Los Alamos, the report from Richard Feynman

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Thursday, August 3. 2023

Los Alamos, the report from Richard Feynman

Feynman is so entertaining.

Posted by Bird Dog at 13:37 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

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Random thoughts:

Lots of anecdotes about fighting the rule enforcers.

I didn't know his first wife died of TB.

It sounds like he was a pretty good manager.

Who knew he was a safe cracker?

I didn't know he worked on the Manhattan Project.

I remember him from some pBS science shows from the 80s, I think. He had charisma and enthusiasm and a knack for explaining complicated science so that knuckleheads like myself could understand. The only thing I remember about the content of the shows is that he had long wanted to go to a central Asian "stan". I think the capitol was Kyzyl, and that name appeared to have captured his imagination. I recall he was going to take a small band of friends with him and he had even had souvenir T-Shirts made up that they would all don when they arrived. But before all that could happen. He died.

#1 feeblemind on 2023-08-04 12:50 (Reply)

Regarding his planned trip to Central Asia, he had heard about tribesmen sometimes known as the "throat singers of Tuva". "Throat singing" involves being able to sing two or more notes at once. As you might guess the sound is quite strange, but lots of those people, apparently, can do it. Being the sort of fellow that he was, of course he wanted to go and investigate it himself. Who knows, he might have learned how to do it had he made the trip. It seemed that he could do almost anything he put his mind to. He taught himself to be a surprisingly good portraitist late in life (examples can be seen in the Gleick biography). Poetry, philosophy, and religion, however, he ignored because they made no sense to him.

#1.1 Hairless Joe on 2023-08-05 09:55 (Reply)

Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick

#2 Otto Maddox on 2023-08-04 18:47 (Reply)

I highly recommend Feynman's sort-of memoir, "Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman!" He has a great sense of humor and an amazing diversity of life experiences. Yes, safecracking. Also he was a drummer and, before that, a frigideira (rhythm frying pan) in a Brazilian samba band.

The most outstanding feature of Feynman's personality was his insatiable curiosity about EVERYTHING.

#3 T Migratorious on 2023-08-05 08:10 (Reply)

Entertaining read. Definitely down in the weeds. Informative. Thanks.

#4 Stargazer on 2023-08-05 09:16 (Reply)

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Thursday, August 3. 2023

Los Alamos, the report from Richard Feynman