Amos, Martyn, Genesis Machines: The New Science of Biocomputing, Atlantic Books 2006 Martin Amos's book Genesis Machines looks back on the 12 years since [Leonard Adelman of the University of South California launched the field of DNA computation]. . . . The computational feat reported in Adelman's seminal article was innocuous enough: examine a graph of seven nodes and determine whether a one-way path exists that connects all the nodes once and only once (an example of the hamiltonian path problem). But the importance of this work does not lie in the sophisitication of the problem, but in the fact that it showed that strands of DNA mixed together in a vial, could be controlled such that their biochemistry could be viewed as a computation. And this is perhaps the central message that Amos tries to convey in this book: all physical systems can be viewed as performing computations; it is down to the skill of the investigator to make them perform useful ones.' 
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Buzsaki, Gyorgy, Rhythms of the Brain, Oxford University Press, USA 2006 Amazon Editorial Reviews Review "Gyorgy Buzsaki's Rhythms of the Brain is an excellent compendium on the rapidly expanding research into the mechanisms and functions of neuronal synchronization. Buzsaski presents such synchronization as a binding glue that integrates many levels of neuroscientific investigation with one another and with neighboring disciplines...Buzsaki manages to elegantly integrate insights from physics, engineering, and cognitive psychology with contributions from cellular, systems, cognitive, and theoretical neuroscience."--Science "This is definitely an intriguing book that provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge on brain rhythms...this book is worth the time."--Doody's "For the non-scientist reader, a really good science book is almost never about science as much as it is about the scientist...But then comes along a book by a literature, engaging scientist. This author, you quickly realize, is willing to take a complex topic and explain, with patience, humility and a modicum of humor as the effort progresses, (1) why he or she thinks one way and not another, (2) discuss with honesty and integrity what is known about the subject and what isn't close to being confirmed and (3) detail candidly the dirty little secrets of the experimental laboratories and the secret little condescensions and the subtle omissions of the experimenters...As it turns out, the rhythms of Dr. Buzsakis mind have produced a fascinating read that a scientifically curious non-scientist can follow if they are willing to make the effort." --BrainTechnologies "Gyorgy Buzsaki's Rhythms of the Brain is an excellent compendium on the rapidly expanding research into the mechanisms and functions of neuronal synchronization. Buzsaki presents such synchronization as a binding glue that integrates many levels of neuroscientific investigation with one another and with neighboring disciplines...Buzsaki manages to elegantly integrate insights from physics, engineering, and cognitive psychology with contributions from cellular, systems, cognitive, and theoretical neuroscience."--Science "In Rhythms of the Brain, Gyorgy Buzsaki does a remarkable job of summarizing a vast body of literature on the topic...The book is a 'must read' for anyone interested in understanding the functioning of large and complex brain circuits."--Nature  
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Feynman, Richard P, What do You Care What Other People Think: Further Adventures of a Curious Character, Unwin Hyman 1988 Jacket: 'Feynman died on 15 February 1988, after a long battle with cancer. During his final years he and his friend Ralph Leighton prepared this manuscript, his last literary legacy. It is at once wise and reminiscent, even serious in parts. Here is the story of how two people most influenced Feynman's early years - his father who taught him to think and his first wife Arlene who taught him to love even as she lay dying in Alberquerque hospital while Feynman worked nearby, on the atomic bomb in Los Alamos. . . . The second half of the book . . . is Feynman's behind the scenes account of the investigation that followed the space shuttle Challenger's explosion in January 1986. . . . We come to know in detail, through the eyes of a great scientist, the confusion and misjudgement that have plagued NAA in recent years.' 
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Hobson, M P, and G. P. Efstathiou, A. N. Lasenby, General Relativity: An Introduction for Physicists, Cambridge University Press 2006 Amazon Editorial Reviews Book Description 'After reviewing the basic concept of general relativity, this introduction discusses its mathematical background, including the necessary tools of tensor calculus and differential geometry. These tools are used to develop the topic of special relativity and to discuss electromagnetism in Minkowski spacetime. Gravitation as spacetime curvature is introduced and the field equations of general relativity derived. After applying the theory to a wide range of physical situations, the book concludes with a brief discussion of classical field theory and the derivation of general relativity from a variational principle.'  
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le Carre, John, The Naive and Sentimental Lover, Hodder & Stoughton 2001  
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Lloyd, Seth, Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes On the Cosmos, #Vintage; 2007 Amazon: Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly 'Lloyd, a professor at MIT, works in the vanguard of research in quantum computing: using the quantum mechanical properties of atoms as a computer. He contends that the universe itself is one big quantum computer producing what we see around us, and ourselves, as it runs a cosmic program. According to Lloyd, once we understand the laws of physics completely, we will be able to use small-scale quantum computing to understand the universe completely as well. In his scenario, the universe is processing information. The second law of thermodynamics (disorder increases) is all about information, and Lloyd spends much of the book explaining how quantum processes convey information. The creation of the universe itself involved information processing: random fluctuations in the quantum foam, like a random number generator in a computer program, produced higher-density areas, then matter, stars, galaxies and life. Lloyd's hypothesis bears important implications for the red-hot evolution–versus–intelligent design debate, since he argues that divine intervention isn't necessary to produce complexity and life. Unfortunately, he rushes through what should be the climax of his argument. Nevertheless, Lloyd throws out many fascinating ideas. (For another take on information theory, see Decoding the Universe on p.53.) 12 b&w illus.' Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 
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Nielsen, Michael A, and Isaac L Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Cambridge University Press 2000 Review: A rigorous, comprehensive text on quantum information is timely. The study of quantum information and computation represents a particularly direct route to understanding quantum mechanics. Unlike the traditional route to quantum mechanics via Schroedinger's equation and the hydrogen atom, the study of quantum information requires no calculus, merely a knowledge of complex numbers and matrix multiplication. In addition, quantum information processing gives direct access to the traditionally advanced topics of measurement of quantum systems and decoherence.' Seth Lloyd, Department of Quantum Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Nature 6876: vol 416 page 19, 7 March 2002. 
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Adami, Christoph, "Biological programming: ", Nature, 446, 7127, 15 March 2007, page 263-264. 'The digital nature of molecules such as DNA means they can be used in computers..'. back

Cavalier-Smith, Thomas, "Concept of a bacterium still valid in prokaryote debate", Nature, 446, 7127, 25 January 2007, page . 'Organisms are not mere assemblages of genes, whether inherited vertically or laterally, but cells (or integrated assemblies of cells) in which there is a mutualistic coperation of genomes, membranes, skeletons and catalysts that together make a physically and functionally coherent unit capable of reproduction and evolution.'. back

Chaitin, Gregory J, "Randomness and Mathematical Proof", Scientific American, 232, 5, May 1975, page 47-52. 'Although randomness can be precisely defined and can even be measured, a given number cannot be proved random. This enigma establishes a limit in what is possible in mathematics'. back

d'Espagnat, Bernard, "The Quantum Theory and Reality", Scientific American, 241, 5, November 1979, page 128-140. 'The doctrine that the world is made up of objects whose existence is independent of human consciousness turns out to be in conflict with quantum mechanics and with facts established by experience.' . back

Gardner, Martin, "Mathematical games", Scientific American, 241, 5, November 1979, page 22-31. 'The random number 0mega bids fair to hold the mysteries of the universe. back

Lardelli, Michael, "Scientists need to confront economists about peak oil", Nature, 446, 7127, 25 January 2007, page 257. Letter to the editor. back

Nyquist, H, "Regeneration Theory", Bell System Technical Journal, 11, , 1932, page 126-147. back

Allison Kaplan Sommer, The GOP Has a Nazi Problem - and It Just Got a Whole Lot Worse, 'The Republican Party marked an inauspicious milestone this week when for the first time a full-on Nazi and Holocaust denier, Arthur Jones, became the GOP nominee for a House seat after winning an uncontested primary for Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District. This happened as Paul Nehlen, a Republican contender for the Wisconsin seat belonging to House Speaker Paul Ryan, wages an unprecedented racist and anti-Semitic campaign.' back

Aquinas 20, Summa I, 3, 7: Whether God is altogether simple? , 'I answer that, The absolute simplicity of God may be shown in many ways. First, from the previous articles of this question. For there is neither composition of quantitative parts in God, since He is not a body; nor composition of matter and form; nor does His nature differ from His "suppositum"; nor His essence from His existence; neither is there in Him composition of genus and difference, nor of subject and accident. Therefore, it is clear that God is nowise composite, but is altogether simple. . . . ' back

Blues Brothers Central, Blues Brothers Central :: The Ultimate Blues Brothers Fansite, 'Introduction Blues Brothers Central was created in 2003 by Chris Rossi. It has since become the Internet's Largest Blues Brothers Fansite, the Number One web presence for Blues Brothers fans worldwide.' back

Bradleu Burston, Palestinian's New Doomsday Weapon Has Israel Scared to Death, 'It is the sum of all fears of Israel's ruling right. It is a weapon against which one of the world's most powerful, advanced militaries is at a loss. It could succeed where suicide bombings, ballistic missile barrages, and sophisticated attack tunnels have failed. And it's coming on Passover, just over a week away. It's non-violence. ' back

Claude E Shannon, A Mathematical Theory of Communication, 'The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point. Frequently the messages have meaning; that is they refer to or are correlated according to some system with certain physical or conceptual entities. These semantic aspects of communication are irrelevant to the engineering problem. The significant aspect is that the actual message is one selected from a set of possible messages.' back

Ellie Silverman, Johan van Hulst, Dutch schoolteacher who saved hundreds of Jewish children during Holocaust, does at 107, 'Dr. van Hulst, who was credited with saving more than 600 Jewish babies and children during World War II and, in 1972, was named Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem, died March 22 in Amsterdam. He was 107.' back

Eugene Scott, Evangelicals continue to apply moral relativism in dealing with Trump, but at what cost?, 'The Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson, a leading evangelical, recently wrote: “At the Family Research Council's recent Values Voter Summit, the religious right effectively declared its conversion to Trumpism. Who would now identify conservative Christian political engagement with the pursuit of the common good? Rather, the religious right is an interest group seeking preference and advancement from a strongman — and rewarding him with loyal acceptance of his priorities. The prophets have become clients. The priests have become acolytes.” back

Giukia Rhodes, 'I was a caricature of my worst traits' - how brain cancer can affect the mind, 'Lipska herself had no awareness of her tenuous grip on reality. “I was sure that everyone around me was acting wrongly. I thought they were conspiring against me, being mean.” The irony, she points out, is that she needed a part of her brain that was affected – the frontal cortex – in order to comprehend the very fact of it being affected.' back

Griff Witte, How Slovakia stood up to a journalist's murder and kicked out its prime minister, 'An investigative reporter hot on the trail of Fico’s finances was murdered, and tens of thousands of people in the once apathetic nation cared enough to take to the streets. Rather than be intimidated by the killing, journalists dug deeper. Grassroots opposition movements sprang from nowhere. Constitutional checks kicked in. Under pressure from all sides, Fico resigned. back

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (film) - Wikipedia, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a 2011 historical drama film based on the novel of the same name written by[3] Lisa See. Directed by Wayne Wang, the film stars Gianna Jun, Li Bingbing, Archie Kao, Vivian Wu, and Hugh Jackman.' back

John Lawrence, Tasmanian forest agreement delivers $1.3bn losses in "giant fraud' on taxpayers, 'In fact the last 20 years have been a financial disaster for forest management in Tasmania. According to my calculations, Forestry Tasmania’s total operating cash losses over the 20 years from 1997-2017 are $454m. The annual reports of Forestry Tasmania from 1997 to 2017 (if you can understand what the accounts don’t say) and the 2008 report of the Tasmanian auditor general, reveal that the regional forest agreement (RFA) has comprehensively failed to deliver on its “economically sustainable” promise.' back

Jon Stokes, Understanding Moore's Law Page 1, 'Moore's Law is so perennially protean because its eponymous formulator never quite gave it a precise formulation. Rather, using prose, graphs, and a cartoon Moore wove together a collection of observations and insights in order to outline a cluster of trends that would change the way we live and work. In the main, Moore was right, and many of his specific predictions have come true over the years. The press, on the other hand, has met with mixed results in its attempts to sort out exactly what Moore said and, more importantly, what he meant. The present article represents my humble attempt to bring some order to the chaos of almost four decades of reporting and misreporting on an unbelievably complex industrial/social/psychological phenomenon. ' back

Julia Baird and Hayley Gleeson, On in four churchgoers in abusive relationships, UK study finds, 'One in four churchgoers has experienced domestic abuse in their current relationship, according to a new study in Britain. The research, conducted in Cumbria by academics at Coventry University and the University of Leicester in conjunction with Christian charity Restored, has led to urgent calls for churches in Britain and Australia to expose and counter abuse in their midst, with the authors finding more priests need to publicly condemn abuse "from the pulpit".' back

Kevin McKenna, Gay clergy will live in torment until the Catholic church drops this hypocritical oath, 'The most human response to the death of Scotland’s shamed cardinal came from the journalist whose articles forced his resignation. Catherine Deveney spoke with compassion and pity as she expressed the hope that Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien had found peace and forgiveness at the end. Deveney’s articles for the Observer in 2013 revealed that O’Brien had, for many years, conducted a series of inappropriate relationships with young priests under his jurisdiction.' back

Lily Kuo, Vatican and Beijing near deal on bishop appointments after 67-year rift, 'Beijing and the Vatican are reportedly close to an agreement on the appointment of bishops in China, a deal that could lead to the resumption of diplomatic ties severed almost 70 years ago. The secretary general of the bishops’ conference of the Catholic church in China, Guo Jincai, told Chinese state media on Thursday negotiations between the two sides had reached “the final stages” and an accord could be reached as early as the end of this month. . . . Yet the Vatican has contradicted Guo’s statements. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told journalists on Thursday: “I can state that there is no imminent signature of an agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.” ' back

Michelle C. Langley, What prehistoric toys can tell us about evolution, 'In Many ways children shape our future — through their love of new things (particularly technology), ability to think outside the box and the ease with which they greet many new experiences and situations. Now scientists are considering the importance of children in shaping not only the development of our complex cultures, but our evolution as a species.' Dr Michelle C. Langley is an Australian Research Council DECRA research fellow in the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution at Griffith University. back

Peter Rogers, Mesons violate Bell's inequality, 'Bell and others showed that it was possible to distinguish between quantum mechanics and these hidden-variable theories in a certain type of experiment that measure a parameter known as S. Put simply, the local theories predict that S will always be less than two, whereas the quantum prediction is S = 2√2. When S is greater than two, Bell’s inequality is said to be violated. Apollo Go of the National Central University in Taiwan and co-workers in the Belle collaboration performed the experiment at the KEK B-factory. At this accelerator beams of electrons and positrons are collided to produce pairs of B mesons and their antiparticles, which then decay into lighter particles. The meson pairs behave like photon pairs, but instead of analyzing correlations between directions of polarization, the Belle team study particle-antiparticle correlations using a technique known as “flavour tagging”. Go and colleagues calculated that S = 2.725, with error bars that mean that the inequality is violated by three standard deviations.' back

Wikipedia, Nyquist-Shannon Sampling Theorem, 'The Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem is a fundamental result in the field of information theory, in particular telecommunications and signal processing. The theorem is commonly called Shannon's sampling theorem, and is also known as Nyquist–Shannon–Kotelnikov, Whittaker–Shannon–Kotelnikov, Whittaker–Nyquist–Kotelnikov–Shannon, WKS, etc., sampling theorem, as well as the Cardinal Theorem of Interpolation Theory. In addition to its mathematical originator E. T. Whittaker, and its American engineering originators Claude Shannon and Harry Nyquist, it is also attributed to the Russian engineering originator V. A. Kotelnikov and sometimes to its German engineering originators Karl Küpfmüller and H. Raabe, or its Japanese originator I. Someya. J. M. Whittaker developed it further and called it the Cardinal theorem. It is often referred to as simply the sampling theorem.' back