An epic story of the hero Odysseus’ journey home from war against all odds. He endured many hardships and troubles, perils on the sea, on the land, man-eating monsters and giants, nymphs and witches, the Olympian gods who were angry with him, and above all, he had to overcome the folly and greed of his own gluttonous companions who perished because of their own madness, and the murderous men in […]
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“The Medusa and the Snail” by Lewis Thomas
Altruism “I don’t see why it should be unreasonable for all human beings to have strands of DNA … coding out instincts for usefulness and helpfulness. Usefulness may turn out to be the hardest test of fitness for survival, more important than aggressiveness, more effective, in the long run, than grabbiness.” To Err is Human The capacity to blunder slightly is the real marvel of DNA. The word “error” came […]
Read more“The Lives of a Cell” by Lewis Thomas
Reading Thomas’ books is like watching a brilliant, inquiring mind at work, or rather at play, filled with wonder, wit and humor, exploring diverse subjects such as a cell, the earth, the universe, human body, the mind, music and language, and yet remaining coherent and fully accessible as if he was talking with the reader face to face. Cells as Ecosystems The mitochondria and chloroplasts in animal and plant cells […]
Read more“Galileo’s Daughter” by Dava Sobel
Because Sobel collected numerous materials from Galileo’s own writings (his personal letters and published works), she revealed much about him through this book, not only his keen intellect, but also his wit and tact, his manifold interests and talents, his loving relationship with his devoted daughter, who comforted and sustained him during the trying years of his life. Through the correspondence of his daughter, a nun of the order of […]
Read more“The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson
Book Summary With the advent of the Internet and new technologies, the means of manufacturing and distributing consumer products (notably music, videos and books) have become so inexpensive and commonly accessible that they are decentralized and diversified to a great extent. Traditional manufactures built around old business models (newspapers, publishers, and music labels) are facing severe competitions from electronic commerce. Consumers, now presented with unlimited choices, no longer gravitate towards […]
Read more“Father Sergius” by Leo Tolstoy
This book should definitely be adapted into movies for the modern viewers, and I fancy there can be at least two different versions, depending on the targeted audience. The R-rated version: The hero is a handsome, passionate prince with an uncontrollable temper, who attracts women everywhere and gets into fights (verbal and physical) with men. There would be plenty of scenes of sexual tension, seduction and violence (with blood spills […]
Read more“An Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” by Benjamin Franklin
“Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.” A fascinating, inspiring story of how a boy, by industry, frugality, reading and writing, constantly striving to improve himself daily, attending to the service of others and the community, and cultivating meaningful friendships, became a great statesman, entrepreneur and one of the most influential figures in […]
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