The Friar and the Cipher: Roger Bacon and the Unsolved Mystery of the Most Unusual Manuscript in the World has the longest title of all the books I've read so far. I'm glad to finish it, since now the "currently reading" box on the website won't be so stretched out.
This book reminded me a lot of Descartes' Notebook, for obvious reasons. The subject in both titles is a mysterious manuscript written in code or cipher by a medieval scientist who feared oppression by the church.
In both books, the authors' approach was similar. Introduce the medieval manuscript, then launch into a biography of the manuscript's author so that we understand the context in which it was written, then return to reveal what is known of the manuscript today.
Unlike the Descartes notebook, the book in The Friar and the Cipher exists today and is still being researched and studied. The Voynich Manuscript, named after the English bookdealer who discovered it in 1912, has defied scholars for more than 400 years. The authors recount fascinating attempts to decode the book ranging from World War II code breakers to the NSA and super computers. All have ultimately failed, and the attempts to read the book continue to this day.
There are undoubtedly better biographies of Roger Bacon, and better books on the Voynich manuscript, but this book provides an excellent introduction to both subjects. The writing is very clear and enjoyable, and manages to cover an astounding range of topics along the way.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
529: Tick. Tock.
The clock of the long now : time and responsibility attempts to explain the philosophy and goals behind the Long Now foundation.
The foundation is concerned about the increasingly short-term vision of modern life. The book was written in 1998, when the Internet boom was driving everything at "Internet time", but even today it is clear that long term planning is constantly discarded for short term returns in everything from corporate strategy to politics.
I was particularly struck by the author's examples of long-term scientific research. Longitudinal studies have produced some of the most valuable research in a wide range of topics from biology to genetics. Yet it's almost impossible to fund and continue such research in the paper-driven research environment today. Studying slash and burn agriculture in Africa over 9 years led to the conclusion that it did not work to stop woods from taking over open grasslands. Studying the same fields over 40 years led to the reverse conclusion. It turns out that it takes about 10 years of repeated burning to finally destroy the rootstocks.
The clock alluded to in the title is partially an engineering challenge, and partially an exercise in thinking long term. Can a clock be made that will work for 10,000 years -- as long as human civilization has existed? The clock itself runs incredibly slow. It will tick once a year, and bong once a century. It will last for entire lifetimes. It may even outlast our entire civilization. Just to conceptualize the clock is to force the mind to think long-term.
The book is an interesting and evocative read. The chapters are more like separate mini-essays, and accordingly, the book does not have a flowing narrative. In parts, the book reads like a conversation between friends, which is not surprising. Much of the content evolved out of long-running discussions on the subject. While not every chapter is successful, I found most gave me something to think about.
The foundation is concerned about the increasingly short-term vision of modern life. The book was written in 1998, when the Internet boom was driving everything at "Internet time", but even today it is clear that long term planning is constantly discarded for short term returns in everything from corporate strategy to politics.
I was particularly struck by the author's examples of long-term scientific research. Longitudinal studies have produced some of the most valuable research in a wide range of topics from biology to genetics. Yet it's almost impossible to fund and continue such research in the paper-driven research environment today. Studying slash and burn agriculture in Africa over 9 years led to the conclusion that it did not work to stop woods from taking over open grasslands. Studying the same fields over 40 years led to the reverse conclusion. It turns out that it takes about 10 years of repeated burning to finally destroy the rootstocks.
The clock alluded to in the title is partially an engineering challenge, and partially an exercise in thinking long term. Can a clock be made that will work for 10,000 years -- as long as human civilization has existed? The clock itself runs incredibly slow. It will tick once a year, and bong once a century. It will last for entire lifetimes. It may even outlast our entire civilization. Just to conceptualize the clock is to force the mind to think long-term.
The book is an interesting and evocative read. The chapters are more like separate mini-essays, and accordingly, the book does not have a flowing narrative. In parts, the book reads like a conversation between friends, which is not surprising. Much of the content evolved out of long-running discussions on the subject. While not every chapter is successful, I found most gave me something to think about.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
200: In the beginning
The great transformation : the beginning of our religious traditions, by Karen Armstrong, examines the growth of religious practices in four regions of Europe and Asia: Greece, Israel, India, and China.
The book is dense, and no wonder. She's moving through 1000 years of history, philosophy, religion, and cultural anthropology for four separate regions of the world. But the book is so well-written that it makes it very accessible. This is a book that is simply overflowing with information, and I learned something new on every page.
It makes for a fascinating read. The last chapter is absolutely fantastic, and pulls it all together, and puts it in context for the modern age.
The book is dense, and no wonder. She's moving through 1000 years of history, philosophy, religion, and cultural anthropology for four separate regions of the world. But the book is so well-written that it makes it very accessible. This is a book that is simply overflowing with information, and I learned something new on every page.
It makes for a fascinating read. The last chapter is absolutely fantastic, and pulls it all together, and puts it in context for the modern age.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Harder to find books
The book list is now over 200 titles long, covering a little more than 150 categories. I'm finding it increasingly hard to find titles in new categories. I'm finding no end of really interesting books, but inevitably, they fall into a category where I've already got books.
Last night, I added about 10 books, and got only 1 new category.
On the plus side, that list is 20% of the way done, and probably 3-4 years' worth of reading, which gives me time to find other selections.
As always, suggestions, particularly in off-the-wall topics, are welcome!
Last night, I added about 10 books, and got only 1 new category.
On the plus side, that list is 20% of the way done, and probably 3-4 years' worth of reading, which gives me time to find other selections.
As always, suggestions, particularly in off-the-wall topics, are welcome!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
423: Murder and the OED
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester tells the story of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, perhaps the greatest reference work ever written on the English language. Wrapped around the story of the dictionary is the odd story of two men who were significantly involved in the project.
Professor James Murray was a scholar and linguist, and was selected by the Delegates of the Oxford University Press to take over the troubled OED project after the first attempt stalled under its own weight. He was given 10 years to complete the dictionary; it would ultimately take more than half a century, and he would die before the OED was finished.
Dr William Minor, an American Civil War veteran and surgeon, submitted more than ten thousand definitions, many of which were used in the final publication. He was also a murderer, and an inmate at an insane asylum.
The book succeeds in capturing the immensity of the task of creating a dictionary that defines every word in the English language, from everyday words like of to the obscure, regional or obsolete, such as the old Kentish word zykt (a local variant of the verb to see). The OED defined more than 400,000 words, using 1.8 million quotations to illustrate the correct usage of each.
The author slices through the myth and legend that has grown up around this story to find the true story, which is even stranger than the fiction. A highly recommended, very entertaining book.
Professor James Murray was a scholar and linguist, and was selected by the Delegates of the Oxford University Press to take over the troubled OED project after the first attempt stalled under its own weight. He was given 10 years to complete the dictionary; it would ultimately take more than half a century, and he would die before the OED was finished.
Dr William Minor, an American Civil War veteran and surgeon, submitted more than ten thousand definitions, many of which were used in the final publication. He was also a murderer, and an inmate at an insane asylum.
The book succeeds in capturing the immensity of the task of creating a dictionary that defines every word in the English language, from everyday words like of to the obscure, regional or obsolete, such as the old Kentish word zykt (a local variant of the verb to see). The OED defined more than 400,000 words, using 1.8 million quotations to illustrate the correct usage of each.
The author slices through the myth and legend that has grown up around this story to find the true story, which is even stranger than the fiction. A highly recommended, very entertaining book.
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