Smarter Next Year

Contrary to accepted belief, developing and enhancing cognitive ability can be achieved at any stage in life. Smarter Next Year presents the latest scientific information and best practices for increasing intelligence at any age, whether you're 5, 55, or 105. This self-help book provides the tools to take your mind into your own hands and stave off the effects of time.

For the past three years, retired dental surgeon Dr. David Bardsley has been a full-time professional speaker, helping individuals increase their cognitive ability and perform at their highest intellectual level. His primary audiences have been groups of CEOs who belong to several organizations including Vistage.

As with any good self-help book, Dr. Bardsley makes some significant claims.  Unlike a majority of self-help books, Dr. Bardsley is merely applying accepted science rather than pushing an unproven philosophy.  The "8 secrets" aren't secrets at all.  They are peer-reviewed science understandings that have only recently been discovered.  Dr. Bardsley also encourages readers who desire to see if the argued changes have an effect to measure their results with a freely available tool.

As a physicist, biology is always a little wanky to me.  I was very encouraged by Dr. Bardsley's use of peer-reviewed science.  I was also inspired by his desire for readers to take measurements.  My only issue with Dr. Bardsley is that his doctorate is not in neurology or biology.  He is a DDS.  This is not hidden.  He did the work necessary to receive his DDS, but his doctorate is not vital to this research.

The Ape that Understood the Universe

The Ape that Understood the Universe is the story of the strangest animal in the world: the human animal. It opens with a question: How would an alien scientist view our species? What would it make of our sex differences, our sexual behavior, our child-rearing patterns, our moral codes, our religions, languages, and science? The book tackles these issues by drawing on ideas from two major schools of thought: evolutionary psychology and cultural evolutionary theory. The guiding assumption is that humans are animals, and that like all animals, we evolved to pass on our genes. At some point, however, we also evolved the capacity for culture - and from that moment, culture began evolving in its own right. This transformed us from a mere ape into an ape capable of reshaping the planet, traveling to other worlds, and understanding the vast universe of which were but a tiny, fleeting fragment.

I was very excited to read this book given the title and the excellent reviews that I had read.  The first chapter did not disappoint.  The second chapter, likewise, was an enjoyable read.  Beginning in the third chapter, it seems that Stewart-Williams lost the premise of the book and focussed on human sexual development more than other aspects.  The imagined alien became solely interested in sex.  There is so much more to the human animal than sex, but Stewart-Williams did not address those attributes.

Lost In Math

A contrarian argues that modern physicists' obsession with beauty has given us wonderful math but bad science 
Whether pondering black holes or predicting discoveries at CERN, physicists believe the best theories are beautiful, natural, and elegant, and this standard separates popular theories from disposable ones. This is why, Sabine Hossenfelder argues, we have not seen a major breakthrough in the foundations of physics for more than four decades. The belief in beauty has become so dogmatic that it now conflicts with scientific objectivity: observation has been unable to confirm mindboggling theories, like supersymmetry or grand unification, invented by physicists based on aesthetic criteria. Worse, these "too good to not be true" theories are actually untestable and they have left the field in a cul-de-sac. To escape, physicists must rethink their methods. Only by embracing reality as it is can science discover the truth.

I was intrigued by this book from the start.  Being a physics and math nerd, the author had me.  It was curious to me.  Her thesis is that science, particularly particle physics theory, has been led astray by a non-scientific pursuit of the aesthetic quality of theories "beauty."  It has been very common for me to hear and for me to say regarding some of the math of theories that have been proven that the math is beautiful.  Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism are beautiful.  Four "simple" equations that explain all of the electromagnetics is beautiful in my mind.  Have I been led astray by this principle of beauty?

Dr. Hossenfelder interviews numerous scientists in her field and outside her area to see if this approach has hijacked science from is experimental roots.  As an experimental physicist, I found the book very enjoyable and a little disturbing.  Have we been led astray?  Have we left the truth of scientific research for a group think pursuit of beauty?

The Long Ascent

The first eleven chapters of Genesis (Adam, Eve, Noah) are to the twenty-first century what the Virgin Birth was to the nineteenth century: an impossibility. A technical scientific exegesis of Gen 1-11, however, reveals not only the lost rivers of Eden and its location, but the date of the Flood, the length of the Genesis days, and the importance of comets in the creation of the world. These were hidden in the Hebrew text, now illuminated by modern cosmology, archaeology, and biology. The internet-friendly linguistic tools described in this book make it possible to resolve the mysterious "firmament," to decipher the "bird of the air," and to find the dragonflies of chapter 1. Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Norse, Sumerian, and Sanskrit mythology are all found to support this new interpretation of Genesis. Combining science, myth, and the Genesis accounts together paints a vivid picture of the genetic causes and consequences of the greatest Flood of the human race. It also draws attention to the acute peril our present civilization faces as it follows the same path as its long-forgotten, antediluvian ancestors. Discover why Genesis has never been so possible, so relevant as it is today.

Personally knowing the author, my review is likely skewed.

I had the opportunity to read this book in a much older version than the one published before reading this one.  The text blends fiction, geology, archeology, and biblical exegesis into an intriguing investigation of the first eleven chapters of Genesis in a unique way that I have never read anyone else ever attempt.  Dr. Sheldon puts forward a unique interpretation of the first eleven chapters.  The defense of his theories is sound but will likely upset many because they are not traditional.  I found them intriguing.  I'm not sure that I agree with everything, but I also do not disagree with everything.  I am upset by so few things concerning biblical interpretation though.  I am not a good measure.  I do encourage the book to be read.  Dr. Sheldon will likely make you think.

The Tao of Physics

The mystics explore it through meditation.  The nuclear physicists explore it through experimentation and hypothesis.  It's the universe as we understand it today, a "cosmic dance" of paradoxical yet unified relationships -- an organic vision brilliantly evoked by a gifted and thoughtful physicist.

"Mystics understand the roots of the Tao but not its branches; scientists understand its branches but not its roots.  Science does not need mysticism and mysticism does not need science; but man needs both." -- Fritjof Capra in The Tao of Physics

This is the first edition of this book from 1975, during the rush to New Age philosophy.  Capra spends the first portion of the book explaining to the layman quantum physics and relativity of modern physics without mathematics.  He then provides an overview of eastern religion/philosophy.  Given these two introductions, Capra moves forward on seek to correlate the two; very poorly I believe.

I was very disappointed in this book.  I should have gotten a philosophy text of eastern philosophy and made the connections myself being a physicist.  Leaving mathematics out of physics is like telling a story without words.  Though one might be able to correlate eastern mystical philosophy to some aspects of modern physics, it does not help the understanding of either nor reveal any new truth.

I felt like I had wasted my time reading this text.  I am very glad that this was given to me by someone who also spent nothing for the book.  If you want to know about modern physics, read any book by Hawking.  If you want to know about eastern philosophy, get an eastern philosophy book.

Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief

When a loved one dies we mourn our loss. We take comfort in the rituals that mark the passing, and we turn to those around us for support. But what happens when there is no closure, when a family member or a friend who may be still alive is lost to us nonetheless? How, for example, does the mother whose soldier son is missing in action, or the family of an Alzheimer's patient who is suffering from severe dementia, deal with the uncertainty surrounding this kind of loss?

In this sensitive and lucid account, Pauline Boss explains that, all too often, those confronted with such ambiguous loss fluctuate between hope and hopelessness. Suffered too long, these emotions can deaden feeling and make it impossible for people to move on with their lives. Yet the central message of this book is that they can move on. Drawing on her research and clinical experience, Boss suggests strategies that can cushion the pain and help families come to terms with their grief. Her work features the heartening narratives of those who cope with ambiguous loss and manage to leave their sadness behind, including those who have lost family members to divorce, immigration, adoption, chronic mental illness, and brain injury. With its message of hope, this eloquent book offers guidance and understanding to those struggling to regain their lives.

This book was given to me as a gift.  The book is focused on those dealing with the ambiguity of a missing loved one or a loved one with a psychological disease.  I have neither or family with either.  Boss does briefly consider one or the family of one dealing with a degenerative physical illness.  Boss does cover well and in detail the needs and troubles of those dealing with family with the former illnesses.  She really doesn't cover the family with the latter.  Her experiences in therapy with the former.  I wished the book also covered those dealing with the ongoing loss of physical ability.

The Human Instinct

From the publisher: "A radical, optimistic exploration of how humans evolved to develop reason, consciousness, and free will.

Lately, the most passionate advocates of the theory of evolution seem to present it as bad news. Scientists such as Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, and Sam Harris tell us that our most intimate actions, thoughts, and values are mere byproducts of thousands of generations of mindless adaptation. We are just one species among multitudes, and therefore no more significant than any other living creature.

Now comes Brown University biologist Kenneth R. Miller to make the case that this view betrays a gross misunderstanding of evolution. Natural selection surely explains how our bodies and brains were shaped, but Miller argues that it’s not a social or cultural theory of everything. In The Human Instinct, he rejects the idea that our biological heritage means that human thought, action, and imagination are pre-determined, describing instead the trajectory that ultimately gave us reason, consciousness, and free will. A proper understanding of evolution, he says, reveals humankind in its glorious uniqueness—one foot planted firmly among all of the creatures we’ve evolved alongside, and the other in the special place of self-awareness and understanding that we alone occupy in the universe.

Equal parts natural science and philosophy, The Human Instinct is a moving and powerful celebration of what it means to be human."

I wished I had made notes while reading this book.  The book is well written in that it was a pleasant read.  I enjoyed it.  The book is not well written in that the writer makes numerous philosophical errors and uses logical fallacies.  He both rejects the "ghost in the machine" and defends the "ghost in the machine" by claiming the complexity of the neurological complexity of the brain creates the mind.  The human is either completely controlled by only chemical and physical processes (not allowing "free will"), or one must allow for the "ghost in the machine some way.  One can not both claim there is no "ghost" and free will.  The two arguments are mutually exclusive.

Given very recent publication, the text needs updating before publication.  Homo sapien jaw bone has been discovered in Israel predating other fossils outside of Africa.  Since the author writes extensively about this in a portion of the text; updating this section is important.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman

From Publishers Weekly
History will remember Nobel Prize-winning physicist Feynman (1918–1988), for his work in quantum physics and his role in the investigation of the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. Contemporary readers and listeners, however, will remember him best for his reputation as a free-thinking iconoclast whose personal adventures were hilarious, insightful and inspiring. Todd does a fabulous job of conveying Feynman's infectious enthusiasm and childlike sense of wonder with his energetic portrayal of the scientist. He's adept even in difficult sections, such as when Feynman "speaks Italian" and "Chinese"—inventing completely made-up but accurate sounding languages. Todd does a good job of portraying Feynman's inquisitive manner and conveys the book's message and attitude with aplomb. While he sounds nothing like the late physicist (Feynman— the subject of James Gleick's Genius—had a thick Long Island accent and sounded more like a cross between Yogi Bear and The Honeymooners' Ed Norton), Todd's clean, polite voice is a revelation. Based on the Norton paperback. (Oct.)
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Truthfully, I have wanted to read this book for years.  As a physicist, Dr. Feynman has always been somewhat of a goal and superhero to me.  I think that most physicist of the later part of the 20th century would likely agree.  This collection of stories recounted by Dr. Feynman is both very humorous and deeply saddening.  Through this book, I lost a significant amount of respect for Dr. Feynman.  His stories portrayed to me a man who never fully recovered from his first wife's death and became a misogynist.  Women became objects to him rather than people.  The tricks he played during the Manhatten project to demonstrate the true lack of security would now find one without a security clearance or in jail.  I can recommend this book but be prepared to lose respect for this great scientist.

Silencing the Bomb

In December 2016, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved their iconic "Doomsday Clock" thirty seconds forward to two and a half minutes to midnight, the latest it has been set since 1952, the year of the first United States hydrogen bomb test. But a group of scientists—geologists, engineers, and physicists—has been fighting to turn back the clock. Since the dawn of the Cold War, they have advocated a halt to nuclear testing, their work culminating in the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which still awaits ratification from China, Iran, North Korea—and the United States. The backbone of the treaty is every nation's ability to independently monitor the nuclear activity of the others. The noted seismologist Lynn R. Sykes, one of the central figures in the development of the science and technology used in monitoring, has dedicated his career to halting nuclear testing. In Silencing the Bomb, he tells the inside story behind scientists' quest for disarmament.

Called upon time and again to testify before Congress and to inform the public, Sykes and his colleagues were, for much of the Cold War, among the only people on earth able to say with certainty when and where a bomb was tested and how large it was. Methods of measuring earthquakes, researchers realized, could also detect underground nuclear explosions. When politicians on both sides of the Iron Curtain attempted to sidestep disarmament or test ban treaties, Sykes was able to deploy the nascent science of plate tectonics to reveal the truth. Seismologists' discoveries helped bring about treaties limiting nuclear testing, but it was their activism that played a key role in the quest for peace. Full of intrigue, international politics, and hard science used for the global good, Silencing the Bomb is a timely and necessary chronicle of one scientist's efforts to keep the clock from striking midnight.

This book is an excellent insiders tale of nuclear testing and limiting.  The author explains the science behind verification clearly.  This is scientific history at its best.  Dr. Sykes played a central role in the limiting of nuclear testing and the ability to verify the following of the treaties agreed to.  As a geoscientist of off earth phenomena, I found the book fascinating.  Having worked in missile defense for decades, I am familiar with the results of some of his work.  He reaches conclusions regarding arms limitation treaties that are different than I, but I see the current world differently than he does.  Dr. Sykes still views the world as a primarily bilateral nuclear threat.  I see the world where the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty has become of limited importance.  Where clandestine nuclear weapons are shared at will with numerous countries.  Dr. Sykes does make a point of covering the numerous missed opportunities that we have had to limit nuclear proliferation that were missed.