SCIENCE AND SOCIETY » science http://scienceandsociety.net Health Care and Health Care Policy, Energy and the Environment, Cancer Research, Nanotechnology, Space Exploration, Science Education Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:19:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Top Ten SciFi Books of All Time http://scienceandsociety.net/2008/08/23/top-ten-scifi-books-of-all-time/ http://scienceandsociety.net/2008/08/23/top-ten-scifi-books-of-all-time/#comments Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:43:03 +0000 David Lemberg http://scienceandsociety.net/?p=88

This is a highly personal list of Top 10 SCIENCE AND SOCIETY all-time faves -

  1. Assignment in Eternity by Robert Heinlein
  2. The War Against the Rull by A.E. Van Vogt
  3. The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov
  4. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
  5. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
  6. Dune by Frank Herbert
  7. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
  8. Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling
  9. Neuromancer by William Gibson
  10. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
  11. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan (contemporary bonus)

We could have made a Top 10 list solely out of Robert Heinlein’s books. Or A.E. Van Vogt’s. Or Isaac Asimov’s.

Everyone knows Heinlein and Asimov and Herbert. Not everyone is familiar with Van Vogt and Alfred Bester, who IMO are two of the visionary geniuses of the sci-fi genre.

Van Vogt’s genius was in his wide-ranging imagination, his deep understanding of human character, and his sophisticated knowledge of politics, money, and warfare.

Bester’s stories are likewise built on sheer genius. The Demolished Man is only one of several action-packed, highly imaginative books. When you read Alfred Bester, buckle-up! You’re in for a wild ride.

We hope you enjoy these books as much as we have. All of these authors have become lifelong “friends” – you know you can count on them!

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]]> http://scienceandsociety.net/2008/08/23/top-ten-scifi-books-of-all-time/feed/ 2 Fractal Geometry – Mathematics and Nature http://scienceandsociety.net/2008/08/21/fractal-geometry-mathematics-and-nature/ http://scienceandsociety.net/2008/08/21/fractal-geometry-mathematics-and-nature/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:53:50 +0000 David Lemberg http://scienceandsociety.net/?p=70

Download Podcast

Dr. Benoit Mandelbrot is an internationally acknowledged and recognized mathematician. He originated the field of fractal geometry, and showed how fractals occur in many diverse places, both in nature and mathematics.

Dr. Mandebrot published The Fractal Geometry of Nature (1982), recognized by The American Scientist as one of the most influential science books of the 20th Century.

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY was privileged to spend time with Dr. Mandelbrot. He discusses

  • How fractal geometry help explain the problems of today
  • Examples of fractals in nature and in engineering
  • “Mathematical pictures”
  • The relationship between fractal geometry and human nature
  • The relationship of fractal patterns to human archetypes

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