The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality (original 2004; edition 2005)

I really enjoyed this book, and I would have given it 4 stars but I almost wish it had been more scientific. At times it felt like the use of metaphor was too distracting from the scientific concepts being explained and I came away with no real understanding of the topic but instead a rather convoluted concept about frogs in a hot metal bowl filled with worms...I will leave you to figure out what concept that was regarding.... ( )

This is a terrific book. I thoroughly enjoyed every page written by distinguished string theorist Brian Greene, who also wrote the book and Nova TV series, "The Elegant Universe", which is available in paperback. Some of the string theory in "The Fabric of the Cosmos" is repetitive of the content of the earlier book. This guy not only knows his stuff, but he also explains very difficult physics using examples and analogies that are inventive and humorous (for example, characters and situations from "The Simpsons" pop up in several different contexts). Do not get the idea that "The Fabric of the Cosmos" deals only with arcane particle phenomena that are completely irrelevant to everyday life, or that it oversimplifies to the level of cartoons. On the contrary, Professor Greene elevates the reader's thinking to the ultimate nature of reality. Over the past couple of years, I have read a number of books that purport to bring relativity, quantum mechanics, and cosmology to the non-physicist, but this is the one that I enjoyed the most. The only thing I would criticize about it is that the black-and-white illustrations (and there aren't a lot of them) don't seem to have been reproduced very well. ( )

I guess you'd say I'm currently reading this book. It is the kind of book one reads in small doses over several years. The ideas are so mind expanding they make me a little crazy. Greene is a superb writer for the non-science person. I read The Hidden Reality this year. I also saw NOVA's recent four part series with Greene as narrator on the same subject. Well-done. I also have The Elegant Universe on DVD. I would recommend any of his books.

When I studied physics 40-something years ago, relativity and the wave/particle duality was the pinnacle of scientific weirdness. Things have moved on and the weirdness has grown. Quantum theory appears to deliver communication at a distance between widely separated entangled particles. The "inflationary" period very soon after the big bang was repulsive gravity!? String theory replaces particles as "points" with a infinitesimal vibrating string.
Brian Greene covers all this and more in a readable popularisation of current physics and cosmology. He is a skilful de-mystifier and I fear that the fog that remains in my mind at the end of his book is the result of my limitations, not his. Read November 2012. ( )

Fabric of the Cosmos sets upon the idea that what we se everyday is a veil, that there is a true reality that goes beyond our everyday perceptions. The book starts out with very basic concepts that are easy to grasp and the heat gets turned up from there. There are some mind-bending questions asked, “Why does our memory only remember the past, why not things that are yet to happen?” Brian Greene attempts to explain these high-end concepts using real world examples (a la Star Wars and The Simpson).

The best example comes in the introduction where he gives the example of the rose. On its own we can appreciate its beauty, but using the knowledge of physics, we can be amazed at its existence so much more. That example demonstrates the passion of Brian Greene’s book, but it also reminded me of an episode of The Simpson where the teachers have gone on strike. One of the scientists is teaching a kindergarten class and is using a kids bubble popper. The kids want to play with it, but he retorts with something like, “You won’t appreciate the science of it as much as I do.”

I thought another example from the book is a good explanation of what it is like to read the book. Greene explains about space-time, in that, you are either taking up space or time. When you are resting, you are taking up space, when you are moving, you are taking up time. This kind of concept really blew my mind. I always like the concept of time travel. Scientists provided this theory by sending a plane around the world with an atomic clock to prove the point. When the plan landed the clock was one/one billionth of a second behind. It’s an interesting proof, but my first reaction was, “that’s it?”

I comprehended the first three-quarters of the book. While the book provides mind-blowing facts, you cannot discern them in everyday life, which is the point of the book. It's a fascinating history of physics told in laymen's terms. It’s fascinating to a point, but many of the concepts I couldn't fully comprehend. ( )