Wednesday, February 16, 2011

No Time Left For You

Another beautiful morning with the high today expected to be around 70F/21.1C, yes 70F/21.1C! I plan to go outside and do two things, first, rake up tons of sunflower seed husks that are scattered around the bird feeder and most of the side yard and, second, take my book outside and read while soaking up the warmth and sun. Who knows, I may even take my bike for a spin.

Speaking of books, I just finished The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements . I know it sounds boring and scientific but as the subtitle states it is really the story of the people behind the discovery of the  elements and the creation of the Table. The writer also give the best explanation of how atoms, electrons, and shells work that I've ever read. This book sparked a deeper interest in Quantum Mechanics for me so I went out and bought The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics: A Math-Free Exploration of the Science that Made Our World. This definitely my kind of book, a study of Quantum Mechanics without the boring math part of it. I don't need prove just a simple explanation.

But instead of reading it I've started reading Angels of Destruction, a book of fantasy written by Keith Donohue author of The Stolen Child. I don't know why I've  turned from nonfiction to fiction but when you think about it, both have to do with the imagination. If it wasn't for our ability to dream the term "scientific advancement" would be a phrase no one would use or even understand. Maybe my leap from hard science to fairy tale wasn't really a leap but a tiny shift in perspective. After all, science is, in its own way, magical, too.

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