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Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman/What Do You Care What Other People Think?
[Transcribed by Ralph Leighton]
[Read by Raymond Todd]
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman possessed an unquenchable thirst for adventure and an unparalleled ability to tell the stories of his life. In these two perennially popular, bestselling memoir collections, Feynman weaves his views on modern science together with his outrageous life experiences a combustible mixture of intelligence, curiosity, skepticism, and chutzpah.
In Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! , Feynman recounts his adventures trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr, gambling with Nick the Greek, painting a naked female toreador, and much else of an eyebrow-raising and hilarious nature.
In What Do You Care What Other People Think? , Feynman introduces us to his first love, who lay dying in a nearby hospital while he worked on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, and shares his brilliant experiment which revealed the cause of the space shuttle Challenger 's explosion.
[Read by Raymond Todd]
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman possessed an unquenchable thirst for adventure and an unparalleled ability to tell the stories of his life. In these two perennially popular, bestselling memoir collections, Feynman weaves his views on modern science together with his outrageous life experiences a combustible mixture of intelligence, curiosity, skepticism, and chutzpah.
In Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! , Feynman recounts his adventures trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr, gambling with Nick the Greek, painting a naked female toreador, and much else of an eyebrow-raising and hilarious nature.
In What Do You Care What Other People Think? , Feynman introduces us to his first love, who lay dying in a nearby hospital while he worked on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, and shares his brilliant experiment which revealed the cause of the space shuttle Challenger 's explosion.
Audio CD
Published November 1, 2006
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About the author
Richard P. Feynman
271 books6,816 followersRichard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as work in particle physics (he proposed the parton model). For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman was a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, together with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. Feynman developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions governing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams. During his lifetime and after his death, Feynman became one of the most publicly known scientists in the world.
He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb and was a member of the panel that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In addition to his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing, and introducing the concept of nanotechnology (creation of devices at the molecular scale). He held the Richard Chace Tolman professorship in theoretical physics at Caltech.
-wikipedia
See Ричард Фейнман
He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb and was a member of the panel that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In addition to his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing, and introducing the concept of nanotechnology (creation of devices at the molecular scale). He held the Richard Chace Tolman professorship in theoretical physics at Caltech.
-wikipedia
See Ричард Фейнман
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 25, 2018
Hadn't thought a Nobel pprize-winning physicist could be so fun loving & down-to-earth. He was a man ahead of his time when it came to many things -- & of his time when it came to his ideas about 'pretty girls' (as he calls women). The audiobook reader did a great job, but what a shame Feynman didn't read it himself before he passed on...
September 22, 2016
This was a compilation of stories that Feynman tells from his own point of view. They were great. He seemed like a great guy. He was so full of life & had such an interest in it. From learning to pick locks, learn a different language, art, or music, he threw himself into the endeavor & did pretty well at it. I can appreciate that. He spent more time on these than he did on his work which is well documented elsewhere. I have Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science in my queue, but I don't know when I'll get to it.
He rarely had a bad word about anyone even when he was obviously disappointed in their choices. He sounds like a great teacher. He taught himself much (trig!) & I really liked the way he thought through problems, by building it in his head. I try to do that, but thought I was weird. I'll try harder from now on since I know I'm not. Many of the life lessons he passes along I've learned myself already, but they were still good ones.
I'd heard he wasn't all that pleased with his Nobel Prize, but it was interesting to hear it from him. Considering what else he had said about his life to that point, it made a lot of sense.
The bits on education were wonderful to listen to. I'd really liked to have had him as a teacher. I wish I could say I was shocked at the deplorable state of educational books that are being used on our children, but I was subject to them & so were my kids, so I know first hand. I can't say that the stupidity of the selection process surprised me either.
The last section on how science should be performed & the standards it should be held to were great. It's especially important today when there is so much more to know, our technology has advanced so far, & is based on older methods. Several times lately, I've read articles that have stated facts that didn't add up to me. I've checked the studies they cited & found that they were 50 years old! No one has repeated the study in all that time?
Great read & highly recommended.
He rarely had a bad word about anyone even when he was obviously disappointed in their choices. He sounds like a great teacher. He taught himself much (trig!) & I really liked the way he thought through problems, by building it in his head. I try to do that, but thought I was weird. I'll try harder from now on since I know I'm not. Many of the life lessons he passes along I've learned myself already, but they were still good ones.
I'd heard he wasn't all that pleased with his Nobel Prize, but it was interesting to hear it from him. Considering what else he had said about his life to that point, it made a lot of sense.
The bits on education were wonderful to listen to. I'd really liked to have had him as a teacher. I wish I could say I was shocked at the deplorable state of educational books that are being used on our children, but I was subject to them & so were my kids, so I know first hand. I can't say that the stupidity of the selection process surprised me either.
The last section on how science should be performed & the standards it should be held to were great. It's especially important today when there is so much more to know, our technology has advanced so far, & is based on older methods. Several times lately, I've read articles that have stated facts that didn't add up to me. I've checked the studies they cited & found that they were 50 years old! No one has repeated the study in all that time?
Great read & highly recommended.
August 5, 2015
I loved this book. It had everything story of an entire lifetime, Science, Research and most importantly hidden lessons. I loved how the book described life of a man in simplest form and the definition of science and experiment as understood by Richard P. Feynman.
What I really loved was the last sentence of the book - "So I have just one wish for you- the good luck to be somewhere where you are free to maintain the kind of integrity I have described, and where you do not feel forced by a need to maintain your position in the organization, or financial support, or so on to lose your integrity. May you have that freedom".
What I really loved was the last sentence of the book - "So I have just one wish for you- the good luck to be somewhere where you are free to maintain the kind of integrity I have described, and where you do not feel forced by a need to maintain your position in the organization, or financial support, or so on to lose your integrity. May you have that freedom".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2017
Well... this is a hard book to evaluate because I'm also a geek who likes to embark upon 'adventures'. I'm also known to be a quick study on many subjects and thus I do a pretty good job of getting deep into my adventures. So as Feynman told his stories I thought of those that paralleled my own (my day job, however, has not included developing an atom bomb or winning a Nobel Prize).
I guess where my life separates from Feynman (not counting the order of magnitude in IQ), probably comes from his age. He was a bit of a 'beatnik'... playing bongos, etc. Mathematicians often make good musicians and I play guitar as well. I play classical guitar and I never took it up to 'be cool' or because it was part of the zeitgeist, but because I really wanted to do it. That was all.
Another great difference was his attitude; or apparent attitude; toward women. The women in my life are strong independent professionals. While I enjoy sexual conquest and adventure as much as the next scientist, Feynman transcended his assigned introversion (I mean aren't all scientists supposed to be introverts?) to seek out and adventure with them.
In this memoir his goal is always and pretty much only sex. Sex only compromises a small part of the time I spend with women and I was perhaps a little surprised not to read of a single woman that he dealt with professionally. He often said "He was a smart man", but never concluded from his adventures that "She was a smart woman."
Perhaps it was the times, but I'm glad I live in my time, where I can enjoy the company of a woman and experience a range of pleasures, be they intellectual, gastronomical, historical, metaphysical, and not limited to just sexual (though I confess the latter is often a favourite). In any case, it appeared that Feynman took no interest in half the Earth's population for any reason other than sex.
So why did I like this book at all? Well it celebrates inquisitiveness. Most of the good things in life are good because someone took the time to figure something out to make them good. I like very much that Feynman got inquisitive in other fields. So often people would tell me (and still tell me) you can't study that, you are an expert in this.
I wonder how many avenues of inquiry have been squashed with such prejudice. I'm a firm believer that many, if not all avenues of inquiry can use fresh eyes and new questions. If nothing else, the persons in those fields would be forced to explain them to those without. It's said that one doesn't understand a topic unless it can be explained to a child.
In any case, Feynman follows his passions, encourages others to do so and puts on a grand show in the offing. I'm all ready to look into a few hobbies I've put off myself. Thanks for reading.
I guess where my life separates from Feynman (not counting the order of magnitude in IQ), probably comes from his age. He was a bit of a 'beatnik'... playing bongos, etc. Mathematicians often make good musicians and I play guitar as well. I play classical guitar and I never took it up to 'be cool' or because it was part of the zeitgeist, but because I really wanted to do it. That was all.
Another great difference was his attitude; or apparent attitude; toward women. The women in my life are strong independent professionals. While I enjoy sexual conquest and adventure as much as the next scientist, Feynman transcended his assigned introversion (I mean aren't all scientists supposed to be introverts?) to seek out and adventure with them.
In this memoir his goal is always and pretty much only sex. Sex only compromises a small part of the time I spend with women and I was perhaps a little surprised not to read of a single woman that he dealt with professionally. He often said "He was a smart man", but never concluded from his adventures that "She was a smart woman."
Perhaps it was the times, but I'm glad I live in my time, where I can enjoy the company of a woman and experience a range of pleasures, be they intellectual, gastronomical, historical, metaphysical, and not limited to just sexual (though I confess the latter is often a favourite). In any case, it appeared that Feynman took no interest in half the Earth's population for any reason other than sex.
So why did I like this book at all? Well it celebrates inquisitiveness. Most of the good things in life are good because someone took the time to figure something out to make them good. I like very much that Feynman got inquisitive in other fields. So often people would tell me (and still tell me) you can't study that, you are an expert in this.
I wonder how many avenues of inquiry have been squashed with such prejudice. I'm a firm believer that many, if not all avenues of inquiry can use fresh eyes and new questions. If nothing else, the persons in those fields would be forced to explain them to those without. It's said that one doesn't understand a topic unless it can be explained to a child.
In any case, Feynman follows his passions, encourages others to do so and puts on a grand show in the offing. I'm all ready to look into a few hobbies I've put off myself. Thanks for reading.
June 18, 2018
No tengo claro qué esperaba de este libro, pero sin duda esperaba encontrar algo más que una colección de anécdotas. El libro está escrito como un bucle infinito que describe cómo Feynman se enfrenta con éxito a un problema tras otro. No importa si está hablando sobre "cómo resolver el misterio de una puerta desaparecida en su fraternidad" (que él mismo había escondido) o cómo observar la explosión los primeros tests nucleares a través del parabrisas de un cambión (probablemente, la única persona en la Tierra que viera la detonación porque el resto llevaban puestas unas gafas oscuras)...
El libro me molestó desde el principio, incomodándome sin que supiera la razón. No sólo era la falta de algún "hilo narrativo", sino la manera en la que Feynman explica las anécdotas. Analizando el recuerdo del (audio)libro, me doy cuenta de que destila un egocentrismo despectivo hacia el resto del mundo; se modifican las reglas de convivencia en los barracones porque él simula estar viviendo con una mujer, se dictan órdenes para que se cierren los archivadores en su presencia para evitar que averigüe las combinaciones... Cuando se desplaza a Alburquerque en tren -se han estado enviando materiales para construir la bomba atómica y todos los científicos deben hacer viajes indirectos para evitar dar pistas al enemigo- él compra un billete directo a la ciudad para ir a ver a su mujer; el vendedor le dice "así que todo este movimiento es por usted"... Todo parece girar a su alrededor.
Quizás al tratarse de una autobiografía, lo normal es centrarse en destacar todos los detalles excepcionales de uno mismo... Pero acaba resultando cansino y aburrido. Además, hay algo en la forma de explicar las historias que parece ridiculizar al resto de personas. Con los militares -por ejemplo, durante su examen médico para saber si era apto para ir al frente este desprecio quizás sirva para resaltar lo absurdo del sistema de evaluación. Pero ese mismo tono de estar por encima del resto es una constante en todo el libro.
Finalmente me cansé de su prepotencia y de su falsa modestia, de la exaltación de sus virtudes al estilo de un vendedor de teletienda.
Nada de esto ha empañado el respeto y la admiración que siento por sus logros científicos, pero sin duda le ha restado brillo a la imagen que tenía de su persona.
El libro me molestó desde el principio, incomodándome sin que supiera la razón. No sólo era la falta de algún "hilo narrativo", sino la manera en la que Feynman explica las anécdotas. Analizando el recuerdo del (audio)libro, me doy cuenta de que destila un egocentrismo despectivo hacia el resto del mundo; se modifican las reglas de convivencia en los barracones porque él simula estar viviendo con una mujer, se dictan órdenes para que se cierren los archivadores en su presencia para evitar que averigüe las combinaciones... Cuando se desplaza a Alburquerque en tren -se han estado enviando materiales para construir la bomba atómica y todos los científicos deben hacer viajes indirectos para evitar dar pistas al enemigo- él compra un billete directo a la ciudad para ir a ver a su mujer; el vendedor le dice "así que todo este movimiento es por usted"... Todo parece girar a su alrededor.
Quizás al tratarse de una autobiografía, lo normal es centrarse en destacar todos los detalles excepcionales de uno mismo... Pero acaba resultando cansino y aburrido. Además, hay algo en la forma de explicar las historias que parece ridiculizar al resto de personas. Con los militares -por ejemplo, durante su examen médico para saber si era apto para ir al frente este desprecio quizás sirva para resaltar lo absurdo del sistema de evaluación. Pero ese mismo tono de estar por encima del resto es una constante en todo el libro.
Finalmente me cansé de su prepotencia y de su falsa modestia, de la exaltación de sus virtudes al estilo de un vendedor de teletienda.
Nada de esto ha empañado el respeto y la admiración que siento por sus logros científicos, pero sin duda le ha restado brillo a la imagen que tenía de su persona.
March 13, 2022
A revolutionary physicist with one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century found itself in the body of a man who is sexist, a jerk, and a braggart with no humility. In my opinion humility is the foundation of greatness. I have the utmost respect for the physicist, the scientist, and the teacher, but not the man who doesn't know the meaning of the word.
I didn't like his anecdotes; nothing whatsoever interesting I could find in them; if he wasn't "blatantly" bragging, he'd still be "humbly" bragging in every one of them. I wonder if people would ever finish reading the whole book before throwing it away if it didn't have the name Feynman on it. Its popularity proves that it's nothing but a hype.
I didn't like his anecdotes; nothing whatsoever interesting I could find in them; if he wasn't "blatantly" bragging, he'd still be "humbly" bragging in every one of them. I wonder if people would ever finish reading the whole book before throwing it away if it didn't have the name Feynman on it. Its popularity proves that it's nothing but a hype.
January 4, 2011
This book reminds me of "The adventures of Huckleberry Finn". It is an auto biographical work focusing on the Feynman's adventures and his philosophy of life. His quest is not for fame or for wealth, but for anything interesting. Feynman was a man who lived his passion and loved life, questioned authority , picked locks and pranked his friends endlessly. A great mind, an artist, and an overall cheery fellow. This book stamps a smile on your face as you read it.
November 6, 2021
A wonderful story of a young man’s self discovery filled with humor and love. A matter of fact way of thinking with a partner who understands him and shows so many numerous ways how she enjoys the personality as her love guides him through everyday life which can be simple for some but I completely understand his way of thinking and the need for a partner who understands the way my brain, the way Feynman’s brain works.
Very enjoyable meanwhile a full professional storyline.
Very enjoyable meanwhile a full professional storyline.
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October 30, 2009Actually, I have separate editions of each, but anyway...
It's more fun to hear about Feynman than to read his own words, but that's not to say his writing isn't interesting. The title of the second book (What Do YOU Care What Other People Think?) refers to his service on the Rogers Comission (investigating the Challenger disaster).
It's more fun to hear about Feynman than to read his own words, but that's not to say his writing isn't interesting. The title of the second book (What Do YOU Care What Other People Think?) refers to his service on the Rogers Comission (investigating the Challenger disaster).
March 21, 2018
I didn't know quite what to expect, but I really enjoyed getting to know the person behind one of the greatest minds in nuclear physics. He worked on the development of the atom bomb, and has a few things to say about that. This is a series of stories that he tells about himself, rather than a true autobiography. I found more than a couple of quotes to save.
October 9, 2009
The title chapter--"What Do You Care What Other People Think?"--has a lot of wisdom worth absorbing and practicing. This book is great for fans of physics as well as independent thinkers.
June 30, 2013
An Excellent insight into the mind of the one of the most famous physicist of all time.A view into the great curiosity and way he enjoyed his life...Simply Entertaining.
August 25, 2013
Many insights into the wonderful and thought processes of the very curious and penetrating mind of Feynman!
June 21, 2025
I suspect I didn't want to enjoy this book as much as I did. Many of Fynman's views, particularly about women, feel very 'of a particular time', but despite the fact I found him very mysogynistic at times, the man was clearly an original thinker who loved life and was interested in the world around him. I particularly enjoyed the way he writes about the importance of play and imagination in understanding things and will likely encourage students to read some of the chapters - in particular the one about the importance of experiments. A key takeaway for me was that he was a gifted teacher and his focus was first and foremost on understanding and curiosity rather than reproducing information - ahead of his time in that regard. I enjoyed the way these stories were told from his personal point of view and while I suspect he was a particularly odd bod, his relentless curiosity and interest in the way the world worked was fascinating. His willingness to be uncomfortable in order to learn was particularly interesting, and I enjoyed the stories about learning to draw and to play music in particlar.
November 9, 2025
This is a lighter auto-biography to read than his previous What do you care what other people think. It came out a few years after the first one, definitely before "fin de siecle" as I recall reading it in 1997 and writing an article in Slovenia's largest daily newspaper, Delo, to commemorate 10 years since his death (1918-1988).
The book focuses more on Feynman the Prankster, Feynman the Bongo Drummer rather than Feynman the Brilliant Physicist.
I think it should be read only after the "What Do You Care What Other People Think?".
The book focuses more on Feynman the Prankster, Feynman the Bongo Drummer rather than Feynman the Brilliant Physicist.
I think it should be read only after the "What Do You Care What Other People Think?".
August 6, 2025
“I was defensive, as all young are, of my knowledge.”
May 13, 2024
funny informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
4.75
A wonderful insight to an amazing man sharing his life, leaning and science with the world. A real out of the box person that his ideas on education and science needs to be heeded especially in today's world.
4.75
A wonderful insight to an amazing man sharing his life, leaning and science with the world. A real out of the box person that his ideas on education and science needs to be heeded especially in today's world.
December 8, 2020
A very interesting collection of stories about Feynman's eventful life, it was often quite amusing, and overall a very fascinating record to read of a rather peculiar character, and how those events and stories came to be. Few men can say they've experienced as much and seen as much as him, but if anything, to me the book serves as a good example of what one can aspire to do and ultimately achieve with lots of willpower and a bit of luck. I was very satisfied with the book and will be looking forwards to reading What Do You Care What Other People Think in the future as well. There is a bit of mathematical and scientific vocabulary but nothing too difficult for the average person to understand, and of course science itself isn't the emphasis of the book, but the stories of it.
People complaining about his "objectified" view of women clearly have zero understanding of the way things used to be and how he was as a person. From my point of view, he was plenty respectful towards anyone who was worthy of it. He might come off as "annoying" to people that take him too seriously, and if you dive into this book with a super serious attitude expecting a boring and simplistic story, you will be disappointed.
I give it a 4/5, with one star taken way due to the structuring of the "timeline" being a bit confusing at times, and understandably he's left some subjects largely unspoken of aside a few mentions, such as his marriage before the tragic death of his first wife.
I am not a professional reviewer, so i write about my own experience of how the book was, rarely paying attention to factors i don't deem important for a casual reader such as myself.
People complaining about his "objectified" view of women clearly have zero understanding of the way things used to be and how he was as a person. From my point of view, he was plenty respectful towards anyone who was worthy of it. He might come off as "annoying" to people that take him too seriously, and if you dive into this book with a super serious attitude expecting a boring and simplistic story, you will be disappointed.
I give it a 4/5, with one star taken way due to the structuring of the "timeline" being a bit confusing at times, and understandably he's left some subjects largely unspoken of aside a few mentions, such as his marriage before the tragic death of his first wife.
I am not a professional reviewer, so i write about my own experience of how the book was, rarely paying attention to factors i don't deem important for a casual reader such as myself.
December 30, 2022
Now that was a good book. From the very first pages to was evident it would rise to rival my favourite ones. I see why so many of the intelligent folks I follow say they've been inspired by it.
To me, this depiction of Feynman shows a vision of a life lived to perfection. I truly wish to know how one could develop the level of curiosity this man had. It's impressive to see that in everything he did, he wanted to understand deeply, find the root causes - not just scratch at the surface. All while being a cheeky chaos monkey, consistently testing the limits of his surroundings.
At times, I felt sad, jealous, even angry. We've got different starting conditions, and I felt deeply jealous of his. Specifically, the analytical upbringing. The love of science of not just him, but of his close family. His sister encouraging him to take the time and read a paper more intently (leading to him winning a Nobel prize), his father guiding him through paths of reason. The hurtful fire in me burns pervasively. Maybe there's a hint to future life goals here - passing onwards something better.
Last; I think it might generalise well - if you wish to understand us tech folks a bit better, read this. It's a light one, easily ingestable, and will leave you with a better sense of adventure than Kerouac ever could.
To me, this depiction of Feynman shows a vision of a life lived to perfection. I truly wish to know how one could develop the level of curiosity this man had. It's impressive to see that in everything he did, he wanted to understand deeply, find the root causes - not just scratch at the surface. All while being a cheeky chaos monkey, consistently testing the limits of his surroundings.
At times, I felt sad, jealous, even angry. We've got different starting conditions, and I felt deeply jealous of his. Specifically, the analytical upbringing. The love of science of not just him, but of his close family. His sister encouraging him to take the time and read a paper more intently (leading to him winning a Nobel prize), his father guiding him through paths of reason. The hurtful fire in me burns pervasively. Maybe there's a hint to future life goals here - passing onwards something better.
Last; I think it might generalise well - if you wish to understand us tech folks a bit better, read this. It's a light one, easily ingestable, and will leave you with a better sense of adventure than Kerouac ever could.
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October 25, 2012Another great installation in the mind-software that is Feynman 2.0. I can`t help but feel a little brighter and happier every time I come into contact with this brilliant thinker. Reading Feynman is like adding memory to your computer; it seems to make you function faster, smoother, and, more importantly, better. Displaying a wide grasp of ideas (from the elevated investigations of a space shuttle crash to the mundane struggles with everyday life) and a healthy disregard for people in power and authority, Feynman shows how some of the most intransigent problems can be solved by asking the simplest, and therefore most pertinent, questions. From this simple act, much else follows.
May 21, 2015
Richard P. Feynman reminded me of a new Leonardo da Vinci. His limitless genuine curiosity, carefree attitude and thirst of discovery are only few of the characteristics of this modern man of the Renaissance. Feynman doesn't care what other think about him, his only drive is his curiosity. Therefore shouldn't be surprising that a Nobel laureate who worked on the atomic bomb also learns how to pickup women, how to play drums, how to paint in shady nightclubs, lucid dreaming and many many more.
This book is a fascinating journey through the mind of one of the most interesting person of the past centuries and definitely a must-read.
This book is a fascinating journey through the mind of one of the most interesting person of the past centuries and definitely a must-read.
January 23, 2009
Very interesting stories about Dr. Feynman, a physicist who spoke his mind and ...well... didn't care what other people would think of him for doing it. This is supposedly the sequel to another book of stories of the same man, but the stories are not necessarily sequential. Also, while the first half of stories are not so related, the latter half of this book focuses on Dr. Feynman's time on the Presidential Committee which examined the Challenger space shuttle crash (1984 was it? '86? one of the two).
June 21, 2015
Feynman was a scientist at heart, who was always doing different experiments in and out of his field.
He was always learning, and putting hours and hours of practice to acquire his skills.
I've really enjoyed reading those stories, specially about the time he was in Brazil, and his last lecture about what he thought of the Brazilian school system. As a Brazilian myself, I couldn't agree more with his thoughts.
Another fact that got my attention os his points about school books for kids, although he was talking about the US the same thing was true in Brazil and I think it still is.
He was always learning, and putting hours and hours of practice to acquire his skills.
I've really enjoyed reading those stories, specially about the time he was in Brazil, and his last lecture about what he thought of the Brazilian school system. As a Brazilian myself, I couldn't agree more with his thoughts.
Another fact that got my attention os his points about school books for kids, although he was talking about the US the same thing was true in Brazil and I think it still is.
September 19, 2023
I just finished this book again last night. I read it the first time in about 2002. It is so good. He mixes trivial life stories with physics and math. He speaks his mind not caring what others think.
I listen to a lot of books.
Audible.com has a free book offer with This American Life.
http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/temp...
I listen to a lot of books.
Audible.com has a free book offer with This American Life.
http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/temp...
March 20, 2016
Curiously entertaining and informative of the world I never really paid much attention to (physics). But most of all, the peculiar character that Feynman is challenges you to rethink about your lifetime and what you could do with it to fully enjoy it, free from mob psychology.
However, I would recommend his other biography 'what do you care what other people think' over this one because that seemed to have a stronger structure: thus easier to grasp as a whole.
However, I would recommend his other biography 'what do you care what other people think' over this one because that seemed to have a stronger structure: thus easier to grasp as a whole.
July 29, 2020
I never listened to his physics lectures (though did once see a one-man biographical stage play), but I see the famous Feynman humor. Listening to it, and remembering reminisces of people who knew people who knew him over the years, I got a real sense, I think, of the way we excuse bad behavior in the name of amusement.
Still, he's obviously an outstanding storyteller, and the narrator did a good job of capturing his cadence.
Still, he's obviously an outstanding storyteller, and the narrator did a good job of capturing his cadence.
October 28, 2022
An interesting collection of short anecdotes - largely science based, and occasionally way too deep into physics/science and math for the ordinary layperson; however there are many stories which appeal and are entertaining to the ordinary reader, such as myself. I was not aware of who Richard Fenyman was and what his accomplishments have been before reading this book - he sounds like a fascinating person to know.
June 28, 2013
Well this book really changed my perception towards one of the greatest physicists of the world. This book shows us that the Nobel prize is not a big deal to many people. It shows us that physicists are not only work and no play. It breaks apart the modern notion of physicists and geniuses being like Sheldon Cooper of The Big Bang Theory Fame.
July 31, 2015
Lydbok. Utrolig bra. Oppleseren (hva kalles folk som leser lydbøker) var utrolig flink - innlevelse, og hver gang det var snakk om utlendinger og fremmedspråk hadde han alltid aksenten rett (ihvertfall skal jeg tro det).
Feynman har levd et utrolig morsomt liv, og hadde masse artige og interessante påfunn. Hobby å dirke opp safer på Los Alamos mens han jobbet på atombomben, for eksempel.
Feynman har levd et utrolig morsomt liv, og hadde masse artige og interessante påfunn. Hobby å dirke opp safer på Los Alamos mens han jobbet på atombomben, for eksempel.
December 11, 2022
I listened to this one and I am glad I did. This guy had quite the curious mind, and dappled with so many things, scientific or otherwise. I believe the best part ot the audio production was the reader, I kept thinking I was listening to Feynman himself. The only drawback was some of the stories tended to go on a little too long. A small criticism for such an enlightening and entertaining read.
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