Essays & Commentary Books - Page 4

Physicists on Wall Street and Other Essays on Science and Society

Jeremy Bernstein

Amazon Price: $27.96 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Springer Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $22.70

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Theory
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Popular Economics -> General
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Popular Economics -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

Over the years, Jeremy Bernstein has been in contact with many of the world’s most renowned physicists and other scientists, many of whom were involved in politics, literature, and language. In this diverse collection of essays, he reflects on their work, their personal relationships, their motives, and their contributions. Even for those people he writes about that he did not know personally, he provides important insights into their lives and work, and questions their character, their decisions, and the lives they led.

In the first three essays, Professor Bernstein looks at economic theory and how some physicists who developed interesting economic models based on derivatives and hedge funds almost led to the country into bankruptcy. In later essays, he discusses a suspect visit to Poland by the great Heisenberg during the Nazi era, a visit that there is almost nothing written about.

Included also are essays on ancient languages and a nuclear weapons program in South Africa that was supposedly dismantled. In one particularly humorous essay, he describes how an ill-conceived manned spaceship to be powered by an atomic bomb was being developed by some of the country’s most powerful intellects. The project never got off the ground.

Dipping into these pages is like rummaging around in the mind of a genius who has a potpourri of interests and an abundance of fascinating experiences. Bernstein has not only rubbed elbows with some of the finest minds in world, he has worked and played with them. He has sometimes mourned with them and laughed at them. His sharp wit and even sharper analysis make for a fascinating read.

The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-first Century

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Vintage Amazon Marketplace: 104 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Science -> Essays & Commentary
Subjects -> Science -> History & Philosophy -> History of Science
Subjects -> Science -> History & Philosophy -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A brilliant ensemble of the world’s most visionary scientists provides twenty-five original never-before-published essays about the advances in science and technology that we may see within our lifetimes.

Theoretical physicist and bestselling author Paul Davies examines the likelihood that by the year 2050 we will be able to establish a continuing human presence on Mars. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi investigates the ramifications of engineering high-IQ, geneticially happy babies. Psychiatrist Nancy Etcoff explains current research into the creation of emotion-sensing jewelry that could gauge our moods and tell us when to take an anti-depressant pill. And evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins explores the probability that we will soon be able to obtain a genome printout that predicts our natural end for the same cost as a chest x-ray. (Will we want to read it? And will insurance companies and governments have access to it?) This fascinating and unprecedented book explores not only the practical possibilities of the near future, but also the social and political ramifications of the developments of the strange new world to come.

Also includes original essays by:

Lee Smolin
Martin Rees
Ian Stewart
Brian Goodwin
Marc D. Hauser
Alison Gopnik
Paul Bloom
Geoffrey Miller
Robert M. Sapolsky
Steven Strogatz
Stuart Kauffman
John H. Holland
Rodney Brooks
Peter Atkins
Roger C. Schank
Jaron Lanier
David Gelernter
Joseph LeDoux
Judith Rich Harris
Samuel Barondes
Paul W. Ewald

The Best of Technology Writing 2008 (Best of Technology Writing)

Clive Thompson

Amazon Price: $13.11 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Digital Culture Books Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $8.97

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Literary
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General AAS
Subjects -> Science -> Essays & Commentary

Editorial Review:

"No one covers technology with more insight or panache than Clive Thompson. I can't imagine anyone better qualified to curate this fascinating series."
---Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired magazine and author of The Long Tail

"Editor Clive Thompson suggests we are in a ‘golden age of technology journalism.' Reading this collection, one suspects he is right---it sparkles with beautifully written narratives not only about what technology can do for us but what it does to us as people, to our ways of thinking about ourselves, our relationships, and how we envisage our world."
---Sherry Turkle, Director, MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Best of Technology Writing 2008 proves that technology writing is a bona fide literary genre with some of the most stylish, compelling, and just plain readable work in journalism today.

The third volume in this annual series, The Best of Technology Writing 2008 covers a fascinating mix of topics---from a molecular gastronomist's recipe for the perfect gin and tonic; to "the Mechanism," an ancient Greek artifact that might be the world's first laptop computer; to social media, privacy, and what is possibly the biggest generation gap since rock 'n' roll.

Featuring contributions from

• Ted Allen
• Michael Behar
• Caleb Crain
• Julian Dibbell
• Cory Doctorow
• David Glenn
• Thomas Goetz
• Charles Graeber
• Alex Hutchinson
• Walter Kirn
• Robin Mejia
• Emily Nussbaum
• Ben Paynter
• Jeffrey Rosen
• John Seabrook
• Cass R. Sunstein

digitalculturebooks is an imprint of the University of Michigan Press and the Scholarly Publishing Office of the University of Michigan Library dedicated to publishing innovative and accessible work exploring new media and its impact on society, culture, and scholarly communication. Visit the website at www.digitalculture.org.

The Road since Structure: Philosophical Essays, 1970-1993, with an Autobiographical Interview

Thomas S. Kuhn

Amazon Price: $13.60 List Price: $20.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: University Of Chicago Press Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $9.79

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General AAS
Subjects -> Science -> Essays & Commentary

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

What made Kuhn tick, and more 5 out of 5 stars.
35 of 44 people found this review helpful.

There are three parts to this book: essays Kuhn wrote to respond to the most substantial criticisms of THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS, essays that extend and elaborate on his thinking since STRUCTURE, and, most remarkable, a very long and revealing interview or discussion with three Greek philosophers of science less than a year before his death.

To me, the interview is the most interesting part of the book, mainly because it's autobiographical. I am told by people who knew him that, after the hullabaloo over STRUCTURE, Kuhn became quite reticent, at least in public, and certainly about himself. Well, reticent is the last thing he is in this interview. He speaks quite openly about his parents, his early education, his attraction to physics, his time at Harvard, his decision to move from physics to philosophy and history of science, the issues in history and philosophy of science that moved him most deeply, his opinions of colleagues. In this interview, Thomas Kuhn becomes a person, not merely an icon. It's surprising, moving, and instructive, and anyone who's ever wondered about the man who wrote THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS will find the interview, as well as the essays in this book, well worth the read. Enjoy! And wonder!

Editorial Review:

Thomas Kuhn will undoubtedly be remembered primarily for The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, a book that introduced one of the most influential conceptions of scientific progress to emerge during the twentieth century. The Road since Structure, assembled with Kuhn's input before his death in 1996, follows the development of his thought through the later years of his life. Collected here are several essays extending and rethinking the perspectives of Structure as well as an extensive and revealing autobiographical interview.

Science at the Edge: Conversations with the Leading Scientific Thinkers of Today

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Union Square Press Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $3.48

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Science -> Essays & Commentary
Subjects -> Science -> General
Subjects -> Science -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RAs founder, editor, and publisher of the intellectual forum www.edge.org, John Brockman is well-positioned to initiate and cultivate an ongoing dialogue with today's leading cutting-edge thinkers.  The website is a virtual salon for every type of intellectual and scientific pursuit, from evolutionary biology and quantum physics, to crowd psychology and miniaturized computing.  Through this vibrant and varied online community, Brockman has shifted sharply away from the stereotype of the introverted, out-of-touch scientist and introduced the reality of a fully aware and involved scientific society.&&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LI&&RScience at the Edge&&L/I&&R reflects this brave new world, and Brockman has assembled some of the today's most revolutionary scholars from all scientific disciplines to discuss their unique contributions to the development of modern thought. Far from being a catalog of the marginal disputes of a quarrelsome scientific class, this is a thrilling and intellectually stimulating discussion that serves as an introduction to some of the best minds of the 21st century.  This revised and updated version features additional conversations, as well as a new introduction written especially for this edition.&&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RThe book contains Brockman's discussions, many with bestselling authors, on the following topics:&&L/P&&R

• Population theory, with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond
• Human nature, with Steven Pinker, author of &&LI&&RThe Stuff Of Thought&&L/I&&R
• Technology and the human mind, with Ray Kurzweil, author of the controversial book &&LI&&RThe Age of Spiritual Machines&&L/I&&R
• Ways for humans to make themselves more intelligent, with Marvin Minsky, author of &&LI&&RThe Emotion Machine&&L/I&&R
• Evolution of mankind's violence, with Richard Wrangham, co-author of &&LI&&RDemonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence&&L/I&&R
• Possibilities of robot life, with Rodney Brooks, author of &&LI&&RFlesh and Machines: How Robots Will Change Us&&L/I&&R
• Cognitive science and brain development, with Marc Hauser, author of &&LI&&RThe Evolution of Communication&&L/I&&R
• String theory and dimensions of space, with Lisa Randall, Harvard physics professor

&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"&&RA selection of the Scientific American Book Club.&&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R

Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences

Victoria E. McMillan

By: Bedford/St. Martin's Amazon Marketplace: 103 new & used starting at $0.06

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Biological Sciences -> Biology -> General
Subjects -> Reference -> Writing -> Academic & Commercial
Subjects -> Science -> Biological Sciences -> Biology -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An excellent guide to writing as a biologist 5 out of 5 stars.
20 of 20 people found this review helpful.

Our biology department adopted this book as the writing guide for our biology majors a couple of years ago. It includes information about how to seek for and use biological literature, how to present data (including graphs and figures) in the context of scientific writing, and it has a great section on writing research papers. There are ample examples in the book that students can use as models.

The author presents information on framing the paper, and how to use drafts in order to produce a good product. There is also a section that addresses other kinds of writing skills used by biologists -- oral presentations, poster development, writing research proposals, and letters of application.

We encourage students to use this book in all of their courses. It is a required support text for Principles of Biology I and II, and for our junior level Orientation to Research course.

I appreciate the fact that the book is spiral bound. That makes it possible for you to have the book open by other things you are working on without it flipping shut all the time, like it would if it had a regular binding.

This book with less than 200 pp. works well for us and our students. I think it could work well for you, too.

Alan Holyoak, Coordinator of Biological Research, Manchester College, IN

Editorial Review:

Written by a professional biologist who is also an experienced writing teacher, this comprehensive guide for students writing in biology, zoology, and botany provides detailed instruction on researching, drafting, revising, and documenting papers, reviews, and other forms of writing.

The Book of Numbers: The Secret of Numbers and How They Changed the World

Peter J. Bentley

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Firefly Books Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $13.49

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Interior Design
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Mathematics -> Number Systems
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Mathematics -> Pure Mathematics -> Number Theory

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Unraveling the secrets of numbers, from the discovery of zero to infinity.

In clear language, The Book of Numbers cuts through the mystery and fear surrounding numbers to reveal their fascinating nature and roles in architecture, quantum mechanics, computer technology, biology, commerce, philosophy, art, music, religion and more. Indeed, numbers are part of every discipline in the sciences and the arts.

With 350 illustrations, including diagrams, photographs and computer imagery, the book chronicles the centuries-long search for the meaning of numbers by famous and lesser-known mathematicians, and explains the puzzling aspects of the mathematical world. Topics include:

• The earliest ideas of numbers and counting
• Patterns, logic, calculating
• Natural, perfect, amicable and prime numbers
• Numerology, the power of numbers, superstition
• The computer, the Enigma Code
• Infinity, the speed of light, relativity
• Complex numbers
• The Big Bang and Chaos theories
• The Philosopher's Stone.

The Book of Numbers shows enthusiastically that numbers are neither boring nor dull but rather involve intriguing connections, rivalries, secret documents and even mysterious deaths.

The Fly in the Ointment: 70 Fascinating Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Life

Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ecw Press Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $7.94

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Science -> Essays & Commentary
Subjects -> Science -> History & Philosophy -> History of Science
Subjects -> Science -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A fun, educational leisure choice 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

What is the truth about taking garlic supplements to ward off illness and cure common diseases? What is the relationship between moldy corn and a movie? How do quacks popularize their theories, and what science is involved in corporate crime? These and other questions reveal the mysteries of science, using lively and popular topics to point out the scientific theories, quirks and misconceptions in everyday beliefs. A fun, educational leisure choice for general-interest audiences, The Fly in the Ointment: 63 Fascinating Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Life joins other similar science trivia fact guides by the venerable doctor.

Editorial Review:

This entertaining examination of everyday science from the fanciful to the factual covers topics ranging from pesticides and environmental estrogens to lipsticks and garlic. Readers are alerted to the shenanigans of quacks and are offered glimpses into the fascinating history of science. The science of aphrodisiacs, DDT, bottled waters, vitamins, barbiturates, plastic wraps, and smoked meat is investigated. Worries about acrylamide, preservatives, and waxed fruits are put into perspective, and the mysteries of bulletproof vests, weight loss diets, green-haired Swedes, laughing gas, and "mad honey" are unraveled. Even those with very little knowledge of science will come away informed and delighted at those humorous and accessible explanations.

Principia (On the Shoulders of Giants)

Sir Isaac Newton

Amazon Price: $10.92 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Running Press Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $6.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General AAS
Subjects -> Science -> Essays & Commentary

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

This is a key masterpiece in the history of Science. 5 out of 5 stars.
28 of 28 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book not for the purpose of learning Classical Mechanics from it, but for the scientific curiosity of learning how the great Isaac Newton presented his revolutionary scientific ideas to the world. Of course, it is difficult to read. This is an old translation of a book written in Latin more than 300 years ago!

This book is a jewel. Just like the original works of Einstein, Maxwell, Heisenberg, Schroedinger and all those giants. The person buying this book should not expect to find a clear didactic textbook when originally it was not written for the layman, but for the expert scientific community of its time. Buy this book, sit back, scan through it, and enjoy a true piece of history.

Editorial Review:

Establishing the laws of universal gravity and the fundamental laws of motion, Newton's momentous 1687 essay stands as one of the most important works in physics, and it revolutionized the way scientists investigate and prove their theories. In Principia, Newton used mathematical terms to present the principles of time, force, and motion, which have been instrumental in the development of modern physics. In his introduction, the famed physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking shows how his work built on that of his predecessors, Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler.

Black-and-white illustrations.

Let Them Eat Flax: 70 All-New Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Food & Life

Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ecw Press Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $5.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> General AAS
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Agricultural Sciences -> Food Sciences -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The first half of the book is about nutrition and health 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The first half of the book is on what I expected, nutrition and health. In the second half he rambles onto miscellaneous topics in chemistry, explosives, poisons, murders, inventors, etc. Many stories, all delightfully told. He seems to know what he is talking about.

Educational and interesting 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have enjoyed reading all of his books and as a science educator, I look for easy to read books for secondary students. This book generally meets that goal. Some chapers are more readable than others for high school students. This book is also very good for teachers. It makes connections between book science and experienced science.

Editorial Review:

By asking questions such as Is your orange juice pasteurized? or Did the lady who whipped up the icing on your cake wear false fingernails? this book sorts hokum from genuine science when it comes to food safety. Investigating everything from the health benefits of chocolate and oxygenated water to the causes of food poisoning and the healing power of prayer, short commentaries use wit and humor to debunk folklore and misconceptions. Indicating which food studies can be trusted, this guide provides the knowledge needed to buy, store, and cook food without risking life and limb.