Book Report - Imperium

I recently finished reading Imperium by Robert Harris. The events in the book recount Cicero's rise to power in the turbulent political scene of first century Rome.

I read his book Pompeii some time ago and it was quite engaging. In Pompeii, a Roman engineer must determine why the aqueduct in Misenum has run dry. It turns out (no surprise to any mildly informed reader) that the problem is related to the impending eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. (Many other interesting things happen along the way.)

Imperium is somewhat different - more historical and less fiction than Pompeii. Harris claims that nothing in the book contradicts historically recorded events, and, moreover, he claims that every potentially verifiable event actually happened. I don't know about that, but the story coincides with everything I know about Roman history.

Making comparisons between our nation and times and events in ancient Rome is a common hobby. One needs to be careful when doing this. Our culture and times are very different from the period described in this book. Nonetheless there are some useful conclusions one can draw. One of the most important lessons that history teaches is that human nature never changes. With that in mind, this book shows in a fun, entertaining and educational way how even the most naked power grab can be cloaked in high minded rhetoric.

If you will be voting this November, I recommend that you read this book, and take another close look at our two candidates before you do so.

The Enigma Machine

This is sort of old news, but I just dug far enough into my inbox to see it again. The May 30 "The Mathematical Tourist" article on the MAA website is about the Enigma Machine. I think the Enigma Machine is absolutely fascinating. In addition to having the most intriguing name of any technological innovation, the story of it's use in WWII and the allies breaking of the code is more exciting than real history has any right to be. Okay, a bit of hyperbole, but still.

The article linked has a number of links to other interesting and informative sites. I do take exception to the authors comments about Cryptonomicon. Cryptonomicon is not so much a story about the Enigma machine as it is a story about... well it's hard to explain, but the Enigma Machine features prominently. I highly recommend it. I've never read Enigma by Robert Harris, so I can't comment about that.

The Code Book by Simon Singh also has an outstanding chapter on the Enigma Machine.

Another Difference Engine

My last post about a real functioning Difference Engine reminded me of William Gibson's The Difference Engine, with which I was much less impressed.

A long time ago, when I had just finished reading Neuromancer, I thought The Difference Engine looked pretty cool. I'm not exactly sure what it was about, but it wasn't about Babbage's Difference Engine. As I recall, Charles Babbage is one of the characters, but he is unsympathetic to say the least. Do yourself a favor; read Neuromancer, but give this one the go by.

As an aside, this follows one of my cardinal Rules for Reading Fiction: Books by two authors are terrible.

Babbage Difference Engine #2

I, like many math/science types, have always been fascinated by Charles Babbage's Difference Engines. They were undeniably revolutionary when he designed them in 1821 and 1849. One can only imagine what might have happened had they been built.

Well, now someone has built Difference Engine Engine #2, and it is on display at the Computer History Museum in San Jose (beginning May 10).

Thomas Jefferson's Library

LibraryThing is a site that allows you to catalog books from your library, and uses that information as a basis for some sort of social networking. In their words "Enter what you're reading or your whole library—it's an easy, library-quality catalog. LibraryThing also connects you with people who read the same things."

But this post is not about LibraryThing. It's about Thomas Jefferson.

It turns out that some enterprising person who goes by the name "Thingamabrarii" has entered Thomas Jefferson's library. There are also links to other sites with information and exhibits about Thomas Jefferson's books.

There are 55 books in the Pure Mathematics category. Among these are The doctrine and application of fluxions (that's calculus to you and me), as well as Euclid's elements and some works by Archimedes. He even has some books on mathematical finance, including one by Isaac Newton: Sir Isaac Newton's Tables for renewing and purchasing the leases of cathedral-churches and colleges.

It's interesting to look over the titles, but humbling when you consider that my shelves are filled with books like this and this.

(Actually, I do read real books sometimes.)