5 comments about Coroner's Journal: Forensics and the Art of Stalking Death.

1. I love reading about how mds and police officials try to determine time of death, manner of death, etc. This book was hard to put down, and i looked forward to come home from work to get back into it.



2. This book is, for the most part, as deep as a conversation - like what you'd hear over dinner or having a beer - more than it is a real examination of the coroner's role and duties.
   
   Don't get me wrong, this is a really nice first effort, but I come away feeling like I have not learned much about Dr. Cataldie or his office.
   
   We learn that he takes his work seriously, it's a tough job and you can't let it get to you.
   
   Don't get me wrong, I personally know people with similar positions, and it is a tough, demanding job that takes a toll most people will never realize. I wish everyone could understand the sacrifices Dr. Cataldie and others like him make each and ever day.
   
   However, I do a little professional writing myself, and the most important lesson: Show, don't tell. Take us with you, don't just describe the trip. You got real close, particularly in the Conclusion chapter when he talks about some of the regular people who have needed his professional services. I'd like to hear more about them.
   
   So for that Katrina book I hope you're working on, dig deep, buddy. I know you can do it.



3. This was an excellent forensic case book. Not only do you get excellent cases but you also get the author's down to earth personality, concern for life and true emotions. If you enjoy forensic novels and case books - This is a definite must read!!



4. I was totally involved with reading this book. I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.
   Very in depth, very well written, really does show the steps a coroner goes thru in a death and crime situation.
   I felt as if I were on the investigating team. It really is a very good book, including much about the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans area.



5. This is book that is hard to put down. Cataldie takes you with him to crime scenes. He is a very detailed writer. I would love to find more books like this.

1 comments about Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age.

1. Discount the "genius" factor, the elder brother, Wilbur Wright, argued. It was an aggregation of peculiar circumstances that led the two brothers to succeed where many predecessors had failed. The author describes those peculiar circumstances in lengthy details that could be summed up as follows:
   
   1- The religious, rigid, uncompromising father of two sons and a daughter had passed to them his character of steadfastness and distrust in the world around them. That isolated them from others. Their introversion contributed to their dedication to hard work. Hard work led to learning of new skills. Their introverted sister stayed unmarried until 52. Her income and strong dedication to her family supported the odd and bizarre experimentation of her two brothers. The feud of their father with the church led them to move and the two brothers failed to graduate from high school. Thus, they faced more hard work and despair.
   
   2- Starting a new business in printing local newspapers helped them in two ways. They followed the scientific progress of previous flight efforts by the German and French and mastered new mechanical skills on how to make machines work. A friend of the Wrights sneaks under a printer to figure out how it does the printing despite its mute existence, to no avail. The Wrights entrusted machines to do impossible tasks that defy common sense.
   
   3- Their failure in the printing business got them into the bicycle business. Here, they refined their mechanical skill further but learned a pivotal key to their future success. That is: control. Bicycles are the most complex machines that man has invented since they depend on the instinct of brain control in order to maintain equilibrium (balance). That control factor will give birth to the new age of flight.
   
   4- Their literary knowledge gained from printing, mechanical craftsmanship gained from designing bicycles and fixing printers, had coincided with the role of the Smithsonian Institute and a childhood's toy of a helicopter brought to them by their father. The death of a famous German glider few years earlier induced them to approach the Smithsonian Institute for information on flight machines.
   
   5- Living in rural Ohio in 1900 afforded them the space and time to aspire for a new dream to fame and wealth. The vast landscape and observation of nature sustained their curiosity and hope for attaining fame. They rose above their neighbors with their noisy and huge boxy flight machines, while their father had failed to rise above his adversaries in the local church.
   
   6- What set them different from others was the common sense of lay persons. The three dominant steps for attempting flying at those days were: obtaining power for propulsion using heavy steam engines, starting with small models of manned machines, and gliding. The Wright's common sense of mastering "control" first of all stemmed from their bicycle experience.
   
   7- They started with unmanned kites, worked on their aeronautic control and equilibrium when airborne, then manned the controllable glider, and finally added power to it. Progressively, they pushed for distance, airborne time, and altitude, until gained confidence in their ability to control take off, balance, and landing. Their contribution to the flight is founded on their demonstration that control of an airborne, heavier than air flying machine was within reach. (Haven't birds mastered that principle for millenniums?)
   
   8- In 1908, they were transformed from destitute common people into world figures welcomed by the monarchs of Italy, Britain, Spain, and Germany. In a photograph prior to flying over the Governor's Island in New York, Wilbur looked miserably depressed while three New York Policemen watched him gambling with his life. He realized the perils of being alone in a new age. With a suit, tie, and soft hat, approaching the age of 40, conquering the air alone with no substantial gain, frightened the elder brother. Yet, he died from typhoid fever shortly afterwards. He always felt that success and happiness had passed him by since his early years. In a Carnival to honor their achievement, Wilbur felt being used for advertisement gimmicks for the city. His depression stood in his way to rejoice his historic accomplishment.
   
   9- Their rigid upbringing, though aided them battle the painstaking experimentation with aeronautics; it hampered their ability to excel in the world of businessmen. Their patent did not offer them secure, affluent living and the fast pace technology had surpassed them sooner than they expected. They were born to serve the history and the only reward they got was honor. They lived and died in their father's home, unmarried to the end.
   
   
   Mohamed F. El-Hewie
   Author of
   Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training

3 comments about The Computer-My Life.

1. This book and its author are just amazing. Konrad Zuse is definitly a unique character and so is his story of the invention of the FIRST computer during World War II in Berlin.



2. An excellent source of information for those who mistakenly thought that ENIAC was the first general purpose computer.



3. Zuse explains how and why he build the world's first computer. Easy to understand, but not belittling. This book is essential for anyone interested in the history of CS.

No comments about Gehennical Fire: The Lives of George Starkey, an American Alchemist in the Scientific Revolution.

No comments about Global Oil Finder: Autobiography of a Petroleum Geologist.

5 comments about Darwin: 9A Life in Science.

1. 
   Darwin: A Life in Science covers the main details of Darwin's life as well as the background and content of his discoveries, with chapters generally alternating between the personal and the scientific. It avoids the main pitfalls of other Darwin biographies that neglect scientific detail, bog the reader down in historical minutiae, or engage in endless psychologizing in a search for feet of clay.



2. The White-Gribbin team gives a superior overview of Charles Darwin's life and work. Their focus on Darwin's scientific achievements avoids slipping into the floundering depths of "cultural artefact" or psychological probings offered by some modern students. The pair's straightforward account makes this book a fine initial starting point for those needing an introduction to Darwin's thinking and accomplishments. As they point out firmly, there's much more to the great naturalist's work than simply "The Origin of Species". They trace the fundamental ideas Darwin conceived in generating his various works, showing how some were related to Origin's thesis while others remained a naturalist's observations. In particular, Darwin's long effort to understand the strange lifestyles of barnacles was the vehicle establishing his validity as a zoologist. That status allowed him to express views on the more general workings of nature. He was thus able to produce Origin from an accredited position.

   White and Gribben assert that Darwin was but one of several scientists attempting to explain evolution's mechanism. Albert Russell Wallace is, of course, the best known as the co-discoverer of natural selection. Publisher Robert Chambers floated an anonymous proposal in 1844, to almost universal condemnation. That book has been held as the greatest inhibitor to Darwin's publishing his thesis. Yet, according to White and Gribbin, Darwin did publish his concept, scattered through a larger text and almost completely camouflaged.

   After building the framework leading to Origin, the authors go on to present accounts of the debates following its publication. There are good sketches of Darwin's defenders, Huxley and Hooker, as well as his opponents, Owen, Mivart and Sedgewick. Darwin's problem of inheritance, which plagued him throughout the remainder of his life, is given skillfully. That he [nor anyone else] had any inkling of Mendelian genetics didn't deter him from offering a scientific proposal based on then current knowledge. The "great barrier" to universal acceptance of evolution remained, as it does among some today, was its application to humans. Even his "co-founder" of natural selection, Albert Russell Wallace demurred at applying the idea to humans. The issue was the human brain and the means of its expression, language. The authors touch lightly on this subject, as did Darwin. In the concluding chapters, however, White and Gribbin pay tribute to today's science of sociobiology in providing many answers to this seeming conundrum.

   While not an "in-depth" study of Darwin, this work stands as a testimony to his originality and persistence. The authors make good use of available sources, both primary and secondary. They examine the opposition to evolution today, strenuously recommending Jonathon Weiner's "The Beak of the Finch" as a fitting explanation of how evolution works. They rightly feel it is an important support of Darwin's idea. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]




3. I bought this book at Bethany Beach, Delaware for a summer read-- and enjoyed it as a biography first-- with historical perspectives of the science. I will leave it around for my daughter as she enters high school-- a perfect introduction to Darwin and the scientific method of observation.



4. I bought a copy of this book at the Natural History Museum in London last week, and did indeed read it on the plane back to Seattle. While I did notice some discussions repeated in more than one chapter, I actually found these brief repetitions helpful, as they saved me from leafing back to review material that hadn't sunk in the first time.

   I had been looking for a light, quick introduction to Darwin's obstacle-laden pursuit of verifiable truth to give my son as he tackles "On the Origin of Species" in college this year, and I found it in this book. It's not a substitute for reading Darwin's own best works (which are the 1845 edition of "The Voyage of the Beagle" and the first edition [1859] of "Origin"), of course, but that's okay, because that's not its purpose.




5. This is a well written book, but it is somehow disappointing. For the begginers in the study of Darwin, if you don't care about the constant repetitions in this book.

No comments about Legends: Pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry.

1 comments about Women Scientists in America: Struggles and Strategies to 1940.

1. Margaret Rossiter's work clearly outlines the rise in 19th century America of the notion that girls and women ought to be educated, and deftly constructs a gripping read about how this relatively new notion translated itself into women finally attaining access to higher education. She goes in-depth in examining each successive generation, from the 1840s onwards, in showing how, once one generation of women attained a certain level of education in the sciences, they sought to give the same and more opportunities to the next set of young women. Rossiter also clearly delineates part of what is probably at the origin of women's pay imbalance today: once so many women attained higher degrees, there was nowhere else for them to go, including the women's colleges where jobs were scarce. They therefore accepted much lower-paying jobs as "scientists' assistants" in the astronomy, botany, or other laboratory simply to utilize the knowledge they had gained. Rossiter's work gives insights into the hard-won educational rights we now take for granted, but illuminates some situations that have persisted into the present day. My only criticism of the work is that she mentions so many names of women becoming scientists, particularly in the 1880s and 1890s, that it became a bit confusing to keep them all straight. While she has charts showing how many women were attaining degrees at various women's, and finally coed, institutions, it would have been helpful to have a "genealogy" of all of these scientists. All in all one of the most interesting books I have read in months.

5 comments about 21: Bringing Down the House - Movie Tie-In: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions.

1. Pros: Great book about MIT students who use their brains for more than science, but to take advantage of inefficient markets. Well written, fast paced and exciting.
   
   Cons: None
   
   Summary: Fast read about a real story that's exciting and fun.
   
   Overall: 9/10



2. In Bringing Down The House, Ben Mezrich tells the true story of a group of MIT students who count cards in blackjack. The story focuses on Kevin Lewis, and how he came to be an expert card counter. At no time is this story dull or boring. It will keep you into it until the very end. The story itself is unbelievable, which makes the book even more amazing. Mezrich does a great job of describing the thoughts and actions that each student took during the book. He also does a good job on showing each character's growth and development during the book. Kevin starts off the story as a shy Asian kid who is not happy with his job at the lab. Once his friends Martinez and Fisher show him the amazing world of counting cards, Kevins life turns completely different. The Las Vegas highlife and huge amounts of money turn Kevin into a completely different person. His change during the book is smooth and very believable. This is the kind of book that you will pick up and wont be able to put down. It's an easy and a very fun read. It will show you a different side of Vegas and a different side of Blackjack. Mezrich shows how difficult card counting really is and how much hard work it is to master it. Kevin and his team went out nearly every weekend to Vegas to count cards. Their lives in Las Vegas completely overshadowed their lives at home. Not only did the team spend almost every weekend in Las Vegas, but they had to keep their double lives secret from all their family and close friends. The team counted for over a year. Spending that much time together, there must be some problems they encounter. If you read this book I can guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.



3. Looks like Ben Mezrich can join the ranks of James Frey, Dave Pelzer and Kathy O'Beirne, who write fiction but call it non-fiction. After reading this book I decided to do some online research. Didn't take long to find this comment in Wikipedia "In 2008, Boston magazine and The Boston Globe investigated the accuracy of Mezrich's non-fiction, identifying occasions in his blackjack books where scenes were invented out of whole cloth." Very disappointing to discover another best seller that is so fabricated yet purports to be telling the truth.



4. Not sure what to say. There might be a kernel of truth to what happened, but it certainly didn't happen as described in this tripe. Anyone who falls for this sure is naive.



5. I didn't understand why the book said the F word so many times. I know that it is based in Vegas, but I just don't think that it was necessary and got very annoying towards the end. It also makes me hesitate to recommend this book because I don't want to offend anyone and them thinking that I didn't mind the crude language.
   
   After I read the book I looked up the story on the Internet about what happened with these MIT guys and I was annoyed to find that most of the stuff that was in the novel was untrue or exageratted. I just wish he wouldn't of made up some of the stuff in the book. I am sure it would of still been interesting if he told the truth of what the students did.

5 comments about The Bride of Science: Romance, Reason, and Byron's Daughter.

1. I bailed out of this about a third of the way through, having gotten extremely frustrated waiting for the author to discuss Ada Lovelace. She never was as vividly portrayed as her parents; I have learned more about her from snippets in books about Victorian intellectual life. Even when she is on stage, it is as the puppet of her domineering mother - the incidents are at least as much about Lady Byron as about Ada. I suggest that my review title would be a more accurate description of the contents. Or perhaps, the Martyrdom of Lord Byron at the Hands of His Demented Wife.
   
   It appears that the author's real interest is Lord Byron, who appears in what is supposedly a biography of his daughter more than can be justified, since he had virtually no involvement in her life after the shipwreck of his marriage. I am somewhat skeptical about how good a father Byron would have been in any case - writing touching lines about the loss of one's child is a far cry from the actual inconveniences of being a parent. This really isn't the point. Byron must have haunted Ada's life: he was famous, and Woolley would have it that cleansing his daughter of any similarities was the obsession of Lady Byron's life. But this wasn't the flesh-and-blood Byron, but society's and Lady Byron's view of him. Woolley rambles on about his doings that were probably irrelevant to Ada. Meanwhile, she is a dimly glimpsed cipher.
   
   Despite the one star, this might be an interesting book for someone who wants to read about Byron and his marriage, particularly a reader who isn't expecting something else.
   
   It's a pity that the Byrons' marriage was such a disaster, but really, I picked this up to learn about Ada Lovelace, not how vicious unhappy marriages can get. For that purpose, an article would have sufficed.



2. As a historian of science and technology, and also a person very interested in computer science and fascinated by poetry as well, this book looked like a full 5 stars at first. Like some of the other reviewers, I felt swamped by the details of Ada's emotional life; yet, there are flashes of brilliance where the author makes a clear connection between her social position, her interior life as we can best judge it, and her pursuits. I wonder if there would have been a better way to organize the book; as it stands now, the book is almost purely narrative (with some asides and flashbacks), and appears to be aimed at the popular reader with a seasoning of technical information to goad the more serious critic into reading on. On the positive side, I was pleased to read a clarification of Ada's role in the Babbage Difference Engine's precocious presentation. And at times, the story was fascinating. Other times, it was just plain soggy.



3. Ada Lovelace had a rich intellectual life.

   As a huge disservice to her, this book is one extended gossip column of speculation and opinion about her personal life and that of her parents. In contrast, only a few pages are devoted to the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine.

   At first I thought the author was gossiping about her parents as what he considered a necessary background to understanding Ada, so I kept reading, hoping to get to the substance of the book soon-- but the gossip never stopped, right through the description of her death.

   If you too have a rich intellectual life, you will enjoy this book as much as you enjoy reading gossip about celebrities in the National Enquirer.




4. Every computer programmer knows (or should) that Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer, honored with the name of the DoD's official programming language. What I didn't know was that she was the daughter of Byron, the poet.

   Her parents were a very strange match, actually: Byron the flamboyant Romantic poet and Annabella Millbanke, a coldly rational woman he dubbed "the Princess of Parallelograms." Their relationship was a brief one, followed by a bitter estrangement, but it produced a daughter, Ada.

   Ada was raised exclusively by her mother, seemingly more as a science project - a demonstration of rational childraising principles - than as anything involving parental affection. Not surprisingly, she grew up to be a brilliant woman prone to nervous disorders which, when combined with attempts at treatment, led to a short life, with her dying at 37.

   The focus of this book is set by the dichotomy between science and poetry exemplified by Byron and Annabella. The time period is one of extraordinary technical advancement, with the locomotive and the telegraph shrinking the world in a way that even our jet planes and satellite links can't compare. Some embraced this revolution, even some of the poets, while others rejected it.

   Those like me who came to this book looking for a detailed account of Ada and her association with Babbage and his Difference Engine will come away disappointed. It is indeed covered, and Woolley describes Ada's monograph on the principles of the Engine as being a hundred years ahead of its time. But after providing a copious lead-in (to such an extent that Annabella seems as much the subject as Ada), he quickly moves on to the latter part of her life.

   Still, this is an interesting book about a fascinating age and fascinating people.




5. We will forever wonder if Charles Babbage could have given the computer age a jump start of a century. His brilliant designs for intricate and complicated calculating machines included the never-built Analytical Engine, which would have had a memory and a processor like our electronic versions, and would have run on punched cards, programmable and flexible enough to vary its routine through the If-Then steps familiar to any programmer. It never got funded because others were not able to envision just how singularly useful the gadget could have been, but Babbage had one friend and interpreter who knew the potential of his creation, and who handed the world a prescient account of what this computer might be expected to do.

   Her name was Ada Lovelace, and although her ties to Babbage and his machine give her a connection to our century, she was a sensation in her own times by right of birth. As told in the exciting biography _The Bride of Science: Romance, Reason, and Byron's Daughter_ (McGraw-Hill) by Benjamin Woolley, everyone knew about Ada because she was the one child of Lord and Lady Byron. Their stormy marriage had endured only eleven months when Ada was born, and a month later, Lady Byron left him; he left for the continent, never to see his daughter again. Lady Byron was motivated ever after to vindicate herself against Byron, and she raised Ada to be a soldier in this cause; she tried to make sure that the child was raised on mathematics to suppress imagination and keep any elements of the Byronic temperament from breaking out.

   Raising Ada was thus a science experiment, one that didn't work. She remained curious about her father, and as she got older, she was convinced that she had genius from him and was impelled to express it. She couldn't do it through mathematics, as despite all the intense training, she wasn't a mathematician. But she was introduced to Babbage, and in 1840, set out to translate a paper he had presented on his Analytical Engine in Italy. She didn't just translate, but with Babbage's help, she made her own notes on the meaning of the computer and what it could and could not do, amazingly prescient for her time.

   Woolley has not only given a fine biography of a limited woman who happened to be at the center of events that presaged our future. He has given capsule biographies of Lord and Lady Byron, Babbage, and many others who were connected with her. Furthermore, he has given historic notes on phases that touched Ada's life, such as phrenology and mesmerism, which are extremely interesting and valuable, and his argument that the Analytical Engine could not catch on because the Victorian world was not ready for the computer is fascinating. Even feminists and cyberhistorians who want to make Ada something she wasn't (and there are many of these) should be thrilled with this portrait of what she really was.