itself, points to some kind of argument of intelligent design. As a spiritual person I liked this a lot, but men of Science and men of faith are seldom one and the same. Kaku is an eminent physicist and like me, sees no reason why the two beliefs cannot coexist.
The book has dated slightly as it was published prior to the advent of the LHC in CERN in Switzerland. Kaku was aware of the approaching advent of the LHC and speaks theoretically of it in this book. I think I would like to read a bang up to date book by him.
Interesting and detailed if often a little overwhelming, Parallel Worlds is a gateway to some serious existential philosophising. I enjoy Kaku's approach and will certainly continue to read his physics books for lay people 8/10
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Book #2 The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks
Having decided over Christmas that I had a shortfall in my general knowledge regarding Science i took a wander round the Popular Science section of Waterstones. This book caught my eye, mainly for its strange and unusual title, which sounded more like it belonged in the fiction section. A sign of our times, I didn't buy it in the store but went home and downloaded it using the Kindle app on my iPad (!!) I wasn't too sure what I was going to be reading but I was intrigued.
The book certainly is not fiction, and tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman from Maryland who was dying of cervical cancer and from whom cells and samples were taken without her knowledge or informed consent which was the norm in the 50's particularly among black patients.
Those cells grew and came to be known in the science world as He-La, and the story of the woman they came from became lost. The contribution of He-La to modern science is enormous, the cells have been used in the polio vaccine, cancer research and were even taken into space. Hence, her immortal life
But Skloot's book is most definitely not the story of the clump of cells referred to as He-La and their contribution to Science, it is the story of their donor Henrietta ever overlooked in the history of those cells, and particularly the impact this scientific use has had upon her husband and children.
What follows is a moving tale of an uneducated family from a poor neighbourhood whose relationship to the He-La phenomenon has been forgotten and overlooked. Despite the millions of pounds He-La research has generated her family cannot afford to see the doctor when they are ill, and the idea that their mothers DNA is still living in laboratories throughout the world frightens them, they don't understand the science, and nobody's ever explained it.
This book is not only a testament to Henrietta Lacks and her family, but the Herculean work done by the author, particularly to gain the trust of the family deserves respect. A unique piece of work marrying modern science and a true human interest story, I believe that everyone will find this book (despite it being non fiction and about Science) to be engaging in the same way as a novel or a biography. It is extremely well written and deserves an 8/10 from me
Having decided over Christmas that I had a shortfall in my general knowledge regarding Science i took a wander round the Popular Science section of Waterstones. This book caught my eye, mainly for its strange and unusual title, which sounded more like it belonged in the fiction section. A sign of our times, I didn't buy it in the store but went home and downloaded it using the Kindle app on my iPad (!!) I wasn't too sure what I was going to be reading but I was intrigued.
The book certainly is not fiction, and tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman from Maryland who was dying of cervical cancer and from whom cells and samples were taken without her knowledge or informed consent which was the norm in the 50's particularly among black patients.
Those cells grew and came to be known in the science world as He-La, and the story of the woman they came from became lost. The contribution of He-La to modern science is enormous, the cells have been used in the polio vaccine, cancer research and were even taken into space. Hence, her immortal life
But Skloot's book is most definitely not the story of the clump of cells referred to as He-La and their contribution to Science, it is the story of their donor Henrietta ever overlooked in the history of those cells, and particularly the impact this scientific use has had upon her husband and children.
What follows is a moving tale of an uneducated family from a poor neighbourhood whose relationship to the He-La phenomenon has been forgotten and overlooked. Despite the millions of pounds He-La research has generated her family cannot afford to see the doctor when they are ill, and the idea that their mothers DNA is still living in laboratories throughout the world frightens them, they don't understand the science, and nobody's ever explained it.
This book is not only a testament to Henrietta Lacks and her family, but the Herculean work done by the author, particularly to gain the trust of the family deserves respect. A unique piece of work marrying modern science and a true human interest story, I believe that everyone will find this book (despite it being non fiction and about Science) to be engaging in the same way as a novel or a biography. It is extremely well written and deserves an 8/10 from me
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)