#itsnotrocketscience

*****

Synopsis:

Black holes. DNA. The Large Hadron Collider. Ever had that sneaking feeling that you are missing out on some truly spectacular science?

You do? Well, fear not, for help is at hand.

Ben Miller was working on his Physics PhD at Cambridge when he accidentally became a comedian. But first love runs deep, and he has returned to his roots to share with you all his favourite bits of science. This is the stuff you really need to know, not only because it matters but because it will quite simply amaze and delight you.

Review:

So book 3 of 2017 came of the back of reading Carlo Rovelli’s Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. The difference between that and Ben Miller’s It’s Not Rocket Science is that the later is not trying to be anything it’s not. This really is part comedy, part biography and part science. With chapter titles including The Super-Duper Atom Smasher and We Are Slowly Falling into an Enormous Black Hole, you can see that this is a rather alternative view of what can only be described as “popular science”.

Miller takes differing topics from electrons, atoms and quark (pronounced squawk but without the s) via The Large Hadron Collider, the existence of aliens, where, when and how you can see our neighbouring planets without the use of a telescope, how we have all been born of the same mother and the debunking of the reports that the moon landings were faked. All of which, told in Miller’s own style of science meets comedy.

Socratic hot takes 

Hello and welcome back to philosophy tok! 

Since I’ve gained a lot of subscribers recently. Probably because a whole bunch of my colleagues of the more recent centuries have been canceled for oversharing some shady opinions in the ethics & morality department.

For those of you who are new here, welcome, I’m Socrates, I’m an ancient philosopher and today i thought i’d give you a few 10 tips for the newbie philosopher that I wished I had known sooner:

The first is:  Mastering the Art of the Selfie: Socrates might have enjoyed capturing his deep thoughts in a perfectly-filtered selfie. A solid selfie game is essential for a philosopher in the 21st century.

And start practicing when you’re still young! Take a lot of them and make sure you exude an air of wisdom and confidence, but remember to smile. I didn’t do this when I was still young and sexy unfortunately, and now there’s probably thousands of busts of my old haggard face placed in university lecture theaters and houses of parliament all around the world.

So on the off chance that you become famous for your ramblings and are taught in universities around the world someday, make sure that the professors have plenty of pictures to choose from that are more flattering than this abomination! 

"The Art of Subtweeting."

In this age of written words, remember to engage in debates with finesse. Never name names, but deliver your philosophical shade with eloquence and subtlety. If you’re gonna be a hater, never address the individual directly, but also be specific enough to make sure that the person you’re talking about knows exactly who they are! 

Now, let's talk about tip number three:

 "Online Philosophy Courses."

Now you know, that I am a big fan of meeting and thinking in groups, especially perambulating over the agora. But sometimes, I just can’t deal with the ruthless mediterranean sun, that’s when online courses come in handy. I can keep my brain active, while keeping my body cool and comfortable in my stoa. Shameless plug here. If you want to join my online courses, you can do so on my Website: Soc’ssuperssassysocraticsesh.com 

My two most popular courses are still

Plato vs. Socrates - Spilling the Hemlock Tea

and 

Hot Takes and High stakes with Socrates 

You’ll find the link in my Bio.  

Tip number four is related to tip 3: You’ve got to know how to organize an effective symposium over zoom. The world has grown beyond Greek Horizons my friend, and we want to engage in musings with our international friends. Zoom can be very helpful, even though it can be frustrating to argue with someone who refuses to turn on their camera as they diss your theses and theorems, humiliating you in front of everyone. Cowardly, but unfortunately, far too common these days.