New Website!

2008-07-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks

The full GlennMurphyBooks website has just gone online, so if you like my particular brand of science and silliness, please point your browser toward this link and scope it out!

At GlennMurphyBooks.com, you can read samples and reviews from the books, get updates on upcoming events and projects and much more.

Cheers!

Science Clips on YouTube

2008-07-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Found some crazy fun clips on YouTube worth seeing, if you haven't already.

Very cool caterpillar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeNggIGSKH8&feature=related

Creeping oolbeck (non-Newtonian liquid/solid): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp1wUodQgqQ

Freaky ferrofluid (liquid metal) in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX6clRC21vo&feature=related

Enjoy!

Baseball

2008-07-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so last night I went to see my first American baseball game, at the Carolina Mudcats stadium. At half-time, the team mascot, Muddy the Mudcat (a type of catfish, to those not not from the South) came out. He rode a quad bike around the diamond and fired free T-shirts into the crowd using an air cannon. Of three shots, two missed the crowd completely and the T-shirts flew out of the stadium.

I wondered if someone could give Muddy a lesson in basic Newtonian Mechanics, so that he could avoid scoring "home-runs" with the free T-shirts in future. Then I wondered what the optimal angle for firing T-shirts from an air cannon would be: got to clear the nets, but also got to avoid overshooting...about 80 degrees, I reckon.

I wonder if anyone else in there was wondering the same thing. Prob'ly not, eh.

Best get started, then...

2008-07-24T06:38:00.001-07:00

Okay, here we go.

I'll start with something nice. Helpful, even, for those who might be interested.

Voila - we commence with my Top 10 fave science-related books ever. Notice that none of my own books are on the list. That would just be too naff and boastful to imagine.

Plus, I'd have to list them at number 1, 2 and 3, and that would just embarass Richard Dawkins in front of his mates...

1) Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins

A brilliant defence of the value of science in our world - not just as a way of expanding knowledge and finding out useful things, but also as an inspiration and a window into the beauty of the world around us. Top notch.

2) Evolution by Carl Zimmer

There are lots of books out there on Darwin and evolution. To date, none of them capture the full history, power and impact of evolution as well as this one. Clearly laid out, beautfiully illustrated with oodles of colour photos, and above all passionately written. This should be required reading for all high-school biology classes. Especially in Kansas...

3) The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene

The super-cool, leather-clad Professor Greene whips us through the history of the Universe, stopping along the way to casually reel off the fundamentals of matter, energy and physics. Like A Brief History of Time, only clearer, more fun, and more inspiring. (Sorry Professor Hawking - yours is a great book, too. No hard feelings. Maybe you shouldn't have run over my foot at Buckingham Palace that time. Then you might have tipped Brian to the no.3 spot).

4) The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Pretor-Penney

After reading this, I felt like I'd spent my whole life ignoring half the world, by failing to look up and appreciate it. A brilliant, funny and impassioned guide to clouds, weather and the atmosphere. The author's enthusiasm in infectious, and I've never let a day go by without taking the time to cloudspot since.

5) In the Blood by Steve Jones

Genes, human origins, history and religions - all tied together in one rich volume. Fascinating throughout, and elegantly crafted. One of two books that inspired me to study Genetics at university (the other one's in the number 10 spot).

6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond

Not a science book as such, but a brilliant study of world history brought alive by using a scientific approach. Why didn't Native American Indians conquer Europe, rather than the other way around? How is it Europe and North America came to dominate the world, when the first civilizations were in Africa, Asia and South America? This book will answer those questions and more, as it gives you an entire structure from which to hang the rest of human history. Genius.

7) The Rough Guide to Climate Change by Robert Henson

Cuts through all the opinions and waffle, and presents the hard evidence in a clear, engaging way. Includes discussions of the various "alternative" explanations for man-made climate change, and refutes them without dismissing them out of hand. Henson also has the courage to admit that there are many things we still don't know about the issue, but that there's evidence enough to act on already. I wish more confused and misled people would read this. A lot more people.

8) The Creation by Edward O. Wilson

A plea to everyone - scientists and non-scientists, religious believers and atheists - to put aside their differences and join together to protect (what's left of) the diversity of life on Earth. Whether you believe life evolved or was created, it makes no difference, says Wilson - can't we all just agree that it's beautiful, invaluable and worth protecting? I saw Professor Wilson give a lecture on this subject a few years ago, and bought the book straight afterwards. Again, I wish more people would read this. It might help them put their pride aside, and their beliefs (or non-beliefs) in perspective.

9) Our Final Century by Martin Rees

Astronomer Royal Lord Rees puts forward an argument that we may or may not make it through the 21st century, thanks to the catastrophic potential of asteroids, comets, epidemic diseases, and more. Sounds a bit depressing, doesn't it? But in fact, it's a brilliant and thought-provoking study of the fragility of life on Earth in the face of time, and it makes you all the more appreciative for being alive - right here, right now. Hey - when I hear the comets are on the way, I'll be the first one to start the farewell party. Possibly with a conga dance.

10) The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

Yes, Dawkins manages to make it into the chart twice, at either end. Well - he deserves it. No-one alive today communicates science more clearly, more passionately and more imaginatively than this guy. The Selfish Gene is a classic. Forget the hype about his rampant atheism - this won't destroy your belief in God (or anything else for that matter) unless you really want it to. But it will give you an enlightened view of life on Earth - how it evolved, why it evolved, and how it's all fundamentally connected. This book quite literally changed the way I look at the world, and altered the entire course of my life. Not bad for a fiver. Not bad at all.

Well, that's it for now.

Cheerio,

G

Hullo

2008-07-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

Well, having successfully entered the Blogosphere with very little friction (well - perhaps some mild chafing around the bottom), here I am. Ta-daaaa.

Now if I could just figure out where to begin....

Curious G's Science and Book Blog

New Website!

Science Clips on YouTube

Baseball

Best get started, then...

Hullo