books

What’s the Matter With Batman?

July 16, 2012 By noemi Leave a Comment

What’s the Matter With Batman?

This question could be answered with “Where do I begin?” or “Absolutely nothing!” – it all depends on your perspective, I suppose.

According to Robin Rosenberg, clinical psychologist and author based in California, however, there are things that could be wrong with everyone’s favorite superhero. Alright, he may not be everyone’s superhero of choice, but Batman comes pretty close to that, doesn’t he?

Rosenberg has written a book titled just that: “What’s the Matter With Batman?” She sums everything up nicely in one sentence: “He is the poster boy for post-traumatic growth.”

Now don’t get confused and mistake post-traumatic growth for post-traumatic stress disorder. The former is actually a positive thing, wherein the person who undergoes trauma becomes stronger and better. This can be the result of making new goals and perhaps even changing his beliefs for the better. I like to think of it along the lines of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.[Read More]

What I Remember About Dinosaurs: A Kickstarter Project

June 26, 2012 By noemi Leave a Comment

What I Remember About Dinosaurs Cover Mockup

What do you remember about dinosaurs?

I am not sure if the strong interest in dinosaurs is a matter of generation, but I clearly remember – when we were kids – that it was cool to be able to rattle off the names of dinosaurs like a Gatling gun in action. Not to mention the ability to follow up with all their characteristics and spot them from a mile away. If dinosaurs ever visited the school, that is.

Whether you were one of those kids or not, I still think teaching kids about these leviathans is a worthwhile venture. Non-existent they may be today, they are still very much part of our history.

Enter “What I Remember About Dinosaurs”, a book project on Kickstarter by Brian Russell.[Read More]

Weight Hacking: For Geeks Who Want to Get Fit

May 4, 2012 By noemi 2 Comments

Weight Hacking

I am wary of using the label “geek” too much and too often, but it is hard to escape its use these days. It seems that there is a geek for all sorts of things, so might as well not try to ignore it. In any case, the stereotype seems to remain.

Geeks and physical activity are strange bedfellows. Geeks like sitting in front of their computers or whatever gadget they prefer. Geeks are overweight.[Read More]

The Science Behind the “Old Books Smell”

April 24, 2012 By noemi Leave a Comment

Old Books

That “old books smell” is hard to beat, isn’t it? That particular scent brings me back to my days as a student, when I would spend lots of time browsing the shelves of the library. As the case usually is with university libraries, a considerable part of their collection are old books. And yeah, that smell has become firmly embedded in my memory.

I am pretty sure that I am not alone in this. In these days when even those who like the feel and smell of (paper) books are looking to e-books, the yearning for the old books smell still has a strong following. But have you ever thought about the scientific explanation for this?[Read More]

How the Hippies Saved Physics – It’s a Real Book and I Want One!

June 30, 2011 By noemi Leave a Comment

How the Hippies Saved Physics

Looking for a book to read? I am about to finish all of the books Orson Scott Card wrote about Ender Wiggin, and I am at a loss as to what to read next. Given that I am about to go on a week-long workation at the beach, I need a couple of books to take along for the inevitable lounging in the sun. There are ebooks, yes, but I have long since found out that electronics and the scorching sun are not friends.

Anyhow, in my quest to look for something new to read, I came across a relatively new book titled “How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival. I have to admit that while I did rather well in physics in school, the applied aspect seems to elude me more these days. Then again, that’s what books are for, right? Given the title alone, I am willing to bet that this book will be an entertaining read – at the very least.

Written by David Kaiser, the book is all about physicists in the 1970s, when the world was experiencing one of the most unique periods in history. Apparently, during the time of free love and anti-war protests, the world of physics was in a rut. In spite of the prevailing idea of conformity (I guess in the physics world), a group of physicists in Berkeley, California (where else?) decided to go against the flow. They named their group “Fundamental Fysiks Group” and approached physics in a whole new way. Applying ideas from Eastern mysticism and psychic mind-reading, these guys have influenced modern physics. Believe it or not, some of them even took LSD to tap into their wells of creativity even more. Funnily enough, thinking back, I can easily see my college physics professor being part of this group.

Keeping true to the creative spirit that fueled that group several decades ago, the book includes 46 black and white illustrations – maybe in case you don’t like books with too many words. 😉

The hardcover version is available on Amazon for $16.22. I doubt I’ll be able to get my hands on this before the weekend, but if any of you do read it, share your thoughts?