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paper2neurons's review against another edition
informative
2.0
This book discusses a framework to understanding basics of physics that focuses on what can and cannot happen, which the author terms counterfactuals, as opposed to what does happen (such as Newton's laws). It goes a great job of explaining information theory and quantum information. I am not sure the new framework is that novel though. At times it appeared so, but at other times I was left confused since many things the author say are counterfactual properties appear to be able to be expressed equally well through time reversible models. I wouldn't say this book expanded my knowledge set that much, except for the explanations about information theory, which in itself might be worthwhile since the book is quite short.
tomkenis's review against another edition
3.0
I have to admit, I feel like I need to read this again from the beginning. I've caught glimpses, a few tantalising hints of a promised land that's supposed to unify not just quantum physics and general relativity, but human comprehension to boot. Mine, alack, seems to have sorely fallen short here. I'll have to dust my jacket off and try again.
zschultzhaus's review against another edition
4.0
After having read the bulk of this book twice, I both admire it and am disappointed by it.
As an introduction to what the author believes is a completely new and revolutionary field of thought, one that is fairly obscure, it is pretty illuminating. In essence, the argument is that there is a deeper and more complete understanding that we can have, right now, about the universe, and it comes by framing the discussion to be about what can and cannot occur in the universe, and how information and knowledge can be incorporated into physics.
Dr. Marletto does a fairly good job of providing just enough physics, at a low enough level, for most people to understand what impact her ideas might have. Reading it got me to appreciate information theory and view the universe in a different way. Not sure what I am going to do with this new perspective, but like the book says, one should always be growing, exploring, and creating. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a contemporary exploration of the rules governing the universe.
Going deeper into the book, I am less enthusiastic. The vignettes that the author provides to act as "refreshers" along the way fall pretty flat and add essentially nothing. Her understanding of biology, particularly what DNA can and cannot do, is lacking. Most people would not come out of this book understanding anything about quantum computing, or really any of the implications of what the author is saying, which was frustrating. Additionally, more and better examples are needed in general to illustrate her argument. A definition and exploration of information and knowledge are central to the book, but for the most part they are mentioned only at the level of they are reduced to bits or the most basic of transformations. I get that this is to reduce these concepts to the level that physicists are comfortable with, but not going beyond these examples is extremely unsatisfying. Finally, I am straight up unconvinced by other arguments - there is a misreading of Shakespeare in the first chapter, and the idea that short lived messages such as words written in foam are not information media, but something that lasts longer, say a post-it note that breaks down in a week, is, seems arbitrary to me. I have a few other issues but will not bring them all up here.
Overall, though, it has given me a lot to think about, and I am glad that I read it. I look forward to understanding the physics more deeply and seeing what the author comes out with in the future.
As an introduction to what the author believes is a completely new and revolutionary field of thought, one that is fairly obscure, it is pretty illuminating. In essence, the argument is that there is a deeper and more complete understanding that we can have, right now, about the universe, and it comes by framing the discussion to be about what can and cannot occur in the universe, and how information and knowledge can be incorporated into physics.
Dr. Marletto does a fairly good job of providing just enough physics, at a low enough level, for most people to understand what impact her ideas might have. Reading it got me to appreciate information theory and view the universe in a different way. Not sure what I am going to do with this new perspective, but like the book says, one should always be growing, exploring, and creating. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a contemporary exploration of the rules governing the universe.
Going deeper into the book, I am less enthusiastic. The vignettes that the author provides to act as "refreshers" along the way fall pretty flat and add essentially nothing. Her understanding of biology, particularly what DNA can and cannot do, is lacking. Most people would not come out of this book understanding anything about quantum computing, or really any of the implications of what the author is saying, which was frustrating. Additionally, more and better examples are needed in general to illustrate her argument. A definition and exploration of information and knowledge are central to the book, but for the most part they are mentioned only at the level of they are reduced to bits or the most basic of transformations. I get that this is to reduce these concepts to the level that physicists are comfortable with, but not going beyond these examples is extremely unsatisfying. Finally, I am straight up unconvinced by other arguments - there is a misreading of Shakespeare in the first chapter, and the idea that short lived messages such as words written in foam are not information media, but something that lasts longer, say a post-it note that breaks down in a week, is, seems arbitrary to me. I have a few other issues but will not bring them all up here.
Overall, though, it has given me a lot to think about, and I am glad that I read it. I look forward to understanding the physics more deeply and seeing what the author comes out with in the future.
marioncromb's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I was familiar with some of Marletto's scientific papers before this, which is why I sought it out. It contains interesting ideas about needing a wider framework for physics that deals in possibilities rather than just dynamical laws, on these general terms i was convinced. Its a valuable and new perspective on many topics, trying to bring in more astract concepts into a uniting scientific framework. However sometimes the arguments were too abstracted for my liking/understanding, or more based on vibes than rigour. I think sometimes it was trying to be too general, unify too many concepts in ways that didnt quite work, or don't hold up to a closer look at the given examples. This could just be a me problem, i struggle following more philosophical writing.
The story bits are a bit straw-man, they feel a little too on the nose/unrealistic! And there seems to be a recurring trope in the stories of girls/young women looking up to heroicised older male figures/scientists. (This makes some psychological sense when reading the dedication to marletto's father at the end of the book, but is still a bit tiring)
The story bits are a bit straw-man, they feel a little too on the nose/unrealistic! And there seems to be a recurring trope in the stories of girls/young women looking up to heroicised older male figures/scientists. (This makes some psychological sense when reading the dedication to marletto's father at the end of the book, but is still a bit tiring)
claytell's review against another edition
3.0
The format between real story and fictional based on same concept is ultimately cool. The content could be more engaging. The stories could be more entertaining
krvoje's review against another edition
2.0
The book alternates between pop-sci and short stories. This is a great approach, but the creative writing part needs more work (I wonder how much the editor was involved with this part). The stories are too on the nose, and not really illustrating any of their points. Instead they are just preaching them through one-dimensional characters. This ironically reminds of some pseudo-science literature (the irony is that the actual science in this book is anything but pseudo). Because of this I struggled and speeded through most of the story chapters, and didn't really feel I got much out of them. This is too bad, as the author obviously has an affinity for creative writing, the story motives are imaginative, and it's a wonderful tool to illustrate the abstract concepts presented. I hope the author manages to put in more work into that part in the following editions.
The pop-sci part of the book suffers from a similar problem, although it does deliver in explaining the topic. The topic itself is very interesting, and the author does not lack the knowledge nor the enthusiasm (and the enthusiasm is contagious as you progress through the book). However, as someone with a STEM education and a big interest in the topic, I did again find myself speeding through a lot of the content, and wanting for more concise explanations. This is however a book for a wider audience, and not only for people who already went through the STEM drill, so I'm probaby better off to just go and read some papers and watch lectures.
Overall, content-wise I got my shot of philosophy and physics, and learned some fascinating ideas. I hope the book lives to get newer and improved editions, as the topic is fascinating and worth explaining to wider audiences.
The pop-sci part of the book suffers from a similar problem, although it does deliver in explaining the topic. The topic itself is very interesting, and the author does not lack the knowledge nor the enthusiasm (and the enthusiasm is contagious as you progress through the book). However, as someone with a STEM education and a big interest in the topic, I did again find myself speeding through a lot of the content, and wanting for more concise explanations. This is however a book for a wider audience, and not only for people who already went through the STEM drill, so I'm probaby better off to just go and read some papers and watch lectures.
Overall, content-wise I got my shot of philosophy and physics, and learned some fascinating ideas. I hope the book lives to get newer and improved editions, as the topic is fascinating and worth explaining to wider audiences.