No comments about The Legacy of J.C. Kapteyn: Studies on Kapteyn and the Development of Modern Astronomy (Astrophysics and Space Science Library).

5 comments about A Room For The Summer: Adventure, Misadventure, And Seduction In The Mines Of The Coeur D'Alene.

1. I was attracted to this book, first by the striking painting on the cover, then by what was inside it. In fact, although I had other things to do I stayed up most of the night reading and finished it the following day. The miners and their families described by Mr. Wolff creates in essence what Garrison Keeler called his "storm family". People in a real mining camp that took the greenhorn from Seattle under their wing and taught him the ropes about hardrock mining, and a lot of other stuff an 18 year old kid needs to know. He uses nouns and verbs in a straight arrow kind of prose that is sparse, but entertaining. It's a people kind of book, and places some unforgettable characters on the map of western history. I hope the author tackles another yarn.



2. I lived for 15 years in the Silver Valley. My husband worked for both the Sunshine Mine and Bunker Hill Mine. His father worked and retired from the Sunshine. Our family enjoyed many years of living in this mining community, enjoying the natural beauty of the Coeurd'Alene river and camping, fishing and hunting in the area. Fritz Wolff's account of his life in that area and his memories of the mining community/industry were a pleasure to read. He wrote of places and people and things familiar to myself and members of my family. I hope many will want to read this book just because it's an interesting read.



3. I have only one complaint about this book. It says that the hardrock mining industry is all but forgotten. Someone apparently forgot to tell my neighbors who on most days put on their hard hats with headlamps and go down a half mile or so to carve gold ore out of the mountain.
   
   No, the world out here (Nevada) isn't quite like that pictured in the book. Then again, it's closer to the book than is life in most cities. He visits Carol who provides him with a "commercial embrace," for $15 for a half hour. I understand (I've of course no personal experience) that the rate is now $200 for a half hour.
   
   Other details have changed, but the people are much as he describes, good people, the salt of the earth. An excellent tale of times past when we were all a lot younger.



4. There have been attempts over the past 3 decades to humanize the mining business. Fritz's tale, seen through the eyes of a college kid 60 years later, is one of the finest. I know or knew several of the people he describes in his narrative; they'll vouch for his authenticity. Thank-you, Fritz. You have ennobled my friends.



5. This is a story that doesn't fit into any typical genre. Its a story about life with a personal memoir and some rich history as the back drop. The author writes in a style that is fresh and engaging. He uses vocabulary and dialogue that, unfortunately, no one encounters any more. This a rich story and a must read.

3 comments about Paperboy: Confessions of a Future Engineer.

1. This is a great compilation of memories for anyone who grew up in Cambria Heights in the 1950s/1960s. From the stores on Linden Boulevard to the nuns at Sacred Heart School, to the kids in the neighborhood it will bring back memories of a time and place once enjoyed and long forgotten.



2. Not only an interesting recalling the 50's, but full of thought provoking insights. They creep in on the story and all of a sudden you realize you have read something deeper than throwing a paper across a lawn.



3. "Paperboy", by Henry Petroski is another one of his intelligent, friendly, winning books.Petroski, of "The Pencil", and "The Evolution of Useful Things,"wrote about his family's move from the city to the suburbs in the 1950s.However, there's more- how he had difficulty finding a place in a school that would provide him with the challenge and stimulation he needed, the comfort of family, the joy of friendship, and the challenges of the physical world.Petroski is one of the great scientist=writers, like Lewis Thomas, Primo Levi, and Stephen Jay Gould. However, Petroski is a mapper of the world of bridges, buildings, and the one who ddeply notices pencils, paperclips. and how to fold a newspaper.This is a good book, and would be a great book for many men- Father's day, birthdays, high school graduations--And, a great gift for women, too

No comments about Song of the Rolling Earth: A Highland Odyssey.

No comments about Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

No comments about Ornithology, Evolution, and Philosophy: The Life and Science of Ernst Mayr 1904-2005.

4 comments about Acid Tongues and Tranquil Dreamers: Tales of Bitter Rivalry That Fueled the Advancement of Science and Technology.

1. White promotes an eight-round match of leading contenders to explain one of the ways science and technology produce champions. Each match in this series explains how rivalries among scientists developed and what long-term effects the conflicts had for science and for the rest of us. Some of these issues remain almost solely personality clashes, such as the priority question over calculus between Newton and Leibnitz. Others, the choice of AC over DC for electrical power distribution and which nation would be the first to build a nuclear bomb, are meaningful to us all. Offering brief descriptions of the issues and personalities, each of the essays is a good synopsis of the science. The personality sketches are given with a strong emphasis on the contender's childhood where it can be derived. Although the relevance of the childhood foundations seems contrived in most cases, the information provides a "human" background of people who often seem remote from us.

   The topics and personalities are so disparate that a general assessment is difficult, if not impossible for this work. To his credit, White has focussed on fundamental questions and not been distracted by side issues. He is at pains to be "fair", avoiding judgmental approaches and emphasising long-term impact of the conflict's resolution. If the personality involved is too obtuse, stubborn or devious to withstand White's scrutiny, he makes it clear that the problem lies with that individual. However, as he admits, he's not the only one doing the judging. Aristotle's views of nature inexplicably dominated Western European thinking for two millennia because his proposed "four basic elements" could be merged with nearly any philosophy. Only reason backed by empirical evidence would overcome this long tradition.
   
   The variety of topics forces some selectivity in evaluating White's effort, but one essay may be exemplary. In describing the Monkeys and Men debate as a clash between Charles Darwin and Robert Owen, White stumbles badly. There was little "rivalry" in this so-called debate, since Owen simply flatly refused to accept species "transmutation". Since this concept was held by many educated people, Owen was already out of his time. White notes Owen's strategy of remaining anonymous, but doesn't criticise it. Since that was Darwin's chief objection to Owen, this is an amazing omission. Darwin's real problem, natural selection applied to humanity, was the major stumbling block to universal acceptance to his concept. White deals with that issue only in passing, and that incorrectly [Darwin mentioned "man and his beginnings" but once in Origin, not White's "few"]. He lauds Owen as England's "leading biologist", a questionable claim at best. Yet in his description of the clashes between Owen and Huxley, he avoids their confrontation over the hippocampus in ape brains, in which Huxley demonstrated his superior research abilities in Owen's own field. In dealing with Darwin's community of supporters, White mis-names Joseph Hooker as "John Hooker", even in the Index. How a biographer of Darwin could make this gaffe remains an enigma. Why, when Daniel C. Dennett has published the finest analysis of Darwin's Idea, White turns to an obscure work on science ideas for a quote from this eminent scholar is almost a greater mystery.

   White's collection targets a few direct confrontations since the Enlightenment to show how important of science has become to us. The "current wars", "reaching for the moon" and "the race for the prize" which revealed how DNA is structured [not "discovered" as White puts it] have impacted how meaningful science is to us. Except for some terrible editorial sloppiness ["prevarication and "procrastination" are not synonyms] the book is a readable and important work in that regard. White demonstrates how clashes over how natural forces work doesn't invalidate science. Instead, it is the root of the scientific method - postulation, examination and refutation or acceptance. He shows well the struggle science must engage in to reveal nature's secrets. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]




2. If you're really into science 'Acid Tongues and Tranquil Dreamers' is a sufficient documentary of eight fairly substantial events in the history of science. If you're not a science aficionado then I imagine it could be a pretty tedious read. I like science very much and enjoyed the scientific theme but found author Michael White's (ex-member of the 80s synthesizer band 'Thompson Twins') writing style tepid and his thesis muddled. Aside from the author's style and thesis the eight essays, ranging from the development of calculus to the Microsoft corporation, stand on their own and, hence, possess a great deal of content. White's thesis that rivalry possibly promotes great endeavor is a tautology already implied in the essays. The mundane background given on the human subjects of these stories, although probably necessary, tends to bog down the pace of the book. As a chronicle of the development of science and technology in the western world I'd say this book is useful and worth the time spent reading it. It is written, however, with the zing of a middle school textbook. Reading it is a struggle between its richness of content and lack of literary acumen. Depending on how important these two elements are to the reader is likely a good indication of how much one would enjoy reading this book.



3. What a shame that spell-check can't distinguish among a and an, their and there, misplaced commas, and then and than. I found 47 such errors in this book, and find it apalling that a name publisher never had it actually "read" before printing. Shame on them. And the title? Bears no resemblance to the subject matter or treatment. White writes very well, when his ideas make it past a rudimentary grammar check. But the book seems to be a loose collection of magazine articles, with little overriding messages. Sure, we know science has rivalries, and that scientists can be prima donnas. Anything else new here? Not much. I'd pass on this one.



4. I have reviewed Acid Tongues in the Street Cred column of Wired Magazine (April 2001, p. 218); I won't repeat my whole review, since that is available in the magazine and at Wired's online site.

   I conclude that "Michael White delivers blow-by-blow accounts of the rivalries that underlay eight historical advancements, and he enriches each story with analysis, solid scientific explanation, and detailed biographies of each combatant." However, the whole never equals more than the sum of the parts. "White's principal assumption seems to be that rivalry fuels the advancement of science and technology." But he never proves the point. Edison's stubborn opposition to alternating current, for example, didn't really advance science so much as delay widespread recognition of the superior technology.

   "Acid Tongues' thesis begs for a comparison of competitive and noncompetitive research, but--contrary to the book's title--we encounter no 'tranquil dreamers.'" I also have other minor quibbles, but conclude that "although Acid Tongues may not deliver an overarching argument, it does prove one thing: It's fun to read about rivalries." - Edward Samuels, author of The Illustrated Story of Copyright

1 comments about No Time to be Brief: A Scientific Biography of Wolfgang Pauli.

1. Fans of modern physics are well acquainted with Pauli. A Nobel Laureate (1945), who is best remembered for the Pauli Exclusion Principle. Enz takes us through Pauli's life. Most notably the crucial years at the Gottingen school of quantum mechanics in the 1920s, where quantum mechanics was born.

   The book takes us into his research. But it also conveys some of the intellectual ferment and excitement of those times. And across the pages appear many other august notables in physics. Einstein, Born, Bohr...

   Enz also tries to give some insight into Pauli's personality and his dealings with his family.

   An enjoyable read.

5 comments about FitzRoy: The Remarkable Story of Darwin's Captain and the Invention of the Weather Forecast.

1. If not for anything else he did in his life, this man should be remembered for setting up the first weather forecasting service in England during the middle nineteenth century. That he was the Captain of the "Beagle" when Charles Darwin sailed on it as 'naturalist'; is not half as important as he was the one who set in motion the random currents that caused Darwin to be on the ship for its' full five year plus voyage.
   
   He was a remarkable man who because he was also humble and self-effacing never ended up getting the critical acclaim that his life's work demanded. His five year voyage on the "Beagle" resulted in the most detailed mapping of the South American continent from the Plate to Valpariso, and especially the area around Cape Horn and the Straits of Magellan. So detailed were his maps that they were used for over 100 years.
   
   During the voyage, he also determined all of the meridians and set-up their places on maps by which other sailors were able to determine their place anywhere on the earth at any time. Later, he devised a system by which ships could be signaled at sea that a major storm was brewing created the "gale warning" system. His work on meteorology was the first to use telegraphy to coordinate the capture of weather statistics so that information could be printed in newspapers the same day. He also devised the first two day weather forecasting, including the coining of the word 'forecast'.
   
   The story of his life and accomplishments is well written, and well documented, besides being entertainingly presented. Great Biography.



2. This work, by John and Mary Gribbin, combines a deep respect for Robert FitzRoy and his achievements with sound research. The end result is a book that is accessible to anyone with an interest in this complex and multi-faceted man.
   
   Described by Charles Darwin as being 'A very extraordinary person', Robert FitzRoy served Britain as a naval captain (most famously as Captain of HMS Beagle), as a Governor of New Zealand, and in the field of weather forecasting.
   
   While covering the voyages of HMS Beagle, this book provides information on FitzRoy's governorship of New Zealand as well as his achievements in weather forecasting. Along the way, we obtain glimpses of the struggle between a greater understanding of science and a deep innate religious conservatism. Robert FitzRoy tragically took his own life a few months before his 60th birthday.
   
   A fascinating book about a fascinating man.
   
   Highly recommended
   
   Jennifer Cameron-Smith



3. I got this book because I am playing Fitzroy in Timberlake Wertenbakers play After Darwin. It has a wealth of information on the good Captain and enabled me to find a pathway into his mind that would not have had otherwise. The combination of excepts from the Narrative, Sullivan and Usborne's journals, and the record of Darwin himself paint an honorable picture that Fitroy would have been happy with. The recounting of the loss of a ship to the Fuegians on the voage preceeding Darwin is particuary interesting.



4. The father of weather forecasts and explorer of South America. Robert FitzRoy will be remembered by me. This book tells us about a great British aristocrat who gave more than he took. I love Patrick O'Brian and this could have been his but it is real story about a real person. FitzRoy was a remarkable man who history has pushed back to the shadows and labeled Darwin's Captain. FitzRoy, whose family is descended from Charles II, becomes a beloved British Man-o-war Captain, explorer, politician and eventual Vice Admiral. Mr. Gribbin gives us a picture of one of the last explorers and scientific innovators who charts South America, tries to support native rights in New Zealand and gives the world weather forecasting, yet is forgotten. His end did not justify his life. He was an amazing man who deserved more. He was faithful to his family, his country and religion. A good man and a great read.



5. The figure of Fitzroy lurks in the background of the Darwin saga and it is actually quite refreshing to draw him out on this score, both because of the interest in his life and work on its own terms and also for the light it throws on Darwin's early explorations in biology. Fitzroy's achievements in weather forecasting are little known, and his contribution to Darwin's education no doubt proceeds indirectly from the context of disciplined and meticulous scientific work in the Beagle's prime mission.

1 comments about The Black Digital Elite: African American Leaders of the Information Revolution.

1. John T. Barber profiles "26 outstanding African American cyberelites." Black Digital Elite is divided into six parts, each of which addresses a different aspect of what he calls the Information Revolution.
   
   Part I: Scientists and Innovator, introduces four visionaries whose work with computers revolutionized the way we use computers and the internet. Part II: Policy Makers and Power Brokers presents eight forward thinkers who developed plans, policies and programs that made access to new technologies in computing and communication easier for African Americans. Part III: Educators and Professionals features three people in academia who have taught and encouraged African American students to pursue degrees and careers in high tech industries. Part IV: Cybercommunity Developers discusses three Information Technology (IT) professionals who have focused on digital access and computer literacy in the African American community. Part V: Masters of the World Wide Web examines four masters of the internet who have created web sites and web portals geared towards African Americans. Part VI: Chief Executive Officers, Entrepreneurs and Big Money Makers, profiles four leaders in Corporate America who are using their money and businesses to introduce and/or upgrade communication and computer technologies in the African American community and under-served communities around the world.
   
   This was a very informative read. I was unaware of the number of prominent African Americans who have been on the leading edge of the Information Revolution, inventors, educators, politicians, and business leaders who have worked tirelessly to bridge the digital gap that exists between the African American community and the rest of the world. As an IT professional, I am thrilled to learn of the accomplishments of my elders and contemporaries in the high tech arena. I encourage young people to use this book as both a reference book for writing about innovative elders and as a career planning manual.