Reading
Books, and between the lines
Books, and between the lines
Some impressions of books I happened to read
This book by James Gleick feels fresh and relevant even though it was originally published back in 1987. It charts the discovery of the existence of chaos in problems believed to be previously straightforward and well-formalized through the eyes and experiences of scientists working in vastly different domains, and how they came to realize that their observations implied something at once profound and awe-inspiring. Several larger-than-life figures, from Edward Lorenz to Benoit Mandelbrot who left a mark on their respective fields through shining a light on chaos find a place in its pages. Peppered throughout with figures as well as simple mathematical equations used as "toy" problems to illustrate the ideas, this book makes for a compelling read. It also allows us to view how academic work used to be conducted before computers became a de facto part of reading and writing, and how the emergence of these machines in fact propelled different scientific fields forward, permitting simulations and graphical plots previously produced painstakingly by hand, unable to identify the astonishing patterns that the computer eventually would. Highly recommended for anyone curious about science and the intriguing patterns of nature.
In detective fiction, two mainstream names are Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with the personalities of their creations etched into people's memories far longer than the convoluted plots and denouements across multiple works. However, there are plenty of stories from far less celebrated authors which defied conventional tropes and brought accurate scientific method and reasoning into the realm of fiction. The works of R. Austin Freeman merit a separate post by themselves, but here I refer to the fancifully titled "The Crooked Hinge" by John Dickson Carr published in 1938. Dr. Gideon Fell, a recurring character of Carr's, makes his customary appearance halfway through the yarn but rarely threatens to overwhelm the intricate plot, which combines elements of the usual whodunnit with mystical references and a real slice of history in the form of the sinking of the Titanic. It is impossible to say further without disclosing spoilers, but it is a real page turner and a very fun read.
The above, as well as Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express were inspired by real-life events. Fact is often stranger than fiction.
This is one of the first books in a long time that I have not read on a screen, and it only seems fitting for the story of a little girl growing up in Germany during the second World War, whose life is transformed and shaped by the books she comes across and occasionally steals. The style and expression of the book is very rich and beautiful. It may seem at the beginning to dwell too much on the morbid and this shouldn't come as a surprise given that Death is the principal narrator, performing his thankless task while seeking distraction in the colors of the day. But the story never lets up and we always relate to and root for Liesel, her foster parents, Max and the rich cast of supporting characters. The ending was especially moving, and the quote "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." will stay with me for a long time. I heartily recommend this book because I think it has something for everyone, and especially for the child in us.
The story of the brilliant mathematician and prolific inventor, John von Neumann who shaped much of the pioneering ideas of the 20th century that influence our lives even today. He was not only a peerless mathematician, his tireless efforts to bring people together and successfully move government and political machinery in order to coordinate massive undertakings were instrumental in the development of pure mathematics, nuclear weapons, game theory, computing and artificial intelligence in a sadly all-too-brief life. It includes interesting sidenotes on quantum theory, the incompleteness of mathematics and how the focal point of scientific research shifted from Germany to the United States under the shadow of the looming world war. The stage for this is the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, which sees the luminaries of the 20th century, chiefly Wigner, Gödel, Einstein and von Neumann come together in the backdrop of a looming World War, and even Alan Turing makes an appearance. The cherry on top is the birth of the modern computer and the nice history behind the formalization of the now-common parlance of Monte Carlo simulations. It is a very sobering read at times, and very important too - von Neumann is simply not celebrated as much as his illustrious contemporaries. He may not have been right about everything but I doubt he would be much surprised by the age we live in today. He was from the future after all : )
A fine work that tries to summarize the armed struggle in India's independence movement, little of which appears in the mainstream but which had a vital part to play in making British rule in India untenable. The lives of the revolutionaries and how they intersected at odd points, the moving descriptions of the brutalities they suffered and their immeasurable sacrifices that ultimately catalyzed India's independence probably deserve their own separate books, and the author provides comprehensive references for the same. A worthwhile and necessary read.
The past and present of semiconductor technology and the role it plays in our modern world. It charts historical events that stretch back to the original ENIAC brought to life by the efforts of John von Neumann, to the development of the transistor and then the subsequent miniaturization efforts to make increasingly smaller and more powerful chips. A lot of this book is heavily focused on the geopolitics and the cutthroat business of chip development too which led to the present-day political environment, though mostly from a US-centric viewpoint. Given our heavy dependence on this critical technology in our day-to-day lives, it is definitely an interesting subject to be more aware of.
This book by Jonathan Cohn, a senior national correspondent at the Huffington Post, and one of the most respected journalists on the subject of healthcare and health policy is a must read. It paints a very real and very human picture of the consequences of a broken healthcare system, through the experiences of people trying to navigate the labyrinthine laws and opaque policies that occlude those who need it the most. It shows how this was not always the case, and how political ideology and commercial forces eventually overwhelmed a system originally designed with the best intentions of providing affordable healthcare to all. The stories are heartbreaking and poignant, and form the heart and soul of this book that fills a very important void in the otherwise plentiful discourse on life and society.
Daniel Kahneman is the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. However, he is a psychologist by training, one whose storied career has focused on biases in decision making, intuition and judgement. This book means business right from the go, with its stated aim of providing us with a richer vocabulary to talk about the systematic errors we are all too often prone to make in what we mistake for conscious, ordered thoughts. The examples offered up are all too relatable, as are the little nuggets of wisdom behind them. I am reading this as part of a collection of great books that cover the role of chance and probability in our day-to-day lives, decision making and forecasting in a variety of spheres. Other worthy additions to the collection are The Drunkard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow and The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver, who also runs the always interesting FiveThirtyEight.com. **to be taken with a pinch of salt as some of the hypotheses are contentious and there are a number of competing theories to explain decision making under ambiguity in general - in the end all of these are just poor models of reality which is infinitely more interesting and variable.**