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What's on your reading list?

What do you plan to read this summer? What are you reading now?
I am currently reading "Degrees Kelvin" by David Lindley, published by Joseph Henry Press. The biography of Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. He was a 19th century physicist probably best known for dicsovering the temperature at which atoms cease to move: -273.15 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Kelvin or absolute zero). He also performed a lot of the early groundwork for theories of electromagnetism and thermodynamics. Lord Kelvin devised a new compass for ships that would work well when surrounded by steel as the world's ship building began to move from wooden to iron vessels. A fascinating figure from history.
slipknot1
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Crazy4blues,

You make a great points about Dan Brown's books. Angels and Demons and DaVinci Code seemed like they were created from the exact same template, just change the location and the names and the title. Even though they can get very over the top and are based on very shakey history, I still got sucked into them.

And the luscious female Italian physicist from Angels and Demons? You forget, she was a master yogi too! Heheh.
crazy4blues
243 posts
 
Gunbei: Yeah, I can see it now: The movie will star Harrison Ford and Angelina Jolie. I'm taking bets!
rhyno's avatar
rhyno
649 posts
 
t_bone

the fact that you heartily recommend one of my all time faves, "stock operator", and equally deride neiderhoffer as i do (i finished PS, my review is on amazon, and it was none too kind!), well lets just say i'll be picking up Fooled by Randomness. thanks!

rhyno
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Crazy4blues, I think Harrison Ford is too old, heheh!

I have an actor's face in my head for the upcoming DaVinci Code movie, but I can't think of his name. Rats! I think he's in his forties though, much closer to the Robert Langdon character.

Remember, he's gotta have the ability to engage in underwater mortal combat against an evil assassin in one of those dangerous Itlaian fountains!

I see Sophie Marceau for the part of Sophie Neveu in DaVinci Code and Maria Grazia Cucinotta as the 6 foot tall yogi master physicist in Angels and Demons! LOL

But you're right, Hollywood doesn't cast the best people for the parts, just ones that'll bring in the most dough.
t_bone
1,182 posts
 
Rhyno, I was also going to recommend George Soros' AoF & BG's Intelligent Investor but I guess I don't have to. I will, however, recommend Against the Gods by Peter Bernstein and Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay as interesting 'historical' reads (if you haven't already). Also, Jack Schwager's & John Train's books are decent compendiums of people who have 'been there, done that'. On the "how to" front, I find Martin Zweig's research to be very well done. I have heard decent things about a new "how to" book by James Altucher but have not read it.
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