Methods in Enzymology, Volume 129: Plasma Lipoproteins, Part B: Characterization, Cell Biology, and Metabolism

Book Description

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard, Methods in Enzymology, is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. The series contains much material still relevant today - truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.

Book Description

The idea that an atom can be in two places at once defies logic. Yet this is now an established scientific fact. In The Universe Next Door, science writer Marcus Chown examines a dozen mind-bending new ideas that also fly in the face of reason--but that, according to eminent scientists, might just be crazy enough to be true. Could time run backwards? Is there a fifth dimension? Does quantum theory promise immortality? To explore these questions, Chown has interviewed some of the most imaginative and courageous people working at the forefront of science, and he has come away with a smorgasbord of mind-expanding ideas. For instance, Lawrence Schulman at New York's Clarkson University believes there could be regions in our Universe where stars unexplode, eggs unbreak and living things grow younger with every passing second. Max Tegmark, at the University of Pennsylvania, believes there could be an infinity of realities stacked together like the pages of a never-ending book (with an infinite number of versions of you, living out an infinite number of different lives). And David Stevenson of Cal Tech argues that life may exist on worlds drifting in the cold, dark abyss between the stars, worlds without suns to warm them. Indeed, these worlds may be the most common sites for life in the universe. Was our universe created by super-intelligent beings from another universe? Is there evidence of extraterrestrial life lying right beneath our feet? The Universe Next Door ponders these and many other thought-provoking questions. You may not agree with all the answers but your head will be spinning by the time you reach the last page.

Customer Reviews:

Liked it more toward the end........2005-02-15

I felt like I was reading a drawnout artical in a journal at first. Another problem I had with Mr.Chown's book was his repitious style. However, toward the end (around page 110 ) he starts to present us with some interesting theories and mindblowing ideas. Parallel universes,panspermia(seeded life from space),time-travel, and infinite dimensions make-up for the tedious start. There are no pictures or diagrams, but there is a glossary in back.

Bridging the Gap Between Science and Science Fiction.......2005-01-25

+++++

This book, by former radio astronomer and cosmology consultant Marcus Chown, presents "twelve mind-blowing ideas from the cutting edge of science" (this book's former subtitle). Chown explains:

"What follows are my dispatches from the frontier of the [scientific] imagination. At first sight, these ideas may seem crazy. But, then, once upon a time, the idea that time slows down for someone traveling fast or in the presence of gravity seemed crazy...Of course, the scientific imagination must work within the limits of known facts...I hope that in reading this book you will get some feeling of what a wonderful, weird, wacky Universe we find ourselves in -- a place far stranger than anything we could possibly have invented. And I hope it gets you thinking..."

This book presents its ideas in three easy-to-read parts. The essence of each chapter will be highlighted in the form of a question:

Part 1 (5 chapters):

(1) Are there regions in the Universe where time runs backwards?
(2) Are there an infinite number of realities where all possible alternative realities are played out?
(3) Can the basic building blocks of nature (like electrons) be split?
(4) Do atoms contain time machines?
(5) Are extra space dimensions a possibility?

Part 2 (4 chapters):

(6) Is most of the mass of the Universe in the form of relatively small black holes?
(7) Does the Universe contain invisible galaxies, stars, planets, and even invisible extraterrestrials?
(8) Is our Universe one among an infinite number of separate and distinct universes?
(9) Is it possible to make a universe in the laboratory?

Part 3 (3 chapters):

(10) Could there be billions and billions of habitable plants that are not orbiting a central star but that are traveling through interstellar space?
(11) Was the life on Earth seeded from the depths of space?
(12) Do extraterrestrial artifacts exist on Earth or throughout the solar system?

Each chapter explains with no technicality each of its ideas and tells us of the extraordinary people (mainly scientists) who postulated these extraordinary ideas. The evidence for these ideas is also presented. As well, the problems with these ideas is also discussed.

Readers of space and physical science should be acquainted with most of these ideas. But they will probably not be acquainted with the large detail that Chown presents that go along with these ideas.

I was surprised to find a large, informative glossary. Concepts like "causality violation," "discoherence," and the "ultimate ensemble theory" are well defined.

The bibliography or "further reading" section of this book is interesting. It presents for each chapter non-fiction as well as fiction books!

Finally, this book has no illustrations. I felt simple diagrams would have reduced the book's wordiness. I also found some slang in this book. For example, the word "gonna" is not even a word.

In conclusion, this book definitely sparks the reader's imagination. It reminds me of what Albert Einstein once said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

(first published 2002; acknowledgements; forward; 12 chapters; main narrative of 155 pages; glossary; further reading, index)

+++++

Bizarre though Credible.......2005-01-20

In this highly readable text, Marcus Chown, Cosmology Consultant for "New Scientist", illustrates sciences imaginative speculations on the possibilities of time travel, the existence of endless realities, multiuniverses, mirror worlds, a universe created by scientists in laboratories, and extra space dimensions, the fifth dimension, that could well be revealed to us in the not so distant future.

What is so astonishing about these speculations is that they're grounded in scientific theory and known facts, making them highly credible and probable. Even more astounding, is the great scientific minds from around the world are putting these seemingly bizarre postulates to the test, and their findings are nothing less than amazing.

One of the more interesting chapters "Was the Universe Created by Angels?" suggests an outlandish idea (outlandish from a secular scientific perspective): that our universe is the outcome of an experiment carried out by a superior intelligence in another universe. What makes this theory plausible is the fact that our universe is based on clear and simple principles that can be observed. Our observable cosmos is orchestrated on basic laws of physics in perfect balance, "a fined-tuned universe" enabling life to exist and reproduce. This is the anthropic principle:

"There would appear to be only two possible explanations: One is that the universe was designed specifically by God. The other is that the Universe is the way it is because if it wasn't, we would not be here to remark on the fact. According to this topsy-turvy reasoning...it is hardly surprising that we find ourselves in a universe which is fine-tuned to allow the existence of galaxies, stars and life. We could hardly have evolved in a universe that was not!" (P.106)

It is here that philosophy and science merge to attempt to explain the great mysteries of our existence.

As a reader not too acquainted with quantum theory, astronomy and physics in general, this text is written simply and straightforward, explaining at times complex physics in easy to comprehend prose. Chown's obvious enthusiasm about his subject is also highly infectious, prompting this reader to investigate further.

Entertaining and informative.

hang on, what door?.......2004-05-16

Great book, easy to read, simple to understand. Should be taken alongside Green and Hawking and then used to build a wormhole.
I'd really like to scoot forward 50yrs and see if any of these ideas proved to be correct....

About tomorrow - yes........2004-02-24

Marcus Chown deserves an award. He jumps forward without wasting time for rewriting Newton's or Einstein's history, and expands on what is new and controversial: Schulman's reversed time, Maris' electron bubbles, Tegmark quantum interpretation, Harrison's natural selection of self-reproducing universes, Mark Hadley's unification of QT and GR, Gnienko's and Foot's "mirror" matter, plus very interesting probability calculation by Arhipov - whether we can find ET junk on Earth; just a few subjects that you will not find even in currently published new Brian Greene's book "The Fabric of the Cosmos".
Excellent writing, so well, that lack of any pictures or drawings is not detrimental at all.

The Universe Next Door: The Making of Tomorrow's Science

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The Universe Next Door: The Making of Tomorrow's Science
Marcus Chown
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKPYS4

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The Universe Next Door: The Making of Tomorrow's Science
Marcus Chown
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKWNYM

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Universe Next Door: The Making of Tomorrow's Science

Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1417642203

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The Best of the Robinson Crusoe readings.

An Affirmation of the Times

legendary story seems not to have aged very well..

school report

The Goods and The Bads

Robinson Crusoe: His Life and Strange Surprising Adventures (Everyman's Library Children's Classics)
Daniel Defoe
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679428194
Release Date: 1993-11-02

Book Description

This classic story of a shipwrecked mariner on a deserted island is perhaps the greatest adventure in all of English literature. Fleeing from pirates, Robinson Crusoe is swept ashore in a storm possessing only a knife, a box of tobacco, a pipe-and the will to survive. His is the saga of a man alone: a man who overcomes self-pity and despair to reconstruct his life; who painstakingly teaches himself how to fashion a pot, bake bread, build a canoe; and who, after twenty-four agonizing years of solitude, discovers a human footprint in the sand... Consistently popular since its first publication in 1719, Daniel Defoe's story of human endurance in an exotic, faraway land exerts a timeless appeal. The first important English novel, Robinson Crusoe has taken its rightful place among the great myths of Western civilization.

From the Paperback edition.

Download Description

For more than two centuries, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe has delighted readers with its delicate portrayal of physical and emotional survival. Shipwrecked upon a deserted island, a sailor most somehow build a new life.

Customer Reviews:

The Best of the Robinson Crusoe readings........2006-01-05

Everyone knows the story...so the issue is who can read the
literature in a compelling way. Clearly, Martin Shaw has the touch. My only criticism is that this audio Cassette should be made into an audio CD for most modern listeners.

An Affirmation of the Times.......2005-10-01

The century in which Robinson Crusoe had his adventures was a time of exploration and colonialism. Daniel Defoe's story is famous for many reasons. For one thing, it is one of the first books to be written in modern English. Secondly, the adventuristic appeal has won the hearts and interests of generations of readers. And thirdly, it is an affirmation of the culture and society of the times (in comparison with Gulliver's Travels, a book that was more a satire of the times).

The book is set up in three parts, those being Crusoe's exploration of the world, being cast away on the island, and the providential return to society. The three parts are used to establish the world he exists in, to defend the world he exists in, and then to return to it after he's been able to properly exist outside of it.

Many readers may find a lot of comfort in his story. His ingenuity, perseverence, and industry combine somewhat melodramatically with his humbleness and self-discovery of God, which he defends mightily throughout. The story on a whole is hopeful and endearing: work hard, respect God, and even the most unlucky of man will abide.

Unfortunately, his tale hasn't aged well. The use of cannibal savages, slaves, and the like throughout the novel might offend some people. The constant care for divinity is at first really refreshing, but becomes tedious as the book starts to fall into a pattern of comfort-discomfort-speculation-God-comfort which may have been very enriching on the time, but today gets tedious. I don't want to intone that piety and response to the Bible is bad, I'm just saying it's out of place in modern vernacular.

Defoe himself shows a comprehensive understanding of the language, the characters, and the times. It is, really, a remarkable piece of writing structurally. However, its themes have aged, making it less than Universal, and for that matter somewhat misunderstood with modern-day audiences.

I'd say get this, the Dover Thrift edition. It's cheap, unabridged, and includes a quick introduction that makes the reading experience vastly more enriching. Otherwise it may be time to set this story to rest.

--PolarisDiB

legendary story seems not to have aged very well.........2005-07-01

Most everyone in the English-speaking world has heard of 'Robinson Crusoe' and know roughly what the story is about (Englishman gets marooned on a island and runs into fellow castaway sidekick he calls Friday). And upon reading the book there are no surprises. It reads like a book written 300 years ago: it's language is a bit stiff, lots of preaching of Christianity and Christian values, absolutely no sex. There is some violence but it is not belabored nor is it graphic.

However 'Robinson Crusoe' is not a deadly dull read. Defoe's attention to detail on how Crusoe survives on the island is quite remarkable, and inventive. His interaction with Friday and other folks (..at the end of the book) is also interesting. Yet overall there is nothing here to enthrall the reader. Noted as a book for young (teenaged) readers, I think 'Robinson Crusoe' would bore anyone but the most patient adult.

Bottom line: certainly a classic and not devoid of merit, but overall I am unlikely to recommend this book.

school report.......2004-09-08

For twenty-four years Robinson Crusoe was stranded on an island far away from anything, after being the only survivor of the shipwreck. Until one friday he rescues a prisoner I felt that book moved very slowly through the whole story, but it kept me interested throughout it. He turns his deserted island into a tropical paradise and learns to deal with his surroundings. It was an easy read. He returned to England the eleventh of June, 1687; after thirty-five years of being stranded out at sea. Daniel Defoe made this book made it seem more realistic than fiction, with his very descriptive writing. Overall I liked the book, because it had a good plot.

The Goods and The Bads.......2004-07-11

Description:
A middle-class Englishman rejects the comfortable lifestyle his station offers him in favor of a life of adventures. In the midst of adventuring, he is shipwrecked, alone, on a deserted island, where he lives for almost thirty years. The book is a first-hand account of his leaving England, his adventures, his years of isolation, and his return.

The Good:
Many schools of thought call Robinson Crusoe the first English novel, and it's interesting to see where the nowadays ubiquitous genre has its origin. Reading from Crusoe's perspective gives the book most of its interest, as it enables you to see the way a slightly rebellious Englishman thought (or, at least, the way Defoe assumed a slightly rebellious Englishman thought) about issues like the Spanish conquest of America, the "savages," and the bare necessities of life.

The Bad:
The text is repetitive and extremely preachy, especially when Crusoe finds religion and waxes philosophic about what being miserable really is. These phenomena are somewhat interesting the first time around, but Crusoe (Defoe?) never risks saying something only once. Many parts of it verge on the unbelievable, like when the shipwrecked sailor discovers a miraculous tree that grows quickly and sturdily wherever he puts it, which he then uses to build thick, living walls around his home. Some of the scenes that should be exciting fail to be because the language of the early 1700s doesn't lend itself well to action.

The Verdict:
It's an interesting work, but by no means a must-read. Crusoe is very self-centered throughout, which makes you wonder about whether his character is fit to function as a representative example of man left to the elements or not. Reading about how he goes about constructing a life for himself is interesting, but it lacks something because, well, it isn't true. What we're really reading is how Defoe imagines a man might build a life for himself, given the handicap of certain supplies left from his ship, etc. The book is, I think, very much a product of its time, and that's its most interesting quality. If you're looking for an interesting story of a man shipwrecked on an island, watch "Cast Away." If you want it from a slightly dry, 18th-century British perspective, you've got the right book.

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Unhurriedly Pragmatic Adventure Story

The life and strange surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, mariner
Daniel Defoe
Manufacturer: Limited Editions Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006ALAA8

Customer Reviews:

Unhurriedly Pragmatic Adventure Story.......2003-06-28

In the literary world it is perhaps blasphemy to say a bad word against Daniel Defoe's most acclaimed novel. So here goes. The fact that the book was originally titled The Life And Strange Surprising Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe illustrates the major flaw in Defoe's literary form. Put simply, this would be a far more interesting and gripping story were it not so superfluously lengthy. The author makes a habit of repeating himself, especially when it comes to the act of dispatching kittens, which seems to be more of an obsession here than octogenarian ladies are to MatronsApron. It is difficult, you may think, to keep the subject matter fresh when describing the daily tribulations of a fellow stranded on an island for thirty years, without occasionally repeating yourself. True, but perhaps a straightforward solution to this diminutive quandary would be to simply truncate the duration of the story. There are some wonderfully intriguing and suspenseful moments, and some juicy action to boot, but sadly these are gratuitously diluted by lengthy descriptions of the unremarkable everyday goings on in Crusoe's life, and rather than serving to build up the suspense, they merely obstruct the reader's relationship with the more exciting parts of the story.
However, those with more patience than my ignorant self will find in Robinson Crusoe a delightful tale, which as well as being a fictional documentary of the most unusual thirty years of Mr. Crusoe's life, also has time to ponder upon philosophical and theological ideas, in a style that makes the reader feel as if they are involved in the conflicts between the functionalist and cynical thoughts going on in Crusoe's mind. It may not be a gripping white-knuckle adventure, being rather more leisurely and acquiescent, but it is still rather easy to see why Robinson Crusoe is regarded by some as one of the greatest novels of all time.

The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.

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The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
Daniel Defoe
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000L1YNC4

Aventuras De Robinson Crusoe/ The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, 1719 (El Barco De Papel / the Paper Boat)

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Aventuras De Robinson Crusoe/ The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, 1719 (El Barco De Papel / the Paper Boat)
Daniel Defoe
Manufacturer: Jorge Mesta Editores
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 8495311100

Daniel Defoe : The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures : A Biography

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Daniel Defoe : The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures : A Biography
Richard West
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf New York 1998
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000R4YE06

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DANIEL DEFOE. The Life and Strange, Surprising Adventures.
Daniel]. West, Richard. [Defoe
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MZ8ZQ4

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readable biography
A superb biography of a unique and fascinating man.
Solid and Readable
A delightful insight to the world of the enigmatic Defoe

Daniel Defoe: The Life and Strange, Surprising Adventures
Richard West , and Daniel Defoe
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786705574

Customer Reviews:

readable biography.......2006-05-10

The foreward is interesting and helps to put this biography in perspective. Richard West candidly indicates that he was much influenced by Paula R. Backscheider's Daniel Defore: His Life which is now out of print. I got the impression that this biography may be based on that book plus West's enjoyment reading Defoe. A biography can often provide an interesting window into a particular time and place. It's interesting reading about the Glorious Revolution and the reign of Queen Anne, but disconcerting to have so many quotes from classic history by Macaulay and Trevelyan. It feels like one is getting a narrow and somewhat dated version of the period. One does not get the full texture that only a historian who has read widely and deeply in particular period of history can provide. But we get a lot of Defoe's own words and West himself is a good story teller so if one is looking for an entertaining biography why quibble whether the setting is Macaulay's storybook England rather than the real thing (whatever that may be).

A superb biography of a unique and fascinating man........2000-06-06

In Daniel Defoe: The Life And Strange, Surprising Adventures, biographer Richard West tells the story of Daniel Defoe, a maverick, a Puritan, and a dissenter without a constituency. Defoe was also a bankrupt who rubbed elbows with a king, a hack who never failed to pursue the truth. And the writer who produced such literary classics as Moll Flanders, Roxana, A Journal of the Plague Year, and Robinson Crusoe. Defoe's life was every bit as dramatic and unexpected as the protagonists of his famous novels. West has wonderfully and scrupulously recreated the remarkable personality and the colorful times that shaped and were shaped by this noted, fascinating, unique and historic literary figure.

Solid and Readable.......1999-08-30

West provides a very readable, unfussy biography, presenting a vivid and detailed portrait of Defoe's life and times. He falls short with his "analysis" of the novels, which amounts to little more than plot summary, but his insight into Defoe's character--as a man of high moral principle who occasionally succumbed to expediency--is priceless.

A delightful insight to the world of the enigmatic Defoe.......1999-01-11

With the tools of a storyteller, Richard West takes his readers on a journey to the world of the enigmatic Daniel Defoe and the political machinations of Britain at the dawn of the 18th century. To any reader,even to one who has a limited understanding of British history, West paves a path among the intrigue of the Whigs and Tories, and has his reader follow the footsteps of Defoe into the Tower of London, the roads of Great Britain, and the gardens of rulers. With the ability to explain Defoe's mysterious background, West guides the reader toward an understanding of a man who has remained elusive for centuries. West offers the reader an explanation for the many masks that Defoe wore as writer, invester, spy and traveler. With the skill of a story-teller, West opens a world of historic fact even to the most reluctant non-fiction reader.

The Farther Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe: Being The Second And Last Part Of His Life, And Of The Strange, Surprising Account Of His Travels Round Three Parts Of The Globe

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The Farther Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe: Being The Second And Last Part Of His Life, And Of The Strange, Surprising Account Of His Travels Round Three Parts Of The Globe
Daniel Defoe
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

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Life & Strange Surprising Adventures Of
Daniel Defoe
Manufacturer: CASSELL, PELTER & GALPIN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U0Q5JK

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Life & Strange Surprising Adventures Of
Daniel Defoe
Manufacturer: BERNARD GRASSET
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SHNNM2

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