Through two doors at once

By Anil Ananthaswamy

This is a good history of the double slit experiment in physics.

Amongst other things, the book describes a variation of the double slit experiment that took place on the canary islands. This experiement confirms that QM & Nature really doesn't want you to know the position and velocity of a partical, even if it means going back into the past to erase the evidence.

1. Start out with the normal double slit experiement. This shows that a partical can be a wave.

2. Put filters in front of the two slits such that horizontal polarized photons only pass through one slit and vertical polarized photons pass through the other. The double slit experiement still works. If you know the polarization of the photon, then the interference goes away.

3. Create a stream of engtangled photons. Send on half of the engtagled pair to the slits. Send the other away.

4. If you put a polarizer in front fo the photos that were fired away from the experiment, then the interference pattern goes away when you use the polarizer to filter out H or V photons. Filtering entangled photons still causes interference patterns to happen, or go away, as appropriate.

5. Move the filter added in step #4 miles away from the experiment. Randomly choose the polarization position after the entangled particle has hit the screen. The interference pattern will still appear (or dissappear) even if you choose to look at the entangled-away-photon long after the entangled-slit-photon has hit the screen.

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass

A fun fantasy novel. I can see why it was controversial as the Christian Church in this fantasy novel is not a good Christian Church. It's hard for me to read it as a critique of Christianity however.

Siddhartha

By Hermann Hesse

I'm not sure what to take from this novel. It's very deep.

Maybe it's that wisdom must be gained from experience. It can't be taught in lessons. Or perhaps that even if you follow the right path, life will though you curve balls.

 

The Hound Of the Baskervilles

"Reader Come Back" has inspired me to read fiction, just for the heck of it. I've downloaded a bunch of old classics, including Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles."

I'm surprised how much I enjoyed the book. The English, while dated, is very easy to follow. The plot is fun.

 

Kant and the Platypus: Essays on Language and Cognition

By Umberto Eco.

I aborted reading this. Much of it is an update to a text book Eco wrote years ago. Perhaps I should go to that text book first.

“I used to be indecisive but now I’m not so sure.”

Less

By Andrew Sean Greer.

Arthur Less is a gay man turning 50. He is survives at his career, but is not super successful. He has lovers, but no great love. He is sort of mediocre at many things. When a former lover decides to get married, rather than attend the wedding, Less arranges a working vacation, traveling around the world. In the process...

This is great book. Perhaps I liked it because I can identify so strongly with Arthur.

Quotes...

"Why did he always assume Mexico City would be like Phoenix on a smoggy day? Why did no one tell him it would be Madrid?"

"Just for the record: happiness is not bullshit."

"Less is technically Christian. There is really no other word for someone who celebrates Christmas and Easter, even if only as craft projects."

Reader, Come Home

By Maryanne Wolf

 

This book covers how are brain is changing as our world becomes digital. We are loosing our reflective, deep reading & deep focus skills. We are learning to skim everything. To let our attention float.

 

Much of this book covers the research behind the above idea. It outlines a plan to let childing develop bi-model reading skills. Skills that allow them to focus & read deeply on digital devices.

 

We read different on digital devices. Perhaps because the screen primes us to skim and to hunt for notifications.

 

There is something deeply good for us to take time away from digital devices, to tak time away from endless entertainment, and to spend your time focusing, reflecting and reading a good book.