Alistair MacLean · Annie Proulx · books · Dennis Wheatley · fiction · novels · Ray Bradbury · science fiction

The Dandelion Rides Out

This summer I’ve been going back to classic paperbacks I read when I was a teenager. It’s been fascinating to re-read Alistair MacLean, Dennis Wheatley, and most recently Ray Bradbury. For fun I posted snaps of the books from the beach cottage where we vacation. The Dandelion Wine cover brought a groan of recognition from… Continue reading The Dandelion Rides Out

Galileo · history of science · Kepler · medieval history · Tycho Brahe · weight-driven clock

Prague’s Grand Old Astronomical Clock

In Prague this week. The ‘old city’ section is a treat for history of science buffs. We managed to get a perch in front of the medieval astronomical clock in the Square. This is the oldest operating clock in the world, and the third oldest overall, surviving from the fifteenth century. The clock strikes on… Continue reading Prague’s Grand Old Astronomical Clock

anthropology · David Christian · evolution · history of science · philosophy · philosophy of science · The Edge

Can Science Provide A Big History?

Over at The Edge, John Brockman features British historian David Christian on the need to come up with a new origin story that can serve the global community. Christian, the author of This Fleeting World: A Short History of Humanity, started his career as a professor of Russian history, and over the years as he refined his lectures on… Continue reading Can Science Provide A Big History?