Product Description
The longest, most in-depth conversations ever published with 14 scientists,thinkers and healers including best-selling authors James Redfield, DeepakChopra, Brian Weiss, Caroline Myss, and physicist Michio Kaku, as well asaward-winning former CNN correspondent and novelist Charles Jaco, NASA's JoAnnMorgan, and Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and director of the GandhiInstitute. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Tell your friends!
Loved this book! There's something here for everyone. I've been giving copies to friends as gifts. It's unusual to read such honest in-depth interviews with well known people.Unlike other works of this kind, this book is refreshingly direct, has no hype, and really gets to the bottom of some important and often controversial ideas without sounding preachy or defensive. In her conversation with physicist Michio Kaku, the author even manages to make advanced physics not only understandable but exciting, ironic, and amusing.

Like Being A Fly On The Wall
If you've ever wanted to have a conversation with someone whose work or ideas intrigued, then Voices of Truth is a great book for you. When you read it, you feel as though you are the one engrossed in the conversations. Journalist Nina Diamond asked 14 of our world's most intriguing people the same kinds of questions I would have asked had I been there. This book was the next best thing. She tackles very thought provoking issues and ideas often with humor and great wit that makes you feel each of her subjects--from James Redfield to Arun Ghandi-really opened up. Interesting and easy to read.

Easy to Come Back to...
One of the most reader-friendly attributes of Voices of Truth is that youcan read it - be entertained - and be informed while still having theability to PUT IT ASIDE before you've finish it cover to cover. Thewriter's collection of interviews is assembled in such a way that while ona recent business trip, I was able to read selected segments completelyfrom beginning to end- feel fulfilled - go on to other things and thencome back to the book - over and over until I had completed reading theentire colletion of interviews. The Q & A style of this book made itseem as though I was in the room with the author and the interviewees.Quite extraordinary! Kudos to the author for presenting such a grandcollection of impressive subjects!

Lively and fascinating conversations
Here is a collection of in-depth interviews with some of today's most visionary and progressive figures. From "the usual suspects" (Deepak Chopra, Carolyn Myss, et. al.) to folks like Arun Gandhi (grandsonof the Mahatma) and pioneering neuroscientist Deborah Mash, these lengthyinterviews provide a superb glimpse into the minds and thoughts of thesecontroversial "truth-speakers." Most charming of all is authorDiamond's down-to-earth, conversational, and at times genuinely humorousstyle. Don't miss her questioning Arun Gandhi about his grandfather'sloincloth! Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
In this endlessly engaging volume, biologist Lewis Wolpert lets readers sit in as he talks with 23 of the world's leading scientists. What is day-to-day life like for a scientist? How have they hit upon their most important discoveries? What is the nature of scientific creativity?

Here, in this stimulating series of conversations, such eminent scientists as Murray Gell-Man, Jared Diamond, Gerald Edelman, Richard Lewontin, Roald Hoffman, and Carlo Rubbia talk candidly about their backgrounds, their careers, the people who have influenced or inspired them, and their most significant findings. We learn, for instance, how being an outsider or an "innocent" can play an invaluable role in overcoming conventional barriers to a new understanding. Indeed, even being a little crazy seems to help. As Nobel laureate Sheldon Glashow says, "if you would simply take all the kookiest ideas of the early 1970s and put them together, you would have made for yourself the theory which is, in fact, the correct theory of nature."

These conversations brim with insights into the minds of some of the great men and women of modern science. They offer as well an illuminating glimpse into the nature of scientific discovery. ... Read more

Product Description
In this compelling life of Carl Sagan, award-winning science writer William Poundstone details the transformation of a bookish young astronomer obsessed with life on other worlds into science's first authentic media superstar. The instantly recognizable Sagan, a fixture on television and a bestselling author, offered the layperson entry into the mysteries of the cosmos and of science in general. To much of the scientific community, however, he was a pariah, a brazen publicity seeker who cared more about his image and his fortune than the advancement of science. Poundstone reveals the seldom-discussed aspects of Sagan's life, the legitimate and important work of his early scientific career, the almost obsessive capacity to take on endless projects, and the multiple marriages and fractured personal life, in what The New Yorker called an "evenhanded guide" to a great man's career.Amazon.com Review
Science writer William Poundstone (and biographer ofgame-theory guru Johnvon Neumann) begins this book of deftly strung anecdotes fromthe life of pop-science demigod Carl Sagan with the followinganecdote: four-year-old Carl, a Jewish kid growing up near the Jerseyshore, rides piggyback on his dad's shoulders into the 1939 World'sFair and the "World of Tomorrow." Surrounded by mocked-up"rocketports," GM's "Futurama," and the promise of outlandishtechnology to come, it's easy to imagine the impact on this little guywho was to become one of our century's most visionary and visiblescientists. A childhood friend tells Poundstone that "from an earlyage Carl was seized with the fabulous mission of searching for life onother worlds," a quest that would dominate his entire professionalcareer.

Poundstone recounts how this quest drove the immenselyintelligent, ambitious, and charismatic Sagan, from his discovery ofArthur C. Clarke to his predictable adolescent chemistry-set accidentsto his colorful academic career and professional work on theViking and Voyager missions, nuclear disarmament, theaward-winning Cosmos, and Robert Zemeckis' Contact. Whatrecommends this biography most, though, isn't its completeness but itsstyle: Poundstone has divided the 500-plus-page book into over 200easily digestible, addictive little sections, each an entertaining orilluminating (or, often, laugh-out-loud) anecdote from Sagan's life,with titles like "Pornography in Space," "Muskrats, Drunkards,Extraterrestrials," and "Sagan Versus Apple Computer." (The in-housename for the mid-range PowerMac 7100 was "Carl Sagan," the joke beingthat it would make Apple "billions and billions." But forced to changeit by Sagan, Apple switched to "BHA," later revealed to stand for"Butt-Head Astronomer"--Sagan sued for libel.) --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Good biography of one of the 20th century's most fascinating scientists
I knew Carl Sagan from Pale Blue Dot, Billions and Billions, and especially his wonderful Cosmos (truly, if there is one book everybody should read, Cosmos is it). The man that transpires from these books appeared to me as an wonderful example of what human beings should strive for, and I naturally picked up Poundstone's biography out of curiosity.

Poundstone covers Sagan's life adequately. He does not limit himself to that however, dedicating ample space to explaining the scientific context behind much of Sagan's work. He defends Sagan's positions well, but also presents the positions of some of Sagan's adversaries with apparent honesty.

The low point of this reading is the revelation that Sagan's personal life was not always exemplary. Living with a man as busy and allegedly full of ego as Sagan was a challenge. He married three times, finally finding the ideal partner in his relationship with Ann Druyan, who in particular appears to have made him a better family man.

Sagan's life is fascinating and shows admirable continuity. From his involvement with the question of whether there is life on Mars to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), he has remained largely devoted to the question of extraterrestrial life, a new field initially called exobiology.

Sagan's influence in the scientific world has been huge, if not as a traditional scientist, then as a man who seeded ideas. But his role as a popularizer of science has probably been even more important. In particular, his hit TV show from the 80s, Cosmos, has made his name famous to the point probably of being at some point the second-best known scientist in the 20th century (after Einstein, of course), at least in the US. Many have become scientists later in life after watching the show as kids.

Sagan knew how to teach, as his Cornell students can testify. He was able to inspire awe from the contemplation of the physical world. His always perfect (if a little snobbish-sounding) elocution, and his sometimes poetic stances, touch the mind and the heart.

Poundstone's biography confirms that Sagan was an extremely smart man, and a constant defender of reason. He never tired and always loved what he was doing. Through his books and teaching, he has sent the message that humans should not let their brains at the door. What Voltaire and Swift did with satire, Sagan did with science.

Sagan's untimely end in 1996 at age 62 is tragic, first on a personal level because he was in the end fully aware that his illness could take him, and second for the world at large, as he could have easily provided his insight and wisdom for another twenty years.

Potentially Good Subject Matter-Poor Writing
Mark Twain once said, "Anybody can have ideas--the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph." The quote couldn't be more apt than when examining this work. I initially started to read this book being interested in Carl Sagan the person and what he had to say. I came away feeling it was a tedious chore.

First off, the book is divided into short subsections that make for easy stopping points. The initial happenings start like most biographies do by tracing Sagan's roots starting from his Grandparents on down. It details his early childhood and precocious nature which was evident from the start. The story quickly moves on to his early commitment to be an astronomer even though this wasn't regarded highly at the time. Throughout the book Carl's marriages are also discussed in some detail. My major complaint with the book starts with all of the dreadful descriptions of every single scientific project Sagan worked on. Even after the reader gets the gist the writer continues to drone on and on about what I felt were insignificant details to the extent they were described. For example, Sagan was a big proponent of a nuclear winter theory. The idea being that nuclear war would adversely affect the climate by cooling it and possibly leading to the complete demise of life as we know it. Well, Poundstone elaborates on this for close to 100 pages. At one point I had to flip to the cover of the book to make sure I hadn't picked up a book about nuclear holocaust or annihilation. Poundstone also goes into monotonous detail over every one of the Viking, Voyager, Pioneer, and Seti projects that Sagan worked on. My question would be-is this all there was to Carl Sagan? Was his work more important than who he was as a person?

The writer's language also does not flow very well. He is far from eloquent. He seems bright enough but everything seems forced and tentative like he is trying to think of what to say and how to say it. Sometimes this leads to non sequitur types of passages.As I was reading I kept feeling like I was missing some punch line. Eventually, I realized I wasn't missing anything but it was simply the writer's inability to communicate.

One good thing I felt the writer did do was display Sagan's faults and shortcomings. We are led to see that he was often egotistical, dismissing of former close friends, and not always a very good father. His friend's opinions of him are also revealed in somewhat explicit detail. For these reasons I feel the book isn't a complete waste but overall I was left with a feeling of distaste for it.

Big on science, but not much of a biography
I've been a fan of Carl Sagan's popularization of science since the "Cosmos" days. I agree he wasn't the most brilliant scientist around, but he did more to make people interested in astronomy than any scientist of his generation and beyond.

This biography goes way too far into the scientific realm, but doesn't tell me much about Sagan as a man. As a student of astrophysics (a hobby, not a career for me), I found the science interesting, but it wasn't why I bought this book.

Good, fair read
You can add me to the list of people who was about 7 or so when I first saw Cosmos, and it was a major influence (along with 2 scientist parents of my own) to go into science (not astronomy). Carl Sagan, and the way he made science poetic, influenced me greatly.

I feel that an absolute must in a biography, is fairness. I neither want to read idolatry, nor a muckracking book. This book was fair in its depiction of Sagan: a brilliant scientist, who cared about the world, science, writing, and his own ego. I especially liked the sections on his work with NASA on the various Mars missions; where do we land, what experiments do we perform, and just what do the results mean, anyway?

There was enough information about his background and personal life to keep it interesting, but not so much that it bored me. I was unaware of his first marriage to Lynn Margulis; a famous scientist in her own right.

This biography moved very quickly; I always wanted to pick it back up again. Lastly, you do not need any type of science background to understand this book. It is a biography, not a science text at all.

Among the Stars
I was more influenced by his books then TV appearances on Cosmos, which was a great show.The book really made me smile and reminded me of what was great about the scientist and the man.As we all are, he was mortal and flawed and this book did not try to hide either.It's possible Sagan's final note to us all was his article at the end of the now defunct George magazine.In it, he looked foreward and encouraged us all to take better care of our planet and fellow inhabitants. ... Read more

Product Description
The first of four volumes in the landmark Lives and Legacies Oryx Press series, Scientists, Mathematicians, and Inventors profiles approximately 200 men and women who changed the world by leaving lasting legacies in their fields. It fills a gap in the biographical reference shelf by offering far more than basic facts about a scientist's life and work--each entry describes not only the immediate effects of the individual's discoveries, but their impact on later scientific findings as well. Each entry contains a timeline listing important dates in the biographee's life as well as a bibliography of the most important works on the subject. A master timeline chronicling major events in scientific exploration and an annotated general bibliography are also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent
One of the best and most concise books detailing scientists and engineers that have changed the world.If you have a friend or relative that is into science, buy them this book. ... Read more

Product Description
PRAISE FOR The Casebook of Forensic Detection
"Pithy, concise, and remarkably accurate."
-Science Books & Films
"Contains ample material to hold the attention and foster interest in science."
-Science Teacher
"A mystery novelist's essential resource guide."
-Book News, Inc.
"Even the most dedicated devotee of the genre will find much that is new in these brief but exciting accounts."
-Publishers Weekly ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Each case is about 2 pages long. . They're succinct but not interesting.
There are more than 129 cases in this book. Each case is about 2 pages long. . They're succinct but not interesting. There are only a handful of photos.

Very informative
Good information and shared experience for some one that is studying for becoming a forensic investigator in the near future.

The detectors are far less interesting than the detected
Encyclopedia of crime scene forensic fetes and forensic scientists.As the second in a series (following A Question of Evidence: The Casebook of Great Forensic Controversies, from Napoleon to O.J.), many of the cases are lesser known, but no less fascinating for the detective work involved in solving them.

Also included are capsule definitions of forensic terms and biographies of famous forensic scientists.And what does it say about the book or the reader thatthe detectors are far less interesting than the detected?

Murder Two
A great book with many stories, as well as explinations of meanings and how they work (blood spatter.)It's a very fast and easy read, it kept me very interested because I didn't feel like I was ever "stuck" on one story.I can't wait to get the first book now! ... Read more

Product Description
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. ... Read more

Product Description
To those interested in a life in science, Sir Peter Medawar, Nobel laureate, deflates the myths of invincibility, superiority and genius; instead, he demonstrates it is common sense and an inquiring mind that are essential to the scientist's calling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

You're misunderstanding the purpose of this book
This book is not really giving advice to young scientists, as much as it is a device used to discuss what science really is.Apparently, the author was too subtle about his intention for many readers. It deserves four or five stars like most of Medawar's classic writings.

A very blend book
The advices in this book are very blend. This book is far inferior when compared to books like "Advice for a young investigator" or "A PhD is not enough."

Good advice and refreshingly optimistic.
There have been many "advice books" on how to make it in the scientific profession in the last decade, this due no doubt to the collapse of the academic job market in the United States, which had been able to absorb even foreign applicants up until about the mid 1990s. The practice of science research luckily though has not been confined to the university, but has taken up residence in industry, where it is currently rising steadily.

This bookis not one of these but was written in 1979 and endeavors to give advice on just how a young person is to proceed in their goal of becoming a scientist. There is no advice here on how to get a current academic position, but instead the author gives a fairly optimistic overview of what he believes are criteria for leading one's life as a (succesful) scientist. It is quite a refreshing book to read in that it does not express the cynicism thatfrequently accompanies contemporary discussion of academic life.

The author is not shy about discussing academic life, both its virtues and its vices. For example he describes an individual, which he mistakenly though calls a "scientist", who plagiarized some photographs and paragraphs of text from a fellow worker and presented them in a scientific essay contest. One of the judges was apparently the person from which the material was stolen, but the aversion to scandal of the culprit's institution caused him to find employment elsewhere. Both acts, the plagiarism and the institution's coverup, are despicable of course, and individuals who engage in them cannot be labeled as scientists, that designation reserved only for those who respect and practice honesty in all phases of their lives.

The rewards for doing scientific research are also described very accurately by the author. The "oceanic feeling" that Freud described when making a discovery is described by the author as something that will definitely keep an individual tied to the scientific profession, if there was any doubt before. The roller coaster ride of confidence and depression that can take place when doing scientific research makes this a welcome feeling, one that goes far beyond any peer recognition or financial rewards.

Most refreshing is that the author decides to discuss sexism and racism in the scientific profession, an issue that has been a severe problem in the history of the university, particularly with women. Women are more welcome in the scientific profession now, but there are issues with such things as maternity leave that still need to be ironed out. The author makes it a point to note that in his experience women do not approach scientific research in any way that is distinctive in comparison with men. Any university that makes a conscious effort to hire women because of social or political pressures is doing itself, and the women (and men) it hires, an extreme disservice. The scientific profession, as all others, is an aristocracy of ability, and hiring decisions should always be decided on merit, not favoritism or some diversity quota system. Nothing can be more heartbreaking than to see enormously talented individuals locked out of positions because they did not have the "right connections".

The are numerous other issues that the author discusses, such as the place of recognition and scientific prizes, and social attitudes about scientists. The book will no doubt be of assistance to at least a few young people who have decided to become scientists. If even just one young person does, the book has done its job.

Collection of partly useful, partly trivial advice
This book is a collection of advice on different subjects the author finds important for scientists. Some of the advice is helpful. But still the book suffers from several problems: * Its language is often stilted and old-fashioned * Most subjects are only shortly touched (e.g., writing, the scientific process) and a large part of the advice consists of trivialities everybody involved in science certainly knows already. So if you are really interested in in-depth advice ondoing science well, you should probably read other, more specialized books (e.g., Krantz: A Primer of Mathematical Writing). Thus the title of the book is rather misleading: The book is notfor scientists (not even for young scientists), but it might be the book of choice for people who have to decide whether to go into science, or for people who just want to have a taste of what scientific life is about.

Excellent Advice to a Young Scientist
Professor Medawar is much aware of following in the footsteps of William Cobbett, (the famous 'Advice to Young Men and (incidentally) to Young Women', written in the early 1800's and still in print), and wishes to avoid being dull and preachy. He is incapable of either, and he here shares his experience of a distinguished career in the biological sciences for the benefit of the aspiring scientist in any research discipline. This book would be useful to anyone entertaining the idea of a science-based career, certainly up to the graduate stage. It is also probably of specific interest to any biologist whether student, teacher, or researcher. This is an original and personal book, by a writer who won a Nobel prize in 1960 for his research in the area of human tissue transplants. He is here both literate and highly practical; the wisdom of a lifetime, normally only acquired slowly by personal life experience, is distilled and decanted with dry humour.

The chapters cover: 'How can I tell if I am cut out to be a scientific research worker?', which contains a revealing and exceedingly quick intelligence test, (and which would probably be of great value as a surprise question in executive job interviews). A psychologist would classify this as a very direct test of 'little g', or the general intelligence factor, and it is refreshingly free of bias due to gender, culture, and educational attainment level.

The chapter 'What shall I do research on?' contains the observations of a typical biologist, very down to earth. Likewise, 'How can I equip myself to be a scientist?', which contains guidance on balancing reading research with hands on activity.

'Aspects of scientific life and manners' is the best chapter: an excellent set of observations on teamwork, respect for colleagues, the scientist's moral requirement of dedication to Truth, how to handle mistakes, giving fair credit for discoveries, and how to keep your friends (by handling the critical scientific habit of mind correctly! Take notes...). The snobismus (a most excellent neologism) divide between pure and applied science, and between technicians and researchers is also noted and handled well.

The professor interestingly distinguishes between four types of experiment. The Baconian or messing around type; the Aristotelian or proving a point type; the Galilean or critical type (the normal type as most think of science today); and the Kantian or thought experiment, much beloved of the other Greeks.

'The Scientific Process' analyses and challenges Kuhn's theory of scientific paradigms and paradigm shifts. And the chapter 'Scientific Meliorism versus Scientific Messianism' concerns the psychology and worldview of scientists, and throws some enjoyable light on his debates with C. S. Lewis, whom he knew well. This latter debate proves (although he would deny it), that although he approaches C. P. Snow's ideal of the man who can bridge the two cultures - of those schooled in the humanities, and those in the sciences - he fails. The disparity in the cultural worldviews is too great. The book is usefully rounded off with an index.

The professor is keenly aware throughout that, as he simply observes, 'scientists are people': practical but fallible, given to snobbery but capable of egregious open-mindedness, technocratic but social optimists at heart. All in all, Medawar is the best of teachers, teaching with his heart and his head: he dispels stereotypes, he advises on handling your emotions, he inspires. This type of book is all too rare.

Michael JR Jose, amarula4@yahoo.co.uk ... Read more

Product Description
An exclusive insight -- by Fisher's daughter -- of a man whose achievements in mathematical statistics continue to dominate the age. Traces his mobilization and extension of the resources of mathematics to solve the problems of estimation, analysis and design of experiments, and inductive inference. Reflecting the vitality of Fisher's immense pleasure in the process of thinking, the play of ideas, and the solution of puzzles, this biography introduces a complex and fascinating personality. ... Read more

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Researchers will find this unique guide listinginformation on over 14,000 significant scientists from 350 collectivebiographies indispensable. Entries include the scientists'specialties, birth and death dates, and the works in which theirbiographies appear. An additional section lists them by specificdisciplines. ... Read more

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For most of the 20th century, American women had little encouragement to become scientists. In 1906, there were only 75 female scientists employed by academic institutions in the entire country. Despite considerable barriers, determined women have, however, decidedly distinguished themselves.

Three examples: Astronomer Annie Jump Cannon discovered five novas and over 300 other stars. Mathematician and computer scientist Grace Hopper helped invent the COBOL language. Anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar devised the now universally used Apgar score to make a rapid evaluation of a newborn’s condition just after delivery.

Of the 23 American women scientists covered, six were awarded Nobel prizes. Each biography is accompanied by a photograph. A bibliography and an index complete the work. ... Read more

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Biographies of Women Biological Scientists and Physicianswith accompanying labs, demonstrations, or puzzles. ... Read more

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In volume one of this landmark study, focusing on developments up to 1940, Margaret Rossiter describes the activities and personalities of the numerous women scientists -- astronomers, chemists, biologists, and psychologists -- who overcame extraordinary obstacles to contribute to the growth of American science. This remarkable history recounts women's efforts to establish themselves as members of the scientific community and examines the forces that inhibited their active and visible participation in the sciences.

Customer Reviews (1)

Finally, some explanations!
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 translateditself into women finally attaining access to higher education. She goesin-depth in examining each successive generation, from the 1840s onwards,in showing how, once one generation of women attained a certain level ofeducation in the sciences, they sought to give the same and moreopportunities to the next set of young women. Rossiter also clearlydelineates part of what is probably at the origin of women's pay imbalancetoday: once so many women attained higher degrees, there was nowhere elsefor them to go, including the women's colleges where jobs were scarce. Theytherefore accepted much lower-paying jobs as "scientists'assistants" in the astronomy, botany, or other laboratory simply toutilize the knowledge they had gained. Rossiter's work gives insights intothe hard-won educational rights we now take for granted, but illuminatessome situations that have persisted into the present day. My only criticismof the work is that she mentions so many names of women becomingscientists, particularly in the 1880s and 1890s, that it became a bitconfusing to keep them all straight. While she has charts showing how manywomen were attaining degrees at various women's, and finally coed,institutions, it would have been helpful to have a "genealogy" ofall of these scientists. All in all one of the most interesting books Ihave read in months. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

A Wealth Of Information
If you are looking for information about Emanuel Swedenborg and his theology, this book is a great place to start your search. Don't be fooled by the limited number of pages, it is packed with a wealth of information and provides a solid basis for further study. This book really deserves more than five stars!

Spiritual ideas explained in an easy to understand way
This easy to read biography/theological work gives the true story of ascientist who becomes a mystic. The writings of Swedenborg give some of the most profound interpretations of the Old Testament that I've ever read. If you are seeking to understand the greater questions of life then you can find no better place to start than with "Scientist Explores Spirit." ... Read more

Product Description
Here are stories of twenty-one men and women who have achieved notoriety in the field of science and who have found personal fulfillment through faith in Jesus Christ. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Debunking the Myths about Scientists
As a science teacher, this is one of my favorite books to give to those whobelieve that 1)all scientists hate God and are therefore bador 2)any good scientist would never believe in such garbage as the Bible.This book is filled with the personal accounts of scientists who are tops in their fields but who also believe in God and in the Bible.This is a fascinating read.Since each scientist is shown with his or her own chapter, it is an easy read.Highly recommended.

Serious short comings!
Problems within the text:
1. Only 1 of 21 stories actually mentioned Christian faith effecting the way they perform their science.
2. When each person talk about their conversions one of three things were always present. Personal or family struggle, a social system that had betrayed them, or they were to young to make an educated decision on what to believe.
3. Misrepresented data, e.g. thermodynamic laws issue, order in the universe, scientific constants, the historical person of Jesus, Einsteinian god, and Pascale's wager. All of these things have been debunked by the vast majority of the scientific community.
4. Softball questions. None of the questions posed by RADAS were even close to thought provoking.

Things I liked in the text:
1. I thought before I read the book that compartmentalization was necessary to perform good science. 20 of 21 confirmed my suspicion. It was overwhelmingly obvious that to be credible in science in is important to have facts, not faith.

Overall I expected alot more from this book, too bad.

Forgotten truth wisdom began with scripture
The truth about US universities is they were often seminaries, first. Brilliant minds emerged from the likes of Haravard, Yale, William and Mary, Notre Dame, etc. Most scientists, Robert Boyle, Michael Farraday, the Wright brothers, Leonardo DaVinci, etc. were Christians and sought their knowledge from the wisdom of God. The "Scientists Who Believe: 21 Tell Their Own Stories" carry the historical mandate to show God's glory in the scientific world He made. These 21 scientific Christians explain how true science always proves the God's mastery in Creation. Their scientific discoveries brought them to a stronger faith and desire to extoll His glory through their continued work. This is excellent reading for youth from age 10 through college. Scientific method is logically employed, as well as explanations of trials in the process. ... Read more

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This book presents a biography of Abdus Salam, the first Muslim to win a Nobel Prize for Science (Physics 1979), who was nevertheless excommunicatedand branded as a heretic in his own country. His achievements are often overlooked, even besmirched. Realizing that the whole world had to be his stage, he pioneered the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, a vital focus of Third World science which remains as his monument. A staunch Muslim, he was ashamed of the decline of science in the heritage of Islam, and struggled doggedly to restore it to its former glory. Undermined by his excommunication, these valiant efforts were doomed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Remembering Abdus Salam
My husband, George Gwilt, read Cosmic Anger and these are his remarks.

I first met Abdus Salam over sixty years ago when we were both attending supervision by Fred Hoyle at Johns College in Cambridge.The book's description of Abdus brought back vivid memories including even his gentle high pitched voice as he told me how to look for a lost object. "If it is not in one place look in another."

The book covers many aspects of Abdus Salam's life including his personal life, his contribution to particle physics, his establishment of and involvement with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste and his role in politics.

Elected to the Royal Society as its youngest Fellow and also a Nobel Prize winner. Abdus Salam was an extraordinary person.

When I first knew Abdus, India was still united and he told me that there was going to be trouble. Trouble did indeed come as a result of the conflicts between the various religions including Hindu and Muslim, as Cosmic Anger explains. A large part of the book is taken up with religion. Abdus was a member of the small Ahmadi sect, which is a part of Islam. In September 1974 this sect was declared by Pakistan 'non-Muslim'. Because of this Pakistan, which had become his home country, did not accord him the recognition which was his due.

I think that, if this book were read, and really understood, by politicians not only of Pakistan, but worldwide the world would become a better place.

I found Cosmic Anger readable, enjoyable and instructive.

Abdus Salam - An Uncommon Muslim Scientist
"Cosmic Anger" --- Abdus Salam-- The First Muslim Nobel Scientist" is is written by a physicist/ science writer-Gordon Fraser. This tightly and handsomely-bound 300-page book is a must read. The book is thoroughly researched and meticulously-detailed with ample references.The best picture of this great man from Jhang, Punjab is at the Nobel awards ceremony itself where he is resplendent in his traditional turban, sherwani,white shalwar with Multani khusas delivering his stirring speech about Science and Islam.

Coming from a modest Ahmadi family (a minority sect that has been ostracized and discriminated against in Pakistan), he was a brilliant young student who stood first in Punjab securing unbelievably high marks with his picture published in the local newspaper, he progressed fast on the academic ladder, graduating from Govt. College Lahore, went on to Oxford, England, became a mathemetician, worked in the famous Cavendish Physics laboratory, came back to Govt. College, Lahore, went back to England and started teaching at the Imperial College in London. He had a one year stint in the fabled Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ with Einstein in permanent residence there and J. Robert Openheimer at the helm. He started his Theoretical Physics Institute in Trieste, Italy for the 3rd world country scientists and became an ambassador-at-large of the non-western physicists. He became a polished speaker, teacher and enjoyed tremendous respect in academic circles. He was prolific in research and in churning out papers for publication.

His life story is stupendously fascinating. His achievements, somehow ignored and under-valued in his own country were many and varied. With his multi-faceted life is detailed with sensitivity and authoritatively. The book is also a primer of the life, times and theories of major players in Theoretical Physics in the 20th century. The book is a fascinating read and is recommended highly.

Wonderfully intriguing
Abdus Salam was one of the most important physicists of the latter half of the twentieth century and the story of his journey from a poor village in the Punjab to the Nobel Prize would be fascinating and remarkable in its own right.But Salam was also a devout Muslim and pursued his devotion to his religion and its culture, especially its scientific heritage, with an equal passion.

This delightfully crafted work explores both sides of Salam's life discussing not only his most obvious achievement in formulating the most successful theory of modern physics but also his tireless support of scientific education in the third world.Mr. Fraser discusses science, politics and history with equal effectiveness.I earned my Ph.D. under Salam but still learned a great deal more about him from this book - both about his private life and his relations with his scientific colleagues.

This book will have immense appeal to any intelligent reader.Heartily recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Imagine being able to ask Newton about falling apples orEuclid about his personal vision of geometry. In Out of their Minds,readers will hear the Newtons and Euclids of the computer age as theytalk about their discoveries in information technology that havechanged forever the way we live, work, and think about the world.

Based on interviews by freelance writer Cathy Lazere and the expertiseof computer scientist Dennis Shasha, Out of their Minds introducesreaders to fifteen of the planet's foremost computer scientists,including eight winners of the Turing Award, computing's NobelPrize. The scientists reveal themselves in fascinating anecdotes abouttheir early inspirations and influences, their contributions tocomputer science, and their thoughts on its explosive future.

These are the programmers whose work helps architects walk throughvirtual buldings, engineers manage factories, and cartoonists animatemovie monsters. These are the mathematicians who invented many of theproblem-solving techniques, languages, and architectures that enablethe computer to extend the reaches of human insight.

Some were inventors from their earliest years-designing spitballcatapults, contributing satire to Mad Magazine, and rearranging theperiodic table of chemical compounds. Others were renegades ormusicians. Along the path to adulthood and discovery, these explorersgrappled with bureaucracies, political persecution, and academicdogma. Their lives span the 50-year history of computer science.

To help explain the work of these pioneers, Shasha and Lazere fill inthe historical background and distill the extraordinary discoveries ofthese thinkers into everyday concepts that nonscientists can readilyunderstand. Detailed technical points are set off in boxes for perusalby readers wishing deeper explanations.

In the final chapters Shasha and Lazere explore two intriguingquestions: Is there a set of shared traits or experiences thatcharacterizes the scientists out of whose minds computers came? Howmight the content of this book differ if it were to be writtentwenty-five years from now, in 2020?Amazon.com Review
Over the past fifty years, most of computer science's important inventions have come from innovators who aren't exactly household names. Out of Their Minds describes the lives and discoveries of fifteen unsung computer scientists whose programs have done everything from help engineers manage factories to help cartoonists animate their characters. This well-paced book spans the varied disciplines of computer science and challenges the reader to think about still-unsolved questions: how can we build a computer that works like the human brain, how can we boost the speed of computation, and where all that intelligence and power will take the industry over the next fifty years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

More Computer History
This is a fast paced fun read.The book covers 15 scientists of the early to middle ages of computers.No list will satisfy everyone (note some of the reviews who were unhappy with this book).There is no section on Alan Turning, John von Neumann or Woz from Apple (sorry Apple PR machine), although the first two are mentioned at various times.

The chapters cover the scientists within four sections: linguists, algorithmists, architects, and sculptors of machine intelligence.Within each chapter is a brief and generally entertaining biography and provide a concise discussion and explanation of some basic concepts that reveal the work that made the individual scientist famous within the field.

The reference section is excellent for further research and enlightenment.It is broken down by chapter and is easy to reference.

It is a fun read which I have allowed myself twice already.

good survey of 15 important individuals
Very enjoyable and entertaining book.But I've been working in the computer business for 30 years, a novice would have other opinions.

The subtitle is very descriptive -- "The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Greaat Computer Scientists".

Each is covered in a chapter, mixing together an account of how their life's journey ended up in important work.

I knew some of the stories, but this book filled in lots of others.For example, I just know of Leslie Lamport's LaTeX system, not his other work!

If you have an interest in computer science, this is a good survey of the
individuals behind some of the fundamental discoveries.

great history, easy reading
from an insiders point of view, I've been in this environment all working life, this book puts everything in perspective.

Great Source
I was looking for a good source on the masterminds who shaped the Computer Science field and I found in this book. I think this book delivers a good mixture of personal stories plus technical details about the main contributions of the 15 computer scientists who shaped the field.

Great read for history buffs
If you're a computer scientist, programmer or what have you, then this book is a must read. The book presents key contributions of 15 computer scientists. While the book does contain some level of computer science speak, those who don't have computer science backgrounds will still find the book easy to read and follow. I first read this book when it was first published, and I occasionally refer back to it so I don't forget about all the great contributions made to computing. ... Read more

Product Description
[A] brilliant defense of science's place in the religious life (and vice versa).--Publisher's Weekly

Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno's moving and intellectually playful memoir of a life lived in the active interplay of science and religion is now available in a handsome paperback edition.

Blending memoir, science, history, and theology, Consolmagno takes us on a grand adventure. We revisit the infamous Galileo affair and see that it didn't unfold in quite the way we thought. We get a rare glimpse into the world of working scientists and see how scientific discoveries are proposed and advanced. We learn the inside story of the Mars meteorite: how can we be sure it's really from Mars, and why can't scientists agree on whether or not it contains evidence of life? Brother Astronomer memorably sets forth one scientist's conviction that the universe may be worth studying only if it is the work of a Creator God. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A Review From a Minister, Teacher, and Amateur Astronomer

I like science, especially astronomy.I own a couple of small telescopes and am a member of the Astronomical League.Clear nights find me out under the stars learning about the heavens.I also like religion.I am an ordained minister and teach philosophy and religion on the college level.Usually those two worlds do not go together.Guy Consolmagno puts them together without dumbing down either.For that, I am glad I read the book.I have a feeling that parts of it will stay with me for a long time.It's not a perfect book.Parts are too technical for my simple mind.Other parts seem choppy.When the reader gets to the end, it merely stops, no pulling together of the various chapters, no nice tidy conclusions.Still, I liked this book.

A thoroughly entertaining author
I had the pleasure of meeting Brother Guy in the summer of 2001 during a visit to Castel Gandolfo where he was kind enough to take us on a guided tour of the observatories on the roof of the Papal residence. He is as entertaining and fascinating "in real life" as his books amply demonstrate to a reader.

"Science makes lousy religion and religion makes lousy science." What a great attitude!

Bottom line: "Brother Astronomer" is a well-crafted, entertaining book that may even teach you things about yourself.

The Desire for Truth and Understanding -- and Mars Rocks
Many of you have read - or have a copy of - Turn Left at Orion by Guy Consolmagno, an entertaining and instructive guide for amateur astronomers with small telescopes.No less entertaining is his book, Brother Astronomer:Adventures of a Vatican Scientist, in which Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno tells his life story in brief, and in more detail discusses Mars rocks, Antarctica adventures, and science/religion issues.

With grace and good humor he tells of his becoming curator of the Vatican's collection of meteorites, one of the oldest collections in the world, mostly amassed in the nineteenth century by French nobleman Marquis de Mauroy.Consolmagno and his associates devised a method to determine the mass, the density, and the porosity of meteorites, which lead to theories on where meteorites come from - asteroids and other planets.He calls them his outer space "aliens" at the Vatican.

His real adventures are recounted with good-natured wit in the section titled "Wide Wild Whiteness", a meteorite-hunting expedition with other scientists on the bottom of the world in Antarctica.He makes the vast, cold continent seem to come alive in its bleak expanse and extremes of cold and wind.The personal interaction among the small group of individuals forced to spend six weeks together in that harsh frigid environment is insightful, at times poignant and other times hilarious.Everyone on the team has a specialty, and he often wonders, "Why am I here?"They bring home a treasure trove of 390 meteorites.It is fascinating to learn how they go to great pains to preserve the pristine condition of the space rocks.To collect them without contaminating them is a real challenge, especially under subzero temperatures, where the cold dulls the mind and freezes the fingers.

Perhaps most enlightening and enjoyable are Consolmagno's discourses on science and religion.He reminds us that only recently, in our popular culture, has there been an apparent schism between science and religion; that indeed, the great thinkers of ages gone by were men of renown in the church, men of great religious faith.The search for truth is and always has been the goal of both good religion and good science. "God gave us brains; He expects us to use them," he says.

"To understand why" science and religion are thought to be opposed, says Consolmagno, "we need to look not at science, nor at religion, but at the popular culture."He explains that science in school is often a turn-off for kids, and many leave the church as teenagers, "before they are old enough to appreciate it."The result is a childish view of both science and religion.

The popular media - news, TV, movies - present a distorted view of both science and religion as well, he contends.If there is no action, no drama, no conflict, it doesn't make good copy or good video.Scientists are often portrayed as "mad", and preachers are stereotyped as extremists.Fear and confusion of the roles and relationships of science and faith are the result."It's a fundamental misconception of how both science and religion work."He goes on to say that Christianity does not start with faith, it starts with experience; and that science does not begin with experiment or logic, it begins with intuition.

He recounts the timeworn story of Galileo and the Church, and contends that that situation was largely a matter of pride and politics, not strictly religion and science.The ill-feeling produced by Galileo's trial set back science for years, and sparked the thinking that the church was anti-science, though the Church has since repeatedly admitted the mistakes it made there almost 400 years ago.

In his "Confession of a Vatican Scientist" section of the book, Consolmagno presents many wise arguments explaining the deep connections between science and religion.You'll have to read it to appreciate it.He says, "Good science is a very religious act.The search for Truth is the same as the search for God."Of the "unexplainable", he says, "Our theology prepared science to accept the seeming contradictions of quantum theory, for instance; just because something doesn't seem to make sense, is no proof that it must be false."

He sums it up by saying, "The desire for truth and understanding, including understanding the truth of the natural world, was given to us by God, in order to lead us to God.It is the desire for God.It is why I am a scientist; it is why the Vatican supports me."

A delightful romp
Brother Astronomer is a delightful romp into the life of a joyful and spirit-filled man. Brother Guy exemplifies the bridging of the purported gap between faith and science; in his writing and his life and his combination of these two vocations he belies the simplistic and all-too glib pronouncements so many trot out about the rift between science and religion.Whether you come to this book from the religous or scientific side, read it with an open mind and heart, the way it was written.

Brother Guy writes with considerable insight and frankness, and will certainly make some people most uncomfortable as he demonstrates some convincing parallels betweeen science and religion.Those who quickly dismiss his comments on this similarity simply reveal that they were ready to do so a priori, even before opening the pages of this book.He handles science and religion in an even-handed, balanced and refreshingly gentle manner, and I admire his intellectual and spiritual integrity, how he never forgets there is one truth underlying everything, and that this truth will be what it is, and not simply what we want it to be.

His book is undoubted going to be equally unacceptable to both scientific as well as religious fundamentalists, two groups which possess in common a remarkable ignorance of both religion and science.

As a professional academic scientist and believer in God who has never had any problem reconciling the two equally profound sides of my life, I may be prejudiced in my approach to this book.But I don't think so.So set your judgementalness aside when you pick up Brother Astronomer.Read it, enjoy it, go with the flow of the book and take delight in the time you spend with this delightful man.

Interesting Book from an Interesting Man
In "Brother Astronomer", Br. Guy Consolmagno describes his life and views as a Jesuit brother who is also aprofessional astronomer. In this book, the author (who is also the author of "Turn Left at Orion", a highly regarded handbook for amateur astronomers) covers a number of topics: how science is done, the interaction between science and religion, the often-positive role the Cathollic Church has played in the history of science, and an expedition the author made to Antarctics to gather meteriorites. The parts do not always mesh well, which is why I gave it only four of five stars; however, individual chapters are quite good. For example, the opening chapter, which traces a problem in planetary science as a case study of how science is done, would be well worth showing to any teenager who is interested in science; while the chapter on religion and science will be of interest to anyone who has an open mind on the issue of whether "Jerusalem" can have anything to do with "Athens". Well worth reading; highly recommended.

By the way, my wife and I have had the pleasure of hearing Br. Guy speak at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago on several occasions; if you get a chance to hear him speak in person, you won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description

Often referred to as the Newton of France, Pierre Simon Laplace has been called the greatest scientist of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He affirmed the stability of the solar system and offered a powerful hypothesis about its origins. A skillful mathematician and popular philosopher, Laplace also did pioneering work on probability theory, in devising a method of inverse probabilities associated with his classic formulation of physical determinism in the universe. With Lavoisier and several younger disciples, he also made decisive advances in chemistry and mathematical physics.

Roger Hahn, who has devoted years to researching Laplace's life, has compiled a rich archive of his scientific correspondence. In this compact biography, also based in part on unpublished private papers, Hahn follows Laplace's journey from would-be priest in the provinces to Parisian academician, popularizer of science during the French Revolution, religious skeptic, and supporter of Napoleon. By the end of his life, Laplace had become a well-rewarded dean of French science.

In this first full-length biography, Hahn illuminates the man in his historical setting. Elegantly written, Pierre Simon Laplace reflects a lifetime of thinking and research by a distinguished historian of science on the fortunes of a singularly important figure in the annals of Enlightenment science.