Uncle Tungsten 119
| Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood | |
| author | Oliver Sacks |
| pages | 320 |
| publisher | Vintage Books |
| rating | 8 |
| reviewer | Peter Kukla |
| ISBN | 0375704043 |
| summary | Interesting history of the author's childhood, and of chemistry in general. |
Oliver Sacks is a noted neurologist, and author of a number of books for popular audiences, including The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. I came across Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood while browsing through a bookstore a few months ago, and decided to give it a read.
Uncle Tungsten is billed as "Memories of a Chemical Boyhood" in the title, but it's actually far more than a simple biography of his childhood. The real focus of the book is trifold: the influence of chemistry upon his early life and his early chemistry experiments and researches into chemistry, the stories behind the discoveries of the elements comprising the periodic table and of the discovery of the periodic table itself, and the non-chemical aspects of his childhood.
We learn early on that Sacks' family was chock-full of chemists (the title of the book refers to an uncle whose factory produced light bulbs using tungsten filaments), physicists, and doctors (including both of his parents). As a result, he had access to volumes of information about chemistry and access to chemicals of every sort, not to mention a family that was quite happy to indulge his interests. He made good use of these resources, ultimately gaining his own chemistry lab at home (complete with fume cupboard) where he experimented with a little of everything in an attempt to find out as much as possible about the chemical world.
His stories about how various elements had been isolated are given color by his own experiences with these same elements as a child. When he reaches the radioactive elements, for example, he illustrates some of the properties of uranium by describing his experiments with a chunk of uranium ore given to him by one of his uncles! Other experiments include dropping sodium (which is highly reactive with water) into a pond in a nearby park to watch it burn, bleaching red roses by holding them over burning sulphur, and using a spectroscope to examine the absorption Sacks' childhood experiments, however, are only part of the picture. Tales of his childhood are frequently interrupted by stories about the pioneers of chemistry (such as the Curies, Mendeleev, and Humphry Davy) who identified and isolated the various elements. As he discusses the discoveries of the elements, he includes descriptions of those researchers who ferreted out these elements, the puzzles they encountered during their work, and the hazards they faced when working with dangerous substances.
The book does include "non-chemical memories," too. Although chemistry was his first love, Sacks got the opportunity (and, with physician parents, the encouragement) to dissect worms, octopi, and even human cadavers! He also shares his wartime memories of growing up as a child during the blitz and being sent away from home to live in a boarding school for his own safety, although he ultimately returned home before the war was over. Often, however, the non-chemical memories are offered as background for the rest of the story.
I enjoyed this book very much, even though the extent of my chemistry background consists of getting a "C-" in high-school chemistry. My father, a design engineer who worked for many years in a chemical engineering department at a university, also enjoyed it. Based on these two opinions, at least, I can conclude that the book probably would appeal to a fairly wide geek-audience.
More can be discovered about the author at www.oliversacks.com
You can purchase Uncle Tungsten from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Agreed (Score:1, Interesting)
Remember The Anti-Drug Ads: +4, Patriotic (Score:2, Funny)
Cheers,
W00t
The Curve (Score:1)
Re:Remember The Anti-Drug Ads: +4, Patriotic (Score:5, Insightful)
Intellectual curiosity == TERRORISM! (Score:2, Insightful)
We raised you to be compliant CONSUMERS . Anything else is unpatriotic!
Re:MOD THIS WAY UP! (Score:1)
It's incredibly good (Score:4, Insightful)
From what I have managed to read of the book, it's incredibly witty but also gives a lot of nifty scientific trivia (I have spouted his facts about element name histories, etc., at my dad, who, even with a metallurgical background, was suitably impressed), as well as being a great story about what an unusual life Oliver Sacks has been blessed with. He made me wish I had been there, or even had some of his experiences myself, and there are very few autobiographies I have read that have left me feeling the first, much less the second. In fact, I had intended this book to be my first review for Slashdot, but I misplaced it in one of my moving boxes back in November. (cry!)
Thanks for reminding me that I haven't finished unpacking.
Re:It's incredibly good (Score:2)
Ha! No, actually, he got a degree involving metallurgy in some fashion, but later got a degree in something else, and his career was in something else entirely, etc., so that was the easiest way to say it. I'll tell him your joke, though. He'll probably stroke his copper whiskers (that being the subject of one of his dissertations) and chuckle.
P.S. Lest you think otherwise, while my family has a heavy math/science background (my mom was even more intense than my dad), I wound up with a degree in the social sciences, so don't discount me when I say the "hard" science stuff doesn't interfere with this being an excellent read. Though it does make me want to find my old college chemistry books and see what I slept through...
New "Slashdot n' Buy" feature (Score:1, Funny)
Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:3, Insightful)
Without a sound knowledge of chemistry, we would still be living in the middle ages and still be trying to convert lead into gold.
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:3, Insightful)
I disagree. I feel that physics is the foundation of practical science. Without a knowledge of how and why things work, we would have never been able to advance modern civilization.
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:3, Funny)
I can't prove why this is so, but had to get my two cents in for the EE's, even though we aren't pure science. Leave that to the nuclear physicists (*hint hint*).
Steam! (Score:1)
I truely disagree with all of you. It's Steam! Steam forms the base of all scientific progress. Steam can save the world!
-Professor Steamhead [unimi.it]
Re:Steam! (Score:2)
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:3, Insightful)
"Every significant scientific discipline will find a way to cast itself as the most fundamental discipline in the universe." Somebody-or-other's rule, not mine. Even the English/Sociology folks got into the game with Post-Modernism.
*: Actually I haven't.
Chemistry is not fundamental. (Score:1)
Which is just a branch of atomic physics.
Which is just a branch of subatomic physics.
Which is just a branch of quantum mechanics.
Which is just a branch of psychology.
Which is just a branch of biology.
Which is just a branch of chemistry.
Which is...
Uhmm. Nevermind.
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:1)
Which leads us all to the ultimate destination: Philosophy.
There was no physics until there was Meta-physics. The Greeks thought the world was made up of Atoms thousands of years before Newton came up with Mechanical Laws. That was way before the time of quantum physics...
Sitting around thinking is a fabulous thing to do, if you are a good thinker.
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:1)
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:1)
philosophy -> mathematics -> physics -> chemistry -> biology -> psychology -> sociology -> anthropology -> mythology -> philosophy
It will require much hand-waving and glossing over of details to explain, but here goes: Philosophy is the basis of math (didn't math spring from philosophy long ago?). Physics is just applied math. Chemistry is a branch of physics (dealing with interactions between atomic electrons). Biology is a result of chemistry. Psychology is based in biology. Psychology on a large scale is sociology. On an even larger scale is anthropology. Anthropologists study mythology, and mythology can be lumped back in with philosophy, making it circular. The circle should work regardless of which element you place first, as long as they are kept in order. Suggestions for additions to the circle and an explanation of why they fit where they do are welcome.
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:1)
You're both wrong (Score:2)
Re:You're both wrong (Score:3, Funny)
Actually.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Just watch. Take mating out of the picture, and see how few years it takes for advancement to grind to a halt for lack of grinding.
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:1)
Ok, so calling Mathematics a physical science might be stretching things a little... But since when did such pedantry matter on /.?
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:1)
I don't know whether to laugh or cry when some tree-hugger offers me an "herbal remedy" that's free of those nasty "chemicals". I try to explain that the herbs are chock FULL of chemicals, and I'd like to know what they ARE before I eat them...but they just don't understand.
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:4, Insightful)
Frankly, the lines between the sciences get blurry in many places. The example that the parent poster gave with computers is a perfect case in point. The semiconductors used in computers can be looked at from a chemical perspective- dopant agents and valence shells and whatnot- or from a physical basis- free electrons and holes and energy gaps and such. Chemistry traditionally describes the actions of electrons in materials, since such behavior is the basis for chemical bonding- but the movements of electrons can also be considered in terms of electromagnetic and even quantum mechanical effects, which are traditionally in the domain of der physik. I know people in research groups who call themselves chemists, and others who consider themselves to be physicists, but they study the same things, and use many of the same tools- and then there are people who also research in the same areas, but call it materials science. There are gray areas on the other end of the spectrum, too. I consider myself to be a biochem major, but how does biochemistry differ from molecular biology (which is a separate major offered here)? There is also considerable overlap with organic chemistry- my o chem prof from last year, for instance, studies how various RNAs fold. You can look at something like evolution from a biochemical standpoint- genes, operons, mutations, etc, or from a biological standpoint- equilibria, populations, selection.
This has led to all sorts of interesting combinations of disciplines with chemistry- my roommate is part of a research group that uses computer models (with Linux!) to study protein folding. Is this computational physical biochemistry? Or chemical computational biophysics?
Re:Chemistry is fun-damental (Score:2)
a physicist, a priest and a computer scientist were arguing about which one of their professions was the more fundamental field of knowledge
the physicist said his profession explained how the universe worked
the priest said his god created the universe out of chaos
and the computer scientist laid claim to the chaos
as an aside, we finally did convert lead into gold in the 1950s. albeit only a few atoms, but some nuclear physicists did it anyways on a lark. it would be interesting to write a book tracing the ancient origins of the desire to convert lead into gold, through alchemy, through chemistry, through physics... to success
Do you know what the WIFE of the (Score:5, Funny)
'You're putting me on'
Re:Do you know what the WIFE of the (Score:2)
I read it, it's great.. (Score:1, Informative)
but I'd recommend this book to anyone who has even a slight interest in chemistry,
or in the history of chemistry. (or history of science)
blah (Score:5, Insightful)
Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:4, Insightful)
Some day, when I have kids, I shall have to find ways to import black-market dangerous old chemistry sets from Elbonia or something.
--G
How to get dangerous chemicals (Score:2)
Re:How to get dangerous chemicals (Score:1)
Re:Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:2)
Re:Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:1)
Isn't there some bit of controversy over whether government "oversight" allowed the events of 9/11?
Re:Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:2, Funny)
Nyuk, nyuk. I see your elemental attempt at chemistry humor, but I've turned the tables on you.
Re:Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:3, Interesting)
The real fun started when I inherited my uncle's chemistry set. Glass test tubes! Real chemicals! Nitrocellulose here I come!
Re:Emasculated chemistry sets (Score:2, Informative)
(Society Amateur Scientists [sas.org] have a letter writing campaign about it.
Steve
It's a good read (Score:2, Interesting)
Interestingly he mentions in the book how he lost interest in Chemistry at a certain point. That happens to be one of the points that most undergrads start freaking out and looking for a different major. LOL.
Readers may, like me, start skipping over the parts of the book where Sacks starts wandering away from science and into personal topics. Do we really need to know how his first orgasm came about?
Re:It's a good read (Score:1)
Not repeated but different. We sure didn't have digital logic circuit kits in the 60's. Heck, you can buy a superconducting magnet experiment kit now, and maybe in a few years kids can get their own Quantum Entanglement Cat Box Kit
Points out need for android Aunts, Uncles (Score:3, Funny)
This convinces me that we need to make available to every family a set of android relatives who can visit and tell the kids about their fascinating professions. This would make up for the fact that most parents these days work in malls and offices and haven't thought about science since their last week in High School.
You wouldn't need to make a set of Aunt & Uncle teacher androids for each family. They could be shared around, and use different names and face-prosthetics so that they appear to be unique.
Stefan
Nah, real Aunts and Uncles are better (Score:2)
When I told friends and family that I was studying to be an electrical engineer, the next question always was "What will you do with that?" One of the EE professors told us the standard answer on the first day of class: "Whatever they will pay me to do". That was good enough for most people, and good enough for me - I'd take any work that was intellectually challenging and stimulating, and made sure that I didn't have to eat Ramen. EEs seemed to do a lot of different things, and none seemed to be looking for work.
My Aunt was the only one that followed up: "What does that mean? What will you really be doing?"
"Um, I'm not sure. Maybe designing circuits, working with computers, something like that."
"Wow, that sounds really boring. I mean, you might find that interesting, but what will you tell people at parties?"
I had no answer. I still have no answer, and I get asked the question "what do you do" at every single party I've ever been to. Every answer I've come up with gets blank stares and/or nods. Thanks to my Aunt, I was prepared, and now I make sure I have a couple of topics of conversation in my back pocket, because no one wants to know what an engineer does.
Re:Points out need for android Aunts, Uncles (Score:1)
So go meet your neighbors - they may be cooler than you ever imagined.
Cool neighbors (Score:1)
Now, on to neighbors. When I moved out and bought a house, I had a VERY cool neighbor - I lived in the middle of cow country, but this one guy owned an antique clock shop. His specialty was antique watches and cuckoo clocks. I met him and his wife by chance, in a bar 12 miles away; he lived a half mile from my house. His home was filled with cuckoo clocks, grandfather clocks, railroad clocks; all antiques. He drove antique cars exclusively. His glasses frames were antiques! They heated their home with an antique coal stove. These people were *seriously* cool.
Not to be too off-topic, I bought "Uncle Tungsten" shortly after I heard the author interviewed on NPR. I still haven't read it - it's in my stack of 24 (yes, 24) unread books. I truly enjoyed all of the sciences in school; I planned on a Chemistry major at college, but decided not to go at the last minute. Just as well, my fate lay in electronic design, which I just fell into years later - but I had a great talent for it; it has been extraordinarily fulfilling, and we all know how neat electronics can be. To be a part of the creation process is wonderful, and seeing the released products in action is spectactular.
Get this book. Read it. You'll be glad you did. (Score:1)
Great way to create a geek. (Score:3, Informative)
I don't even know if you can buy the types of chemistry sets I had as a child. I nearly blinded myself bending glass tubes (don't cool them in water!!!) I can understand why companies would be hesitant to market these in our modern society. After all, the American dream has become, "Sue someone for a million dollars."
My interest in chemistry led to an interest in astronomy and even electronics, so I'm very thankful for the opportunity I had as a child and only hope I can give my child the same opportunity to learn. Hopefully without blinding him/her.
Chemistry in Soviet Russia (no kidding!) (Score:5, Insightful)
When one has access to such resources, the first thing to do is to answer some questions to bother young minds:
- Q: What happens if you drop a piece of potassium into concentrated nitric acid? A: For a few seconds, nothing. Then you get a potassium bullet that shoots out of test tube and embeds itself in the ceiling.
- Q: How to make tear gas from household stuff. A: You need acetone (the original nail polish remover). Pump a chlorine gas though. You can make chlorine by passing DC current though a salt solutio. Hmmm... wonder if bleech would work? Or mixture of bleech with vinigar.
- Q: How to make a contact explosive?
A: Pour amonium solution on iodine crystals until they turn into black powder. While it's wet, drop SMALL crumbs on the school floor. Once dry, it will go off when someone steps on it, giving a satisfying firecracker sound and a wonderful whiff of purple iodine wapor. The fun could go on for hours.
With the essential needs taken care of, I actually started doing research. Not that I was likely to discover anything, but I did stuff based on hunch, kept a journal and had a lot of fun. By heating P with some organic stuff, I got a test tube that not just glowed, but blinked in regular intervals. I also went to student competitions and got a second place in the country once.Is it dangerous to give the good stuff to children/teenagers? Well, we did have one case where someone mishandled acetone peroxide (a much stronger contact explosive than NI3). Basically, they had to scrub the walls of his dorm room to get his cranial matter into the casket. But the truth be told, you WILL do something dangerous when you are growing up. For this one story, I know countless others who died from drugs or got killed in a gang clash. Might as well redirect that risk that one would take anyway to some ultimately good purpose.
So what happened eventually. Well, I came to US to dodge draft. If you are reading this and have a poor country with too many potential scientists/engineers that you just can't get rid of, because they are not that crazy about money... well, I think you know now how to solve this problem nicely. So anyway, chemistry classes here really, insanely suck. I mean, titration!!! Chemistry should have exposions, flashes of light, weird smells, holes in the cloth and multi-colored stains on hands. Not the lame drops of one transparent liquid into another one with nothing happening when they make contact.
So anyway, I saw that this field is pretty much closed to fun in US. And then that another one was, at that time, still wide open. I read a couple of stories. One was "The hacker's crackdown" and of course it's pretty lame, but it introduced a concept that I was never exposed to in Russia. That you can actually visit places around the world without leaving your home and learn something about what people there are doing. Another one was a story about the first internet worm. This made me feel like you can throw a pebble into the ocean and watch it grow into Tsunami. Like finger of the god. So anyway, I played with PC programming a little bit before, but this really made me learn UNIX, to see how people do such wonderous things.
Of course, the first target were school systems. The very first thing I learned is the effect of for(;;) fork(); on old UNIX systems. I actually planned to just run it for a few seconds and then ^C it, but apparently telnetd just didn't get enough CPU cycles to process my keystrokes. I got an angry e-mail and apologized.
The next thing I figured out is about setuid shell scripts and race conditions. I didn't think about link to -i, So I just made a link to the script to my home directory, ran it and then very quickly replaced it with my own script. Sometimes, the shell wouldn't open the file yet and ran my code instead.
After these lucky breaks, I gradually learned less lame stuff. Like booting Sun 3's with -i flag to run my own code instead of /sbin/init, even though -s boot would ask for password. Or replacing the crypt function in libc.so to execl /bin/sh when passed a certain string. The first time I tried this, I messed up the system because I tried to use cp instead of mv and it was itself dynamically linked. I was sorry for the admin who had to restore libc from the backup, but got a good understanding of shared libraries.
Since I behaved myself when I got root access, the university was surprisingly tolerant. Eventually professors started asking me to install programs for their classes, since the regular sysop was too lazy. Then I got a student job doing the same thing officially. As with chemistry, I got my fix of watching things blow up and moved to regular programming, which I am doing to this day.
I wonder though what options are available to students now. With DMCA, and terrorist bullshit that must restrict all the fun activities both in chemistry and programming... I would imagine the current generation would learn programming by writting VB for their palladium-enabled PC and constantly checking if their code infringes on anyone's IP rights or could be possibly misused to let others do the same thing. Thanks god I was born earlier and had a benign way to occupy my mind while growing up.
Re:Chemistry in Soviet Russia (no kidding!) (Score:1)
Chemical memories... (Score:1, Funny)
Uhh, since I'm a living being... I do believe *all* my memories are chemical.
where I first heard of Uncle Tungsten (Score:1)
see the last sample on the page...
I haven't read the book yet, but gave a copy to my sister-in-law for xmas.
-calyxa
Independant Confirmation (Score:2, Interesting)
I received this book for Christmas last year. I found it very interesting, albeit slightly slow.
One of the things that made the book enjoyable was that Sacks is an excellent writer: He is able to hold his own in both fiction and non-fiction, as scientists often tend to.
Uncle Tungsten gets top marks, especially for an autobiography, which I usually find godawful.
The name is "Sachs" (Score:1)
for your information (Score:1, Informative)
Sexy Science (Score:1)
Nostalgia (Score:1)