Re: [alliance-iosk] Last message off topic

[arik devens <caelur@innocent.com>]

one bad apple ruins the bunch? that is an italian saying? i think
everyone has a saying that is something like that ;-)

my take on all of this is as follows:
all knowledge stems from ignorance. there are two kinds of ignorance,
the first is known ignorance, the second is unknown (duh ;-) ignorance.
the first leads to knowledge, as in my going to get a book (even a
dummies book) to better understand something, the second leads nowhere.

we should respect anyway who is trying to better themselves by learning,
even those that need to start with a book that we might consider far
beneath them. ramon, even you were ignorant once ;-P the point is that
you learned.

at any rate, some subject need dummies style books more then others. a
dummies quantum physics book would be a good way to pick up terms to
quote at parties but would prob. not impart a deep understanding of the
material. a dummies guide to c++, however, can impart knowledge that
leads to a fuller understanding of the subject. it is not for us to
judge that line though, or so i am postulating.

but at any rate i believe we have strayed quite far from the scope of
this list. (not that i don't enjoy talking about books, but really
stefano and ramon do you have to argue about _everything_ ;-)

btw i think that we should find someway to include quantum logic and
synergetics into our os. now that would be pretty cool ;-)

arik
fssk team lead

btw2: you should have my fssk message by now ramon, my mind is awash in
a sea of multiple ak's all caching files in one place, sort of my
BMessage thing huh? (it is _very_ late btw, in case you could not tell)

Stefano.Costa@italtel.it wrote:
> 
> Ramon van Handel wrote:
> 
> > >I assume people's fault, not of the book authors, as you imply....divulgation
> > >is essential. And a partial idea is better than none at all....
> >
> > How is this different from the books 'for dummies' that you detest so much
> > ?  That started it, remember ?  You're rather contradicting yourself, I
> > don't see what the subject has to do with it.
> 
> No, because I've replied to a your comment about S. Hawking book, which I consider
> valuable. You have said in reply that you don't like the divulgation of QM or
> similar branches, and in spirit of *good* books about the subject I have used the
> above sentence. So, to summarize: there is bad divulgation (the xyz for dummies)
> and good one (for instance, History of Time, for instance, but there are several
> others, don't have english titles here). I blame for stupidity the "dummies"
> approach, but a single rotten apple does not lead the entire basket bad (literal
> translation of an italian saying), not all divulgation is that bad.
> Clear now, Ramon?
> 
> > Actually, I think that in
> > computers dummies books are better feasible than in chem/phys.
> 
> There is the good and the bad everywhere.
> 
> > I like Feynman.  I must admit that I didn't read it completely, but I think
> > it's amazing how he can clarify some things that are usually obscure.  I
> > don't think his book is obscure - but it IS brilliant.
> 
> I have used the word wisely: from its own words (read from biography) he has tried
> an experiment with CalTech sophomores, and he has said something like that. Later
> the course was dropped because it was *too much* brilliant. It is for this reason
> that this book is still sold everywhere after more than 20 years....
> 
> > It's a completely
> > different treatment BTW, he doesn't use the conventional diff equations but
> > his own path integral method.  Wonderful.
> 
> I like too, I have purchased it.
> 
> > >> and one of my favorite
> > >> treatments of introductory quantum physics, 'Understanding Quantum Physics'
> > >> by Michael A. Morrison (highly recommended !)
> > >
> > >I don't know this one. Have you looked Liboff?
> >
> > Liboff ?  What's that ?
> 
> Another author of QM manual used in MIT physics course.
> 
> > Anyway, I *highly* recommend you get this book and
> > its successor (Understanding more quantum physics) if you like quantum
> > physics - it's very mathematical but it's the most readable book I've ever
> > read.  And the author also has a sense of humor :)
> 
> I'll search it.
> 
> Stefano
> 
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