Books
pharyngula | August 23, 2006
Chris Mooney is trying to kill me.
It's true. He sent me this book, The Republican War on Science(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll) (now available in a new paperback edition!), that he knew would send my blood pressure skyrocketing, give me apoplexy, and cause me to stroke out and die, gasping, clawing in futile spasms at the floor. Fortunately, I've been inoculating myself for the past few years by reading his weblog (now also in a new edition!), so I managed to survive, although there were a few chest-clutching moments and one or two life-flashing-past-my-eyes experiences, which will be handy if I…
clock | August 23, 2006One of the most gripping novels in the "Hot Zone" style I have ever read is "Rabies" (Besnilo) by Borislav Pekic.
The genetically engineered Rabies virus with a double protein envelope becomes extremely easy to transmit (biting is not neccessary any more) and spreads from one victim to another extremely fast. The virus gets turned loose at the London's Heathrow Airport.
Soon, the airport is closed and quarantined and the (thick long) novel tracks a number of characters stranded at the airport, from scientists trying to figure out what is happening, and physicians trying to help the victims,…
clock | August 23, 2006Not really a review of Greg Bear's "Darwin's Radio" and "Darwin's Children" but musing (practically SF itself) on the topic of these books (from April 20, 2005):
Did A Virus Make You Smart?
I've been reading science-fiction pretty much all my life. I usually go through "phases" when I hit on a particular author and read several books by the same person. Last year I was in my Greg Bear phase and I have read eight of his books. He is one of those writers who gets better with age: more recent his book, more I liked it.
His is also some of the hardest of hard sci-fi around. He must be a…
clock | August 23, 2006After hearing Lynn Ponton on the radio and subsequently writing this, I read her book and wrote a brief comment about it (originally on June 14, 2005):
I recently finished reading The Sex Lives of Teenagers by Lynn Ponton. This interview is probably the best introduction to the book.
As parent of soon-to-be teens, I found the book useful to some extent. It is a series of case-studies - the kind of chatty book so often written by psychologists - a format that makes it easy to read, but leaves one deeply unsatisfied.
My interest is in sexuality of American society and how it affects politics…
clock | August 23, 2006June 07, 2005 and another one of those....had to change all my answers so they differ from the previous one!
I got tagged by Revere to do the Book Meme. I did the Other Book Meme recently, which is similar, so this time around I have to make it different - all different titles to double your pleasure.
Number Of Books I Own: Last time I was able to estimate the number of books was almost four years ago. They were neatly arranged: fiction by alphabetic order of the author in one room, non-fiction by topic in another room, sci-fi in alphabetical order in our bedroom, kids books in their rooms,…
clock | August 22, 2006From January 30, 2006, a look at the "new" genre and the hype around it...
Lab Lit is all the buzz these days. Nature magazine had a recent article on it. Blogosphere is abuzz - see Hedwig's take on it.
SEED magazine has a contest. This is what they are looking for - it explains what they think Lab Lit is:
We are not looking for traditional Sci-Fi--we are looking for fiction that reflects the significant role science plays in our culture; fiction that uncovers the rich narratives in science; and fiction wherein scientists are fallible and human. We are looking for Science-In-Fiction,…
clock | August 22, 2006What is your list of essential science-fiction books? I composed mine back on December 27, 2005 and I still agree with myself on it. Click on the spider-clock icon to see the comments on the original post.
A couple of months ago, Brandon (of Siris) wrote a post in which he listed twenty must-read science fiction novels. Please read the comments where many people add their own suggestions. I am not exactly sure what the criterion was - the best ever, Brandon's personal favourites, or something else - but ever since, I wanted to write a similar post. Not that I disagree much with his…
clock | August 22, 2006This review of Howard Gardner's "Changing Minds" I wrote on July 4, 2004 on www.jregrassroots.org and re-posted it on Science And Politics on August 25, 2004, so the political implications are quite outdated....
Book Review: Howard Gardner Changing Minds
Yesterday I finished Howard Gardner's "Changing Minds". Gardner is a cognitive psychologist, famous for his theory of multiple intelligencies ("eight and a half" kinds, so far). In this book he applies his theory to the question of changing minds, including changing one's own mind, minds of one or two closest friends/family/lovers, as well as…
clock | August 22, 2006This review was first written on April 14, 2005...
The final verdict has come from the shop: my computer is definitively dead, fried, kaputt. I will be scrambling for a replacament over the next week or so, but until then I cannot read 90% of the blogs (including my own), and while the car is in the shop (blew a gasket!!!) I cannot go to a decent computer either. That's a shame, as I cannot post links to good blog posts, read carnivals, or continue my series of Friday Good Blog Recommendations. I recommended Lance Mannion, Apophenia and David Brin's Blog so far, and intend to continue as…
clock | August 22, 2006This was the first of several book-related memes I did, back on April 05, 2005. Follow the responses of people I tagged as well. And if you have not done this version yet, and you like the questions, then feel tagged and post your answers on your blog...
I was afraid this was going to happen. I tried to hide. But, of course, there is no hiding on the blogs, and it was bound to happen sooner or later. The dreaded "That Book Meme" has been passed on to me, by Eric Gordy ofEast Ethnia. So, here are my answers:
You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?
When I first saw…
clock | August 22, 2006 OK, this is not a re-post of one old post, but three. The first one, from December 17, 2005, introduces Institutionalized. The second one, from January 20, 2006, adds some more info about the book. Finally, the third one, from May 17, 2006, gives a paragraph-long review of the book within a bigger question - what should a blogger do when faced with a stack of books sent kindly by authors and publishers for preview? What should one do if one does not like the book? Under the fold....
Institutionalized
Yesterday I received my pre-print copy of Institutionalized by Fred Smith and Joe…
clock | August 21, 2006Several ScienceBloggers are reviewing Coming To Life today (see reviews by Janet, Shelley, RPM, Nick and PZ Edit: Razib has also posted his take), each one of us from a different perspective and looking from a different angle, so go read them to get the full scoop.
PZ Myers reviewed the book a few weeks ago. Someting that struck me was that PZ said that the book :
"....assumes nothing more than that the reader is intelligent and curious. Seriously, you don't need a biology degree to read it!"
...while a reviewer, Edward F. Strasser (a math PhD whose hobby is reviewing books from this angle…
clock | August 21, 2006This is not a re-post. This is a brand new book review.
What do you get when a scientist writes fiction? You get a novel that appeals to scientists who like to read fiction.
I know I'll incur the wreath of English majors now, but I skip over the "boring parts". If I am in a mood for a great turn of phrase, I read poetry. In a novel, when I see that the next paragraph is a description, I jump over it.
No matter how wonderfully you describe Harvard Square, your lyrical description will leave me cold as well as frustrated at the slowing down of my reading pace. I've been to Harvard Square…
clock | August 21, 2006This is not a real review - I never got to writing it - but it is about a book I mention quite often in my blog posts and think is one of the most insightful about the conservative mindset. Written originally on October 21, 2004:
Whenever a big black SUV with a "W" bumper sticker passes me on I-40 going 90mph in the work zone, my first thought is: "What is this guy compensating for?"
While I argued strongly before that Nurturant Parent model is not feminine, and is only seens as such by people adhering to the Strict Father model to begin with, I have always felt that the childrearing process…
clock | August 21, 2006This list, written on December 17, 2005, is still quite up-to-date. There are also some more specialized books which are expensive, and many of those I'd like to have one day, but I cannot afford them (though I have placed a couple of them on my wish list, just in case I see a cheap copy come up for sale):
I know the holidays are coming in just a couple of days, but perhaps you still have time to order a book or two for your friends and family.
There are tons of books about sleep out there, mostly of suspect quality. Books about clocks tend to be either very old (thus out-dated) or far too…
clock | August 21, 2006 The review of the second chapter was written on September 06, 2005:
I have commented on Tomasello's Chapter 1 earlier. Second chapter is much longer and somewhat disjointed, but I would like to write some of my own first impressions now (also long and disjointed), before I read what other members of the reading group have written. As usual, I will make the post contrarian and critical, in the good tradition of blog-writing, but that does not mean I dismiss Tomasello's hypothesis altogether or do not look forward to reading the rest of the book. Read reviews by other group members for other…
clock | August 21, 2006 The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition by Michael Tomasello was the first book (and still the only one so far) we were reading in the newly minted CogBlogGroup, a group of bloggers reading stuff about cognitive science. You can download the whole book in PDF or the first chapter only in html. This was the first of two parts (I never finished the book nor rerview!), originally posted on August 20, 2005:
Chris of Mixing Memory has written an introductory post providing a broader context and background. Some of the participants have already posted their commentaries on the First Chapter,…
clock | August 21, 2006Continuing with the five-day plan method of blogging, leaving the All Clocks All the Time behind us, we are starting the third week with a theme - Books Around The Clock.
Over the next five days, you will see both reposts (mostly in AM) and new posts (mostly in PM) about books. There will be straightforward book reviews. There will be NYRB-style reviews in which the book is just an excuse for me to go off on a rant. There will be Book Memes. There will be lists of books on various topics I recommend. And anything else you may recommend in comments or by e-mail.
Before we start, you may…
scientificactivist | August 21, 2006Coming to Life: How Genes Drive Development
by Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Kales Press: 2006. 176 pages.Buy now! (Amazon)
If you examine yourself in the mirror, take a closer look at your favorite pet, or even contemplate that pesky fly that just won't leave you alone, it's difficult to not come away with a starry-eyed appreciation for life. With their overwhelming complexity and astonishing consistency, but seemingly endless diversity, these everyday animals are almost enough to make you believe in God. And, I don't just mean some vague modern spiritual presence. No, I'm talking about…
clock | August 18, 2006Well, the first five-day plan, all-politics blogging, kinda happened all on Echidne of the Snakes where one post got 120+ comments (mostly nasty) while the same post here got 5 nice comments. So, you pretty much missed out on all the fun if you just came here.
The second five-day plan, all about clocks is now officially over. I could not resist, of course, jumping in with short posts on other topics every now and then, which was probably refreshing for those not too heavily into nitty-gritty chronobiology.
So, tell me, do you like 5-day plans or not? And if so, what should be the next week…