With this time of year there is a bit of reflection. A few readers asked for my current book list and I sent out a note to several regular readers who tend to be interested in such things. Now that many of the holidays have come some of you may be in a position where you are looking for a gift for yourself...
A few readers asked what I've been reading. I read a lot, but my preference is to work on projects with friends. Sadly this has been mostly a readying year. But some of the books have been good. And as the year winds down a jewel emerged that - at least for me - was above the rest.
A few weeks ago I was sent a preprint of The Lost Carving by David Esterly - a really fine piece of work on making and doing it well. He is a gifted writer - a real pleasure to read prose like this. Up until then I would have recommended Sean Carroll's The Particle at the End of the Universe to non-physicists as a nice current view of the standard model. There are richer books on the subject, but this one is up to date and, with the discoveries at CERN this past year, being up to date makes all the difference.
It isn't new, but for those who are trying to get a better handle on energy and how humanity relates to it I think the best non-technical book on the subject is David MacKay's Sustainable Energy. An area that is extremely difficult to summarize at a good enough popular level, he comes closest. It also may be our most pressing fundamental problem, so a deeper background for the general public is useful.
My favorite book that aids creativity isn't a book, but rather an iPad program - the application Paper. Completely delightful, but i recommend getting all of the brushes. The caveat is you have to like - or at least be open to sketching. This may have one of the best computational user experiences I've seen - but these still are lacking compared to a good set of pencils and a high quality pad of paper. There has been some excellent progress on an iPad program that helps inspire musical thinking. I'm poorly grounded here, but am spending some time with those who are deeply immersed thinking about, and experimenting with, what it takes to help people think in this space by routing around the conventional education path.
And on education I keep getting asked what computer language should my kid be learning. Usually - "what book or online course should they use" ... I have to note that although I've spent a good deal of my life programming, it is a tool rather than a passion and I prefer not to do it. I have worked with some people who are amazing at the art. Like the fine art and writing there are individuals who are simply so much better at it than anyone else that their work can bring change. I was lucky enough to have worked with four people at this level and count one as a very close friend. With that in mind, the "wisdom" I offer is the language isn't important. Logic and clear thinking is. I would recommend kids at the high school level study some formal logic first and ideally pick up a bit of a human language that has a similar, but different structure than English - Latin would be ideal. Alternatively play a musical instrument - musicians seem to take to programming naturally. I see people entering college with backgrounds in Java, Ruby, Basic (yikes!) and so on … but they also picked up a large number of bad habits that need to be unlearned. When the time comes to learn a language I recommend something that gets you into what programming is rather than the language. One of the best books on the subject is by a friend (I have to note this as it is a source of bias) - Bjarne Stroustrup's Programming Principles and Practice Using C++. I've seen 10th graders who *really* want to learn use this successfully and note that people coming at the subject freshly, end up as better programmers than those who come at it with a lot of middle and high school programming experience. This book does demand serious study - anything less will lead to failure.
Over the holidays I plan to make a tiny dent in some papers I've been meaning to read that are outside my field(s). Then, on the 29th, I make the decision on what I'll spend a couple of weeks of study on to get a better sense of the problem space. That fortnight of study is my gift to myself every year - one that my first director at Bell Labs suggested as a way to become a bit more open to creative thought. It doesn't generate the serendipity that crazy projects with friends does, but helps with a better grounding on what is happening.
happy holidays to you!
There is this issue of why should we be doing something - what is important to us at some deeper level? What should we be doing as individuals? Here is a nice piece by Neil deGrasse Tyson
I have an enormous respect for Neil and the work he does as the best cheerleader for science. I do have some issues with bits of his message, but understand were he is coming from. It is great to have an environment, unlike the current state of American politics, where you can have great admiration for someone and simultaneously agree and disagree with them.
We agree on the need for grand challenges and much better science education. Exploration has been a huge driver, but so are other challenges. We need to better understand our relationship with Nature as well as our use of resources. It is easy to draft a list of a dozen worthy grand challenges, but there is little will.
Neil believes the best challenge is manned spaceflight and, although I think that is an interesting area, I have to disagree. There are any number of deep challenges facing society that not only need to be attacked, but are large enough that serendipity is likely. Neil believes that manned spaceflight - something like a mission to Mars - would ignite the imaginations of kids in America and inspire them into STEM career tracks. I'd be delighted if he is right, but I just don't see it and there would be real problems mustering the political will.
I'm frustrated to see so much human energy and creativity go into making it easier for people to consume and to be entertained. There is much larger game that isn't receiving enough attention. And it is also frustrating to look at the state of education in America - a country with an enormous gap between those who are numerate and have a basic literacy in science and those who don't.1 Not to mention there are some extremely serious problems facing us including some that may lead to change that is almost certainly terrible for our children and grandchildren (and us if we are under 40 or so)...
I certainly don't have any answers ... a lot of untested speculation, but nothing concrete
Consider this a challenge for you to ponder during your spare time this holiday season. What are the challenges that can inspire society enough to change everything and are possible and achievable? What are the challenges that would fundamentally change education? What would make people welcome such a challenge?
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1 American STEM focused education is far too narrow. To get at creativity we need to add the arts and change the approach. Way to much to talk about. Currently I think Finland has the best model, but I don't see an easy path to make real improvements here. Some of you are experts in the area and are doing great work. Such an important area for focus...
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Recipe Corner
Since many of us are in a sugar induced stupor from the holidays, here is a delicious and simple soup that takes advantage of produce that is seasonal. As with most soups the amounts shown are just a starting point.
Apple Soup
Ingredients
° 25g butter
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
° 600g parsnips, cut into inchish pieces
° 2 garlic cloves, crushed
° 600g tart cooking apples peeled, cored, and cut into chunks (I like Bramleys if I can find them)
° 450g vegetable stock
° 150g milk (it works ok with fat free, but is *really* good with whole milk)
° sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Technique
° Melt the butter and oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onions and parsnips on low heat for about 15 minutes, until the onions are softened.
° Add the garlic and apples and cook for 3 minutes more, stirring constantly
° Add the stock and bring to the boil. Now reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the parsnips are very soft.
° Remove from the heat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
° Blend the mixture until smooth. I like to use an immersion blending stick, but regular blenders work too
Stir in the milk, adding a little extra if required. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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I'm a vegetarian and generally don't miss meat - I'm not attracted to the "fake" meats as too many vegetarian and vegan dishes are wonderful by themselves. But there are a few flavors I do miss. Here is one with fake bacon strips. The amounts aren't critical, so I just used measuring cups rather than weighing
Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
° 4 average sized sweet potatoes peeled and diced
° 1/4 c olive oil
° 1/4 tsp non-iodized sea salt
° a box of Morningstar Farms "bacon" strips
° 1 medium onion, chopped
° 2 large Gayla apples, diced
° 1/4 c Grade B Maple Syrup (you'll want something robust)
Technique
Thank you for this Steve. I am curious what you think the special skills of incredible programmers are. As you know, my son is 12. I am trying to see where to offer him places to play that are just out of reach for him. He has an ability I don't have. He is capable of following instructions precisely. However, he is also capable of being very creative and thinks "out of the box" which I have tried to guard as a precious capacity. this post has me thinking that I can do some work on logic (an area I am very strong at) and then point him toward how he can take that rigorous way of thinking to build things he enjoys - on the computer. What are your thoughts or suggestions here? He probably isn't ready yet for Bjarne's book. He needs some easy programming wins to get a feel for it. If he likes it, I can have a close friend, who is a programmer, work with him a bit on something fun.
Posted by: Jean Russell | 12/26/2012 at 11:05 AM
thank you for this steve. i am curious what you think the special skills of incredible programmers so very happy.
Posted by: Brand | 01/30/2013 at 12:20 PM