Dan Bedford (danbedford) - Brooklyn, NY (15 books)

Dan Bedford is currently reading:

Messages from the Masters by Brian L. Weiss

Messages from the Masters : Tapping into the Power of Love
by Brian L. Weiss

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Dan Bedford gave

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Flatland
by Edwin A. Abbott

recommended for: Anyone.

read in November, 2008

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This is the first book I've read since I was a little kid. You know, when you were forced to read books for school. ; ) I'm pleased to have read this book, as it is quite relative to the things I think about these days, even though it was written ...moreThis is the first book I've read since I was a little kid. You know, when you were forced to read books for school. ; ) I'm pleased to have read this book, as it is quite relative to the things I think about these days, even though it was written in the Victorian era. Things like pondering the concepts of extra dimensions, social structure, self realization, etc.

I had some difficulty getting into it during the first half, mostly because of the Victorian-ness of the writing. But reading the protagonist's descriptions of his world kept my interests peaked as visualizing what it'd be like to live in a 1D or 2D world was not something I've tried to understand before.

Of course, understanding the way his world works is the most important part, as that's how you will be able to put this whole thing into perspective. We live in a 3D world, and for the most part, that's all we know. We can understand 2D and 1D, but only in the respect that those dimensions can be a part of or 3D world, and not that we would know what it'd be like to live as a 2 dimensional being. When you try to think about a 4th dimension, that's when things can get a bit wonky.

Watching A. Square explain to the King of Lineland (the 1D world) the existence of a 2nd dimension was so interesting, as someone from a higher dimension thinks it's INSANE that he couldn't understand the concept, just as the King thought it was insane at the thought of this 2nd dimension. Then the sphere from Spaceland (the 3D world) comes to A. Square in the same manner and tables have turned. A. Square does not want to hear it and is angered at the sphere for trying to convince him that his world is not all there is, and there exists a dimension unknown to him, though it's really all around him.

Amazing. It really helps you to understand that extra dimensions are not so far fetched if you just gave your self some time and energy to think about it, because it really is all around us. We just haven't been enlightened to it yet. And when we do, we're gonna kick ourselves for thinking it was ever blasphemous.

Wonderful book, so glad I read it, and I know I'll be coming back to it again soon. For now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch "The Elegant Universe: Welcome to the 11th Dimension". : )(less)

Dan Bedford gave

to:

The Trumpet of the Swan
by E.B. White

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Dan Bedford is currently reading:

The Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka

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