FEAST OR FAMINE

  Quantum Physics for Beginners : From Quantum Confusion to Clarity: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Core Concepts and Key Ideas in Quantum Physics by Orion Wells (2015) aims to simplify complex scientific principles and theories.   This is a comprehensive book with 12 chapters covering quantum principles, light and matter, the uncertainty principle, quantum entanglement, quantum tunneling, the mathematics of quantum mechanics, probability and statistics, computing and artificial intelligence (AI), cryptography, the theory of relativity, paradoxes, the big bang, and everyday life. And so much more.   The structure is easy to follow, the font is readable, the dot points are succinct, the graphics are sparse and relevant, and the use of mathematical equations is limited or simplified so as not to overwhelm readers.    I have qualifications in mathematics so I went straight to that chapter. Orion Wells states, “If you’re concerned about the complexity of these ...

In Paris, the immersive Egyptian archaeological, pharaonic exhibition of Howard Carter’s exploration into the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun will continue until 1 September 2024. The 3,000 square meters of space holds everything from team Carter’s tents to a replica of the Cairo Museum workshops of Tutankhamun’s tomb.   With a map and clues to several puzzles around the four large exhibition halls, the password will lead to the treasures. But beware, it takes time to solve – you must look, listen, smell, but not touch the clues to write down the answers. Don’t worry, actors will help you solve those deeply hidden clues.  Show the secret password to the guardian of the tomb’s doorway and the doors will open to the funereal treasures, more wonderful than you can imagine. There are over a thousand objects painstakingly reproduced from the Cairo Museum.    Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1341-1323 BC) – King Tut – ruled in the 18 th  dynasty of ancient Egypt. When h...

  Children of the Cave  by Virve Sammalkorpi (2016) is a fictional account of an expedition of discovery in 1819 in Russia. With permission, the novel is based upon the photography series (1991-1994) of Finnish artist Pekka Nikrus as part of his art thesis about a fictional expedition. Let’s be clear – this novel is a fictional account of fictional scientists based on fictional subjects in photographs.    Pekka Nikrus (born in 1968) created  photographs  and a short fictional synopsis ( The Children of the Shadows ) about two Finnish adventurers finding a cave in Russia where children lived – the first expedition occurred from 1819 to 1825 and the second exhibition to the region was in the 1860s. The photographs show children with animalistic appearances. Pekka says the photographs and account of the expedition were destroyed.   Finnish author  Virve Sammalkorpi  (born in 1969) begins with Pekka’s synopsis and formulates her own children’s st...

  UNESCO celebrates World Philosophy Day on the third Thursday of November every year.    In November 2002, UNESCO created World Philosophy Day to encourage governrments, schools, and individuals to celebrate ‘free, reasoned, and informed thinking on the major challenges of our time.’ The word ‘philosophy’ means a ‘love of knowledge.’    The theme for World Philosophy Day 2023 is ‘AI and mental health: opportunities and challenges.’ UNESCO is holding a panel discussion at its Paris Headquarters to explore ‘Artificial intelligence, a tool for mental health care?’’ during its 42nd General Conference.    MARTINA NICOLLS MartinaNicollsWebsite    I     Rainy Day Healing    I    Martinasblogs    I     Publications     I     Facebook    I    Paris Website    I    Paris blogs    I   Animal Website    I   Flower W...

Every year since 2001, the UNESCO  World Science Day for Peace and Development has been celibrated on 10 November.    The day highlights the important role of science in society and the call to engage in publc debates on emerging scientific issues.     The theme for the 2023 World Science Day for Peace and Development is ‘Building Trust in Science.’ UNESCO acknowledges that trust in science is complex, affecting the way in which scientists conduct their work, and the way science is perceived in society.    UNESCO is celebrating the day in two major ways: 1) a roundtable called ‘Building Trust in Science at the Nexus of Science, Policy, and Society’ and 2) a ceremony for the 2023 UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science.   The roundtable will be held in UNESCO’s Paris headquarters on 13 November 2023. It offers an opportunity to discuss the links between science, policy, society, and science-based policy making, particularly to g...

  The Order of Time  by Carlo Rovelli (1959) is about the physics of time and space: ‘We are time. We are this space, this clearing opened by the traces of memory inside the connections between our neurons. We are memory. We are nostalgia. We are longing for a future that will not come.’   The book is divided into three parts: 1) The Crumbling of Time, 2) The World without Time, and 3) The Sources of Time.    Part One is an account of modern physics and time – from Anaximander (‘the Earth floats in space’) and Nicolaus Copernicus (‘the Sun is at the centre of the Universe’) to Albert Einstein (‘the equations that describe how proper times develop relative to each other’) and others.    Poets, artists, philosophers, and scientists have all been fascinated by the mystery of time. The more humans develop, the more they transform their understanding of it.     Carlo Rovelli talks of altitude, speed, the midday sun, timezones, Earth’s hemisph...