David’s Comments (group member since Dec 13, 2009)

David’s comments from the Science and Inquiry group.

Welcome to the group Geoffrey! your interests and background (physics and astrophysics) sound very much like mine. You should find a lot of discussions here of interest to you. Please jump right in!

I just finished read the book Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Physics, Technology, and Social Organization by Adrian Bejan. The constructal law, the author claims, is an organizing principle for all flows in nature. It is a very clever idea, but it is buried in a rather tedious book. Here is my review.

I just finished reading the book A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science by Dr. Barbara Oakley. This book is not about math or science; it is a self-help book for improving your study habits. If you are in school or college and would like to help yourself study and take tests more efficiently, then this book has some good advice for you. Here is my review.

There is a nice TED Talk, given by one of the authors, on the subject of quantum biology.

I have enjoyed all his books immensely.

I just finished reading Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species by Sean Carroll. I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in adventure stories or evolution. Extremely well written and engaging. Here is my review.

The book Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice looks very interesting. However, it was published just last month. Please wait a couple of months and nominate it again, when it may be more widely available at libraries and book stores.

I just finished reading the book How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking, by Jordan Ellenberg. It is an excellent, very engaging book about the application of mathematics to everyday life. I highly recommend it! Here is my review.

Welcome to our group, Krishna. Please feel free to look at our many discussions an contribite!

Welcome to our Ann! Most of our group books are not very technical. Please dig right into our discussions and participate as much as you can!

At work I find it very convenient to think in terms of the units "nautical mile" and "knot" when it comes to ship navigation. Of course then I often have to use a conversion factor to go to units of kilometers and meters per second. The reason the old units are so useful is that they relate so easily to navigation. One minute of latitude on the Earth's surface is a nautical mile and a knot is one nautical mile per hour.

However people also commonly use knots to describe a wind speed where it makes no sense to me at all.

I couldn't wait, so I just now finished listening to the audiobook version of Bonk. It is a lot better than I expected. Perhaps because Sandra Burr does such a great job narrating the audiobook. Here is my review.

That book looks interesting, Dariana.

I just finished reading The Best American Science Writing 2011. It is a collection of fascinating essays on a wide range of topics. I highly recommend it! Here is my review.

Kathy, I'm not reading along this month--I read the book several years ago. I enjoyed it very much. Here is my review of the book.

I just finished reading Biopunk: Kitchen-Counter Scientists Hack the Software of Life. It is a very good book about amateur biologists who are developing new techniques and tools for tracing, diagnosing, and curing disease. They are also improving seeds for agriculture, and lots of other things in their kitchens and garages. I recommend the book--here is my review.

Daniel wrote: "I finished two popular books recently, and both were worthy of recommendation.

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is geared more for entertainmen..."

Daniel,
I just started reading What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. It is hilarious! Lots of fun.

Very interesting collection of issues, Jim. As you wrote, it is a complicated issue. (Schools were closed in my county today. There was no snow. Just bitter cold.)

Welcome, John!

While I am not familiar with that group, but based on the list of books on their bookshelf, your will probably find that most people in this group are more realistic.

Well, people do react favorably to placebos, even when they know that they are simply placebos.