by Andy Weir 'I think my job is to solve the Petrova problem . . . . in a small lab, wearing a bedsheet toga, with no idea who I am, and no help other than a mindless computer and two mummified roommates.' In Project Hail Mary, Dr Ryland Grace is a thirty-something high school …
Category: Life and the Universe
In Black and White
The Joys of the Grand Piano [Perfection of Art and Science] by Andrew G. Lockhart I have two confessions to make: I love pianos, most pianos; I hate digital keyboards. When mankind has spent three centuries designing and building a product that is, at once, delightful to look at, a joy to play and …
And the Lesson for Today is ….
‘The bitter truth is that the world has simply become too complicated for our hunter-gatherer brains.’ 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari Disillusionment; Work; Liberty; Equality; Community; Civilisation; Nationalism; Religion; Immigration; Terrorism; War; Humility; God; Secularism; Ignorance; Justice; Post-Truth; Science Fiction; Education; Meaning; Meditation: What meaning do the words in this …
One Planet – One Human Race
Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking ‘When we see the earth from space, we see ourselves as a whole …. with a compelling message; one planet, one human race.’ Stephen Hawking’s final book, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, makes a few optimistic predictions. It also hands out some chilling warnings. …
Only Too Brief
A Tribute to Stephen Hawking What is time? If the Universe began with a big bang, what happened before? Was there a before? What are black holes, and why aren't they really black? These are some of the questions that Professor Stephen Hawking addressed during his lifetime, questions that are profoundly philosophical as well as …
Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 'We have the dubious distinction of being the deadliest species in the annals of biology.' Around two-and-a-half million years ago in the course of evolutionary history, something remarkable happened, something with stupendous consequences for this planet on which we all live. A quite unremarkable ape-like creature …
Blogger Recognition Award
As I mentioned in my last post, Anastasia at Read and Survive nominated me for this accolade, so my thanks once again to her for the mention. How I Started I was always hearing: 'You're a writer, so you have to put yourself out there in social media. Get on Facebook, Twitter and so on. …
Versatile Blogger Award
Thank you, Anne at Inked Brownies for nominating me for this award! Well, I think it's a thank you because I'm not exactly sure what to do with it. It seems there are rules and, frankly, I'm not very fond of rules as they often just get in the way of living. The Versatile Blogger …
The Perfect Storm
by Sebastian Junger 'People often get premonitions when they do jobs that could get them killed, and in commercial fishing ... people get premonitions all the time.' If you're the sort of person who dislikes a bit of water, this is not the book for you. Even if you're a seasoned cruise addict or a …
Dreaming the Impossible
‘If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales’ [attributed to Albert Einstein] We live in a universe of wonders and possibilities. The ancients looked up into the night sky and saw bright lights formed into the shapes of …
Bookheathen Scribblings 