"The Best American Science Writing: 2012," edited by Michio Kaku

"To those who find the Many Worlds Interpretation needlessly baroque, Deutsch writes, 'the quantum theory of parallel universes is not the problem - it is the solution... It is the explanation - the only one that is tenable - of a remarkable and counterintuitive reality.'  The theory also explains how quantum computers might work.  Deutsch told me that a quantum computer would be 'the first technology that allows useful tasks to be performed in collaboration between parallel universes.'  The quantum computer's processing power would come from a kind of outsourcing of work, in which calculations literally take place in other universes.  Entangled particles would function as paths of communication among different universes, sharing information and gathering the results.  So, for example, with the case of Shor's algorithm, Deutsch said, 'When we run such an algorithm, countless instances of us are also running it in other universes (by creating a superposition) and as a result they perform part of the computation on a huge variety of different inputs.  Later, those values affect each other, and thereby all contribute to the final answer, in just such a way that the same answer appears in all the universes.'"

Great, you say in your particular universe, but why is he reviewing the 2012 edition of "The Best American Science Writing"?  Why not the 2013 edition?  The answer, my universal friend, is that the 2013 edition was not available in this universe.  In an adjacent universe, they had the 2013 edition, and I reviewed that one.  Perhaps one day I can view that review on my own quantum computer, and thereby discover whether or not the 2013 edition was superior to the 2012 edition.  Yes, that makes sense.  I think.

This book covers a wide range of science topics, but my favorite articles, save one, fell within the domain of physics.  The two "psychological" articles ("Beautiful Brains" and "Criminal Minds") are pure crap, but the rest of this book is fairly interesting.  As you might have guessed from the above quote, my favorite article was the one about quantum computers.  The article at the very end of the book, "God Knows Where I Am," dealing with mental illness and public policy, is also very good.

I'll be reviewing the 2013 version when I come across it.  Unless another version of myself, writing in another universe, posts it here first!

Happy Year of the Dragon!! 新年快樂!!

I'll be taking a break from this blog until February.  Here's wishing you a happy 2012, and a happy Year of the Dragon!  I'll be in Taoyuan 桃園, Yunlin 雲林, or Taitung 台東 this vacation, probably wasting money and definitely eating too much.  Have a great one!

Sayeth the Preacher

I am not a religious person, but I have read the Bible many times.  I think the Bible, if approached critically, offers many insights into what makes people the way they are.  It is also a book full of stupidity and superstitious nonsense, but I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

One of my favorite books of the Bible is the Book of Ecclesiastes.  This is a book that any Greek philosopher could be proud of, and I often return to it when I am feeling sad, confused, or just wondering where life is taking me.  The Book of Ecclesiastes has offered me a lot of comfort over the years, and it is to this book, along with Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" that I most of look for wisdom.

My favorite quote from Ecclesiastes has to be:

"Of making books there is no end, and in much study there lies a weariness of flesh."

I can relate to this quote because I have been, for much of my life, a writer of stories.  No, I'm not famous, and no, I've probably never written anything you've heard of, but I have been published a few times, and I am always glad when someone reads something I wrote and gets something out of it.  That is one of the things I live for.

But of course, every story written is only a link in a great chain, and this chain has no end apart from that ultimate end: death.  So I have to remind myself to calm down sometimes, and not regard anything I write as the last thing I will ever write.  I am still learning, and hopefully I improve with each thing I write, but every story is only ever part of a sequence.

The second part of this quote, regarding study, also applies to me.  I have been a student for much of my life, and even though I am a teacher now, there are also times when I must study.  I remind myself that my capacity for study has limits, and it is better not to exceed these limits.  When I first came to Taiwan, for example, I studied Chinese HARD.  I had to learn how to not study so hard, if for no other reason than that life is about balance, and too much study is never good.  Yes, there are times when cramming is justified, but even cramming should be done in moderation.

I have read the Book of Ecclesiastes in English, Latin, and Chinese.  If you ask me, it is a fantastic piece of literature, and well worth your time.  Perhaps those looking for neat, easy answers to the questions of life will not like it, but for me it has been a good companion, of many years' acquaintance.