Writing and all that stuff.
Peter Nolan
Hello My Fellow Sufferers,
People in the group compliment me on my writing ability and I'm very happy
to be complimented in this way but I would like to set the record straight
here.
When I went to secondary school(highschool) at the age of 13(September,1966)
I already had two books on Astronomy one of which I still have to this very
day after all these years. I had a small telescope that my mother bought for
me in spite of reading many times that a pair of binoculars is a much better
choice of instrument when starting to star gaze for the first time. I guess
I wanted to be like the pros. In fact I'm sure this is the reason why I
wanted my own telescope and not the wiser choice of a pair of binoculars.
What's my point? I've been reading books written in a certain style since
before the age of 13 and have been doing so ever since reading text that got
more and more complicated with each passing year of study. You see I always
wanted to be a scientist. It's one of the great certainties in my life. I
love with my whole heart and soul the worlds of Science and Engineering and
my friends there is no technical subject I cannot handle with flair and real
talent. I do not, I repeat, I do not see myself as especially intelligent
but I do know that the deep, deep love I feel for Science and Engineering is
the real thing. It's not something I've conned myself into believing so that
I can feel better about myself and all that stuff.
Because of this deepest of loves I feel for Science and Engineering I enter
a truly spectacular world when I read up on something technical and the text
draws me in so that I have absorbed so many subtly different styles that are
different but not that different and this process has being going on for
years. In effect I've been learning to write for a very long time without
even knowing it and it's only now that I'm meeting people(in Cyberspace) who
react to the way I write. What you don't understand is that writing the way
I do is simply normal for every scientist. We really are an educated lot but
all this doesn't happen overnight. When a scientist writes an article he/she
has to be so very careful about the smallest detail in order to communicate
as clearly as possible. Scientists often write an article so many times
before it gets published that the final draft that goes to press bears
little or no resemblance to what they wrote first time. In fact technical
writing can be, ironically, very difficult to read for the sake of conveying
the insights in best way possible so that a misunderstanding would never
arise. I've complained to the editor of Physics World, a magazine I get
every month because I'm a member of the Institute of Physics based in
London(www.physicsweb.org ) that very often even topical general articles
can be unreadable in the sense that in order to get at the information
contained in the article one has to study, as distinct from just reading
through, the article.
Let me tell you a little story. A few months ago or longer my nephew(my
favourite nephew) was here asking me to read an English essay he wrote. I
read it. My nephew was trying to write with flair and making a total mess of
the whole thing in the process. He was starting sentences with these stylish
flamboyant phrases and the failing completely to finish the sentece
properly. It was obvious what he should do and what I advised him to do
which was to keep it simple. That's the secret. That is all the is to it and
people who believe they cannot write well deep down try to compensate for
this by trying to write with flair and panache and end up making a mess of
the whole thing. Keep it simple. That is the secret. I know what works so I
will never use big words and what is called flowery language. Keep it
simple. It's that simple. If you want to write never attempt to sound good
by trying to imagine in your head that you will blow people away with your
talent because in most cases you won't succeed.
Why am I apparently different? Like I said I love Science and engineering
with a feeling that can only be understood by others who feel the same
thing. What does this mean? It means that I got a Ph.D. in Experimental
Physics in spite of suffering with severe Generalized Social Phobia. That's
my friends is the power of Love. I burned for the 13 years I studied for a
B.Sc.(B.S. in the States), two M.Sc.'s and finally a Ph.D. and someday
because I never give up hoping I will do work in physics that will show what
I can really do. However I may die before that happens. As Dr. Phil would
say at a point like this "ain't none of us gittin' outa this alive" ! :)
So if you want to write take this golden advice. Keep it simple. Have I used
a single word that those whose first language is English in the group
haven't understood? The answer is no. Never try to write in a way that
doesn't fit yourself perfectly or in a way that is contrived and that isn't
your own natural style. Anybody can do it. All of you are experts while you
are talking to others so just adapt that natural style when you write and I
promise you you will be just fine. I have the confidence to keep it simple.
That is all there is to it. In my natural place, a University, there is
nothing unusual about the way I write whatsoever. The only difference
between me and others in the group is that I had a natural love of something
and kept going with my life when others with perhaps less passion tended to
give up and bear in mind I didn't have the correct diagnosis till December
of 1998 when I was an older 45. For the younger people in the group count
your lucky stars that you know what is the trouble.
Peter Nolan.
FJ
"Peter Nolan" <xpet...@gofree.indigo.ie> wrote in message
news:NIo1b.28570$pK2....@news.indigo.ie...
Thanks for this wonderful inlay, Peter! I, too, burn for science, and I am
certain that life is divine. Despite all my SP trouble, life is divine, in
my opinion we are all children of the universe, we are star children, we are
all magnifiscent. Life (from the smallest bacteria, insect or flower and up)
is so fantastic. By the way, how do you mate science and religion, for me
it's just not possible. Gaze at the myriads of stars and wonder! I have,
with great pleasure, just read David Deutsch book: The fabric of reality. A
Dr. in physics who challenges the traditional way of thinking. Is it
actually the sci fi writers who are the real visionaire? These thoughts
make, for a moment my SP go away! Sp or not, we are part of something real
fantastic. I have never been depressive, I have been disappointed by the way
people treat eachother, yes! Not depressive but, unfortunately still SP!
MrUK4U
Yes, I just wanted to add that I was very much impressed by Peter Nolans
writing, too. I found it very interesting...; also, very clear to both read,
and, understand...; as well as, rather addicting...meaning once I started
reading I found I couldn't stop...not until when the very end had come!
I am also amazed that he's has degrees, and, Phd! Which, in my view, must make
him 1 in a total millon! -(Then, I actually wonder to myself...here's me with
absolutely NIL qualifications...; so, what's he doing here, too?! But, then, I
guess, Social Phobia is not confined to the wholly underqualified like
me...but, also, can include absolutely anybody, and, everybody?!)-
The other thing I wanted to say is...Peter's comments about writing...do all
seem to make perfect sense to me. Because, every single time I tried to go and
write something...and, forced it...I, pretty soon, gave up...after finding that
nothing I tried, actually, worked?! My own writing is, most probably, best when
I'm acting just quite natural, normal, and, therefore, am feeling perfectly
relaxed. The moment I try to fancy things up...it, suddenly, feels much too
forced...and, the flow is no longer there, anymore...I become both nervous,
and, tense, as well as, being totally dissatisfied!
Oh yes, I always had the ambition to go, and, buy a telescope, or, binoculars
so that I could do some star gazing, too. But, for me, getting serious with the
business of studying science/engineering...was never really my thing. That's
why it was one of those things I never even got around to...though, I did think
about it...and, indeed, still do??? For me, in particular, maths -(or, lack
of!)- was always my downfall whenever it came to understanding scientific
related subjects, properly.
But, for me, too, there is still a strong desire to work out, and, understand
absolutely EVERYTHING, and, more...?! But, maybe, that's got something to do
with having read through so many encyclopaedia books as a child. I would find
it much easier to go bury my head deep inside of a book...; than, to go out,
and, play(socialise).
GOOD LUCK/;-)
Bye
MrUK4U
The only difference
between me and others in the group is that I had a natural love of something
and kept going with my life when others with perhaps less passion tended to
give up
<<<
I think, we ALL have our passions in life...whether fully qualified/or, not on
whichever particular subject. For example, I love
drawing/painting/sculpture/-etc. But, this doesn't mean I have any
qualifications, atall, to 'prove' it? Because, I don't need none! Nor does it
mean I am a 'talented' artistic performer myself.
Nevertheless, it is art(s) that help me to endure both life, and, living.
Without art(s) to go and look forwards to seeing/feeling...then, quite
honestly, I might NOT wish to be alive here, anymore. For this is the area
where I devote all of my strongest passion, and, love. Thus, it truly makes
life, truly, worthwhile to me. Even, though, I'm just an outside spectator who
is always looking in...; as opposed to being an actual insider performer...it
is still wholly and totally gratifying to me.
I can stare at either a single drawing/painting/sculpture for hours...and, far
from ever getting bored...do think I'm deriving more and more pleasure out of
it, instead!
Also, the older we grow...the more and more we come to know ourselves, and,
exactly what our fav. tastes in life are.../and, knowing exactly what we find
to be totally distasteful, too, as well.
Like somebody says to me, why don't you come to our party? And, I'm like, no.
Then, I go off to spend the whole entire day visiting a massive art
gallery.../or, walking through a huge museum. But, when I was younger, I might
well have said, yes, I will go to their party just to fit in with, or, get to
impress them, and, others. Now-a-days, I know, that parties are, most
certainly, NOT my cup of tea. And, so, I try to stick to doing things which do
most interest me...and, staying where I do feel most comfortable sticking
around.
-(If I had gone to their party...then, I would have thought all the time I'm
there...what a really BIG MISTAKE I've made?! And, oh boy, do I long to be
anywhere else, but, here...)
>>>
and bear in mind I didn't have the correct diagnosis till December
of 1998 when I was an older 45. For the younger people in the group count
your lucky stars that you know what is the trouble.
Peter Nolan.
<<<
I think, I never even heard of the term 'Social Phobia'...not until I got unto
the internet...which was way back in Nov. 96...so, I was in my late 30's when I
finally discovered what it was I'd got?! And, oh boy, what a revelation that
was. I mean, so, I'm NOT totally weird, then. And, what I've got does make some
sort of sense to others...even if it's only just shrinks! And, there might even
be plenty of others out there who tend to think/feel/act just like me, or, at
least, rather similiar. Wow whee! It sure as hell helps to KNOW that we are NOT
all alone...like we were formerly used to thinking...!
Peter Nolan
"FJ" <F@J> wrote in message
news:3f46416f$0$6820$d40e...@nntp02.dk.telia.net...
> Thanks for this wonderful inlay, Peter! I, too, burn for science, and I
am
> certain that life is divine. Despite all my SP trouble, life is divine, in
> my opinion we are all children of the universe, we are star children, we
are
> all magnifiscent. Life (from the smallest bacteria, insect or flower and
up)
> is so fantastic. By the way, how do you mate science and religion, for me
> it's just not possible. Gaze at the myriads of stars and wonder! I have,
> with great pleasure, just read David Deutsch book: The fabric of reality.
A
> Dr. in physics who challenges the traditional way of thinking. Is it
> actually the sci fi writers who are the real visionaire? These thoughts
> make, for a moment my SP go away! Sp or not, we are part of something real
> fantastic. I have never been depressive, I have been disappointed by the
way
> people treat eachother, yes! Not depressive but, unfortunately still SP!
Hello Flemming,
(This is off topic and between me and Flemming so you may wish to rant at me
like I feel like doing to the so and sos who are chatting away about
enantiomers(mirror image isomers) and racemic mixtures. I know about this
stuff and I just brushed up on some details in a University text book on
Organic Chemistry. If you want to have a little tete-a-tete about more
advanced concepts in Organic Chemistry I would prefer if you'd take it
elsewhere for the sake of everybody else in the group who will not be
familiar with this material. Just remember the drug companies don't know
their ass from a hole in the ground and I really should set the record
straight about what is really going on in laboratories where new compounds
are synthesised in a trial and error approach to finding active compounds.
It's truly frightening! )
You wrote:
> By the way, how do you mate science and religion, for me
> it's just not possible.
There's no problem here at all. Let me see if I can offer a few ideas.
It just so happens I was watching a programme on Channel 4(UK terrestrial)
last Sunday night called "Gods in the Sky". I'm sure if you go to the
Channel 4 website(www.channel4.co.uk or www.channel4.com ) you can get more
information about this most interesting programme presented by an old guy
with a really terrific sense of humour. As it happened I was reluctant to
watch it at first but I'm glad now that I did because I found out the name
of the Greek philosopher who first worked out that the earth was
round(although others, sailors in particular were thinking along these
lines). His name was Erasthostenes and, Flemming, you can find some most
excellent stuff about him and others in this link that I just found:
http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Scolumb.htm
They even correctly measured the distance between the earth and the moon.
Fantastic.
So far so good but this is where I get a little confused. Another
philosopher called Ptolemy(pronounced tolemy- no "p" sound) working
centuries later devised a theory of the solar system and the stars based on
the idea that the earth was the centre of the Universe(the goecentric
theory) and this is when everything went wrong. It was the biggest blunder
in the history of Astronomy. You can read up on Ptolemy in this great link:
http://www.seds.org/billa/psc/theman.html
I say I'm a little confused but it just hit me that while Erasthostenes
worked out the earth was round he may not have figured out that the sun was
the centre of the solar system. If this is the case, and I really don't
know, then things make more sense to me because there was trade between
Greece and Egypt and throughout the Mediterraenean( I had to look up this
most complicated spellling!) in ancient times and there would have been a
cross fertilization of ideas in the region so that one would expect that
Ptolemy would have known about the work of Erasthostenes.
Ptolemy's work was very complicated indeed and may have been, for that
reason, very impressive prompting people to think that he must be right. We
now know that this is not the way things work. We now know that the simpler
a theory is the more likely it is that it will be closer to reality!
However it was believed that the earth was flat and that everything in the
heavens was going round the earth. So Ptolemy didn't know then that the
earth was round. Can someone clear this up for me?
The problem was the Catholic theologians took the whole thing further and
pronounced that not only was the earth flat but that also man was the
pinnacle of creation. Things were now in a real mess but they didn't know
it, content as these people were(they are a certain type coming from what I
call the Arts Block) to live with all kinds of unanswered questions as
people from the Arts Block like to do. I use the phrase "Arts Block" because
when I was in University the buildings housing the Arts departments were
separate from us in the Science Faculty. We also said things like "let's go
to the Arts Block" for such and such a reason(this was when I was in flames
with Social Phobia). So things carried on like this and the Catholic
Theologians held their position enjoying great power over the people and
therefore having control over the people. They also used sex to control the
people and this continues to this day but that is a whole different story.
So the power the Catholic clergy had had a lot to do with promoting theories
like the geocentric theory and re-inforcing the Church's grip on the
people.
Then along came Galileo. He made a telescope. He invented the telescope and
this great, great man, this giant among men, pointed his telescope at
Jupiter and because he was who he was he found saw that Jupiter had moons
and after some very careful measurments over a period of weeks(I guess) he
discovered all on his own that the moons of Jupiter were in orbit around
Jupiter and then in a feat of pure genius he figured out that the earth was
round and that the earth and the planets were in orbit round the sun. He had
to tell people what he worked out but the Catholic Church attacked him
because they had always taught that the earth was flat and also the centre
of the universe. The chuch was scared. They thought that if the people end
up understanding Galileo's theory then they will be able to say to the
church that it's teaching is wrong about this and then immediately start to
think about what else the church is teaching that is also wrong. This was a
very serious challenge to the authority of the church and the church was not
prepared to put up with this. So they forced Galileo to back down and put
him under house arrest till the day he died. So that's it Flemming. That is
why the Catholic church has been in conflict with Science but this war is
over now and Science has won in the end and there is a lot more to come.
The Catholic church has always supported the arts because nothing is clear
cut and everything is open to interpretation. That's the way the church
likes it and this is one of the reasons why the church is still around after
2000 years.
Like I said things are different now but sadly for the church the church
will have to bend and change as Science lights up the way foward. The church
will continue to undergo major changes as Science discovers new things and
it will all be for the better. We cannot hide from the truth no matter how
much we enjoy the unstable state of semi-chaos.
I don't think the church has fully recovered from the effect the work of
Galileo had and the Catholic church as distinct from the Protestant churches
will have to undergo a radical reformation more radical than the Reformation
started by Martin Luther who laid the foundation for the Protestant
religions. The Protestant religions need to be reformed further and there is
still a great deal to be done all round. I think that Protestants don't
understand that while they have made great progress indeed where the
individual has an all important pivotal role to play they need to abandon
the Bible which is a document that is something like 3000 years old and is
not the Word of God but the word of men most of whom were control freaks
just like the Catholic Theolgians. The Jews had a tough life because they
were under constant attack something that continues to this day. They needed
a code to glue/bond them together and it still works to this day. We all,
all of us need to move on and stop living in the dark, dark past. Many
people however are doing precisely this, moving on, but there is so much yet
to be worked out.
I recommend to you one of the most important books available today which is
"Embraced by the Light" by Betty Eadie. It's one of the most detailed
accounts we have of the near death experience and I nearly always weep with
joy when I read it something I've done many times.
For me there is no conflict between religion and Science. Science will
reveal more than we can possibly imagine about God and the Universe we live
in.
The future is beyond our wildest imaginings.
Peter Nolan.
MrUK4U
beng extremely well written, as usual.)- I even clicked on the links...to go
and learn more./-Thanks!-/;-)
Peter Nolan
Hello,
If you want to learn a little more about Galileo then take a look at:
http://galileo.imss.firenze.it/museo/b/egalilg.html
Peter Nolan.
LilithOMalley
>From: "Peter Nolan" xpet...@gofree.indigo.ie
>Date: 8/24/2003 5:58 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <eU%1b.28798$pK2....@news.indigo.ie>
Facinating site! Thanks! Lil