How the minds of men work esp. in bad situations, is the theme of this book. People who look really strong may not be so strong in adverse conditions...
This book reminds of that Hyundai Ad : "Because we dream.... Because we do"
Actually if you think about it the main reason for the emergence of man above the other animals could very well be a message of this story...
How man beat the seemingly unsurmountable odds, given his weaknesses, his lack of strength and powerful enemies...
Then again... Maybe not.
A plane carrying a monkey, a group of oil workers, british soldiers and an inventor crashes in the Sahara!!
How they handle the situation, fight it and nearly lose their lives is what the book is about.
Amazon Link:
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060762225/qid=1148198976/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4284932-1536067?s=books&v=glance&n=283155"
Sunday, April 23, 2006
[BookReview] Jonathan Livingston Seagull
An amazing book by Richard Bach that talks about potential and the journey of fulfilling it.
A surprisingly thin booklet, it is hardly 30 pages filled with great thoughts on motivation, potential, hunger for going beyond whatever stage you are at and finally sharing.
It talks about a "Perverted" Seagull ie who believes that there's more to life than eating , sleeping and squabbling over scraps. A seagull was given wings not just to fly from point A to B and back but something more. It talks about finding and fighting for purpose in life and integrating the seeking for something more into the way you live and share with people.
See Also:
Jonathan Livingston Seagull on Amazon
A surprisingly thin booklet, it is hardly 30 pages filled with great thoughts on motivation, potential, hunger for going beyond whatever stage you are at and finally sharing.
It talks about a "Perverted" Seagull ie who believes that there's more to life than eating , sleeping and squabbling over scraps. A seagull was given wings not just to fly from point A to B and back but something more. It talks about finding and fighting for purpose in life and integrating the seeking for something more into the way you live and share with people.
See Also:
Jonathan Livingston Seagull on Amazon
Saturday, April 22, 2006
[BookReview] The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra
Where Possibility meets Probability... Eastern Thought meets Western Science
This book is simply Mind-Bogglingly Awesome!!
This book is simply Mind-Bogglingly Awesome!!
Saturday, April 15, 2006
[BookReview] The Verger by Somerset Maugham
The Road Not Taken.
Where would you be if you'd not made a decision back in the past :
The Verger written by a W. Somerset
Try it out. It's a short story and Very interesting....
full-text: http://www.geocities.com/athens/olympus/7695/VERGER.HTM
Where would you be if you'd not made a decision back in the past :
The Verger written by a W. Somerset
Try it out. It's a short story and Very interesting....
full-text: http://www.geocities.com/athens/olympus/7695/VERGER.HTM
[BookReview] Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension by Michio Kaku.
Hyperspace and wormholes:
"Hyperspace : A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension (Paperback) " by Michio Kaku
[Factoid] The author - today a leading Scientist - made a Cyclotron at home as part of his Award Winning National School Science Project in the USA.
His parents helped him wind miles of copper wire after school to create the Electric Magnets which would accelerate the subatomic particles to near light speeds before 'smashing the atom'.
Did you ever wonder what the Universe is made of? Or what is light made of? Can people travel across galactic distances in a blink of the eye?
Do you get bored with books which try to tell too much detail without giving the essence of the thing? So do I. That's why I liked this book so much...
What I liked about this book is the Analogies which jump out at you and stick in your brain long after the details are blurry.
Excerpts :
What is Hyperspace?
Imagine A 2 dimensional being living on a piece of paper.
He can be jailed by drawing a circle round him.
Enter yourself!! A 3D being with amazing supernatural powers. You go to the paper, peel off the poor sob from inside his jail and repaste him outside... Free at last...
Now just imagine a 5D being doing that in our universe. Would you call such a being GOD!! Maybe.. Depending on whether you're the prisoner or the jailer!!
-----
Five Dimensions.... What use is that if I can't even imagine it?
Unsurmountable Problems at dimension become a piece-of-cake at another dimension....
Imagine a valley green and surrounded by mountains.
A pitched battle is raging here. The clamour, fear is fairly boiling as man fights man fiercly and struggles to remain standing. He's unaware of all but what surrounds him.
Now imagine zooming to the top of a mountain where a General sits atop a tall horse looking at the whole panoramic view of the battle raging below him.
As he calmly surveys the scene, he's able to distinguish patterns below him. He observes places where the battle is going for and against his side. He can easily direct the battle from this eagles-nest. THAT's what is known as perspective... he's just climed the mountain turning a 2D battle into a 3D chess-game.
Amazon Link :
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385477058/qid=1148198647/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4284932-1536067?s=books&v=glance&n=283155"
"Hyperspace : A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension (Paperback) " by Michio Kaku
[Factoid] The author - today a leading Scientist - made a Cyclotron at home as part of his Award Winning National School Science Project in the USA.
His parents helped him wind miles of copper wire after school to create the Electric Magnets which would accelerate the subatomic particles to near light speeds before 'smashing the atom'.
Did you ever wonder what the Universe is made of? Or what is light made of? Can people travel across galactic distances in a blink of the eye?
Do you get bored with books which try to tell too much detail without giving the essence of the thing? So do I. That's why I liked this book so much...
What I liked about this book is the Analogies which jump out at you and stick in your brain long after the details are blurry.
Excerpts :
What is Hyperspace?
Imagine A 2 dimensional being living on a piece of paper.
He can be jailed by drawing a circle round him.
Enter yourself!! A 3D being with amazing supernatural powers. You go to the paper, peel off the poor sob from inside his jail and repaste him outside... Free at last...
Now just imagine a 5D being doing that in our universe. Would you call such a being GOD!! Maybe.. Depending on whether you're the prisoner or the jailer!!
-----
Five Dimensions.... What use is that if I can't even imagine it?
Unsurmountable Problems at dimension become a piece-of-cake at another dimension....
Imagine a valley green and surrounded by mountains.
A pitched battle is raging here. The clamour, fear is fairly boiling as man fights man fiercly and struggles to remain standing. He's unaware of all but what surrounds him.
Now imagine zooming to the top of a mountain where a General sits atop a tall horse looking at the whole panoramic view of the battle raging below him.
As he calmly surveys the scene, he's able to distinguish patterns below him. He observes places where the battle is going for and against his side. He can easily direct the battle from this eagles-nest. THAT's what is known as perspective... he's just climed the mountain turning a 2D battle into a 3D chess-game.
Amazon Link :
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385477058/qid=1148198647/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4284932-1536067?s=books&v=glance&n=283155"
[BookReview] Doctor Who Series
The BBC website has put up the book form of the famous Sci-Fi Dr.Who series up on its website for free.
The basic storyline is like this :
The Universe has a Planet of TimeLords who monitor Time and try to
preserve a balance between the forces which can destroy it.
They have a time machine called the TARDIS which from outside is the
size of a phone booth but from inside it's so huge you can get lost in
it.
Anyway mostly the TimeLords never like to get their hands dirty too
much, except this rebel who introduces himself only as "The Doctor".
Invariably people ask him "Dr. Who?" which he never answers.....
He mostly comes to Earth but is always jumping around Time and Space
from one planet to another, one time to another. He picks up fellow
travellers on his travels. Some are hitchhikers, some escaping from
some danger, some who are life-time companions for each of the Doctor's
lives. The best books though are the ones with 'The Master' Doctor Who's
arch-enemy.
The Doctor doesn't believe in violence and walks in and out of situations
quite nonchalantly. The best dialogues are where he usually goes into lateral
thinking mode and finds solutions which have been missed by the people around him.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ebooks/index.shtml
I've read many of the books and really love many of them.
The basic storyline is like this :
The Universe has a Planet of TimeLords who monitor Time and try to
preserve a balance between the forces which can destroy it.
They have a time machine called the TARDIS which from outside is the
size of a phone booth but from inside it's so huge you can get lost in
it.
Anyway mostly the TimeLords never like to get their hands dirty too
much, except this rebel who introduces himself only as "The Doctor".
Invariably people ask him "Dr. Who?" which he never answers.....
He mostly comes to Earth but is always jumping around Time and Space
from one planet to another, one time to another. He picks up fellow
travellers on his travels. Some are hitchhikers, some escaping from
some danger, some who are life-time companions for each of the Doctor's
lives. The best books though are the ones with 'The Master' Doctor Who's
arch-enemy.
The Doctor doesn't believe in violence and walks in and out of situations
quite nonchalantly. The best dialogues are where he usually goes into lateral
thinking mode and finds solutions which have been missed by the people around him.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ebooks/index.shtml
I've read many of the books and really love many of them.
[BookReview] Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick
"See the Universe in a Grain of Sand, the mini-whirl pool of your swirling tea or the arch of a tendril, the milky mountains in the sky..."
Beauty lies all around and so does turmoil and disorder otherwise known as Chaos!!
Chaotic systems like a kettle of water or weather have a surprising 'eye of the storm' kinda quality. Self organizing systems tend to find order in chaos.
For example during a heart attack a persons neurons misfire and make the heart beat erratic. The standard method is to shock the heart back into order. How does adding more chaos into an already chaotic event bring about order??!! That is what is known as a self organizing system.
Did you know that our body itself has such an amazing design that no cell in the body is more than 2-3 cells away from the blood distribution system. No distribution system invented by man is so accessible.
I was so obsessed with what I read in this book that I got a temporary nickname "Captain Chaos!!"
Written by a Journalist - James Gleick - about the abstruse world of Physics and Mathematics, it tells the gripping tale of how Chaos and Order are 2 sides of the same coin.... Since he's a journalist and not a physicist he tends to bring out the essentials without submerging into formulas... Also the human element of the people involved in the evolution of this field of science makes the tale more tangible.
See Also:
Link to Author website on Chaos
Book Link to Amazon
Beauty lies all around and so does turmoil and disorder otherwise known as Chaos!!
Chaotic systems like a kettle of water or weather have a surprising 'eye of the storm' kinda quality. Self organizing systems tend to find order in chaos.
For example during a heart attack a persons neurons misfire and make the heart beat erratic. The standard method is to shock the heart back into order. How does adding more chaos into an already chaotic event bring about order??!! That is what is known as a self organizing system.
Did you know that our body itself has such an amazing design that no cell in the body is more than 2-3 cells away from the blood distribution system. No distribution system invented by man is so accessible.
I was so obsessed with what I read in this book that I got a temporary nickname "Captain Chaos!!"
Written by a Journalist - James Gleick - about the abstruse world of Physics and Mathematics, it tells the gripping tale of how Chaos and Order are 2 sides of the same coin.... Since he's a journalist and not a physicist he tends to bring out the essentials without submerging into formulas... Also the human element of the people involved in the evolution of this field of science makes the tale more tangible.
See Also:
Link to Author website on Chaos
Book Link to Amazon
Friday, April 14, 2006
How to choose books!!
I regularly buy books of all types - Technical (computers), Autobiographies, Fiction, Fantasy, Science. I spend something like up-to 3 hours browsing the book-racks in Shops, Libraries, Peoples collections, Amazon (esp. the book reviews) in order to find refreshing and enlightening books.
Take a chance once in a while.
Make use of amazon.com reading lists by the users.
References to other books from a good book.
General:
---------
Foreword - Intention of the author ie what particular axe he wants to grind.
Author tries to keep the audience with him by summarizing what he just said.
Giving same info in more than one way with examples for different types of people.
Blurb at the back of the book.
Whether the author shows Awareness of opinions/theories not agreeing with what he's saying. Does he attempt to reconcile differences or explain them. At least a footnote.
Technical:
----------
Intended audience.
Giving simple definitions of terminology in every day terms.
Not presumptuously assuming that the reader is following at all times.
Analogies and Graphics are really welcome esp. if it is explaining something.
Defines What the book is about and more important what the book is NOT about.
Tone of the author - friendly, condescending, academic, repetitive.
Sentence construction - compound sentences a para long.
Good Index is essential in Most good books.
Quality of printing ie. cheap paper, binding, readability all have an impact.
I've found reading from some better made books more interesting than the cheaper versions.
Fiction:
---------
Thoughts which expose you to off-the-beaten-track stuff.
Thoughts which give a different angle on everyday things.
Thoughts which don't relate to your hum-drum life (Alice-in-wonderland)
Take a chance once in a while.
Make use of amazon.com reading lists by the users.
References to other books from a good book.
General:
---------
Foreword - Intention of the author ie what particular axe he wants to grind.
Author tries to keep the audience with him by summarizing what he just said.
Giving same info in more than one way with examples for different types of people.
Blurb at the back of the book.
Whether the author shows Awareness of opinions/theories not agreeing with what he's saying. Does he attempt to reconcile differences or explain them. At least a footnote.
Technical:
----------
Intended audience.
Giving simple definitions of terminology in every day terms.
Not presumptuously assuming that the reader is following at all times.
Analogies and Graphics are really welcome esp. if it is explaining something.
Defines What the book is about and more important what the book is NOT about.
Tone of the author - friendly, condescending, academic, repetitive.
Sentence construction - compound sentences a para long.
Good Index is essential in Most good books.
Quality of printing ie. cheap paper, binding, readability all have an impact.
I've found reading from some better made books more interesting than the cheaper versions.
Fiction:
---------
Thoughts which expose you to off-the-beaten-track stuff.
Thoughts which give a different angle on everyday things.
Thoughts which don't relate to your hum-drum life (Alice-in-wonderland)
What books can do for you!!
I've been reading books since a very young age. I always looked at books as a form of entertainment, fantasy and imagination. But one day I read a book called "The Tao of Physics", it changed the way I looked at books. The only thing close to this was going through the National Geographic magazine and (later) the TV channel.
I found out that books connect you to almost any kind of person. Scientist, Writers, Musicians, Doctors all can connect to the reader with their books. This book started the journey of non-fiction for me. I could enjoy the company of people who are at the forefront of any stream of action/thought.
I've read and picked up some valuable thoughts from :
Yoga (Iyengar),
Alternative Medicine (Dr. Dhiren Gala),
Cricket(Dennis Lillee,Frank Tyson),
Guitar(Ralph Denyer),
Acupressure(Park Jae Woo),
Body-Building (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
InterPersonal skills (Dale Carnegie)
Philosophy (Swami Vivekanada)
Psychology (Carl Gustav Jung, Maria Montessori)
Problem Solving (George Polya)
I found out that books connect you to almost any kind of person. Scientist, Writers, Musicians, Doctors all can connect to the reader with their books. This book started the journey of non-fiction for me. I could enjoy the company of people who are at the forefront of any stream of action/thought.
I've read and picked up some valuable thoughts from :
Yoga (Iyengar),
Alternative Medicine (Dr. Dhiren Gala),
Cricket(Dennis Lillee,Frank Tyson),
Guitar(Ralph Denyer),
Acupressure(Park Jae Woo),
Body-Building (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
InterPersonal skills (Dale Carnegie)
Philosophy (Swami Vivekanada)
Psychology (Carl Gustav Jung, Maria Montessori)
Problem Solving (George Polya)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)