By and large I try to avoid bringing attention to the fact that I am a pretty big science dork. It's generally easy since topics like the 4th dimension don't often come up in casual conversation. Areas of particular interest are astronomy, biology and theoretical physics, because that is where the keys to explaining everything lie.
Enter Dr. Michio Kaku, fixture on all Discovery Channel programs concerning space exploration, etc. He is an accomplished theoretical physicist and one of the top authorities on String Theory (think dimensions). Not surprisingly, he is a big science fiction nerd as well, and has written a non-fiction work titled: Physics of the Unexplained. In the book he attempts to explain in lay terms the theoretical mechanics of common themes found in sci-fi (travel faster than the speed of light, and so forth), typcially deemed impossible by most sensible people. What is surprising, aside from how approachable and entertaining his writing is, is how little may actually be impossible. It probably won't win you many 'cool points' with your friends (unless they're dorks as well), but we're so accustomed to reading about current events and the past, for a change it's nice to read about things to come.
Posts
