<p>...or know of perhaps any websites or blogs that talks about them? either way, i need some new stuff to read and i'm too lazy to look it up. thanks!</p>
<p>I’m assuming you mean STEM as in Science Technology Engineering and Math as opposed to Stem cell reading (the latter’s latest news can be found online with ease).</p>
<p>My senior high school teen, who does not post on CC, is an avid night reader. Over the years, he’s been working his way through Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson (long, but now in paperback so less expensive), and of late, The Feynman Lectures on Physics (3 Volume Set) (Set v) by Richard P. Feynman (Jan 1970). He also gets Scientific American magazine and the daily NY Times, but between school and play, he’s into more directed reading in these. Tuesday is NYT Science Section day.</p>
<p>I’m pretty astonished he reads like this but he’s a regular kid with a particular zeal for physcis and math.</p>
<p>yes! S.T.E.M.</p>
<p>how in-depth are the physics lectures? to be honest, i’m just starting my first physics class this year so i’m not experienced with much besides one-dimensional motion and the definition of a vector…</p>
<p>My favorite science fora: [xkcd</a> forums](<a href=“http://forums.xkcd.com/]xkcd”>http://forums.xkcd.com/)</p>
<p>[Here’s an individual thread listing more science sites.](<a href=“http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33391”>http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33391</a>)</p>
<p>If you haven’t heard of xkcd, [you’d</a> better check it out!](<a href=“http://xkcd.com/]you’d”>http://xkcd.com/)</p>
<p>As for books, I read “Genome” by Matt Ridley and “Biopunk” by Marcus Wohlsen over the summer. Right now I’m slowly but surely working my way through “Epigenetics” by Richard C. Francis (about midway through) and “The Theory and Practice of Guppy Breeding” by Phillip Shaddock (just started). </p>
<p>Some time ago I endeavored to read “Godel, Escher, Bach…” by Douglas Hofstadter but it confused me to no end and I gave up.</p>
<p>Here’s a physics teacher’s review of the Fyneman Lectures on Amazon, where you can get the books used. My son’s pretty far along in stats, calc and physics and says he’s enjoying them.</p>
<p>5.0 out of 5 stars These lectures were meant for physics students, January 1, 2011
By E. A. Lovitt “starmoth” (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)<br>
This review is from: The Feynman Lectures on Physics, boxed set: The New Millennium Edition (Hardcover)
This 3-volume, 1963 - 1965 edition of Nobel-prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman’s lectures to Caltech freshmen and sophomores has been part of my library ever since I was introduced to them as textbooks in my undergraduate physics classes. Volume I concentrates on mechanics, radiation, and heat; Volume II on electromagnetism and matter; and Volume III on quantum mechanics. </p>
<p>Volume I: the first three chapters (“Atoms in Motion,” “Basic Physics,” and “The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences”) were meant by Feynman to outline the relationship of physics to other sciences, and other sciences to each other, and to discuss the overall meaning of <code>Science.’ Here in the introduction to Volume I, Feynman iterates one of his most-quoted ideas on science: “If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe it is the atomic hypothesis…that</code>all things are made of atoms–little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another.'” </p>
<p>There are 52 chapters in Volume I, from “Atoms in Motion” to “Symmetry in Physical Laws.” It would be well to remember that this book and its fellows are not meant to be read in isolation. Rather the lectures were connected with a series of experiments and demonstrations. As Feynman puts it: “The principle of science, the definition, almost, is the following: `The test of all knowledge is experiment.'”
Volume II: the first two-thirds of this series of lectures is devoted to a reasonably inclusive treatment of the physics of electricity and magnetism. This volume's `Foreward' by Matthew Sands states: "We hoped, first, to give the students a complete view of one of the great chapters of physics--from the early gropings of Franklin, through the great synthesis of Maxwell, on to the Lorentz electron theory of material properties, and ending with the still unsolved dilemmas of the electromagnetic self-energy." </p>
<p>There are 42 chapters in Volume II, with the last four chapters devoted to elasticity and fluid flow. </p>
<p>Volume III: Richard P. Feynman won a Nobel Prize for his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, and this series of lectures was the first real attempt to ground physics students in the theory of quantum mechanics. By its nature, quantum mechanics is a mathematical theory, so these lectures are absolutely chock-full of calculus and physics equations. But, as Feynman himself once said, “Do not take the lecture [on quantum mechanics] too seriously…just relax and enjoy it. I am going to tell you what nature behaves like. If you will simply admit that maybe she does behave like this, you will find her a delightful, entrancing thing. Do not keep saying to yourself `But how can it be like that?’ because you will get…into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that.” </p>
<p>There are 21 chapters in Volume III, from “Quantum Behavior” to “The Schrödinger Equation in a Classical Context: A Seminar on Superconductivity.” </p>
<p>If the math in Volume III really depresses you, there now exist many good popular-science books on quantum mechanics, such as “In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality” by John Gribbin, “The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?” by Leon Lederman, or Bruce Schumm’s book on elementary particle physics, “Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics.” </p>
<p>These lectures by Richard P. Feynman were meant for physics students, as opposed to the general public. Those readers who have no background in physics, calculus, statistics and probability might find these books tough going. However, any of us might struggle through certain sections with no loss of self-worth, if we remember that one of America’s most brilliant scientists gave two years of his knowledge and intellectual energy in order to present us with a solid understanding of his physicist’s universe. Feynman says in his epilogue to these lectures: “Finally, may I add that the main purpose of my teaching has not been to prepare you for some examination…I wanted most to give you some appreciation of the wonderful world and the physicist’s way of looking at it, which, I believe, is a major part of the true culture of modern times.” </p>
<p>amazon.com</p>
<p>Wiscongene: “Epigenetics”. I bet I would fine that interesting. May look it up. Good list of books on your part. And like the plural use in your opening line!</p>
<p>The Sorcerers and their Apprentices <- Reading it now. I love it and highly recommend it. Reviews on Amazon are mostly 5/5 stars, so I’ll just copy the summary instead. </p>
<p>If you’ve ever read a book on an e-reader, unleashed your inner rock star playing Guitar Hero, built a robot with LEGO Mindstorms, or ridden in a vehicle with child-safe air bags, then you’ve experienced first hand just a few of the astounding innovations that have come out of the Media Lab over the past 25 years. But that’s old hat for today’s researchers, who are creating technologies that will have a much deeper impact on the quality of people’s lives over the next quarter century. </p>
<p>In this exhilarating tour of the Media Lab’s inner sanctums, we’ll meet the professors and their students - the Sorcerers and their Apprentices - and witness first hand the creative magic behind inventions such as: </p>
<ul>
<li>Nexi, a mobile humanoid robot with such sophisticated social skills she can serve as a helpful and understanding companion for the sick and elderly. </li>
<li>CityCar, a foldable, stackable, electric vehicle of the future that will redefine personal transportation in cities and revolutionize urban life. </li>
<li>Sixth Sense, a compact wearable device that transforms any surface – wall, tabletop or even your hand - into a touch screen computer.</li>
<li>PowerFoot, a lifelike robotic prosthesis that enables amputees to walk as naturally as if it were a real biological limb. </li>
</ul>
<p>Through inspiring stories of people who are using Media Lab innovations to confront personal challenges - like a man with cerebral palsy who is unable to hum a tune or pick up an instrument yet is using an ingenious music composition system to unleash his “inner Mozart”, and a woman with a rare life-threatening condition who co-invented a revolutionary web service that enables patients to participate in the search for their own cures - we’ll see how the Media Lab is empowering us all with the tools to take control of our health, wealth, and happiness. </p>
<p>Along the way, Moss reveals the highly unorthodox approach to creativity and invention that makes all this possible, explaining how the Media Lab cultivates an open and boundary-less environment where researchers from a broad array of disciplines – from musicians to neuroscientists to visual artists to computer engineers - have the freedom to follow their passions and take bold risks unthinkable elsewhere. </p>
<p>The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices can serve as a blueprint for how to fix our broken innovation ecosystem and bring about the kind of radical change required to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It is a must-read for anyone striving to be more innovative as an individual, as a businessperson, or as a member of society. </p>
<p>Also includes 16 pages of color photos highlighting some of the lab’s most visually stunning inventions - and the people who make them possible.</p>