No comments about ENLIGHTENED JOSPEH PRIESTLY, THE.

3 comments about The Art of Running.

1. This book introduced me to the possibility of "technique" in running, and started me on a journey (to the Pose Method, and barefoot running) that has dramatically changed the way I run - smoother, with less impact and fewer injuries.
   
   I have to disagree with the first reviewer. While the book may not tell the entire story, I did get some very concrete and relevant tips - for instance, remembering to look ahead, and not down (as I had been) while running.



2. I'm moved to add my positive review after noticing the negative one by S Hadley.
   I found this book full of insight on the nuts and bolts of the running process as opposed to most of the other books I've read that take form as a given and instead focus on training regimes. I see it as a primer, a well thought out and very useful one: you can read it cover to cover or just open it and pick up some technical point to practice on your next run. It does mention the like of Haile Gebrselassie, Sebastian Coe and Merlene Ottey as role models but I found this inspiring and their form something to aspire to rather than the glib comment S Hadley alludes to.
   One last thing. I bought the book 2 months ago and although my times have not come down noticably, my recovery rate and overall fatigue after a long run has diminished remarkably. I look forward to a largely injury free running future.



3. The message of this book is simple: if you want to run better, simply run like Haile Gebr. Of course, there's no hint as to how to run like Gebr, but there are pretty pictures and oodles of "ideas" which totally lack any sort of flesh. The book is sporadic, repetitive and offers no useful examples. The concept of a new, almost holistic approach to running is interesting, but almost completely unexplored after the introduction.
   
   I've attempted many of the techniques and found my running to quickly become less enjoyable, more labored and a lot slower. I'm an advanced runner and found only a handful of quotes to be useful. I see almost no purpose at all for a novice runner to read between these covers.

No comments about Niels Bohr Gentle Genius of Denmark: Gentle Genius of Denmark (Makers of Modern Science).

2 comments about John von Neumann: Selected Letters (History of Mathematics).

1. John von Neumann was a brilliant man, making significant contributions to quantum physics and higher mathematics. However, as this book says, "Von Neumann is best known in the general public for his work in computer design. His activity in this field is very well documented in the work of W. Aspray. Aspray's book contains quotations from many of von Neumann's letters concerning computer science; thus the current volume contains just a small selection of von Neumann's letters related to computers".
   
   If you're interested in von Neumann as a computer scientist, buy John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing (History of Computing) instead.



2. John von Newman was one of the Renaissance Men of our century. He produced significant contributions in the areas of : Logic, Quantum Mechanics, Economics, Armaments, and Computer Science. As a case in point, the computer you are using to read this is almost certainly one based on von Newmann architecture. His work on the development of atomic weapons was as important as his development of the social concept of Mutually Assured Destruction which was the fundamental precept of the Cold War. Had he lived longer he would almost certainly have received a Nobel Prize in economics for his development of game theory. (He died at age 54, probably because of exposure to radiation.)
   
   This book is a compendium of letters that he wrote. It contains letters on many subjects written to a wide collection of people from scientists to plitical leaders, business leaders and declining an invitation to give a speech.
   
   In addition to the letters there is a 40 or so page preamble about him as a person and summarizing some of the work that he did. Largely unknown outside the technical areas in which he worked John von Newmann was a towering figure in twentieth century science. This book will not get a wide distribution, but it provides interesting insight into his thinking.

5 comments about They All Laughed at Christopher Columbus: An Incurable Dreamer Builds the First Civilian Spaceship.

1. This book gives some insight to the history on some of the major charcaters at Mojave Spaceport. While I can not judge the book on how it casts the real-life characters of Mojave as the "mecca for emotionally vulnerable fringe technologists," many have walked away from Roton to do some quite interesting, challenging, and, historic space feats. I highly susepct many more historic events will be at the hands of the Roton veterans of Mojave. The evolution of the people from the failure demonstrates the strength of the passion and the determination of the human spirit. The book is an interesting read for those looking for some basic understanding of the connections among the players of Mojave's fledgling commercialization of space. I recommend the book. Gary Hudson, keep going!



2. This book isn't about technical accuracy. It's about how a quixotic technologist deals with the cumulative weight of a life of failure.
   
   From steamships to cars to airplanes, the early days of invention were never pretty. Crackpots abounded. Failed companies littered the landscape. Even today, technical failure is more of a fact of life than ever. But now it's less visible to non-specialists outside the corporate and university laboratory establishment.
   
   The rocketeers in Weil's book stand out like throwbacks to that earlier time because they have chosen to work outside the mainstream research community. They live in the shadow of NASA, the decabillion-dollar government agency that pretends to own outer space. The fact that NASA has failed to make space cheaper or safer in nearly 50 years invites entrepreneurial ambition---but not necessarily talent.
   
   Weil's book follows the most driven of modern rocket crackpots on their painful journey from dreams to failure. She does not share their dreams; indeed, what draws her is an almost ghoulish attraction to their experience of tragedy. Was her bitter, sometimes cruel depiction of Hudson et al the only way she could think of to distance herself from their pain? Who knows! In any case, it's a vivid, cautionary tale. Bitter medicine indeed for any dreamer who is tempted to turn away from reality and throw a party, as Rotary did, when things got tough.



3. At this point, this is probably beating a dead horse, but: I just bought a used copy of the book and started reading it last night. I was all set to like it: my appetite was whetted by a beautifully written and very entertaining account of the new space entrepreneurs that Ms. Weil wrote for The New York Times Magazine a few years back.
   
   My problems started on page 1. The very first sentence of the book features a couple small factual errors: "... when, in 1969, American astronauts finally reached the moon in a Saturn V rocket. ..." No: The Saturn V rocket launched them on their mission from Earth; they arrived at the moon in an Apollo capsule. Also, the Apollo 11 crew was the first to land on the moon; to be persnickety, they were the third crew to reach the moon, having been preceded by Apollo 8 and Apollo 10, which both orbited the moon but did not land.
   
   But anyone can make little mistakes like that; and an editor or fact checker should have saved Ms. Weil from them. But by page 3, we find more of the same when she writes about NASA's Challenger disaster. "In NASA parlance, at 12:47 p.m. EST, shuttle mission 51-L 'catastrophically disassembled' while traveling at a Mach number of 1.92, killing all seven members of the crew." I won't deal with what's wrong with the writing here, or the fact much of her description appears to be a slightly garbled lift from a NASA narrative of the Challenger launch. Instead, just this: Of all the facts related in the sentence, what's the one you'd figure would be the easiest to get right. I think it's the time. But 12:47 p.m. EST didn't sound right to me, so I went and checked. The actual launch time, as reported by NASA, was 11:38 a.m. EST, and the accident happened 73 seconds into the flight. So: 12:47 p.m.? No.
   
   On page 4, she mentions "solid rocket boosters, the shuttle component that first analysis suggested had failed. (Richard Feynman, of course, later set a glass of ice water before the television cameras and proved the culprit to be the O-rings.")
   
   Yes, but: The first analysis was right. One of the solid rocket boosters failed. The question was why. The answer was the O-ring seals -- parts used in the boosters -- didn't function properly in the cold.
   
   You might say each of these errors of fact or interpretation is trivial. I won't argue about that. But there's a cumulative effect: They undermine confidence in the rest of the facts Ms. Weil relates, too.



4. I thought that this was a fun read. I have met many of the people in the book, and I have always wondered why they kept working on the rocket after they gave up on the engine, and this book explains it all. (Walt kept giving them money) Some of Gary's associates have complained that the author has treated him harshly, but I have heard much worse about him from others. Also some people have complained about the technical errors, but this is not a technical book. This book was entertaining, and a little scary for me, because I have a rocket problem as well.



5. There seem to be two reactions to this book: pro-space activists think it's trash, while the normal people who seemingly read it by accident all love it. Here's a third perspective: I strongly believe that we need cheap, reusable, privately owned launch vehicles like the one Rotary Rocket tried to develop. But I love this book because it reveals exactly why none of the many Mom & Pop rocket companies have ever produced one. The main problem is that the people who are strongly motivated to start such firms are mostly impractical dreamers who lack the technical skills and business sense to make them work. Reading Weil's dispassionate description of the Roton development program is like watching the film "Ed Wood" -- you can't believe that these people actually existed and actually believed they were building a workable rocketship. The sane part of the space community always knew that the Roton would be a miserable technical failure for all the reasons given on p.167, but it is really scary to see just how out of touch with reality the major players like Gary Hudson and Walt Anderson really were. And these guys are still active in the alt.space community! I sure hope Elon Musk's SpaceX project succeeds so we don't have to watch any more of these painful failures.

5 comments about BORN NAKED CL.

1. The other reviews have been spot on, this is a page turner extraordinaire--delightful moments, amusing stories, amazing adventures in days of yore.



2. If you've read Farley Mowat, you know him as a passionate defender of the beautiful "Others" with whom we share our planet. This book is a joy-filled description of his early life and formation as a nature-lover. We hear of the wild beauty of Canada, the Quixotic plans his father devised and his mother endured, and the daring adventures which will become the foundation for his later writings. Although a light-hearted story overall, Farley does not avoid the difficult times, including a powerful depiction of the effect of the Depression on the Canadian provinces. It is a love song to the strength of character and perseverence of our northern cousins, as well.
   
   When the book ends, the reader, like the writer, wonders if there will ever be such a wonderful time again. Sheer delight.



3. I enjoy all of Mowat's books, but this one is particularly good. His style is conversational, his humor is biting. Clearly a man who does not suffer a fool lightly. Farley Mowat is a national gem. Buy the book...



4. Canadian author Farley Mowat's Born Naked is a must-read glimpse into the author's much self-written about life. It's hilarious, it's poignant and a must for any Mowat fan.



5. I've been a big fan of Farley Mowat's literary style since I first read Never Cry Wolf back in junior high school. Even as a 9th grade Earth Science teacher, I show the silver screen adaptation of this great novel. Born Naked, however, is of different 'stuff' than Never Cry Wolf. Here is a book written in a light, easy-to-read fashion that highlights his early years in this great world. We, the readers, are along for the ride when he travels to the Arctic on a research mission with his uncle, or when he makes his daily rounds to inspect the nests of local birds in Saskatchewan. This book is written in a truly entrancing style. I had a very difficult time putting it down. There are some questionable portions in it dealing with his discovery of his own sexuality, but they are far outweighed by the sense of awe and discovery he felt as a youngster. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, or anyone that wants to experience the childhood they only dreamed about

No comments about Copernicus and His Successors.

No comments about Marie Curie: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

2 comments about Curie (Life & Times) (Life&Times).

1. Well written and edited. Comprehensive yet succinct. Relevant photos. Essay about Irene an excellent feature.



2. This book goes beyond discussing the scientific achievements of Marie Curie, as well as the many tragedies she had to go through in life. It also focuses on her early life as a young Polish patriot under the oppressive heel of Russian rule. The young Curie describes attending a kulig, a traditional Polish sleigh party that was recognizably an act of resistance against Russian cultural domination. As a schoolgirl, the Marie Curie would walk to Saxony Square in Warsaw and spit on the obelisk set up by the Russia tsar. When she was older, Curie attended the "Floating University", an underground academy that held secret classes in living rooms and meeting halls. Not mentioned is the fact that the "floating university" was revived after the Germans conquered Poland during WWII and abolished all higher learning for Poles. A stirring read!

2 comments about Into the Air: The Story of the Wright Brothers' First Flight.

1. INTO THE AIR The Story of the Wright Brothers First Flight is a comic book style biography. We learn lots of neat things about the Wright Brothers in this book. We learn that the brother first started out inventing bikes and later learned of gliders. They wanted to make a flying machine. Learn about all of their trials and triumphs in this neat book.
   
   
   
   I like that the book was written in a comic book style. Sometimes kids feel like biography are boring. This format spices things up a bit making them enjoy the reading. The illustations are also interesting to look at as they read.
   
   
   I would recommend this book to reader ages 8-11. The books tells just enough about the Wright Brothers without overwhelming the reader with details. It would make a great book to read during a unit on flight.



2. My son loves to read, but has recently gotten into the "comic book" stage. This book satisfies his desire for reading comic books, without the cartoonish characters that I detest. And to top it off - it's educational!

   It tells just enough about the Wright brothers without overwhelming the reader with details. A great book, with wonderful illustrations at a fantastic price.

   I purchased this book for my son from the Smithsonian Air and Space Musuem and he really loves it. A+ book! (I'm currently looking for other historical books of this nature!)