A treat for today!
science
Feynman in the New York Review of Books
A review of our Feynman book appears in the current issue of The New York Review of Books.*
That this exists at all is wonderful in and of itself. What makes it more wonderful is that it’s a positive review, made apparently without reservation by its writer, who said (among other things that made me blush): “These images capture with remarkable sensitivity the essence of Feynman’s character.” and “The Ottaviani-Myrick book is the best example of this genre [graphic novels] that I have yet seen.”
But what blew the top of my head clean off is what you already figured out by looking at the cover…the reviewer is Freeman Dyson. If you don’t know who that is you can look him up now, or better still pick up a copy of his book Disturbing the Universe and dig in. Because even though he appears in our book too, you shouldn’t wait until August to read more about him.
Anyway, wow.
* Note that I don’t think you can read all of the article for free online unless you subscribe (or are at a library that subscribes) to the NYRB.
TCAF 2011: The Coolest Thing (by Far) I Got There
No offense to the authors of all the great books I picked up at this year’s Toronto Comics Art Festival (new works by Chester Brown, Vera Brosgol, Stuart and Kathryn Immonen, Rina Piccolo, Jay Stephens, GB Tran, Jen Wang, and a bunch of nifty minicomics as well), but nothing compares to this:
Yes, an attractive box. But it’s more than that. When you open it, you find this:
And when you turn the box around and open it again, you find this:
Yes, I was given the gift of science and art and a lucky (or is it unlucky? or is it both?) cat with Xs for eyes…at least half the time.
Many of my friends write books that lend themselves to the creation of tangible, precious talismans. (Tokens is the usual word for this, but I think it’s too small a word.) Their readers present them with these as a thank you for the stories and it’s always warmed my heart to see it. I didn’t think my books lent themselves to such things, though.
Wrong again.
Emily and Skye: Thank you. I just about fell over when you handed this to me, and I still get goosebumps when I pick up the box and do an experiment concerning indeterminate quantum states.
DIY Tippe Top
A few years back, and as a promotion for Suspended in Language, I had some tippe tops made. They were so popular that I broke my own (unwritten) rules and made an extra batch after the first one ran out. But as the saying goes, “fool me once…”. So, they really are all gone now.
But! Don’t despair. You can make your own:
The video is courtesy of The Automata/Automation Blog, which you should visit because it is quite nifty.
Recommended: Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
Image via Wikipedia
I just finished reading Mary Roach’s book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
Best of all, her closing lines answer the question “Why do this?” as well as any I’ve ever read. I’m tempted to quote them, but then you might be tempted to not read the book yourself. So I won’t…so you will.
p.s. On a space-related note, if you’ve ever hankered after a book signed by an Apollo astronaut who’s flown to the moon, I’ll be giving one away in a few days, so stay tuned!
Every article about science you’ve ever read in the popular press
Here it is, for your convenience, enjoyment, and dismay, courtesy of The Guardian‘s Martin Roberts.
