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A New Light on the Expanding Universe

Name: A New Light on the Expanding Universe
Author: Les Hardison
ISBN: 978-0-615-37746-9

by Les Hardison ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 5, 2010

A dense, technical, but well-written argument for a new scientific interpretation.

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A contrarian approach to understanding some fundamental concepts in physics.

In this debut science book, retired engineer Hardison makes arguments for re-evaluating the work of Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Max Planck, and others who developed the basic principles that physics students are still taught. Specifically, he advocates a new understanding of the universe under a different paradigm. However, he isn’t writing for general readers but for committed science buffs who can follow the hundreds of equations he uses to elucidate elements of his theory, which rests on the assumption that the speed of light is not a fixed number but “essentially infinite.” This, he says, is because light is transferred from one atom to another instead of moving through space. Hardison’s theory does away with such concepts as wave/particle duality and mass as a relative quality of matter. Although the analysis is extremely detailed and technical, relying on variable-laden equations and depictions of multidimensional space, the author recounts his work in a casual, often wry, tone. At one point, for example, he explains that “I will have more to say on this subject (with some difficulty)”; later, he summarizes an argument with the phrase, “I tweak my nose at negative potential energy.” The author’s conclusions matter mainly on a theoretical level; cellphones, for example, will continue to work and the Earth’s orbit will remain unchanged whether the speed of light is constant or infinite. Physicists’ understanding of the forces that shape the universe would be shaken, though, if Hardison’s analysis is correct. That, however, isn’t something that most readers are in a position to judge, so it will be left to peer review and further research to determine the validity of the book’s central theory. In the meantime, readers with strong groundings in mathematics and physics may find this to be a thought-provoking approach to key questions about the nature of the universe and how it came to be and the conclusions that one may reach by re-evaluating basic assumptions.

A dense, technical, but well-written argument for a new scientific interpretation.

Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-615-37746-9

Page Count: 314

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: May 25, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.