Niels Bohr was one of the giants of twentieth-century physics. He and Einstein respected each other very much, but their work habits were just about opposite. Einstein preferred to work with just a single assistant, if at all, whereas Bohr worked very hard to secure funding for an institute of theoretical physics in Denmark. Bohr … Read more
Today is Galileo’s birthday, and it’s worth pausing for a moment to celebrate one of the founders of modern science, and one of the giants of its history. The standard biographies of Galileo are by the late Stillman Drake, one of the world’s greatest authorities on Galileo and his life (see here, here, and here). … Read more
My mother was on her deathbed in 1954 (before I was born), and received the last rites. That she is still alive, and still living independently, is an inspiration to me, and a testament to the power of persistence. A great man once told me that his biggest successes came about because of his “sheer … Read more
Perhaps my favourite joke of all time is actually an anecdote that I read in the wonderful book Thirty Years that Shook Physics, by George Gamow. The book is available in an inexpensive Dover edition, and would make a fine complement to a course textbook in modern physics, which amounts to introductory quantum mechanics. Gamow … Read more
Seth Godin has a fantastic blog, and today’s post makes pointed comments about education, although it is more generally intended to discuss how to help people get things done. Check it out here. (This post first appeared at my other (now deleted) blog, and was transferred to this blog on 25 January 2021.)
My wife and I saw the movie The King’s Speech (the official site is here; also see here) a couple of days ago, and it was very moving. I knew the outline of the story, and have always had great admiration for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for courageously staying in London during the … Read more