Recommended Reading
I’ve just recently finished a couple of books, and thought I would make a couple of quick recommendations:
- The Physics of Star Trek: This book is perfect for people who aren’t well versed in physics, but need a reference point, such as Star Trek, to make it understandable. Numerous fascinating little nuggets, like the possibility that our universe could be a black hole in some larger universe.
- 40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, Oxycontin®, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania: The title from this book comes from the fact that the Dover trial lasted 40 days and nights. It’s pretty much a blow by blow account of what went on in the trial and stays good until the last chapter, where it gets a little preachy. The author is Darwin’s grandson.
I recommend these and would love discussion in the comments on other peoples’ thoughts on them, as well as your recommendations.
I just grabbed The Physics of Star Trek for my Kindle. Let’s see how long it takes me to actually bring it up and read it.
The Foreword by Stephen Hawking certainly doesn’t hurt the book’s credibility.
I read The Science of Star Wars a while back. I think my favorite book of this kind is Michio Kaku’s Physics of the Impossible. It isn’t about any specific science fiction work, but a general, point-by-point discussion about how far we may or may not be from inventing various sci-fi technologies: intelligent robots, deep space travel, teleportation, mind-reading, invisibility, light sabers–you name it.
We breathlessly await the first cheap quantum computers, and the simulations they will permit, real like unto a scale one is completely fooled, and could live a whole life so hood-winked. It will raise serious question of the nature of reality.
The SciFi Channel had a series that was probing these questions in a way that was terribly relevant — Caprica — and it got yanked. Too bad. It was an awesome story that direct bearing on our near future.
One suggested reason as to “why no ET” is if evolution can produce quantum computers from the industrial revolution in c. 200 years, this is astonishingly short in cosmic time. It takes Hastur longer to blink. For, upon realizing space and flesh = ungodly expense with likewise ungodly boredom, Homo Sapiens turned inward to its Simulations, of what did they become?
@Boyd: The forward does speak well of it. I think you’ll find the rest enjoyable as well.
@Kylopod: I will take a look at your suggestions. Thanks.
@James in LA: I didn’t like Caprica. I bought it through iTunes expecting it to be great, at least similar to Galactica, and it was nothing of the sort. I know they were trying to attract female viewers and wanted to get away from the “war in space” aspects of Galactica, but they went too far.