false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171046339m/83566.jpg 354421 4 t the heart of the universe is a steady, insistent beat, the sound of cycles in sync. Along the tidal rivers of Malaysia, thousands of fireflies congregate and flash in unison; the moon spins in perfect resonance with its orbit around the earth; our hearts depend on the synchronous firing of ten thousand pacemaker cells. While the forces that synchronize the flashing of fireflies may seem to have nothing to do with our heart cells, there is in fact a deep connection. Synchrony is a science in its infancy, and Strogatz is a pioneer in this new frontier in which mathematicians and physicists attempt to pinpoint just how spontaneous order emerges from chaos. From underground caves in Texas where a French scientist spent six months alone tracking his sleep-wake cycle, to the home of a Dutch physicist who in 1665 discovered two of his pendulum clocks swinging in perfect time, this fascinating book spans disciplines, continents, and centuries. Engagingly written for readers of books such as Chaos and The Elegant Universe, Sync is a tour-de-force of nonfiction writing. 344613 5 3 2003 Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order total:122|5:25|4:50|3:40|2:7|1:0| 122 459 228 23 4 1 false false Wed Mar 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jan 03 00:04:47 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 25 19:08:53 -0700 2009
I understand that it's aimed at a popular audience without a mathematics bac...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 28 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Jan 15 07:44:48 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 07:49:53 -0800 2009
The book focuses on instances of "spontaneous order-seeking" in nature. Cases where things start irregular, but tend towards an equilibrium which is ordered. Now,...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jun 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 20:43:27 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 21:30:14 -0700 2009 1 Studying math I always felt that the deeper point of it was shrouded for me. I think if I had read th...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Nov 14 10:59:28 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 11 06:34:43 -0800 2007
More than anything, it's helping me (so far) understand my sleep 'schedule' (or lack thereof)!!

Finally finished - parts of this book are fun, parts are great, most of it turns out to be self-...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 05 22:40:26 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 10 17:32:20 -0800 2009
Howev...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Nov 30 21:46:58 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 21:46:58 -0800 2008 Major take aways: Reductionism has been useful but reached it's limits. Understanding, or at least being able to explain, how systems interact to "generate" emergent behavior i...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat May 16 12:18:39 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 18:24:34 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 11 08:13:15 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 16 10:01:55 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue May 26 13:36:05 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 13:36:26 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 10 13:07:30 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 10 13:07:41 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun May 17 10:21:30 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 10:21:52 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Sep 04 22:05:52 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 04 22:16:08 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Fri Jun 13 17:47:32 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 13 17:47:52 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri May 30 09:01:25 -0700 2008 Fri May 30 09:04:46 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sat Mar 01 14:19:42 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 25 13:35:04 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 25 13:36:55 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sun Oct 05 14:05:56 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 14:07:23 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Oct 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 10 16:28:28 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 14 15:23:50 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Jun 22 21:58:07 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 13:41:27 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jul 07 14:16:43 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 14:17:55 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sun Aug 19 16:57:36 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 19 16:57:36 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=83566