ForumGarden

Posted: **Tue May 17, 2005 1:11 am**

Hard on the heels of finishing the story of Isaac Newton I have been listening to A Brief History of nearly Everything by Bill Bryson on cd. It is marvellous, it explains very complex theories in an understandable manner. I might drop in the odd amazing factoid as I get through it but here is one to start.

We are probably all familiar with the representation of an atom, a neutron and a proton being circled by an electron, it's the scale of these drawings that is all wrong.

e.g. If the atom was magnified to the size of a Cathederal then the Nucleus (neutron and proton) would be the size of a fly, yet it would be 99.99999% of the weight of the cathederal!

Posted: **Tue May 17, 2005 2:55 am**

i loved his book "notes from a small island" that you gave me. wonderful writer.

Posted: **Tue May 17, 2005 7:59 am**

Yes, the Brief History is one of the best selling books over here too. Curiously I`ve been told I look like him (poor Bill!) and I really enjoy reading his stuff

Posted: **Tue May 17, 2005 12:04 pm**

The Lost Continent was eye-opening, I commend it to anyone wanting a description of the corporate death of civilization.

A Walk In The Woods was just screamingly funny, even if it was informed by the same consciousness of loss.