Go Obama!

1) "I don't involve myself in the internecine conflicts of the Democrats." [my physicist neighbor]

2) home office bathroom bookstack, top to bottom:

order of books slightly scrambled

a) Power and Powerlessness: Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley (John Gaventa. I took this book to Jamaica, but didn't make much progress in it. It's doing much better in the bathroom bookstack).
b) Commutative Semigroup Rings, Robert Gilmer. [After the Banff conf, realize I need to learn this]
c) Nature magazine, 24 Jan 2008
d) 5 Jan 2008 Economist magazine, folded back to an article on Brazil: "If redemption fails, you can still use the free bathroom." (pg 31)
e) Lectures on Rings and Modules, Joachim Lambek, McGill University, 1966
f) Hudson Review, Autumn 2007
g) Hasek, The Good Soldier Svejk
h) Relativity, Wolfgang Rindler (Oxford)
i) Quantum Field Theory, Itzkason and Zuber (utterly, utterly unread)
j) Spinors in Physics, Hladik

Finally: I wish more people published what books they're reading (or at least have mustered the intention to read, which, I'm sorry to say, is a more frequently relevant personal metric). Whenever I'm over to someone's house, I can't resist the temptation to study what books they have on a shelf (I'm mildly interested in CDs, too, but not at all in DVDs). See the Dr. Johnson Q, below.

Quite possibly "Go Obama!" is not the appropriate title for this blog post. But I cannot be bothered to change it.

Finally, finally: From the deep archives:

No sooner had we made our bow to Mr. Cambridge, in his library, than Johnson ran eagerly to one side of the room intent on pouring over the backs of the books. Sir Joshua observed aside, 'he runs to the books, as I do to the pictures, but I have the advantage. I can see much more of the pictures than he can of the books.' Johnson, ever ready for contest, instantly started from reverie and answered, 'Sir, the reason is very plain. Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it. When we enquire into any subject, the first thing we have to do is know what books have treated of it. This leads us to look at catalogues, and at the backs of books in libraries.' Sir Joshua observed to me the extraordinary promptitude with which Johnson flew upon an argument. 'Yes,' said I, he has no formal preparation, no flourishing with his sword; he is through your body in a moment.'

Boswell's Life of Johnson