Decoding the Heavens: Solving the mystery of the world’s first computer by Jo Marchant

A brilliant book for a fascinating topic: The Antikythera Mechanism. This is an ancient device (2K years old approx.) thought to model the heavens (sun, moon, planets), predict eclipses, act as a calendar, and many other possible uses. It uses an intricate gear system which is delicate and precise at the same time. 

In Decoding the Heavens Marchant narrates the story of the Mechanism’s extraction from a shipwreck and subsequent storage at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens where it captured the interest of Valerios Stais, curator and director. It then goes on to describe the main attempts to decipher its function. This takes maybe a little under two thirds of the book. In chronological order, we follow the studies of Derek de Solla Price, who believed the device was a calendar computer, Michael T. Wright, who described it as a planetarium and Tony Freeth, who believed it was an eclipse predictor. The narrations are very interesting and at moments thrilling. The stories dive into history, astronomy, mathematics and astrology, going back as far as the Babylonians who were experts in arithmetic. Freeth’s story was particularly interesting as he used advanced X-Ray and CT imaging technologies to take high resolution images of the object and of the tiny/microscopic inscriptions embedded which are now believed to be instructions. 

There is no definitive conclusion as to the function of the mechanism. The Antikythera mechanism remains are extremely decayed and with pieces, or parts, which have never been found. However, from the investigations of the 3 experts (and more), we can be confident that it is a combination of systems for astronomical positions, eclipse prediction and calendar display, as well as other uses like the timing of Greek athletic games! 

The final chapter of the book tries to identify the designer/builder of the mechanism. Marchant enumerates a few possibilities: Hipparchus, Posidonius and Hero. She goes through what is known about their work and expertise and explains how or why they “could” be the ones. 

With all this information, it is evident that so much knowledge has been lost across human history. We should question assumptions, such as clocks and complex gear systems were invented in Europe in the 13th century. Likely they were not. All that knowledge must have been hidden somewhere waiting to be rediscovered. If the Greeks were capable of building such a mechanism, with amazing and precise craftmanship, and advanced astronomical and mathematical knowledge 2K years ago, it suggests that others before them had been building similar devices for centuries, beginning with simpler mechanisms and progressing, step by step, towards advanced mechanisms like the Antikythera. If we could only find more evidence. This is exactly the kind of thing that makes me wish someone invented a time machine! 

Excellent read. Recommend. 

Generation Ship by Michael Mammay

😀😀😀😀😀 What a great read. It's not high literature. Not sure it will become an SF classic, but it is a well written, engaging story with an excellent plot, which I couldn't stop reading. Main themes are politics, ethics of colonisation, and alien life. The story is told from multiple perspectives. We follow the events from the point of view of five main characters. Each in separate chapters. I liked the way Mammay constructed each character and revealed their (political) intentions both in their own and other chapters. There's one politician devising his strategies using people like pieces in a chessboard. A scientist following science strictly, with little consideration of its social implications. This one is my favourite character. My second favourite character is a computer hacker concerned about the ship's integrity because, obviously, the ship is their home and has been for many generations. None of the characters is good or bad. They all have layers. They are all imperfect and very human. In terms of the story, I wished it was longer. I wanted to know more about what happens at the end, or perhaps I wish there was a sequel. 🤞

Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement

I have to confess I did not enjoy this novel. I am happy that I read it, though. The premise and the scientific concepts are interesting. However, the story was meh to me. The whole point of the “mission” is to recover a human vessel in Mesklin, a planet with enormous gravity. As humans and their technology are unable to do it, they must rely on the indigenous population. Some sort of insect-like beings called the Mesklinites. Challenges are found at every stage of the journey to the vessel, and the humans (via radio) and aliens join forces, knowledge, and hunger for knowledge together to overcome those challenges. I liked the idea but found this narration a bit boring, to be honest, that is, until I reached the last 3 or 5 pages, where I found a really nice ending.

Odyssey Two by Arthur C Clarke.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A really good sequel to 2001. Obviously, it takes place 9 years after the first novel. The mission now is to find out what went wrong with the Discovery and Hal. A Russian led expedition (with some American guests) is sent to recover it and investigate. The story starts with the planning of the mission, which is followed by the trip. The writing is entertaining and interesting. Some hard science here and there, some exploration of the characters (not too much, this is not a strength of the book), but what is really interesting is the crew's discussions and speculations about what they expect to find and their thoughts when they actually find something. And they find many other things than the Discovery, which are connected to a bigger truth so interesting it is worth 10 stars. The story was so exciting to read, I was sent back to 2001 (book and movie) on many occasions, remembering Dave Bowman and Hal 9000, and that final epic scene with the space monolith. In this novel, we learn a bit more about the monolith, but we don't get all the answers. We are left wanting for more, and there are 2 more books left in the saga.

Man Plus by Frederik Pohl

Earth does not have much time. Factions are killing each other. A computer predicts that our only hope would be to move to Mars. And so, a race to achieve Mars colonisation begins. 

I assume there would be thousands of aspects that would have to be planned, from transportation, computers, fuel, terraforming technologies, and so on. However, in Man Plus, we follow closely the creation of a transhuman, someone capable of surviving Mars inhospitable environment without equipment. We learn about this man’s modifications, being them a mixture of computer technology and some other kind of biotechnology. The process is painful, physically and psychologically. I think the cover art does a good job of depicting the main character. Along with the Man Plus will travel other “normal” human beings who will monitor and manage the cyborg. 

I enjoyed this novel very much. I was hooked from beginning to end. And there is a nice twist in the last chapter worth an extra star. This isn’t a perfect read, though. There were quite a few instances in which the situations were bizarre, and the characters acted in unrealistic ways, as if they were made of cardboard not bone and flesh, for example, the protagonist’s reactions to some of his body modifications were hard to digest. Regardless, I recommend this read to anyone open to suspending their disbelief. 

And I almost forgot, my main takeaways are 1. Obviously, a question about what makes us human? and 2. Another question, how come it is a better option to modify a human, plan a gigantic terraforming project on Mars than to fix the problems we have on earth, with psychopathic states trying to kill each other? - Rhetorical questions? Food for thought?

On Mars_: a new world by Sylvain Runberg and Grun

Got the book because I like the artwork and it's SF on Mars! I wasn't expecting much of the story apart from drones, robots, and fights, but I was greatly surprised as I found a bit more. Some nice characters and a fully fleshed protagonist with a past, values and ethics. The hard conditions of forced labour and colonisation of another planet. These issues are explored from political, philosophical, and religious perspectives. This was not an academic essay, but a good story that leaves you thinking afterwards.

Chasing the Sun: The New Science of Sunlight and how it shapes our bodies and minds by Linda Geddes.

Sunlight gives us life and health. It is important to keep our circadian rhythms synchronised and our body functions working properly. It is important for our mood and sleep. It helps segregate important hormones like melatonin, important for our sleep, recovery and repair. It helps to protect childhood short-sightedness, lowers blood pressure, and calms the immune system. 

A problem we have in our modern, western world is that we live indoors (some people fear the sun!) under artificial lighting which might be useful during the day (if you don’t get much sunlight during the day, like here!) but which is extremely harmful during the night. If we don’t see enough daylight, or we are exposed to too much artificial light at night, our bodies become confused and no longer work as efficiently. 

My main takeaways: 

• Regular exposure to sunlight particularly, first thing in the morning, will strengthen our daily rhythms. 
• Sunlight and darkness at night are the main mechanisms we use to synchronise our internal rhythms to the external time of day. 
• Artificial/LED lights can enable “some” (not all) of the effects of daylight indoors. 
• Light in the evening and night -> delays our clocks. We feel sleepy later. Light in the morning -> advances the clock and makes us want to sleep earlier the following evening. 
• The light we receive indoors, office lighting for example, would be the equivalent to twilight outdoors. Sunlight, even on a gloomiest winter day, is ten times brighter than artificial light. 
• Tools to deal with depression and SAD: bright light in the morning, sauna, and cold water. 
• Circadian lighting system – many different colour LEDs can be joined together to vary the shade of light they produce – adjusting colour and intensity according to outside time. 

Other interesting themes discussed: stages of sleep, shift work, jet lag, daylight-saving time and (laws about) access to sunlight in cities. Also, Photodynamic therapy and Heliotherapy.