Book Reviewed: Night Sky: Stargazing with the Naked Eye by Robert Harvey

Glory of the night sky This book depicts the glory of the night sky. The cosmic bodies photographed in this book may be seen with naked eye, which were taken with regular cameras and lenses. The author suggests that a digital camera, a manual control over exposure, and a sturdy tripod is all that was necessary for the photographs. In order to find a good dark sky, he drove away from city lights, areas of remote countryside, mountains, coasts, and deserts with strong foreground such as peaks, rocks, towers, or trees. There are numerous color photographs that show the Milky Way galaxy and its companions the two Magellan dwarf galaxies. The book is Eurocentric and some of the most beautiful views of the cosmic bodies may be seen from Africa and the highest peaks of Himalayas. The author devotes forty-eight pages to photographs from Europe, forty-two pages to photographs from North America, and only twenty-two pages each to photographs from Asia, and Africa.

Book Reviewed: Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything by Michio Kaku

Spinning with Qubits Quantum supremacy is the point at which a quantum computer can complete a mathematical calculation that is beyond the reach of even the most powerful supercomputer. One of the promising applications of quantum computers is simulating the behavior of matter at the molecular and subatomic particle level. The author gives a brief introduction to the physics concepts on which quantum computers function. But the rest of the book is focused on the applications of quantum computers to solve the problems of life. The author shows that they may be used in every aspect of life and the cosmos. For example, the role of proteins that accelerate the molecular repair of DNA may be precisely understood. If the precise mechanism of DNA repair is known, one might be able to improve on curing many diseases, and even eliminate the aging process. The author also discusses some fascinating topics such as, 1. Did God have a choice in making the universe? Could God have created the universe in any other way? 2. Is the universe a simulation? Are we just automatons living in a video game? Is everything we see and do a by-product of a computer simulation? 3. Do quantum computers compute in parallel universes? 4. Is the universe a quantum computer? This book is interesting but lacks details.

Book Reviewed: Eat Your Flowers: A Cookbook by Loria Stern

Feasting on Flowers The book has numerous color pictures which make the recipes look delicious, but be careful when you use flowers in a recipe because it is a non-traditional ingredient that must be suitably processed so that the bitter tastes of the flower do not dominate. Chamomile is one of the well-known flower products that is widely used for making tea. No tall botanicals are edible, but the author gives a list of edible flowers on pages 18-23 with their flavors, food uses, and comments such as the aftereffects of baking. Many flowers have an unpleasant taste, and they must be blended with appropriate ingredients in suitable proportions. Useful hints include pressing your own flowers, and drying flowers. Some of my favorite recipes from this book are Scarborough herb-pressed biscuits, golden curry lentil soup with apple, flower-pressed chapatis, and green papaya salad. There are numerous books available on Amazon.com that describe the use of flowers in cooking, and this book is good for illustrations, but I have seen much more enticing recipes from other sources.

Book reviewed: The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos by Jaime Green

A fantasy about the life and cosmos The title of this book sounds interesting, but I learnt very little from this work. It is pretty disappointing to read the perspectives of the author about life and the cosmos when she discusses very little science but plenty about science fiction, television, and sci-fi movies. As one might guess, Star Trek figures prominently in her imagination, and the influence of authors like Madeline L'Engle's fantasy book. I am very disappointed with this book.