A marvelous description of thought

“It may have been the middle of the night, and Alma may have been asleep only moments earlier, but still her mind was a fearfully well-trained machine of botanical calculation, which is why she instantly heard the abacus beads in her brain begin clicking towards an understanding.”
– “The Signature of All Things” by Elizabeth Gilbert, page 215, hardcover edition

I read too many online newspapers, not enough books on politics, history, and economics, and way too few novels.  My wife on the other hand reads three or more novels a week.  When she finished “The Signature” she suggested that I read it.

It is a fascinating account of a fictional amateur botanist in the 19th who is marveling at how things change over time.

You can read a fascinating interview with the author at http://gardenrant.com/2013/10/elizabeth-gilberts-novel-of-botanical-exploration.html.  It also includes a link to a YouTube video of her.

Paradox of the day – IQ and high-level physics

"Richard Feynman’s I.Q. was a less-than-remarkable 125."

"Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science?", Eileen Pollack, New York Times Magazine, 2013-10-03.

Richard Feynman was a Noble laureate in physics.

For more on Richard Feynman, see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman.

Apropos women in science, he encouraged his younger sister to be a scientist.  She has a Ph.D. in physics and has made major contributions to the study of solar wind.  Take your pick of thousands of entries on her with a search of "Joan Feynman physicist".