false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166153268m/10260.jpg 10260 14 Why do we do science? Beyond altruistic and self-aggrandizing motivations, many of our best scientists work long hours seeking the electric thrill that comes only from learning something that nobody knew before. <I>The Pleasure of Finding Things Out</I>, a collection of previously unpublished or difficult-to-find short works by maverick physicist Richard Feynman, takes its title from his own answer. From TV interview transcripts to his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize, we see his quick, sharp wit, his devotion to his work, and his unwillingness to bow to social pressure or convention. It's no wonder he was only grudgingly admired by the establishment during his lifetime--read his "Minority Report to the Space Shuttle <I>Challenger</I> Inquiry" to see him blowing off political considerations as impediments to finding the truth.<p> Feynman had a fantastic sense of humor, and his memoirs of his Manhattan Project days roil with fun despite his later misgivings about nuclear weapons. Though one or two pieces are a bit hard to follow for the nontechnical reader, for the most part the book is easygoing and engaging on a personal rather than a scientific level. Freeman Dyson's foreword and editor Jeffrey Robbins's introductions to each essay set the stage well and are respectful without being worshipful. Though Feynman has been gone now for many years, his work lives on in quantum physics, computer design, and nanotechnology; like any great scientist, he asked more questions than he answered, to give future generations the pleasure of finding things out. <I>--Rob Lightner</I> 1246404 1999 The Pleasure Of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman (Helix Books) total:503|5:187|4:213|3:90|2:12|1:1| 503 2082 750 37 3 0 false false Fri Jan 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 17:55:08 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 17:55:46 -0800 2009
In my years trawling the web and being a science nerd, I've heard a lot about Richard Feynman. There are legends about him, that he was the Puck of physics - brilliant, untamed, and really, really funny. When I got...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 14:40:11 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 14:40:48 -0700 2009 The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a collection of interviews, lectures, and other short works written by the Nobel Prize winning physicist. The volume, wonderfully and unobtrusively edited by Jeffrey Robbins, covers a wide range of materials that gives readers a sense not only...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Sep 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 09:37:23 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 06:12:05 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 08:08:52 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 07:51:06 -0700 2009 The only thing keeping it from being 5 stars was that I had to [what's the auditory equivalent of 'skim'?:] some of the parts that got too technical...I would have been able to read them and understand, but while driving in the car, listening, I just couldn't follow it.
But I real...more...]]> 5 0 true false Mon Jan 05 23:17:40 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 21:08:27 -0800 2009
Two of my favorite stories were of his time rebelling against the censorship at Los Alamos while developing the atomic bomb. Being pulled in and questioned of the code h...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Mar 13 16:47:25 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 16:47:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Oct 19 10:48:10 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 19 10:57:10 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 25 20:34:42 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 20:41:57 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 08:12:13 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 08:16:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 05:19:07 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 19:05:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Sep 15 11:23:21 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 11:26:53 -0700 2009
According to Amazon: "assemblage of 13 essays, interviews and addresses (only one of them new to ...]]> 4 0 false false Wed May 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 08:25:19 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 12:41:33 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Apr 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 13:17:34 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 21:00:39 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Feb 24 16:23:50 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 16:24:53 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat May 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 19 12:09:04 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 09:14:37 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Jul 19 16:31:22 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 16:32:00 -0700 2009 5 0 false true Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Apr 15 13:41:16 -0700 2008 Wed May 14 14:32:59 -0700 2008
Physics is the...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 08:00:44 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 08:01:14 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Jun 23 18:30:23 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 23 18:34:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Feb 09 16:31:47 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 16:33:25 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=10260