Essays

 

Here is my collection of essays, written over the past few years. It gives me something to do when I get bored, and is a way of exorcising the various crazy ideas I get plagued with every now and again.  The topics are mainly science or computer based, with flavourings of artificial life, nanotechnology and evolution.

 1. TRACES OF WORMS - links a variety of processes that cover their tracks. Published in New Scientist at my first attempt - obviously a lucky shot, because I haven’t got them to publish another.

 2. BACKTRACKING - links computer aided design with general problem solving methods, and the evolution of the brain.

 3. WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE RAMPANT VIRUS - The problem of computer viruses, and what we could do about it.

4. EVOLUTION CUBED - links together ideas about the changing nature of evolution - is it getting smarter?

5. TREES AND FORESTS - methods of hiding, and what that has to do with eggs and sperm.

 6. KNOTS AND STRINGS - An introduction to String Theory, and some slightly tongue in cheek suggestions about knots. I wrote this before discovering that my brother Michael had written a book called KNOTS about their links with Topological Quantum Gauge Theories.

 7. WHY GOD CREATED QUANTUM MECHANICS - about the best attempt I can make to suggest a ‘reason’ for the quantum world. Links a CAD technique called Parallel Fault Simulation with the ‘Multiverse’. Was published on a Dutch CD-ROM about artificial Life by Kees Vuick.

 8. MOLECULAR ENGINEERING - some thoughts on the various developments that could lead us to Nanotechnology.

 9. TOMORROW’S PC's - what is wrong with today's PC operating systems, and what we should expect of them in the future.

 10. HOW BIG IS INFINITY - some musing on the concept of infinity, and what this has to do with whether the world is really analogue or digital.

 11. WHICH WAY SHALL WE GO? - a short Christmas message for 1996, with an underlying serious idea about the increased use of monitoring everything instead of just getting it right!

 12. HOW TO MAKE A MIRACLE - a very short Christmas 1997 story with a semi serious purpose to make people open to ideas that they can’t necessarily explain.

13. WHAT’S IN A NAME? – I’m beginning to sound like a grumpy old man, but I can only take so much change for change’s sake.

14. HUMAN GENETIC ENGINEERING – What is it? Is it going to happen? Should it?

15. BACKWARD COMPATIBILTY – What’s the matter with Wintel? How complex systems evolve and change.

16. JURASSIC PARK – Could it happen? What does this have to do with writing compilers?

 

Back to Home Page