Cosmos Books

I had purchased this book based on an Amazon.com user's recommendation. I'm quite glad I did.

Most books on chi (by whatever name) tend to make one of two errors. One error, found most commonly in new-age or modern "magick" books, is a failure to distinguish between imagination and real chi flow. The reader is told to imagine golden or white light entering one's body and filling it with divine goodness, or to imagine the chakras glowing or moving in some way. Some even claim that imagination is how we see with the ajna chakra ("third eye"). If you've ever had real experiences with chi or chakras, you'll know that this is nonsense.

The second error, found most commonly in martial arts and yoga practices, is the assumption that particular physical motions alone will generate chi flow and strengthen one's health. While physical motions can help, from the perspective of chi flow the whole reason it works is that one's mind is engaged in the process of telling one's body to move along those pathways. The biochemical processes that result in building muscle tissue, strengthening bones, and reinforcing the heart work only because there is a strong flow of communication going on between the areas that are worked and the central nervous system. If that communication flow is strong enough, you won't get sore after exercising. Soreness, like inflamation, is actually an indication of retardation in the healing process due to weak communication pathways in the body. (Anyone who is interested in learning more about the science behind this should read The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life along with the theory behind chiropractic care, readily found via Google.)

Sifu Wong manages to avoid both of these errors quite well. Right from the beginning, he emphasizes the importance of the mind in chi kung training. He describes, rather well in my opinion, how to use one's mind during each of the exercises. He sometimes refers to imagining chi moving in various ways, but he places more importance on the gentleness of the thought which, in my opinion, is a reasonably good way of avoiding the error of imagination replacing real experience. He also explains the long-term effects of these exercises in a way that I can tell comes from a seasoned master teacher.

He also lays out an excellent overview of chi kung styles. He explains the differences between various practices that call themselves "chi kung" (or "qigong"), which really helped me to organize my thinking about this multifaceted family of disciplines. That may or may not matter to someone who is just trying to get health benefits from chi exercises, but for cerebral types like me it's really a wonderful resource.

I have just one complaint about this book. Although the pictures convey the gist of the movements, they aren't really detailed enough. I had to search for some videos of Sifu Wong's style on YouTube in order to figure out the rhythm of his movements and how quickly they should be done. I had to play with some of the movements quite a bit in order to figure out how they were supposed to work, and I don't think I could have done that if I hadn't already developed sensitivity to the feeling of chi flow. More pictures, or perhaps an accompanying CD-ROM or short DVD with demonstrations, would have helped immensely.

However, I still consider this to be one of the best books on chi I have read. Anyone interested in getting a reasonably good overview of chi kung and having an excellent regime for enhancing health should start with this book, in my opinion. Even with the pictures being a bit difficult to follow at times, what a novice can get out of it is definitely worth it.

Just be sure to follow his advice!

I have read and reread and then underlined the important parts for me. I have learned a lot from this book as well as from others since I have not had the opportunity to find a master to learn from yet.
If there were more pictures (drawings) to really define the precise sequences it would be very helpful but the whole idea is to learn from a master in person. I have both of his books and used one to support the other and help me understand and follow certain exercises.
Still the important thing is to practice... everyday. It has worked for me.

Master Wong Kiew Kit is a very good author and really knows what he is talking about. I have three of his publications and they are all excellent. He doesn't cloud his books with "junk" relating to the subject matter. A very good purchase. If you enjoy his writing style and happen to be a Buddhist, his publication "Sukhavati Western Paradise Going to Heaven as Taught by the Buddha" is one of my favorite books.

I disagree with the assessment made by 'Carlos'. I would not rate this book as among the top Chi Gong books but it is sufficiently detailed to give you an idea of Chi Gong and how to breath, perform the exercises, etc. There is little that is 'cultish' about this book. In fact, Mr. Wong de-emphasizes any spiritual aspects of Chi Gong and invites the reader to appreciate the physical benefits of Chi Gong. That said, it is still best to learn and practice Chi Gong with a qualified instructor and in a group. My experience has been that the instructor's energy aids tremendously in advancing the student in this practice. It is interesting to read about Chi Gong, good to practice it and better to have guidance from a teacher in person.

The only way to learn tai ji quan is being with a master, looking him doing the form. Doing all the parts that conform tai ji included chi kung but with a teacher cause is the best option to feel the art. I think reading books are not the solution so the best is empty your mind of reading and reading and do the task with someone who knows something about it, not necessary a master, all we can learn with others...

The book is great in its aim. The story of the universe and our planet can inspire and inform. I simply wish the authors had kept to mainstream science a bit more in places. They also have a tendency to tell rather than show. I get a little uncomfortable when they preach. If they had done a better job of showing, they wouldn't have had to preach.

Some reviewers were offended by the phrase, "The well-being of the Earth is primary. Human well-being is derivative." They seem to think that this means that human well-being should be sacrificed for the good of the Earth.
However, when you consider our intimate interconnectedness with the planet, you will see that human well-being is impossible without the Earth doing well also. Until we can get along without eating, drinking, and breathing, we are going to need to take care of this planet also. The sentence means what it says. We are part of the Earth; the Earth is part of us. We're constantly exchanging atoms with Earth and its systems. Our interconnectedness isn't poetry of or pious wish, it's a simple fact. The tears you cry today were rain in the mountains last year; the breath in your lungs was breathed by the dinosaurs.
Peace!
steve

This book is incredible. The story it tells is one we're all familiar with, the story of the universe from the Big Bang to the present, moving through the formation of the galaxy, the formation of the Sun and Earth, the evolution of life on Earth through Human history to the present. But the way the story is told is a twist on how we usually hear it, giving the universe a poetic agency and proving logically that the Universe in which we live is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects. The writing occasionally moved me to tears, and this book has changed my outlook on life. A must read!

Everyone should read this book or "universe is a green dragon" or "hidden heart of the cosmos". These powerful cosmological ideas are beautifully captured in these books.

I have reconsidered my first (one star) review and it is clear to me now this book fully deserves five stars, simply because Swimme, without apology, wants to make clear his worldview. Read on...

Author Swimme zooms around the globe in commercial air transports, speaking at "earthspirit rising" conferences, telling his audiences that humanity needs to embrace the "new story" so the Earth can bloom again. He has also written to me stating that "knowledge of complex systems is crucial."

Swimme is in a predicament here. In this book, he shakes his fists at consumerism, rages against the machine, and complains about environmental degradation. Yet for whatever reasons, he does not see fit to eschew commercial air transportation and instead walk to the conferences he speaks at. It's my view Swimme can't have it both ways. He asserts that knowledge of complex systems is crucial, yet he appears comfortable that the turbofans attached to the airplanes he rides in spew a great quantity of carbon dioxide into a very complex system (the Earth's atmosphere). What other conclusion is there than this: that knowledge seems neither crucial nor has it changed Swimme's behavior. Worse, if the new story hasn't changed him, how does he expect it to change anyone else? You would think that Swimme, in all his cosmological wisdom, would lead by example. Is not Mohandas Gandhi sufficient prooftext for that?

The rest of humanity need not worry about Swimme (or worry about his fellow ecoutopians), at least as long as he doesn't have power. My frank assessment is that the great majority of utopians really don't have what it takes to change anything, including themselves. One of the easist things a person will ever do is theorize. Swimme is proof enough of that. Beyond that, it's all work. And making things work.

Nevertheless, history teaches a few utopians gain power. Then they change things a lot. One very good example is Pol Pot. Another, who I consider the quintessential utopian of the 20th century, is Joseph Goebbels. A common theme of their thinking was to posit at least one segment of humanity with derivative value. It is not surprising that Brian Swimme essentially holds true the same view, but he elevates it to a new level, as he has written: "The well-being of the Earth is primary. Human well-being is derivative." Swimme's statement is not unique to the religion he practices, as his ecoutopian friend Rosemary Radford Ruether has spoken at another "earthspirit rising" conference thus: "We need to seek the most compassionate way of weeding out people." So now, all of humanity, not merely the Jew (as in the case of Goebbels), is of derivative value.

Nevertheless, my faith in humanity to overcome this sort of evil remains steadfast: history also teaches there are two constants associated with utopians in power. First, their power always comes to an end. Second, most unhappily, the end is always very messy.

As for me, I will continue to marvel at the antiutopians. The example of Gandhi comes to mind. Now here is a guy who knew the value of walking the talk. And then there's that quintessential antiutopian, none other than Jesus of Nazareth. This guy held the value of humanity above all else. Brian Swimme, you might want to make note of that.

"There is eventually only one story," collaborators Swimme and Berry write, "the story of the universe. Every form of being is integral with this comprehensive story. Nothing is itself without everything else. Each member of the Earth community has its own proper role within the entire sequence of transformations that have given shape and identity to everything that exists" (p. 288). Beginning 15 million years ago (p. 7), THE UNIVERSE STORY follows the universe "from its original Flaring Forth through the shaping of the galaxies, the elements, the Earth, its living forms, the human mode of being, then on through the course of human affairs during the past century" (p. 241). The product of its writers' "imaginative power as well as intellectual understanding" (p. 237), this book "is not the story of a mechanistic, essentially meaningless universe, but the story of a universe that has from the beginning has [sic] its mysterious self-organizing power that, if experienced in any serious manner, must evoke an even greater sense of awe than that evoked in earlier times at the experience of the dawn breaking over the horizon, the lightning storms crashing over the hills, or the night sounds of the tropical rainforests, for it is out of this story that all of these phenomena have emerged" (p. 238).

This superb book shows that the universe acts "in an integral manner" (p. 26), everything in the universe existing for everything else (p. 263). For plants and animals, "the universe is a chorus of voices" (p. 42). We are told, for instance, "the winds speak to the butterfly, the taste of the water speaks to the butterfly, the shape of the leaf speaks to the butterfly and offers guidance that resonates with the wisdom coded into the butterfly's being" (p. 42). Similarly, we can "climb a mountain and get hit by something so profound, at so deep a level," that we will never be quite the same (p. 41). For humans, "the adventure of the universe depends upon our ability to listen" (p. 44) to "the mountain language, river language, tree language, the language of the birds and all animals and insects, as well as the languages of the stars in the heavens" (p. 258). We also learn Walt Whitman's sentience was "an intricate creation of the Milky Way, and his feelings are an evocation of being, an evocation involving thunderstorms, sunlight, grass, and death. Walt Whitman is a space the Milky Way fashioned to feel its own grandeur" (p. 40).

The moral of this STORY is that the Earth is "a one-time endowment" (p. 246). Through the destruction of the rainforests at the rate of an acre a day, by disturbing the chemical balance of the planet through petrochemicals, through genetic engineering, and through the "radioactive wasting of the planet," we are "eliminating the very conditions for renewal of life in some of its more elaborate forms" (pp. 246-7). "As the natural world recedes in its diversity and abundance, so the human finds itself impoverished in its economic resources, its imaginative powers, in its human sensibilities, and in significant aspects of its intellectual intuitions" (p. 242). This celebration of the unfolding universe will change the way you look at life.

G. Merritt

The Montessori method is an educational method for children, based on theories of child development originated by Italian educator Maria Montessori in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is applied primarily in preschool and elementary school settings although some Montessori high schools exist.


The Montessori method is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher (often called a director, directress, or guide). It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his or her developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing abstract concepts and practical skills. It is also characterized by the use of autodidactic (self-correcting) equipment for introduction and learning of various concepts.


The Montessori name has achieved some attention, is not a trademark and is associated with more than one organisation. There are schools 'influenced' by Montessori which have received substantial criticism and bear little resemblance to other institutions with closer lineage to Maria. The rest of this article refers to Maria's work, the work of her colleagues and their successors.



The Montessori method teaches reading via phonics, which was widely discredited in the United Kingdom for many years. However the comparative benefits are presently being recognised.

In great shape and a very interesting book. Thank you for your speedy service.

Responding to the previous reviewer: be sure to get the "Centennial Edition" with the Renoir painting of a mother/child on the cover. That version includes all the original illustrations, in a new design (it's not a photocopy of the original, unlike the cheap versions).

The Montessori method is an educational method for children, based on theories of child development originated by Italian educator Maria Montessori in the late 19th and early 20th century.



It is applied primarily in preschool and elementary school settings, though some Montessori high schools exist.

The method is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher (often called a "director", "directress", or "guide").



It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his or her developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills.




It is also characterized by the use of autodidactic (self-correcting) equipment to introduce various concepts.



Although there are many schools which use the name "Montessori," the word itself is not recognized as a trademark, nor is it associated with a single specific organization

This paperback version published by www.bnpublishing.com (ISBN 9562915824) excludes most of the original illustrations/pictures/photos without indication in the product description, which, I think, has largely lowered the quality and damaged contents of this book. So, this book is not what it was supposed to be. Reading experience of it is terrible! My zero start for it.

A+++++ and fast!!!!!! Really should read this book but the one book that God showed me that everyone should read is Heaven is real by Choo Thomas.

One can not bore easily with this fast paced, reality based book. Each visionary from Medjugorje are so humble and loving with their commentary. You can't help but wonder how they endure such secrets that the Blessed Mother Mary has entrusted to each of them. One thing is made clear by each visionary, is that we make great efforts to get into God's Will for our lives, by fasting, praying and humbling ourselves. For what good is it to have all the pleasures of this world and yet not have our soul prepared for the day we meet and have our lives reviewed in front of Jesus, our Final Judge! This book is one worth reading over and over again. God Bless.

The main thing that strikes me when I read this story is that there are TOO MANY PLACES WHERE THE NAME "MARY" HAS BEEN SUBSTITUTED FOR THE NAME "JESUS". When I read the book,
I'd come to a quote about Mary and think, "Huh, in the Bible, that same thought is actually attributed to Christ."
Well, you might be thinking, of course Jesus and Mary would profess the same things. I think a few examples
will help though. Remember, if the Devil can take FOCUS away from the Savior, he's won a major battle.
Wars are made up of many battles.

Some guiding thoughts. (Never be guided by Mike's thoughts or anyone else's. As a matter of
fact, everything that comes out of my mouth, or is put down on paper, could be in error. Use
the Scripture as your reference! I'm a sinner and subject to all of the associated inadequacies.
Know ALL of the Scripture, because many people will play games with pulling things out of context.)

1John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Matthew 24: 23-24 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is, do not
believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to
mislead, if possible, even the ELECT."

Examples


Page 15. Mirjana: "..she is the mother of our Eternal Life. She wants each of us--the children Jesus gave her from the Cross--in Heaven with Him."

Our eternal life doesn't have a "mother". It has a "father". She may want us in heaven with Jesus, but Jesus
did not give us to "her" from the Cross. He bore our sins so that we could be blameless in the sight of God.
His reference in John 19:27 "Behold your mother." was a request to have his mother attended to. Matthew 12:47
says "Behold, your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to you. But He answered
the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" and stretching out His hand
toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers."

P 31. Mirjana: "Jesus is the way to Heaven, whether people know Him by name or not. Those who walk with
Mary on the path of Jesus' life, have life with God."

Those who walk with Jesus by NAME ONLY have life with God. Whether Mary holds their hand is irrelevant.

P31. Mirjana: "She, the mother of Jesus, would like to have this same relationship with every person on earth."

Jesus wants to have a relationship with everyone. Have it with him first. All Christian denominations profess
a "relationship" with Christ as the differentiating factor between being a Christian versus being of a certain
"religion".

P26. Mirjana: When asked her favorite prayer, "Yes, the Hail Holy Queen."

Matthew 6:9: Jesus said "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name."
You know the rest.

P52. Vicka: "What role does Mary play?", "Mary, the mother of all, brings her children to her Son who takes
them to the Father."

Granted, Jesus brings you to the Father. But once again, Mary does NOT bring you to Him. Jesus brings you
to himself. Nowhere in any of the teachings of the Bible does anybody ever say that the path to Jesus is through
Mary. 2Timothy 1:8-9. (too long to write, just read it.)

P61. Vicka: "She would like the prayer groups to pray so that God's plan for the salvation of the world,
BEING MANIFESTED THROUGH THE BLESSED MOTHER, can be realized." Everything here is cool
except for the part which has been capitalized. The manifestation of God's plan is once again through....none other
than Jesus Christ.

P62. Vicka: "Does the Blessed Mother meet everyone when they die and take them to Heaven?" "Yes."

OK, I'll accept an escort service, but don't confuse this with the cover charge. Jesus pays the cover charge.

P78. Vicka: "And when we totally clean our hearts, we are able to realize the Blessed Mothers's plan, and
what she is expecting from us."

Who's Plan? God's Plan! It's that simple.

P114. Marija: "The Blessed Mother has said, 'Blessed are they who do not see but who believe'."

Well, this is starting to sound kinda Mormon-like because I'm sure Mary would reiterate something that
Jesus said, but nonetheless, the actual person who coined that phrase, and who should be given credit for
it was JESUS. John 20:29 "Jesus said to him (Thomas), "Because you have seen Me, have you believed?
Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believe.'"

P123. The prayer on this page says:

"Mary brings Eternal Life to all His lost children." I don't think so. Countless verses support the fact that
Jesus brings eternal life.

"All God's children are called to be like HER." Well, she's certainly much better than I am, but I believe
that we were called to be like JESUS.

"His most beloved creature, Mary, the Mother He has given to all His children through His Son Jesus,.."
Wait a minute, God's most beloved is, once again, HIS SON. John 3:16 (you watch football, you should
know this verse.) God gave his son to YOU. He did not give him to Mary so that she could give him to you!


P129. Father Philip: "

Father Philip also messes with John 3:16 on P129. I only have one thing to say to people who substitue
their own words in the middle of scripture. Revelation 22:18-19, 'I testify to everyone who hears the words
of the prophcy of this book; if anyone adds to them God shall add to him the plages which are written in this
book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part
from the tree of life and from the holy cit, which are written in this book."

Finally, Father Philip also says, " MARY IS FULL PARTNER OF GOD THE FATHER, SON, AND
SPIRIT, AND PRESENT IN ALL THREE PLACES."

Enough said, that one was the kiss of death. This whole book seems to ring the same bell over and over.
'Mary gave Jesus to us at his birth (and continues to give him). Jesus gave Mary to us at his death."
Neither of these two things happened. God gave Jesus to us; Mary was the vehicle.

One of the best I've read on matters concerning the spiritual. Moving, thought-provoking, powerful in its simplicity, while explaining much about the true nature of God. Reading this book with an open heart and an open mind will bring you peace in these troubled times, which is fitting because the visionaries say Blessed Mary said she is the Queen of Peace.

This book is full of insight as the Medjugorje visionaries candidly discuss their encounters over the past 25 years with the Blessed Mother, who they describe as the loving Mother of every person on earth, who prays for each of us to come to know and accept God's love, regardless of whether we accept her as a gift of not, regardless of our religion, race, or nationality. A truly inspiring and beautiful book!

You will not be sorry you read this book!

Rosicrucians have a long history, and the author Max heindel was simply not part of it. His "new age" group is certainly interesting and have some good teachings, but it is not Rosicrucian. I returned the book under false advertising as it has nothing to do with Rosicucianism but is simply a new "new age" religion.

This book is an excellent outline of the Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception.

It does, however, contain some mistakes; mistakes which have been corrected by the V.M. Samael Aun Weor.

It is said that Max Heindel received instructions from the Elder Brethren of the Temple.

Well, then Samael Aun Weor IS an Elder Brother.

Nonetheless, Max Heindel's book certainly complements works such as H.P. Blavatsky's "Isis Unveiled" and "The Secret Doctrine", Rudolf Steiner's "Outline of Occult Science", Godfrey Higgin's "Celtic Druids" and "Anacalypsis", Master M:.'s "The Dayspring of Youth" and "The Lord God of Truth Within", Dion Fortune's "Mystical Qabalah", and anything written by Manly P. Hall and Samael Aun Weor.


Other worthy authors on Rosicrucianism, include:

Jorge Adoum
Dante Alighieri
Johann Valentin-Andreae/Francis Bacon
Elias Ashmole
Jacob Boehme
Robert Burton
Robert Fludd
Fulcanelli
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Franz Hartmann
Arnold Krumm-Heller/Huiracocha
John Heydon
Hargrave Jennings
Eliphas Levi
Mario Roso de Luna
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Michael Maier
S.L. MacGregor Mathers
Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie
Isabel Cooper-Oakley
Paracelsus
Eugenius Philalethes/Thomas Vaughan
Albert Pike
Francois Rabelais
William Wynn Westcott
John Yarker


I definitely recommend to study, and have a copy of Max Heindel's "Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception" on one's bookshelf.

It is also highly recommended to refer to Samael Aun Weor's "Astrotheurgy", "The Major Mysteries", and "The Revolution of Beelzebub".

I don't know what "true rosicrucian" is and after reading this book, it doesn't matter. If you liked What the Bleep, read this book. If The Secret inspired you, read this book. Not only will you be reminded of the law of attraction, the power of thought, etc, you will come to understand how these things work. And more than either of the former had to offer, Cosmo-Conception's underlying message is selfless service to others, healing, love, and striving to be creative human beings. What can be more pure than that? If you take the time to read and study the western wisdom teachings, everything will suddenly make sense to you.

This books written by Max Heindel, who was an Initiate of the Order of the Rosicrucians and founder of The Rosicrucian Fellowship in 1919, is the most complete resource for occult teachings.Above all the Fellowship is a Christian organization, and it follows Christ, preaching the gospel and healing the sick.

I found this book forty year ago in the library of my old math professor. I became a scientist and an author.
This book has giving me so much light and inspiration.

The author jumps around too much, and he uses grammar and vocabulary that is inappropriate for professional writing. His writing reminds me of what I read on peoples' web journals (Blogs). This is simply a mediocre science fiction book.

For a proper beginner-level book about string theory, read some of Brian
Greene's books. He has a PhD and is a professor at a major university.

This is an interesting and intrigueing intro into String Theory. Having no background in quantum mechanics, I still found it informative enough to give me a good idea about its message. It is necessary to accept some things on faith, but once done, it is possible to follow the reasoning. I will reread it in the months to come to ensure I have gleaned as much from the book as I can.

This review is for the paperback edition.
I only hope that the hardback edition is more detailed, but the paperback certainly fails to convey more than 1 page worth of new ideas worth mentioning and fails to deliver those in any convincing manner.

I looked forward to this book by Andrew Bender to find something new in physics.
I hold a degree in atmospheric sciences and have a few years of physics studies under my belt as well, as I was always interested in space and space travel. I really looked for something here, but it just isn't there, whatever it was supposed to be.
What I found in this book found was unscientific and not backed by any math.
Even the source listings are for the most part NOT proper sources, but merely more popular science writings without substance.
Any beginning college student would fail the mandatory technical writing course for this gross violation of listing original sources.
The main idea can be plotted in one sentence. The author wants to create an isolated space bubble by means of a gravitational wave of critical strength to allow unrestricted travel across space.
He totally fails to show how his space bubble differs from the "mainstream" WARP field bubble, which he dismisses as impracticable as it requires cosmic amounts of energy.
Mr. Bender also fails to even mention how much energy would be required for his own space bubble to be formed.
There is no clue as to how this gravitational wave of sufficient strength could be created by means other than super rapid acceleration of substantial masses, a feat which in itself is beyond reach for us at this time and for a long time to come, if ever.
The only thing Mr. Bender shows is his strong "belief" in string theory, which in itself is not an established science, contrary to its followers raving chants.
As it stands, this book has less substance than even the sloppiest of UFO "investigation report" writings that in a few cases offer a good deal more substantial physics than this supposed non-fiction piece delivers.

Please include some "beef" in the next edition, if it exists.
There is nothing here except a semi philosophical thought chain about what could be done which such a device and why it could be dangerous to tinker with.
If the intention was not to provide details and substance (as the author actually states with the poor excuse that he doesn't want to create a cookbook recipe for malicious characters!), then why bother with this book at all?

Thumbs down, not worth my time, not worth my money.

The author proposes to isolate regions of space from our spacetime by using gravity waves. A ship (for example) thus isolated from the our universe would no longer be bound by the speed of light as an upper velocity limit. It would also be protected from harmful gamma rays, X-rays, etc. inherent in traveling at such velocities. Such a ship would seem to disappear to an observer in normal spacetime when the gravity wave bubble increases in strength and completely envelops the source. The ship, operating in its own isolated region of space, would be able to maneuver abruptly and without regard to inertia, which would not affect the inhabitants therein. Novel ways of piloting such a ship are proposed.

The author proposes to create these gravity waves by striking a geometrically stable element (one with all of its shells completely filled with electrons) with one antiproton at a time. Novel ways are proposed to prevent an errant antiproton from damaging the ship. The massive negative electrical charge in the stable element (the author proposes tungsten or element 115) would be more than strong enough to repel the single negative charge of the antiproton, which would ricochet its way toward the center of a three to four cubit foot block of the stable element. The antiproton's momentum would be transferred to the stable element, creating a compression wave that pushes against the nucleus and causes a ripple of spacetime to radiate from the atom, because - the author asserts - the mass of the nucleus curves spacetime. The trillions of atoms thus affected in a large block of stable atoms would cause huge amounts of gravity waves to radiate diagonally down through the block of material. The author proposes novel ways to route these gravity waves to desired areas of the ship.

The center of the block would be hollowed-out and filled with nitrogen or a similar gas. When the antiproton reaches this gas, one atom at a time is annihilated as it comes in contact with an antiproton. This creates gamma radiation, which comes in contact with the stable element and knocks several electrons out of the outer shell of each atom struck. The electrons would then flow around a circuit, which would provide the ship with power (DC electricity to be exact, unless an inverter is used). This explains the author's interest in the heavier elements, since they will shed their electrons more readily.

The author spends time explaining differences between his proposal and those of others who also suggest using element 115. He also defends his proposal against those who have stated that element 115 cannot be used for this purpose. By agreeing that tungsten can be used in lieu of element 115 (although with reduced output), he gives experimentalists the ammunition they need to quickly prove or disprove his hypothesis. The author admits that practical use of this idea will rest on our ability to figure out how to generate antiprotons in an efficient manner.

I found this book a thoroughly enjoyable exploration into a new and novel method of space travel, but also a fun refresher on string theory which was much more than that, because the author proposes some novel modifications to string and M-theory as well. It was a very good read, and I recommend it highly.

SlipString Drive is a highly readable book which offers both a theoretical refinement of M-theory and an important practical application with dramatic implications for the future of intelligent life in the universe.

Along the way, Bender takes the reader on a tour of the sexiest topics of modern physics: the early universe, the large-scale distribution of matter, black hole physics, quantum entanglement, the impact of human life with the ecosystem of the earth, UFOs, the Star Trek/Gene Roddenberry philosophy of life, and our ability to survive the death of the Sun through interstellar travel.

Like many profound ideas in physics, Bender starts from a simple assumption and follows it to its logical conclusion. In this case, he asks what would happen if gravity were due to the curvature of our membrane caused by vibrating strings of matter. By framing the concept in terms of strings interacting with the membrane, he eliminates the need for "other" universes to theoretically explain the empirical effect of gravity, providing a more intellectually satisfying concept than the existing M-theory explanation which involves "disappearing" gravitons exiting our brane and permeating the bulk.

Following recent theories of the early universe in which big bang can be understood as a collision between branes, Bender applies this membrane theory of gravity. The massive transfer of energy from the collision, he asserts, would give rise to enormous vibrating ripples in the membrane, which would in turn cause a rapid contraction of the brane followed by its expansion as the collision's waves dissipate throughout the brane over time. This explains the expansion of the universe, dark matter and dark energy as intrinsic properties of spacetime itself, and provides a means of testing the theory since as time goes on the energy of vibration of the membrane should be transferred to the expansion of the universe as those vibrations dissipate.

In addition to the "big splash" inducing ripples in our membrane, a portion of the energy was transferred to virtual strings, creating real strings (of matter) in realistic proportions - more matter than antimatter because of the disparate energies required to vibrate strings in matter or antimatter configurations. Bender also suggests that surveys of the cosmic microwave background radiation - currently theorized to be a picture of the universe several hundred thousand years after the big bang (when things had cooled sufficiently to allow atoms to form) - may actually be representations of a much earlier time, effectively near the time of the impact itself.

SlipString Drive, as its name suggests, also describes a novel form of propulsion based on the concept of gravity waves repelling matter by compressing spacetime. By generating gravity waves of sufficient magnitude which superpose constructively at points outside a ship, you should be able to repel spacetime sufficiently to "pinch yourself off" from spacetime in an isolated "mini-universe" of your own. Now residing in your own spacetime, you would not be bound by laws pertaining to motion within the spacetime of the universe, since you are now isolated from it.

This method of propulsion would theoretically be testable using existing matter (tungsten) though it would work best with exotic superheavy matter. The detailed description of the prototype is therefore not equivalent to completely hypothetical exotic drives such as the magnetic monopole drive ("if only we had the monopole...") and is conceptually distinct from other theorized warp drives which require one to abandon special relativity or embrace radical counterintuitive concepts like negative energy. It is also distinct from proposed effects like the Alcubierre device which are dependent on hypothetical regions of space of unclear methods of generation and which may not be energetically feasible at macroscopic length scales.

From cover to cover, SlipString Drive is a conceptual romp - a must read for anyone who has ever wondered "what if faster than light travel were possible" - thoughtful, infectious, and mind-expanding.

Original, wild, and never lets up in any of his stories. This is one writer to keep an eye on as I am sure he will set new marks in excellence !!

Ugh. Shallow rip-offs .... Overworked, academic, clumsy prose. Stilted dialogue. A few clever ideas here and there, but not enough to make up for the rest.

Avoid this at all costs, it'll just make you sick.

Stross is a hell of a writer, and Toast is a hell of a book. Charlie and I have written two stories together (and we'll write more, you can be sure of that) and now that I've had a taste of Charlie's writing from the inside and the outside, I have to tell you that Charlie is better than drugs.

The stories in this book are, of course, wildly original. Even when Stross is eating another writer's lunch -- a grand tradition in our field -- he's adding seasonings that are all his own. Every page contains ideas that are so whacky and weird that you shouldn't operate heavy machinery for an hour after reading them.

Buy Toast. Read Toast. Loan Toast to your friends. They'll thank you, once they come down.

"Toast" is, bar none, the best short story collection I've ever read.

Nearly every story gave me a whole-body physical thrill - goose bumps, tingling scalp, and other reactions I omit for fear of Amazon's censors. (Come to think of it, Amazon's censors will severely limit this entire review - you'll have to interpolate as best you can.) The only comparably exciting book I've read lately is Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon the Deep."

"Lobsters" is my favorite short story, and gives a fair taste of the rest of this collection. In the not-too-distant future, Manfred Macx is busy implementing the principles of open source in the world of intellectual property. His ex-dominatrix/girlfriend is hunting him down; she works for the IRS and is pissed off because Manfred's system of high-tech altruistic barter is robbing the U.S. government of tax revenue needed to pay Social Security, the biggest pyramid scheme of all time. In between, Manfrend fends off a charmingly quirky Russian AI, hit-and-run rubberizations, and a slashdotting, among many other things. Sex, drugs, and patent law - all the ingredients of a fantastic short story, plus Stross's completely unique gritty/gonzo writing style. You can read it on the web - google "charles stross lobsters" and click on "I'm Feeling Lucky."

If you are, like me, a computer geek, I have some urgent advice: You want this book. Now. Don't think, just buy it. You'll thank me. If you aren't a computer geek, you'll enjoy this collection anyway.

This is a disappointing collection that could have waited a while longer to include Stross's better fiction. Instead, we're left with three great pieces ("A Colder War", "Antibodies", "Extracts from the Club Diary") adrift in an ocean of mediocre prose and stories that range from the average ("Yellow Snow", "A Boy and His God" -- funny story, this, but not much else) to the atrocious ("Big Brother Iron").

I still believe that Stross has potential, as evidenced by the better stories. Unfortunately, the rest of the collection fails to meet the same standards, not to mention that it's under-edited and poorly produced (quite a few typesetting errors, and too much text crammed into a single page to save on the page count).

This book is the sequence of the excelent Mind In the Cave book. But this book isn't so good than the original. Some points of view seems forced and don't have the same appeal that the original's ones.

If anything jars your sensitivities, it's the claim that your brain is driving you instead of the other way around. Yet, many cognitive studies suggest that's often precisely the case. If David Lewis-Williams and David Pearce are correct, then mentally-driven activities have contributed to the making of many social conditions. One of those conditions, a universal which provides support for their thesis, is religion. The definition of "religion" has been subjected to some drastic changes lately. It's been broadened to encompass many "spiritual" themes. Today's spiritual movements tend to hark back to earlier, simpler modes. The authors assert that some of these can be traced to the Neolithic period in Europe and Western Asia.

Using the recent finds of archaeology and the cognitive sciences, the authors postulate that Neolithic society developed the foundations of religion. Moreover, religion pre-dated the adoption of agriculture and husbandry. Archaeology has revealed sites in Asia Minor suggesting that hunter-gatherer groups built shrines, seasonally visited for ritual purposes. Communities grew around these shrines and agriculture was developed to support them. The shrines marked a departure from earlier practices of dealing with the spirit realm in caves, represented by such sites as Lascaux and Chauvet as described in Lewis-William's previous book, "The Mind In the Cave" [2002]. The above-ground shrines allowed greater community participation and a new social structure. One aspect of that change was the burial of heads beneath the floors of houses. Some of the corpses may indicate more than just ancestral burial, and represent sacrifices. Was spiritual power derived from those buried heads, the authors query?

In moving communication with spirits out of caves and involving more of the community, religious figures - shamans - assumed a different role in society. The authors note that all religions possess an ecstatic component, and nearly every individual has experienced various forms of altered consciousness. From this, the authors postulate "the consciousness contract" in which those who could experience and interpret the results of altered consciousness rose to become religious and community leaders. Instead of waiting for visions to occur, the shamans came to prompt them through physical exertion or psychotropic drugs. Thus supercharged, the visions seemed more intense, hence, more meaningful. Even if the community shared but a lower-level version of the visions, they were sufficiently aware of them to understand what the shamans described. What was already lodged in the mind emerged with greater force and wider acceptance.

Group activities reached peaks of drama and expression with the establishment of burial sites and stone shrines in Western Europe and the British Isles. Although the best known today, Stonehenge is but a small facet of what belief produced in shrines and burial places. Lewis-Williams and Pearce provide an impressive guided tour of the sites, their structure and arrangement. There is a good deal here to indicate how altered states of consciousness can be transformed into the physical world. Spirals, for example, often seen by those in trance or other altered states, are a fundamental component of many burial and shrine sites. The illustrations, including colour plates, depict these and other manifestations to greatly enhance an already vivid text. Although, the reader's preconceptions about religion or early societies may be challenged, but they will have no difficulty in understanding the evidence or conclusions the authors provide. A truly stimulating and provocative book, well worth the time and investment to understand thoroughly. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Speculation, conjecture, supposition, and thin hypotheses. Not to mention occasionally misleading in its assertions. You would learn more by re-reading C.J. Jung's classic works on the same subject matter and then re-read some of Mircea Eliade's own excellent and well-regarded work. This text makes me think more of Joseph Campbell's musings.

When the authors do venture out of the realm of occasionally entertaining and sometimes New Age style 'what if?' discussions, their source analyses and conclusions are at least worth consideration. However, I spent too much time trying to find some of their terms in dictionaries (which turned out to be entirely idiosyncratic words for the authors) than I did in thoughtful contemplation of their ideas since it was frustrating to try to pry away the fluff-talk and get to the actual information.

This seems to be one of the books that is coming out of a fairly recent trend in archaeology where a vaguely appropriate adjective is applied to 'archaeology' and thereby used to justify so-called 'groundbreaking' or 'cutting edge' research. That in turn usually works out be at least substantially speculative fluff which cannot be adequately proven or disproven, but certainly does help to fill white space on pages.

I finished the book, but I regret the time that I spent on it. It could have been reduced by around 100 pages and become a much better book.

Simply the best introduction to new, often ground-breaking research on Neolithic Mind on the market today. Well written and well illustrated it is the follow-up to the highly acclaimed "The Mind in the Cave" by David Lewis-Williams, which dealt with remarkable Upper Paleolithic art depicted by Shamans on the walls of caves. "Inside the Neolithic Mind" applies a neuropsychological model of altered states of consciousness to explain cosmology and architecture of famous Catalhoyuk in Turkey, one of the first cities people founded, and monumental, mysterious tombs in Ireland.

It wasn't until having completed this book and put it away when I realized the full impact of it's narrative. Mostly, because it is so understated. It's speculations about the Neolithic psyche are compelling and with the reminder that we can't underestimate in our secular world-view the interweaving of altered-states, cosmological beliefs, and eventual early human advancements. For example, we like to think of early domestication as a reasoned development to provide easy availability of food, milk and hides. Yet, it is likely, if not highly probable that domestication of aurochs, for example, was a product of a dominating supernatural cosmology. To quote the authors, "The associated assumption that rational decision-making and processes, such as sensible adaptation to the environment, can account for all past human behaviour is groundless. It imputes contemporary Western values to past societies. We must be more alert to the irrationality of the past (and of the present.)"

The main thesis of this book is that altered-states of consciousness and our beliefs in and attempts to control supposed supernatural forces may have played a significant role in some major technological advancements from the Neolithic age. Moreover, these altered state experiences are not only central to the development of religious beliefs, but are also neurologically hard-wired into our central nervous systems. The archeological evidence and arguments are worth the effort of understanding, if just to get a speculative glimpse of the Neolithic world. What is less convincing, however, is the scant neurological backing the authors provide. This is one of the major shortfalls of this book.

Still, the argument that stayed with me was the one suggesting that religion as we know it entails an often unquestioning belief in the supernatural and supernatural forces, and this belief, albeit universal across the peoples and across the ages, is a misreading of what is simply our own neurological processes. Our march as a species is toward giving up our superstitions, our beliefs in the supernatural, and recognizing them for what they are -- anachronistic resonances from the neolithic mind. The authors end with the question, "Is it possible to have a religion that does not entail a belief in the supernatural?" If you have an interest in religion, human prehistory, and even cognitive psychology I'd highly recommend this book. If you are coming at it with an interest in neuroscience, however, you'll be more than likely disappointed in its offerings.

I read this book after having read many of Neal Asher's "Polity" books, and was not disappointed.

This book is an earlier work by Asher, and does not take place in his Polity universe, so don't expect any links or related story. However, if your a real fan of Asher's work you will probably enjoy this book quite a bit.

Its a short but action packed story about a "millenia" old cyborg named the Collector, who takes care of business on an Earth of the far future.

Full of Asher's bloody, action packed style of writing, this book will be a nice little sidetrack for the Asher fan who might be getting a little tired of the Polity.

Though very well written and engrossing, "Africa Zero" may be confusing to someone who has never read Neal Asher before. It's beginning (and end) is abrupt and overwhelming and the action is brutal and fast moving- the reader will be playing catch-up until half-way through the first story. If you know Asher's work, this is probably what you enjoy most about it but if you've never read anything by him you will probably be a bit confused. However, Asher (as usual) excells at his streamlined method of storytelling to throw the reader into the middle of the story and engross them, even if it's at a forced-march. Gory at times but also laugh-out-loud funny and full of great visuals, "Africa Zero" is not Asher's best work but is definitely one that reinforces Asher's stand-out status among modern sci-fi writers.

I'm a big fan of Asher's polity novels, but I didn't find Africa Zero nearly as interesting. This work seems to be mostly an expression of the author's political views, which are approximately those of the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front. The hero of the novel, we are told, was responsible for saving the Earth by culling the human population with genetically designed diseases and preditors -- an idea that has emerged in some factions of the British animal rights movement. In other words, he murdered billions of people for ideological reasons, and we are supposed to think he is cool.

I have to say, I will be harder for me to enjoy Asher's books after seeing how naive, hostile and anti-American his views are.

An early work by Asher, Africa Zero comprises two novellas set in a distant future where the Collector, a lone cyborg with attitude, wages war on an army of religious fanatics. A nice brisk read, this book has the Asher trademarks of high octane action and plenty of big explosions. Fans of his Polity series will recognise the reptilian sauramen as forerunners of the dracomen in later books, but these prototypes are more entertaining. Few science fiction stories are ever set in Africa, let alone feature mammoths, glaciation, vampires and giant crocodiles as well, so this is one to remember.

For those of you familiar with Asher's Polity universe the first thing you should know is that this a non-Polity story. The second thing you should know is that you simply won't care. This is trademark Asher all the way, simply resonating with the distinctive and familiar Asher voice. Asher is a natural story-teller and writes with an exuberance that defies comparison. No one crams as much energy, science, terror, adrenaline, blood, explosions, monsters, philosophy, politics, religion, technology, ideas, intelligence, and both the redeemably good and irredeemably evil into his books. The important thing though is no one makes you have a fraction of the fun Asher does when he writes. You ENJOY yourself when reading Asher!!! If there is anything wrong with this novella it is simply that it is a novella not a novel. I wish I could have kept reading indefinitely.

Africe Zero features an ancient cyborg who more less Lone Rangers, albeit somewhat reluctantly, around Africa keeping an eye on the local flora and fauna and the human enclaves that still exist. If you have read the polity books, just think "Golem". The resultings adventures feature all the action, violence, and blood spatters you learn to crave from Asher, the complex plot developments, and as many crazed and insane evil bigots and religious fanatics as your imagination could care to blow away. I suspect that this novella came before the polity novels because you do definitely see the seeds of the idea for the Golems and Dracomen featured there. I whole-heartedly recommend that you shell out the bucks for this one. Asher always delivers more adrenaline charged fun per dollar than any other writer out there.

Awesome looking book, but the seller (Amazon.com) sent me a damaged book. I'm pretty disappointed. It had a huge, heavy crease through the entire book. Like several hundred pages of a diagonal, embossed crease. It's as if someone took the entire book, put half of it in an iron clamp, and pulled on the other end.

Ever put on your favourite TV show only to find out they made a "clip" episode just full of all the old moments so the episode itself has nothing too new to say? The collection of exerpts are interesting but hardly make it a book.

The depth and breadth of selections makes this book a treasure. It features a wide diversity of pieces, ancient and modern, secular and religious, from many disciplines. What comes through in all the selection is the human drive to pursue ultimate questions and attempt to find ultimate explanations. It pulls together many writers I studied in fragmentary fashion in my philosophy, theology, and science classes. I highly recommend it as a masterful collection of writings.

I really liked this book. It is fun reading and gets you thinking about very big questions.

As a science buff, I'm used to reading the latest books on physics, cosmology, etc. by modern-day leading scientists. But in this book, you get to see how the best thinkers of each age took what was known and put it together to explain the universe. And you get to see it in their own words, supplemented by Danielson's concise but insightful commentary.

This seems to me a book for both non-scientist and scientist. For the non-scientist, Danielson makes even the latest physics very understandable. For example, his description of Einsteinian gravity in the Wheeler chapter is as accessible an explanation of general relativity as I have seen in any popular book, and far better than those of my old introductory physics books. Any high schooler should understand it. Danielson seems to be able to draw out the essential ideas from both modern and ancient scientists and present them in a non-technical but accurate way. He also includes some very fun contributions, such as George Bernard Shaw's hilarious toast to Albert Einstein.

And I like the way each thinker's thoughts are presented in a short chapter-sort of bite-size stories. This means a person can pick it up and put it down without losing the thread. The chapters are presented almost exclusively in historical order, but I chose to hop around from era to era. In fact, the historical order lets you hop around without losing the sense of the historical context. I found it fun picking up the book and deciding which big name I was going to read next.

I think scientists should like the book too and find it valuable. Even though I have extensive science training and a degree in physics, I still did not have a good sense of the real contributions or views of most of the earlier scientists such as Copernicus, Descartes, etc., or of what was known about the universe and when, or how it all has come together in the modern view. To take just one example, I did not imagine that Ptolemy knew so much about the cosmos, including the facts that the earth is spherical and that it is a small, point-like object relative to the size of the "heavens." And he knew this based on a combination of careful observation and deep thinking that to me makes him the intellectual equal of virtually any modern cosmologist. I never viewed him this way before.

Mostly, though, it is fun having Feynman side by side with Copernicus, and Weinberg with Plato and even Milton, all struggling to come to terms with the nature of the universe. By his artful yet precisely constructed commentary, Danielson somehow brings them into a kind of conversation together. It makes for a surprisingly gripping read, and I continue to go back to certain chapters as I have discussions with friends (and think more) about what different thinkers thought way back when.

I personally would highly recommend it.

Dr. Danielson was actually my professor for first year Honors English here at UBC. He was an absolutly incredible prof, and his love for the cosmos really comes through in this book.