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NGE

A little tea, a little chat

I've been a compulsive reader, writer and theatre goer all my life. My book blog is here: http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/ Mostly food at the moment but also knitting is here: http://cathyingeneva.wordpress.com/

Currently reading

Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism
Sheldon S. Wolin
The Temptation of Saint Anthony
Gustave Flaubert
Nebula Award Stories 3
Harlan Ellison, Gary Wright, Samuel R. Delany, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, Roger Zelazny, J.G. Ballard, Anne McCaffrey
Cosmology and Controversy: The Historical Development of Two Theories of the Universe
Helge Kragh
Gantenbein
Max Frisch
The Road to Reality - Roger Penrose So we had a physicist around to dinner the other day and thrust this at him. I can't call T---- by his real name, let's just say he rhymes with a dip made with chickpeas and tahini. The reason I can't call him by his real name is that he works at a place that starts with C and rhymes with a complete lack of humour. He likes his job, I don't want to get him sacked for reading Penrose.

He flicks through it and the first thing I note is that physicists take about 5 nanoseconds to read what it takes ordinary mortals eons to get through. He starts with the cover, of course. 'Reviewed in the Financial Times?' A disparaging snort follows. 'Ah,' he says after the third nanosecond. 'He's written this type of science book.' I like that. I have no idea what it means, but I like it.

After four nanoseconds he is up to page 1050 or thereabouts. He reads out a question from it and says 'That is a good question. I don't know the answer.' Slaps book shut. Really, I mostly get the impression that real physicists like him just wish those other ones would just stop it. Stop with all the philosophical 'should we be worried about this?' stuff. Let's just get on with it p-lease.

And he says 'You didn't say the dinner invitation came with a catch.' I say 'But I didn't say it didn't, did I?'

I am seriously thinking of reading this while skipping every page that doesn't have only words on it. Seriously.