History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality

Average customer rating:

The cat, the box, and the forest
an interesting read
In Search of Schrodinger's Cat
Its questioning commonsense
Science Not Magic

In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
John Gribbin
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0553342533
Release Date: 1984-08-01

Amazon.com

Part history book and part remedial physics text for those who lost interest when the equations started getting unintuitive, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat explains quantum physics in a way that's not only clear, but also enjoyable.

Gribbin opens with the subjects that most physics professors have just started to examine at the end of the semester: The mysterious character of light, the valence concept in Nils Bohr's atomic model, radioactive decay, and the physics of life-defining DNA all get clear, comprehensive, and witty coverage. This book reveals the beauty and mystery that underlies everything in the universe.

Does this book claim to explain quantum physics without math? No. Math is too central to physics to be bypassed. But if you can do basic algebra, you can understand the equations in In Search of Schrödinger's Cat. Gribbin is the physics teacher everyone should have in high school or college: kind without being a pushover, knowledgeable without being condescending, and clearly expressive without being boring. Gribbin's book belongs on the shelf of every pre-calculus student. It also deserves a place in the library of everyone who was scared away from advanced physics prematurely.

Customer Reviews:

The cat, the box, and the forest.......2006-05-11

Reality is a stranger, more bewildering thing than we human beings realised before the advent of the late 19th century and the determined peeking we did into things very much smaller than visible matter. And the 20th and 21st centuries have uncovered even worse (or better, depending upon your perspective). Not only that, but our explanations for what we see have become increasingly bizarre...

One of the things physicists, or those who are interested in physics, come to understand very quickly is that we understand very little. We use terms to describe events, qualities, values, objects, disturbances, energies, forces and physical tendencies that DO NOT DESCRIBE ANYTHING AT ALL. I do not mean to say that the events do not occur or the particles/waves/energies do not exist - although there's considerable debate about what events occur when and how, not to mention the sticky questions of matter and form and movement. I DO, however, mean to say that we hardly understand any of it.

Gribbin is in many respects an excellent writer. He does extremely well in presenting a nice simplified overview of the quantum world and those whose work has contributed towards its... well, let's call it "understanding". But he (naturally enough) skips most of the detail, which is frustrating to anyone who's studied reasonably advanced physics, but reassuring to those who haven't.

The truth is, some of the paths taken in physics today are fantastical, the theories proposed not only being unproven but being intrinsically unprovable. John Gribbin touched lightly upon a couple of them, but for the most part, the book dealt with more accessible issues - and quite delightfully so. I felt that the book lost its focus in the last third or so, but it was almost inevitable it would do so, given Gribbin's clear glee at shoving into the famous Schroedinger box not only a contentious cat, but also long-distance particles dependent upon each other (that vexed question - no clear answer yet), an occasional falling tree, ghostly worlds, and much much more.

Any discussion of matter, reality and the fabric or fabrics that might be its determinants is going to be fascinating unless it ends up in the hands of a very turgid writer. Gribbin is far from turgid - the only real complaint I have is that he drifted into somewhat aerial form without signifying how tenuous it is. And let's be frank: the quantum world is weird enough without postulating some of the bizarrities that have indeed been postulated.

The book does a nice job of presenting some of the truly odd behaviour of matter when it gets beyond a certain size. The very small has always fascinated me, and clearly it fascinates Gribbin as well. That certainly is conveyed in this book.

In summary, I can recommend the book as light reading for those interested in the weird things that happen to matter when it becomes very, very small, although I add a caveat: advanced students won't find anything new here, and there's still an insistence on the "many worlds" or "ghostly quantum possibilities" theory that I find intellectually unsatisfying, however appealing it is to the imagination.

an interesting read.......2006-04-05

In this book John Gribbin sets out to demystify the world of quantum physics. He starts with the nature of light and the start of atomic structure, and then moves deeper into the makeup of the atom and into quantum theory. Gribbin gives brief histories of each scientist involved in the development of quantum physics. This is both a good and a bad thing. It helps give the progress made in quantum phsics a historical context and shows how it affected previous schools of thought, but at the same time it is distracting and almost gives too much information. Gribbin explores the strangeness of quantum physics without overwhelming the reader. He doesn't push the math or the concepts in your face but builds it all up, bit by bit. He tries to explain the experiments conducted to prove the theories presented in the book in a way that someone who doesn't have a complete grasp of physics or math can understand.
This book is an interesting read that really makes you think as you read. It's really hard to fully understand what this book is about unless you are an active reader. Sometimes the concepts are a little hard to grasp, but this is a great introduction to quantum physics explained in an easy language.

In Search of Schrodinger's Cat.......2006-03-20

A great introduction to the bizarre world of quantum mechanics. The first two sections provide a bit of history and framework preparing the reader to be kicked off the deep end in the remainder of the book. The long bibliography at the end provides an excellent source of further reading material. Read this book before reading Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality.

Its questioning commonsense.......2006-03-11

After reading the book we can question something we think is so fundamental and obvious, common sense. QM appears to violate commonsense, but at the same time represents reality.

The philosophical implications of the copenhagen interpretation is awesome, so is the parallel-world interpretation.

After reading the book, I began to ask very fundamental questions like, "How does the photon know to do so and so in the double-slit experiment.

Though we are trying to understand complicated things of nature, an experiment as simple as double-slit experiment is still awe-inspiring.

Science Not Magic.......2005-08-30

It's a great book and positive benchmark in science for the masses. However, it falls short in communicating that QM is not magic, which is what some readers may come away believing. As an example the three polarizer experiment in later chapters is actually based on simple math while the quantum view presented steps back to look at the overall experiment. While there is mystery at the overall level the math shows no magic.

Black Bodies and Quantum Cats: Tales from the Annals of Physics

Average customer rating:

Not what i was looking for.
like sjg, she entices you into an amusing essay
Way more fun than I thought I'd have...
Science Writing for the Masses
Fun but Flawed

Black Bodies and Quantum Cats: Tales from the Annals of Physics
Jennifer Ouellette
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0143036033

Book Description

Physics, once known as “natural philosophy,” is the most basic science, explaining the world we live in, from the largest scale down to the very, very, very smallest, and our understanding of it has changed over many centuries. In Black Bodies and Quantum Cats, science writer Jennifer Ouellette traces key developments in the field, setting descriptions of the fundamentals of physics in their historical context as well as against a broad cultural backdrop. Newton's laws are illustrated via the film Addams Family Values, while Back to the Future demonstrates the finer points of special relativity. Poe's “The Purloined Letter” serves to illuminate the mysterious nature of neutrinos, and Jeanette Winterson's novel Gut Symmetries provides an elegant metaphorical framework for string theory.

An enchanting and edifying read, Black Bodies and Quantum Cats shows that physics is not an arcane field of study but a profoundly human endeavor—and a fundamental part of our everyday world.

Customer Reviews:

Not what i was looking for........2006-07-05

I have read many scientific publications in my life so when I do read book with a scientific focus I have many standards that I like to have fulfilled(in other words im very anal lol). The only reason that I rate this book as low as I did is only because I was completely expecting a book like Stephen Hawking's, A Breif History of Time (great book by the way!!!) I have taken physics in highschool and in college and I felt that her delivery of many physics concepts were too dumbed down and many fruitful aspects of them were left out for the sake of either complexity or any other reason(cannot think of why else they would be left out lol). I also found that many of the ways she tried to deliver the physics topics were rather questionable and left me with a bitter tase in my mouth. Overall I was dissapointed because I bought the book without doing any backround research on it beforehand. If you are looking for a Physics book like those written by Stephen Hawkings then this isn't the book for you. If you are interested in Physics and have no prior knowlege of the subject then this is the book for you. Sorry for any misspelled words, names, ect..

Ps.. Because i am a biology major I had to add this in...at the end of the second chapter she states that "some textbooks in Alabama still contain a disclaimer stating that evolution is just a "theory""...but i mean evolution IS a theory...its not neccesarily considered a fact even though there is overwhelming evidence in support of it. I believe evolution is true but maybe i'm just misinterpreting what she ment by this statement. To me I thought that it implied that evolution is a fact when in reality it isn't. Evolution as I see it is the best way to decribe life and how it came to be AS OF NOW, (maybe there will be a better theory in the future?)because fact is too strong a word it doesnt leave room for the grey areas....but thats just my opinion. and if I have misunderstood this statement i am truely sorry i just think there is nothing wrong with being a theory lol.

like sjg, she entices you into an amusing essay .......2006-07-01

Real science made fun.In easy bites, she starts with an anecdote, like SJ Gould and teases you into understanding principles of physics you never thought you coud learn. In an antiscience age, in an antirational age, this is to be cherished

Marvin Thalenberg MD

Way more fun than I thought I'd have..........2006-04-21

I found this a curiously fun sort of read-different from my usual choice of reading entertainment. I don't typically read science books, mostly because I'm lazy and don't want to work at understanding something really technical (many science writers put off the general public by delving too deeply), but hey folks, the author makes the science easy to grasp. And the writing style is witty, light and intelligent. Ouellette has a gift for marrying science, history and storytelling.
What's especially appealing is the way the author connects seemingly esoteric science with our everyday life-Reddi-whip (the physics of foam), velcro (biomimicry)-and illuminates the process by which scientists and inventors impact our lives. I loved the references to literature and pop culture that segue into the science or serve as examples of the science in action.
There's something for everyone. Science fans will get an enlightening and lively look into the history and people behind the discoveries. Those more interested in history will learn a thing or two about the science (painlessly). And old English majors, like me, will appreciate the storytelling.

Science Writing for the Masses.......2006-04-20

If Jennifer Ouellette had been writing books like this when I was a kid, she'd have been my favorite explicator of science. Instead, I was reading Isaac Asimov, who was fun and interesting but a scientist himself, with a tendency to focus on minute details that were sometimes a little bewildering to someone just getting her feet wet. Ouellette knows not only how to get her physics-phobic audience's attention, but avoids bogging them down in technicalities.

Occasionally, the techniques of writing for a general audience call for the sacrifice of precision in favor of broader generalities, like "rounding off" the technical details of lens grinding, which are best left to a more in-depth discussion of the topic. But as a non-scientist who's been reading science writing for the last 30 years as well as teaching it at the university level, I can truthfully say that very little is lost in this book. In this case, "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," to quote Mary Poppins. Not too many people are eager to read about physics, whether it's cloaked in pop culture or not, but Ouellette slyly draws you in with doses of the Olsen Twins, the Addams Family, and the DaVinci Code. By the end of the book, you'll catch yourself thinking that maybe physics isn't so terrifying, and certainly not boring. And if you're not getting the nitty-gritty details here, well, you can always go read Richard Feynman, or try plowing through Stephen Hawking.

And you're not going to read about flying monks in any of their books.

Fun but Flawed.......2006-04-19

Jennifer's Ouellette's venture into the esoteric realms of science is light and fun, but, I'm sorry to say, it is sprinkled with factual errors. Here are just a few:

In her discussion of telescopes, she says the objective lens of a refracting telescope is concave, to gather light. This is just not so. The objective lens is always convex. Millions of teleswcope and astronomy buffs know this. How come the two academioc gurus who praise this book in its front matter didn't catch it? They couldn't have read it carefully. Most high school physics students would spot the error.

More errors: In her discussion of spherical aberration in lenses she says the aberration is the result of faulty grinmding of the lenses. Not so. The aberrration is inherent in the spherical curvature itself. A lens that is ground to a perfect spherical curvatue will still exhibit the aberration. The fault is not in the grinding, but in the design.

Spherical lenses, that is, lenes with surfaces that are part of a perfect sphere, are the easiest to grind; that's why lenses have been made this way for centuries. Only recently, since about 1920, have methods for making aspheric lenses been developed. Aspheric lenses have non-spherical curvatures which correct for the aberrations caused by spherical surfaces. A common aspheric lens is the Schmidt corrector lens used in many reflecting telescopes.

My credentials? I worked for American Optical Company as a lens grinder. Later, as a TV science writer, I wrote a TV script in collaboration with Dr. John strong, physicist at the Johns Hop0kins University. Strong put the aluminum reflecting surface on the Hale telescope at Mt. Palomar and was known world-wide for his design of a diffraction grating ruling engine capable of making 6 inch gratings.

I have also written a column on science and natuire for a weekly newspaper for over 15 years. Like Ms. Ouellette, I try to keep my science writing light enough to be interesting to a general readership, but I try very hard to get my facts straight.

Perhaps the author and her publisher should employ the services of a scientifically trained editor to pick out the mistakes before publication.

For better science writing, Ken Volduzi

Who's Afraid of Schrödinger's Cat? An A-to-Z Guide to All the New Science Ideas You Need to Keep Up with the New Thinking

Average customer rating:

Is your nephew nuts ?
Suggested Order for Reading Topics
A good, fun, one-of-a-kind book, when used cautiously
Terrific layman's guide to the latest scientific theories
An essential read for those trying to grasp the New Sciences

Who's Afraid of Schrödinger's Cat? An A-to-Z Guide to All the New Science Ideas You Need to Keep Up with the New Thinking
Ian Marshall , and Danah Zohar
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0688161073

Amazon.com

Quantum physics does not sit lightly on the brain. In fact, Schrödinger's cat, a feline in an opaque box who's paradoxically both dead and alive, was created by Erwin Schrödinger to help people conceptualize the quantum possibilities of both/and, instead of the more common either/or. Still, the new science doesn't find an easy mental perch. Ergo, the need for, and elegant achievement of, this book.

The main text is made up of short essays on specific ideas, forming an encyclopedia of the new sciences, but the book starts off with four clear and engaging overview essays. "Kinds of Being" introduces ancient, classical, and quantum physics, followed by "Order in Science and Thought," which surveys ideas of complexity, such as chaos, evolution, and games theory. "The New Sciences of the Mind" is next, attempting to answer questions like "What is a mind? What is awareness? Must a mind, to be a mind, be conscious?" and "The Cosmic Canopy" is the last of the introductory essays, dealing with high-energy phenomena in cosmology and particle physics. Once you've chewed these chapters over, you're ready to access the nearly 200 specific questions and concepts in the A-to-Z, which makes up the bulk of the book, starting with Absolute Zero and wending its way through Entropy, Lamarckism, and Planck's Constant, Quantum Gravity, Reductionism, and Supersymmetry to Wormholes and Wrinkles in the Microwave.

The book is excellently cross-referenced, and the advanced ideas of science are discussed intelligently and explained concisely, cutting through the jargon to bring the fascination of the concepts into lucid focus. --Stephanie Gold

Book Description

Quantum theorist Erwin Schrvdinger invented his now-famous cat to illustrate the apparently impossible conundrums associated with quantum physics. The cat lives in an opaque box with a fiendish device that randomly feeds it either food, allowing it to live, or poison, which kills it. But in the quantum world, all possibilities coexist and have a reality of their own, and they ensure that the cat is both alive and dead, simultaneously.

Who's Afraid of Schrvdinger's Cat? is a clear, concise explanation of the new sciences of quantum mechanics, chaos and complexity theory, relativity, new theories of mind, and the new cosmology. It studies worlds beyond the realm of common sense, and the new kinds of thinking that we need to understand ourselves, our minds, and our human place in the larger scheme of things.

Customer Reviews:

Is your nephew nuts ?.......2007-02-06

If you want to remain conversant with "new science" indivuduals or just exercise the gray matter; this is a valuable resource. "The book begins with four main essays making up an Overview of the New Sciences" followed by a mini-encyclopedia of topics. Have several book marks available for following chains of cross-references. The book would benefit from a sequential concepts study guide and would be terrific in HTML CD-ROM format.

Suggested Order for Reading Topics.......2006-11-10

"Who's Afraid of Schrodinger's Cat?" contains an attractive assortment of information dealing with various diverse but interconnected subjects. Although there have been some advances in some of these subjects since the time that this book was published, there is definitely a target audience for this, as it presents a very nice broad overview of the new thought processes that underlie the research of current physical sciences and sciences of consciousness.

The format of the book is convenient for readers that have particular interests in certain subjects that are presented. Following the prologue, which uses Erwin Schrodinger's thought experiment to contrast the old and new paradigms of scientific methodology and understanding, an overview is presented that introduces many of the various subjects that are described later in the book. Following the introduction is a group of four essays that contain reference links to most of the topics that are described individually in the remaining sections of the book.

The format is not as convenient for readers who may be unfamiliar with many of the topics, so I will attempt to recommend an order in which to read the different sections of the book with the objective of presenting the information so that it builds on the knowledge gained after the reading of each subsequent topic.

Since each of the different topics contain references to several other topics in the book, there will often be links for subject matter that has not yet been presented, especially when reading some of the topics that are covered during the earlier part of the listed order. However, each of those earlier topics were chosen for their positions because they are generally clear as they are.

Here is my recommendation for the order in which to read the different sections of this book:

Topic - - - - Page
----- - - - - ----
- PROLOGUE xiii
- INTRODUCTION xvii
1 - THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM 232
2 - INFORMATION 205
3 - ENTROPY 139
4 - THERMODYNAMICS 353
5 - THE FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS 148
6 - THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS 314
7 - ABSOLUTE ZERO 39
8 - STATISTICAL MECHANICS 331
9 - OPEN SYSTEMS 255
10 - THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT 77 (bottom)
11 - NONLINEARITY 247
12 - CATASTROPHE THEORY 79
13 - EQUILIBRIUM 142
14 - DISSIPATIVE STRUCTURES 129
15 - THE EDGE OF CHAOS 134
16 - ATTRACTORS 57
17 - COMPLEXITY 103
18 - FEEDBACK 145
19 - CYBERNETICS 122
20 - SOLITONS 318
21 - ITERATION 211
22 - FRACTALS 153
23 - THE MANDELBROT SET 219 (bottom)
24 - PREDATOR-PREY 271
25 - CHAOS AND SELF-ORGANIZATION 83
26 - INTERMITTENCY 210
27 - THE BLACK BOX 71
28 - SYSTEMS THEORY 346
29 - AUTOPOIETIC SYSTEMS 59
30 - THE ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE 43
31 - THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS 163
32 - BECOMING 60
33 - PROCESS 272
34 - IMPLICATE ORDER 197
35 - THE SPEED OF LIGHT 322
36 - TACHYONS 349
37 - INERTIAL FRAMES 202
38 - SPECIAL RELATIVITY 319
39 - THE TWINS PARADOX 371 (top)
40 - RELATIVITY AND RELATIVISM 311
41 - STRUCTURALISM 332 (bottom)
42 - SOCIALBIOLOGY 317 (bottom)
43 - SERIAL PROCESSING 317 (top)
44 - NEURAL NETWORKS 238
45 - THINKING 355
46 - BEHAVIORISM 62
47 - GESTALT AND COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 172
48 - THE GAME OF LIFE 166
49 - ARTIFICAIL LIFE 51
50 - FORMAL COMPUTATION 149
51 - THE CHINESE ROOM 89
52 - CONNECTIONISM 107
53 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 49
54 - COMPUTATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 105
55 - GODEL'S THEORUM 175
56 - LANGUAGE 214
57 - TURING MACHINES 367
58 - THE CHURCH-TURING THESIS 91
59 - THE TURING TEST 369
60 - EXPERT SYSTEMS 144
61 - FUNCTIONALISM 159
62 - COGNITIVE SCIENCE 94 (bottom)
63 - PERCEPTION 261
64 - VISUAL PERCEPTION 376
65 - BLINDSIGHT 73
66 - THE BINDING PROBLEM 69
67 - OLFACTORY PERCEPTION 254
68 - MEMORY 225
69 - NEURAL DARWINISM 236
70 - METHODS OF STUDYING THE BRAIN 228
71 - ATTENTION 55
72 - NEURONS 241
73 - NEURAL MODULES 237
74 - NEUROSCIENCE 243
75 - CRICK'S HYPOTHESIS 120
76 - CONSTRUCTION COPIER MACHINES 110
77 - DNA 131
78 - THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT 188
79 - REDUCTIONISM 307
80 - DETERMINISM 127
81 - ATOMISM 52
82 - PLANCK'S CONSTANT 269
83 - QUANTUM 282
84 - QUANTUM PHYSICS 295
85 - THE WAVE FUNCTION AND SCHRODINGER'S EQUATION 381
86 - WAVE/PARTICLE DUALITY 384
87 - COMPLEMENTARITY 101
88 - CONTEXTUALISM 112
89 - A QUANTUM HUSSY 293
90 - COLLAPSE OF WAVE FUNCTION 99 (top)
91 - HEISENBERG'S UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE 181 (bottom)
92 - SUPERPOSITIONS 338
93 - FUZZY LOGIC 161
94 - THE MEASURMENT PROBLEM 221 (bottom)
95 - THE QUANTUM VACUUM 303
96 - GAMES, THEORY OF 167
97 - CAUSALITY 81
98 - TELEOLOGY 350
99 - DARWINIAN EVOLUTION 124
100 - COEVOLUTION 93
101 - PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM 281
102 - VITALISM 379
103 - LAMARCKISM 213
104 - RESONANCE 313
105 - THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM 357
106 - NONLOCALITY 249
107 - BELL'S THEORUM 64
108 - HOLISM 184
109 - EMERGENCE 137
110 - QUANTUM TUNNELING 301
111 - INDETERMINACY 199
112 - PSYCHIATRY 274
113 - PSYCHODYNAMICS AND PSYCHOTHERAPY 275
114 - SPLIT-BRAIN PHENOMENA 324
115 - HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY 191
116 - MEDITATION 224
117 - TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY 364
118 - PSYCHOLOGY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 278
119 - GENERAL RELATIVITY 170
120 - TIME TRAVEL 361
121 - INFLATION THEORY 203
122 - COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION 117
123 - WRINKLES IN THE MICROWAVE BACKGROUND 388
124 - THE GREAT ATTRACTOR 180
125 - THE COSMOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE 118
126 - THE PERFECT COSMOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE 263
127 - STARS 329
128 - GALAXIES 165
129 - THE MILKY WAY 230
130 - INTELLIGENCE IN THE UNIVERSE 208
131 - QUARKS 305
132 - HADRONS 181 (top)
133 - LEPTONS 219 (top)
134 - NEUTRINOS 245
135 - SUPERNOVAS 337
136 - QUASARS 306
137 - NEUTRON STARS 246
138 - BLACK HOLES 72
139 - OLBER'S PARADOX 253
140 - DISTANCE MEASUREMENTS IN ASTRONOMY 130
141 - THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE 143
142 - CHEMICAL ORGANIZATION 88
143 - CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES 87
144 - OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY 251
145 - DARK MATTER 123
146 - THE BIG BANG 68
147 - COSMOLOGY 119 (top)
148 - RELATIVISTIC COSMOLOGY 309
149 - COLOR - WHAT IS IT? 99 (bottom)
150 - FERMIONS 147
151 - BOSONS 77 (top)
152 - ANTIMATTER 45
153 - MESONS 227
154 - SPIN AND STATISTICS 323
155 - PHASE 265
156 - COHERENCE 96 (top)
157 - BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATION 75
158 - LASERS 217
159 - SUPERCONDUCTORS 333
160 - SUPERFLUIDS 335
161 - FROHLICH SYSTEMS 158
162 - PHASE TRANSITIONS 266
163 - PLASMA 270
164 - COLD FUSION 96 (bottom)
165 - VIRTUAL PARTICLES 373
166 - CONTINUOUS SYMMETRIES 114
167 - SYMMETRY BREAKING 343 (bottom)
168 - CPT SYMMETRY 119 (bottom)
169 - PERSPECTIVE AND INTERACTACTION 264
170 - THE PARTICIPATORY UNIVERSE 257 (bottom)
171 - IDENTITY IN QUANTUM MECHANICS 193
172 - THE ARROW OF TIME 46
173 - TIME 360
174 - QUANTUM FIELD THEORY 287
175 - GAUGE FIELDS 169
176 - QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS 286
177 - SELF-ENERGY 316
178 - THE ELECTROWEAK FORCE 135
179 - QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS 284
180 - THE STANDARD MODEL 327
181 - VIRTUAL TRANSITITIONS 374
182 - ACTUALITY AND POTENTIALITY IN QUANTUM MECHANICS 40
183 - THE PLANCK ERA 267
184 - QUANTUM GRAVITY 290
185 - GRAND UNIFIED THEORIES 178
186 - TWISTORS 371 (bottom)
187 - NANOBIOLOGY 235
188 - CONSCIOUSNESS, TOWARD A SCIENCE OF 109
189 - QUANTUM THEORIES OF MIND 299
190 - PENROSE ON NONCOMPUTABILITY 260
191 - CHAOS THEORIES OF MIND 86
192 - SUPERSYMMETRY 341
193 - SUPERGRAVITY 336
194 - SUPERSTRINGS 339
195 - THEORIES OF EVERYTHING 351
- A. KINDS OF BEING 3
- B. ORDER IN SCIENCE AND THOUGHT 12
- C. THE NEW SCIENCES OF THE MIND 20
- D. THE COSMIC CANOPY 26

Note that the topics are NOT necessarily listed chronologically according to when ideas were proclaimed or when discoveries were made. Instead, the intent was to list subjects in an order to promote understanding based on knowledge gained after reading about the previously listed topics. Order is restored by presenting the four essays last, since they provide a fitting summary of the book's contents.

This book provides a very good introduction to a variety of different aspects of the physical and mind sciences, highlighting contrasts between the Newtonian (and pre-Newtonian) classical and the modern eras of scientific thought and methods, and it is a good starting point for readers to discover specific areas of interest that they may want to pursue through further reading.

A good, fun, one-of-a-kind book, when used cautiously.......2005-12-14

--This book gives a brief topic-by-topic discussion of several dozen subjects in what may loosely be called "New Physics" or "New Consciousness."
--Superb books on quantum physics and neuroscience already exist, but I know of no other book arranged topically. The authors briefly discuss topics ranging from pedestrian things like DNA to more exotic ones like Quantum Consciousness, and based on topics I am familiar with, the authors appear reasonably accurate (I have a doctorate, keep up with the literature, and am reasonably comfortable with science). The authors have a bias towards the holistic relational (or synchronic) interpretation of quantum theory, which gives a new age-y feel, but this book nevertheless seems pretty good and it's a lot of fun to read a few paragraphs on an interesting topic (in my biased opinion, few things are more interesting than science).
--Problems? There's no bibliography or footnotes for further research and it generally only gives one view, which is often stated as fact even though most "cutting edge" topics are controversial ("the greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but an inaccurate belief that we know something").

--In short, this is (as far as I know) a unique book because of its topic-by-topic organization. It makes a delightful "soft" read although it only gives an introductory view and much of what the authors assert as factual may actually be controversial. Hope this review helps.

Terrific layman's guide to the latest scientific theories.......2003-12-29

This is a great science book for the non-scientific type. It makes very obtuse theories and concepts crystal clear for the lay reader, and brings science to the masses *without dumbing it down.* It reminds me a lot of Charles Osgood's marvelous series "A Science Odyssey" that aired on PBS a few years back, and worth tracking down on VHS. (See my separate review on that for even more raves about science for the layperson without dumbing it down.)

Entries are brief, and sometimes I wish there were more detail. As another reviewer points out, references for further reading would be nice as well. However, if you're puzzled but intrigued by such topics as "String Theory," "Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle" and "Chaos Theory," and all you know about this stuff comes from Star Trek-type shows, this is a great book for you. It also demonstrates, as the late Carl Sagan used to say, that science is far stranger, far more mysterious and far more subtle than science fiction. So much of the material covered simply seems unbelievable, but it has been tested. The quantum world in particular is a strange place, where Lewis Carroll would have been right at home. The triumph of this book is that it explains so many obtuse theories so clearly, without resorting to silly graphics or baby analogies. You *can* make this stuff accessible to the lay public without dumbing it down. It just takes work.

Highly recommended, for us non-science types especially.

An essential read for those trying to grasp the New Sciences.......2001-08-09

Got this book on a whim. Turned out to be an outstanding book that for those steeped in the sciences, will find it nice to read from cover to cover. For others, it is an invaluable refernce guide.

The authors have done a great job of writing the introductory pieces that fit beautifully. Initially, I put the book down after these essays, content in understanding thier thoughts on various aspects of the sciences. Later, I delved into the various terms that they have elaborated upon and found them immensely useful.

Coming from the biomedical side, I'd have preferred a bit more information on biotechnology and medicine than what it covers, (hence the 4 stars).

Book Description

Imagine a world in which words have colors and sounds have tastes. In his autobiography, Vladimir Nabokov described this neurological phenomenon, which helped inspire David Hockneys sets for the Metropolitan Opera. Richard Feynman experienced it while formulating the quantum theory that won him a Nobel Prize. Sometimes described as a blending of perceptions, synesthesia occurs when only one of the fives senses is aroused but two respond. Journalist Patricia Lynne Duffy draws from her own struggles and breakthroughs with synesthesia to help us better understand the condition, while describing some of the major theories surrounding it. An illuminating examination of the world of synesthetes, Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens is a must-read for science and health buffs, as well as for artists, writers, and creative thinkersor anyone generally intrigued by the brain, the senses, and perception.

Customer Reviews:

Great read about synesthesia!.......2007-05-19

If you are interested in all things synesthisia I can only recommend this book. This book appealed to me personally (being a synesthete myself) as the author is a synesthete as well. When I read this book I said to myself "finally!". I gulped this book down eagerly!

Destined to be a classic!.......2006-02-12

"Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens" is destined to be a classic. It is the first full-length, contemporary book by a synesthete about the phenomenon of synesthesia. Duffy describes her own experience as a synesthete as well as those of prominent artists, writers, scholars. She also tells of the pioneering neuroscientists who re-opened the field of synesthesia for academic study--and the promises this study holds for unlocking the mysteries of the brain.

The Colors of Emotions and Thoughts.......2005-01-10

This book is an original, off-beat and moving account of the world as viewed through an unusual lens. It shows the unique vision of the world of synesthetes--people who perceive words as having colors and music as having shapes. But in addition, the book tells of a very personal and touching relationship between a daughter who feels 'different' and a father who appreciates that difference. Recommended for those interested in science, psychology and things literary.

An Interesting Book..........2004-03-07

I first happed upon this book by first hearing about it through a slew of synastesia web sites I had come across in my search to understand what was going on in my own head.

I as a synasthete really loved reading her personal stories and reflections and some of the research that she's found along the way. And especially loved listening to people talk about their colored letters and how they differed from mine and the shapes people saw and how they were a brigher reflection of the shapes I dimly see listening to music.

The reason that this book got only four stars is because of the fact that she acts like there isn't really that much information on synesthesia so she starts repeating the things she's said before.

If you're willing to step into the world of synesthesia and seeing for yourself the things that we see then this is a good book to start from.

Informative and fun!.......2003-03-23

I first learned about the phenomenon of synesthesia in a review of Blue Cats in the journal Cerebrum, where Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen, a world authority on synesthesia says, "This book is a delight. As far as I know, this is the first time a synesthete has written about what it is like to live with this neurological condition - one in which the senses are intermingled, so that the spoken word, "cat", for example, may consistently be experienced as blue." The review prompted me to get the book, which opened my eyes to the very different ways that people can perceive the world. I recommend `Blue Cats'

In search of Schrodinger's cat: The startling world of quantum physics explained

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In search of Schrodinger's cat: The startling world of quantum physics explained
John R Gribbin
Manufacturer: Wildwood House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 0704530716

IN SEARCH OF SCRODINGER'S CAT QUANTUM PHYSICS AND REALITY

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IN SEARCH OF SCRODINGER'S CAT QUANTUM PHYSICS AND REALITY

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H3NAZW

The Strange Case of Mrs. Hudson's Cat: And Other Science Mysteries Solved by Sherlock Holmes (Helix Book.)

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Not Holmes
Strange way to give physics lessons
Its yet another way to get physics to "non-physics" type.
Awesome and exhilarating.
A great supplementary book for any physics course!

The Strange Case of Mrs. Hudson's Cat: And Other Science Mysteries Solved by Sherlock Holmes (Helix Book.)
Colin Bruce
Manufacturer: Perseus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Einstein Paradox: And Other Science Mysteries Solved by Sherlock Holmes

ASIN: 0201461390

Book Description

This is the story of the great paradigm shifts of science, told as never before: in Sherlock Holmes adventures set amid the grandeur and squalor of Victorian London. FROM PARADIGMS PAST... The first stories involve the overthrow of ancient fallacies. For example, a death by heat-stroke is blamed on a wandering cloud of phlogiston - but will this explanation stand up to Sherlock Holmes's scrutiny? ....THROUGH RELATIVITY... Subsequent cases turn on problems of relative motion and timing, culminating in a terrifying question: just how much energy do the laws of physics allow an Anarchist bomb the size of a grapefruit to contain? .... TO QUANTUM THEORY More subtle crimes relate to quantum effects. A crooked lottery offering impossibly good odds turns out to involve the spooky 'quantum links' of the EPR paradox. The strangest story is based on real life: a physicist at the Santa Fe Institute was challenged to prove his faith in a widely accepted interpretation of quantum theory in the only way possible - by taking part in a bizarre game of Russian roulette. He declined. But here, the challenge is accepted...

Customer Reviews:

Not Holmes.......2001-03-13

First, I must warn you: this is not a Sherlock Holmes book. It is a science book using Sherlock Holmes charecters. It is also not realistic, in that there are anumber impossible situations (like a century-old atom bomb accidentaly being set off), and many scientific priciples discussed were not discovered until decades after the victorian era (the setting for the book) However, this does not make it a bad book. In fact it is an excelent book. It does a great job of explaining physics principles, even quantum mechanics, enjoyably and in layman's terms. It would probably be enjoyable for both adults who want to get an overall idea of the more unusual physics and for teaching high-school level physics. The earlier chapters can be used with younger students. Overall, a very good book.

Strange way to give physics lessons.......2001-01-22

This book has been languishing on my shelf for some time, so I finally gritted my teeth and read it.

When I ordered it, I didn't realise it was written to explain the nature of Relativity and Quantum Physics to those who aren't mathematically inclined. I was looking for more Sherlock Holmes stories to read, and so this book was a disappointment. (One of the reasons for writing this review is to allow others to know what it is before they buy it.)

Having read it, I'm still disappointed. While Colin Bruce does a decent job in explaining physics for the layman, I wasn't overly thrilled with his attempts to portray Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Professor Challenger and Professor Summerlee, all characters created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Their portrayal is variable, and bends to suit the explanatory purpose of the book rather than remaining true to the characters.

Given that the book is et in Victorian London, its explanation of scientific theories that weren't derived until decades later is also disappointing. Had the minds featured in the book been able to come up with the theories that they did before 1901, we'd be more advanced than we are.

Possibly useful to help explain physics to the layman, but not much use for Sherlock Holmes aficionados.

Its yet another way to get physics to "non-physics" type........1999-01-05

I love using this book in my high school classroom. I can reach students who normally think physics is boring and I can really appeal to the super geeks (like me.)

Awesome and exhilarating........1997-12-12

The strange case about physics is that the universe itself is stranger than one imagines, so that even after solving the mystery, the universe still seems wonderfully mysterious. As Sherlock Holmes observes, when you are left with only one explanation that is possible, then thats it, however improbable and strange it may be. You will never have a better ride through a better set of stories.

A great supplementary book for any physics course!.......1997-07-04

This book is great! As a physics teacher I plan on using many of the stories to add interest and depth to the different concepts we cover in the physics courses offered at our school. Most of the stories are very clever as well as very entertaining. I particulary enjoyed the story in which the mystery is solved by the realization that a person has been killed by a Focault pendulum which has rotated away from the scene of the accident

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My whole family has a Degree of Doctor of Cat Physics

Cat Physics
G. A. Mendenhall
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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My whole family has a Degree of Doctor of Cat Physics.......1997-10-17

My family and friends enjoyed the cat book. We all love animals. I was able to meet and play with the three cats that are in the book! The author is my brother. He died of cancer during the summer of 1997. His book is sure to be a classic.

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The Greatest Gift
Ellen J. Fleming
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1412008328
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

A true story about transcending death to reach out to the living.

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