Reading table

Analogue Hearts, Digital Minds

Few people will disagree that the strict technical performance of the vinyl LP audio reproduction system has since long been eclipsed by other (digital) storage and replay systems. Yet, vinyl enjoys a sort of renaissance, and many listeners comment favorably on its sound quality.

Currently on my table

I have a habit of reading several books in parallel, sort off. The reason is that after reading a section in a book, I often need some time (unconciously, mostly) to digest the material. That takes some time, which I spend reading another book. So I go back and forth between two, three or sometimes more books.

Here I list what's on my table currently, and one by one, when I finish reading them, they will have a review in this section.

Hope you look in once in a while!

The Psychology of Music, edited by Diana Deutsch

Musings

Was that really your decision? - Libet's Half Second Benjamin Libet made a name for himself by poking into other people's heads. Really. He had a friend neuro-surgeon who would remove parts of people's brains to try to cure them from seizures. The operations were done with the subjects fully conscious. Libet was trying to find something in brains that could explain consciousness and free will. So, while the patient was lying there, fully conscious, with his skull wide open, Libet would ask them to have a particular thought and then measure the brain activity in specific areas.

Darwin Meets Einstein

On the meaning of science

This book piquet my interest because I had no idea what Darwin and Einstein had in common (apart from both being very smart guys of course). And Frans Saris builds it up beautifully, and when the revelation comes towards the end, you go - why didn't I think of that??

The Emperor of All Maladies

A Biography of Cancer - Siddhartha Mukherjee

First paperback edition, August 2011, Scribner, ISBN 978-1-4391-7091-5

This is a very unusual book. Who wants to write a biography of a disease, and cancer to booth? Well, Siddhartha Mukherjee did, and did it well enough to win the Pulitzer price. And believe me, this is a page-turner if there ever was one.

The Electric Life of Michael Faraday

The Electric Life of Michael Faraday by Alan W. Hirshfeld is a great and engaging biography of, you guessed it, Michael Faraday. The man who worked himself up, against all odds, from a poor and underprivileged young man to one of our greatest scientists. It's hard to overestimate his impact on modern technological developments.

Don't be such a scientist

Talking Substance in an Age of Style

Note: This article is adapted from a blog I did at www.diyaudio.com, where it elicited lots of comments and discussions.

The Age of Empathy

The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society by Frans de Waal. The 9th work by Dutch-born Frans de Waal, now Professor (and a few other titles) at Yerkes National Primates Research Center in Atlanta: The Age of Empathy - Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society.

Perception & Psycho-Acoustics

On perception and (subjective or objective) testing - Audio - Science in the service of Art, by Floyd E Toole, PhD, at the time Vice President Acoustical Engineering, Harman International Industries, Inc. Very balanced paper about issues connected to subjective listening tests and bias.