-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Wayne Jr wrote: > Speaking of Issac, who wrote prolifically on metaphysical and biblical themes > or so I've heard, the common tale is that he realized his theory after > sitting under a tree and observed an apple falling to the ground... Soooo, > check this bit of trivia that I found on the net (so it must be true): > " the forbidden fruit (the apple) from the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden > was the Amanita muscaria" (which grows under trees) > Hmmmm, could it be? Issac dabbled in alchemy and alchemists brewed up all > kinds of strange things, so maybe maybe Issac was a druggie?
I have only 10 more pages to go in the 800+ page book "Quicksilver" by Neal Stephenson. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060593083/qid=1112257904 The book is a little history with a lot of fantasy. In it Newton is not only the smartest "Natural Philosopher" (their name for physicist) but also an alchemist. He had a very open mond. My biggest complaint about this book is that the whole concept of the story makes it very easy to confuse fact with fiction. A real historian who knew all about Newton and old England etc. could probably point out the differences but I find it difficult to see where Stephenson crosses the line. A very good but long and complicated read. Some of the reviews said it was hilarious. I didn't find it funny at all. I think maybe I laughed once during the whole book. Unless it becomes a real knee-slapper in the last 10 pages which I find unlikely. It provides a very interesting depiction of the conflicts between the competing scientific ideas of the age through the conflict between Leibitz and Newton over the invention of calculus, the scientific theory vs alchemy, the idea that the planets move around the sun etc. - -- Tracy R Reed http://[EMAIL PROTECTED] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFCS7t/9PIYKZYVAq0RAnmOAJ9FYsNkqv3j283cIOXgCHPXkDFklQCfV4+E Esd7mF5p0oE/1qqcQx/PZn8= =o2ba -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
