Non-fiction: March 2008 Archives
The way our universe is depends on six numbers, pretty much. Two of those numbers are related to basic forces, two fix the size and texture of the universe and the final two fix the properties of space. The numbers have certain values and even the smallest changes in those numbers would lead to universes very much unlike our own.
That is all rather curious and interesting. Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, uses these six numbers as a springboard to explain the current state of knowledge about our universe. This is a fairly short book, but it's packed full of knowledge. While Rees writes for the general public (and he writes well), understanding this book requires certain level of intellectual curiosity. The concepts he covers are so complicated, I think it would be rather hard to explain them with more clarity.
In any case, this is recommended reading for everyone interested in finding out how our universe came to be. [ Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe (Science Masters) at Amazon.co.uk ]
The Black Swan is an event that is impossible to predict, very unlikely to happen and causes a major impact. They can be disastrous or very beneficial, depending on their nature. In his book, Taleb discusses these swans and how to either avoid trouble or reap the benefits, for example in investing.
Most of the time, though, it seems he's on a mission against economists (and the people who hand out the Nobel prize in economics). While Taleb's ideas are interesting and enlightening - he certainly challenges people to think in a new way, which is always good - the writing is rambling and uneven.
I believe the Finnish translation I read was not quite as good as it should be and I wish I had read the book in English, but still - it's not as good a read as the best popular science books are. Still, The Black Swan is interesting enough to be worth reading, just skim the boring bits. (Review based on Finnish translation.) [ The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable at Amazon.co.uk ]
Everyday life is full of mathematics, if you just scratch the surface a bit. This small book digs up plenty of interesting examples of mathematics and demonstrates them with very concrete examples. This book covers lot of mathematical ground in an easy way.
This book offers little to math nerds, but those who have avoided mathematics might find the approach in this book easier to accept and the mathematics enlightening. [ Why Do Buses Come in Threes?: The Hidden Mathematics of Everyday Life at Amazon.co.uk ]
Alison Bechdel, familiar from her Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip, has kept a journal since she was ten. She came out in college to her parents as a lesbian, only to learn that her father was gay, had always been. Few weeks later, he was dead. It's quite a mess, to be honest, but learning the truth certainly shed some light on the emotional coldness of the Bechdel home.
Fun Home is an interesting story of two interesting lead characters, Alison and her father, and the way Alison tries to sort out her feelings after learning the truth about her father. It's a rich journey through the family history, looking back at what happened with new perspective, new light. It's touching, funny, intellectual and honest - indeed, it has most characteristics one would expect from an excellent autobiography. [ Fun Home at Amazon.co.uk ]
