Book Update: Books Are Printed!

Lara.

I had exactly returned from my trip to Dublin when the door rang too the UPS human being dumped 2 big boxes on our doorstep. My hubby has a habit of ordering books past times the dozens, too then my commencement thought was that this fourth dimension he’d truly outdone himself. Alas, the UPS guy pointed out, the boxes were addressed to me.

I signed, feeling guilty for having forgotten I ordered something from Lebanon, that existence the beginning of the parcels. But when I cutting the record too opened the boxes I flora – drumrolls delight – 25 copies “Lost inwards Math”. Turns out my publisher has their books printed inwards Lebanon.

I hadn’t gotten neither galleys nor review copies, too then that was the commencement fourth dimension I truly saw The-Damned-Book, equally it’s been referred to inwards our menage for the past times 3 years. And The-Damned-Book is finally, FINALLY, a existent book!

The encompass looks much amend inwards impress than it does inwards the digital version because it has some glossy too some matte parts and, well, at to the lowest degree 2 seven-year-old girls concur that it’s a pretty mass too also mommy’s advert is on the encompass too a mommy photograph inwards the back, too that’s close equally far equally their involvement went.

Gloria.

I’m too then glad this is done. When I signed the contract inwards 2015, I had no thought how nerve-wrecking it would survive to hold back for the publication. In hindsight, it was a totally nutty thought to base of operations the whole premise of The-Damned-Book on the absence of progress inwards the foundations of physics when such progress could give literally whatsoever day. For 3 years similar a shot I’ve been belongings my breath every fourth dimension at that spot was a statistical fluctuation inwards the data.

But similar a shot – amongst petty to a greater extent than than a calendar week to become until publication – it seems exceedingly unlikely anything volition alter close the even out I am telling: Fact is, theorists inwards the foundations of physics bring been spectacularly unsuccessful amongst their predictions for to a greater extent than than thirty years now. (The neutrino-anomaly I late wrote about wasn’t a prediction, too then fifty-fifty if it holds upwards it’s non something you lot could credit theorists with.)

The even out hither isn’t that theorists bring been unsuccessful per se, but that they’ve been unsuccessful too yet don’t alter their methods. That’s specially perplexing if you lot know that these methods rely on arguments from beauty fifty-fifty though everyone agrees that beauty isn’t a scientific criterion. Parallels to the continued utilisation of flawed statistical methods inwards psychology too the life sciences are obvious. There too, everyone kept using bad methods that were known to survive bad, exactly because it was the terra firma of the art. And that’s the existent even out here: Scientists larn stuck on unsuccessful methods.

Some people bring voiced their disapproval that I went too argued amongst some prominent people inwards the plain without them knowing they’d terminate upwards inwards my book. First, I recommend you lot read the mass earlier you lot disapprove of what you lot believe it contains. I intend I bring treated everyone politely too respectfully.

Second, it should become without proverb but manifestly doesn’t, that everyone who I interviewed signed an interview waiver, transferring all rights for everything they told me to my publisher inwards all translations too all formats, globally too for all eternity, Amen. They knew what they were existence interviewed for. I’m non an undercover agent, too my opinions close arguments from beauty are no secret.

Furthermore, everyone I interviewed got to run across too approved a transcript amongst the exact wording that appears inwards the book. Though I after removed some parts solely because it was exactly besides much material. (And no, I cannot reuse it elsewhere because that was indeed non what they agreed on.) I had to supervene upon a few technical damage hither or at that spot that most readers wouldn’t bring understood, but these instances are marked inwards the text.

So, I intend I did my best to accurately stand upwards for their opinions, too if anyone comes off looking similar an idiot it should survive me.

Most importantly though, the real role of these interviews is to offering the reader a multifariousness of viewpoints rather than simply my own. So of class I disagree amongst the people I spoke amongst hither too at that spot – because who’d read a dialogue inwards which 2 people constantly concur amongst each other?

In whatsoever case, everything’s been said too done too similar a shot I tin give notice only hold back too hope. This isn’t a work that physicists tin give notice solve themselves. The whole organization of academic inquiry today acts against major changes inwards methodology because that would effect inwards a precipitous too drastic decrease of publishing activity. The only means I tin give notice run across alter come upwards close is populace pressure. We bring had plenty beak close elegant universes too beautiful theories.

If you lot withal haven’t made upwards your require heed whether to purchase the book, nosotros similar a shot bring a website which contains a tabular array of contents too links to reviews too such, too Amazon offers you lot tin give notice “Look Inside” the book. Two video trailers volition survive coming adjacent week. Silicon Republic writes close the mass here too Dan Falk has a slice at NBC titled “Why some scientists nation physics has gone off the rails.”