I was never much cop at science. I used to enjoy chemistry at school probably for all the wrong reasons as I used to deliberately put too much of substance A into substance B to see if I could get a violent reaction. The violent reaction used to invariably come from Pygmy (Father McCann) who would shout out in an amazingly big voice given his diminutive figure "You moron! Cabbage! You're using up perfectly good air that someone else could be using".
At university I studied mechanics and geology as an intermediate to an architecture degree (after I'd abandoned law studies after three years). I've made a career in the wine industry so you can see how well that went.
Over the last week I've been listening to a spoken book while driving. It is called The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. This is the story of the periodic table told as a narrative on history, discovery, politics, war, sex, greed and obsession. Not since reading Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel or the sublime Bronowski's The Ascent of Man have I read (well listened to - I will buy the book) something that is riveting, stimulating and difficult but so rewarding. There is so much in this to process that it taxes memory retention but the stories are so interesting and interconnected that it makes dry old science fascinating. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone out there. I am sure that TSB has read it. I am looking forward to reading the book myself after listening to it (beautifully recorded) and hope that one day soon someone will make a TV series of it. With all the wastage of resources put into the creation of forensic porn, vampire soaps and unfunny comedy at present if only the money could be put into filming stuff like this. I live in hope and am cheered by the success of the recent David Attenborough's Frozen Planet series so maybe...
The title The Disappearing Spoon comes from a conjuring trick where a spoon made of gallium looking and feeling like a normal metal spoon would, when put into hot water, melt. See here: DISAPPEARING SPOON
4 comments:
Wow - I've never seen that, very cool. Off to look up 'gallium' on the net!
Who is that scandinavian guy giving shooting lessons?
Actually, I haven't read it. I'll add it to my list.
I would also recommend "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson. Another scientific approach to life.
BTW if that long-haired guy shoots that pistol like that three things are going to happen.
1. He'll miss what he's trying to hit.
2. He'll probably dislocate his thumb from the slide recoil
3. He'll probably smack the gun into his face as his elbow's not locked.
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