Person
Every book Charles Liu recommended on podcasts
Charles Liu’s most recommended books
- Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
- The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
- A True Story (English Edition) by Lucian Of Samosata
- Atlas of peculiar galaxies by Halton Christian Arp
- Experimental researches in electricity by Michael Faraday
- Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott
- Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter
- Mathematical principles of natural philosophy by Isaac Newton
- The Chandra X-ray Observatory by Belinda Wilkes
Charles Liu appeared on StarTalk Radio to discuss various scientific topics, ranging from astrophysics and theoretical space travel to historical figures in science. During these appearances, he referenced several notable works. He mentioned Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction novel The Songs of Distant Earth to discuss theoretical interstellar spacecraft propulsion and shielding. He brought up Ted Chiang's short story Story of Your Life in the context of block time and the fourth dimension, and referenced Douglas Hofstadter's book Gödel, Escher, Bach while considering whether human consciousness could be digitized. Liu also discussed the ancient science fiction novel A True Story by Lucian of Samosata, the galactic catalog compiled by Halton Christian Arp to illustrate unusual galaxy shapes, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory book by Belinda Wilkes and Wallace H. Tucker to explain the difficulties flight engineers face when measuring spacecraft roll, pitch, and yaw. Additionally, he referenced Isaac Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy to describe the framing of science and metaphysics, and Michael Faraday's historical writings on electricity to illustrate how scientific mysteries are explained over time.
Books recommended by Charles Liu
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Stories of Your Life and Others
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang is an acclaimed collection of speculative short fiction that explores complex philosophical, linguistic, and temporal concepts.
Recommended“This has been explored in several science fiction stories, for example, Ted Chiang's excellent story called Story of Your Life, which became adapted into the movie Arrival that starred Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.”
Where to get it
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The Songs of Distant Earth
The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C.
Recommended“there is a really good uh science fiction novel called the songs of distant earth that arthur c clark wrote where he created an idea where there was a spaceship that could move very very close to the speed of light but every once in a while had to stop and pick up ice turned out that the energy produced”
Where to get it
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A True Story (English Edition)
Discussed“that's the name of the Lucan is the name of the person who wrote is credited with writing a science fiction novel called a true story”
Where to get it
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Atlas of peculiar galaxies
Atlas of peculiar galaxies by Halton Christian Arp is a monumental 1966 astronomical catalog that compiles and classifies galaxies exhibiting unusual, asymmetrical, and bizarre shapes.
Discussed“and there was someone in our field who compiled them into one catalog chip ARP called the atlas of peculiar Galaxy”
Where to get it
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Experimental researches in electricity
Discussed“including the efforts of um was partly based on what um benjamin franklin our boy was able to write he has a book called experimental researchers into electricity”
Where to get it
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Flatland
Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott is a satirical novella that uses the adventures of a square in a two-dimensional world to explore the concepts of dimensions and perspective.
Discussed“Now, remember the beautiful book, "Flatland" from-- - By Edwin Abbott, yep. From decades ago.”
Where to get it
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Gödel, Escher, Bach
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R.
Discussed“Chuck, what you're describing is the last chapter, if memory serves, of the book Gödel, Escher, Bach written by Douglas Hofstadter.”
Where to get it
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Mathematical principles of natural philosophy
Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy by Isaac Newton stands as a foundational text of classical mechanics, laying out the laws of motion and universal gravitation.
Discussed“Newton's most famous book uh which we call principia the full title of that is mathematical principles of natural philosophy”
Where to get it
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The Chandra X-ray Observatory
Discussed“I heard a story once uh one of uh my colleagues uh senior colleagues was working with the Chandra x-ray Observatory and what he said was the hardest thing for the flight engineers and the aeronautic Engineers to work on is actually measuring things like the roll pitch and yaw of the telescope as it's orbiting the Earth”
Where to get it
Books Charles Liu wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (10: passing, ad reads, own books)
“The handy quantum physics answer book actually created a lot of questions in my mind than it answers wait which book now again did you I'll say it slower. The handy quantum physics answer book and is what's handy about it? Oh you mean you mean this handy quantum That one. Listen everybody, I I'm sorry that was a pretty”
“It was also in in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.”
“On Broadway, there is actually a pretty acclaimed play recently. It was called Marjorie Prime.”
“And I was so surprised to find out when I was writing the handy quantum physics answer book that there was part of electronics technology for decades.”
“the first one of the series was the handy astronomy answer book that I wrote and then the second one was the handy physics answer book and this one is focusing in on quantum physics”
“the first one of the series was the handy astronomy answer book that I wrote and then the second one was the handy physics answer book and this one is focusing in on quantum physics”
“In my recent book, Story Messenger, I reflect on what a simulated world would be.”
“and yet she embraces all those things owns them and says here i am just like the title of her book suck it wonder woman”
“And you just had a book come out. - Yes, thank you. Yeah, it's called "30-Second Universe". It's published by Ivy Press in the UK.”
“And Isaac Newton first demonstrated this-- In Principia.”