Dr. Carl Sagan
The following list includes some of the best things i've ever read...
Dr. Carl Sagan
The following list includes some of the best things i've ever read...
this is one of the most densely packed group of documents i have ever read. i always knew John McCarthy was cool just from his contributions to computer science but this link on his web site really convinced me. i especially liked the doctor's dilemma and his hilarious and brilliant letter to the christian physicists . i revisit this site all the time and find more and more fascinating documents.
bill joy, someone i admire quite a bit thinks the world is ending.
,
i've found
a brilliant
article by richard dawkins called "Viruses of the Mind". it was written
a while ago and is well worth reading. dawkins is one of my favorite people
and has authored several books which are on my reading list . this article focuses
on computer viruses and describes the computer as a haven for viruses in the
same way that a cell nucleus is a haven for DNA. i always took these analogies
with a grain of salt... but after this dawkins analysis, i really appreciate
the vision that went into calling these self-replicating programs 'viruses'.
as usual, this contains
wonderful social commentary. the thing i like best about dawkins is his consistency.
he sees society and everything through the lenses of evolution and the result
is really eye-opening since it makes such perfect sense and is always put so
nicely by dawkins. another
plus: he can program computers and is not talking from a point of ignorance.
starts off with atoms, moves to planets and solar systems, and reaches into the depths of our universe in almost exactly 300 pages. if i ever wrote something like this, i wouldn't feel any guilt in disengaging my brain and spending the rest of my days on a beach somewhere holding a copy of my masterpiece and gloating under the palm trees. this is only one of asimov's over 350 books.
another amazing book by dr. dawkins. a must read.
more 1970's insight on everything from carl sagan. worth reading even just for the last few chapters. he's never let me down.
the best science fiction series of all time. i won't argue with that distinction. but i am tempted to also say that it is one of the best philosophy and sociology works i've ever read.
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge
Foundation and Earth
Prelude to Foundation
Forward the Foundation
more asimov... highly recommended.
The Stars Like Dust
The Currents Of Space
Pebble in the Sky
my friend jay has been feeding me the robot series books by asimov over the last 6 months or so and i just finished the last one. well worth reading. i'm hooked now...
I, Robot
The Caves of Steel
The Naked Sun
The Robots of Dawn
Robots and Empire
this book should be government issued.
i just finished reading this book and find it hard to communicate how much i really owe to Carl Sagan and how tremendous a contribution he has made to my own intellectual growth. "Our Demon Haunted World" really opened my eyes and this book was no less of a shocker full of insight and common sense. this is the last book dr. sagan wrote before his death and its last few chapters are a candid account of his thoughts at the end of his days. i was sad when i heard dr. sagan died... every work of his which i come across is another masterpiece full of reasons why he will be so missed.
this book ties together many branches of scientific endeavor and presents view of the universe with roots in modern physics, computation, and biology. the author really makes a case for interpreting the findings of our science not only as a tool for predicting the outcomes of experiments but for truly understanding the fabric of reality. includes really good discussions on the nature of computation. this book really champions the "multiverse" view of reality suggested by quantium mechanics (and explains all of this so you don't have to be a physics professor to truly understand it) and also includes the best description of quantum computation i have ever read.
in this book, richard dawkins analyzes the historical conflict between early scientists and the poets of the time. it was said that by experimenting and formalizing the concept of white light and its colorful component wavelengths, newton had "unweaved the rainbow" and forever removed its wonder. dawkins explains his lack of compassion for those who seem to be more interested in mysteries than their solutions and shows how the solutions should inspire poets at least as much.
one of the best things i've ever read... probably the best account of modern science and most people's lack of understanding of it. puts to sleep most of the arguments you're likely to hear against the scientific method and is such a cool book it brought me to tears several times.
the best book on darwinian evolution since "origin of species".
a classic on evolution, dawkins pioneered the view of the gene as the smallest unit of selection.
a rich history of science.
Kevin Kelley is a visionary. this book is really about our use of evolution to engineer complex things the way nature does it: out of control with a set of simple rules.