Slashdot Mirror
The New Chemistry
The New Chemistry provides an overview of modern chemistry and its applications, with seventeen review articles by specialists. Though commissioned for this volume, these take different approaches and are pitched at different levels: some are quite broadly accessible, while others assume the reader has studied chemistry at university (I found my physics and biology background helped a lot). Apart from multiple explanations of semiconduction, there is little repetition and an immense range of material is covered. The result is a fascinating picture of the science underpinning much modern technology.
The first five articles involve a fair bit of physics. "The Search for New Elements" looks at the synthesis of elements beyond uranium. "Bonding and the Theory of Atoms and Molecules" touches on a mix of theory: chemical bonds, reaction dynamics, simulation of liquids, and mathematical chemistry. "Chemistry in a New Light" and "Novel Energy Sources for Reactions" look at new tools for controlling reactions: lasers, electrosynthesis, microwaves, and ultrasound. And "What, Why and When is a Metal?" explains how the well-known criteria for distinguishing metals and insulators don't always work; this is one of the more accessible chapters, with a good selection of colour illustrations and historical "boxes."
The more "pure chemistry" chapters were the ones I had the most trouble following. These include "The Clothing of Metal Ions: Coordination Chemistry at the Turn of the Millenium," "Surface Chemistry", and "New Roads to Molecular Complexity." Other chapters connect more with biology. "Medicines from Nature" illustrates the search for new medicines through a case study of Erythromycin biosynthesis. "From Pharms to Farms" has two parts, one surveying major drugs and fragrances and the other pesticides. And "The Inorganic Chemistry of Life" is an unusual abstract overview of life from the point of view of an inorganic chemist.
A range of chapters are oriented towards engineering applications; these will be of particular interest to those following new computing technologies. "Supramolecular Chemistry" is an accessible look at the building of structures, at the chemical approach to nanotechnology. "Advanced Materials" focuses on applications to electronics - alternatives to silicon, packaging materials, liquid crystals, plastic batteries, and more - while "Molecular Electronics" focuses on actual circuits, on conductors and switches and molecular computing. "Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Energy Conversion" looks in detail at a range of traditional and experimental battery and fuel cell systems, and more briefly at photoelectrochemical cells and photochemical waste disposal.
"Chemistry Far from Equilibrium: Thermodynamics, Order and Chaos" is the most mathematical chapter, presenting some dynamical theory with a few examples. And a final chapter "Chemistry in Society" outlines the contributions of chemistry back to the Industrial Revolution, and urges better research both to avoid environmental problems and to correct popular misconceptions.
Purchase The New Chemistry from FatBrain or check out Danny's 600 other reviews. Want to see your own review here? Just read the book review guidelines, then use Slashdot's handy submission form.
Linux only:
fixed sound crash, going around memset bug in glibc i586/i686
Wondering how a bug could exist in such a fundamental basic function such as memset, we contacted Heinous Turdballs of Linux fame, and he was kind enough to give a few minutes of his time.
Q: Thanks for your time in answering some questions for us
A: No problem. As you know, I am umemployed and have no life, which is of course how I got involved in Linux in the first place.
Q: OK, Mr. Turdballs. By the way, do you mind if I call you 'Dirty GNU Hippie'?
A: I would rather you didn't. I prefer the term 'Dirty Linux Hippie'. As you know, my ratty and nasty hairdo, my rancid steaming armpits and my putrid stench of body odor makes me qualified, I think.
Q: I quite agree. Can you tell us about the memset bug?
A: Sure. We dont really know who is responsible for the bug. We don't know who is making changes, why they make them, or when.
Q: Hmm.. sounds chaotic!
A: It sure is. But Linux is free!!! We are dirty smelly GNU hippies with natty greasy long hair, enjoying the FREE LOVE of GNU software!
Q: Come to think of it, Linux sure does crash alot.
A: Yeah, but that will be fixed in the service pack - er, I mean kernel release. We also have support for some new device drivers that came out 2 years ago. You just have to recompile your kernel with the correct command line switches, after configuring your make file and making the correct edits to /etc/fstab. By the way, if you screw that up, you are really fucked.
Q: Sounds good. So, how do you organize who is working on Linux?
A: Mostly we don't. We pretty much let anyone have at it with the code base. We figure at some point, someone who actually knows something about operating systems will do some work on it. It has to happen eventually, its like a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters. Literally.
Q: That's great. What normally happens?
A: Normally someone comes in and fucks everything up completely, but we don't know who they are because we never actually talk to anyone who is making changes to the code. We assume that if you are capable of signing up for a Hotmail account, you must be pretty good at computers and you should be a tech lead in a major open sores project.
Q: Open sores?
A: Yes, I am sure you have heard of it. Its free, therefore its good. Check out sourceforge.net, where bad project ideas go to a quiet and lonely death when the developers realize that 12 year old kids should not be SQA leads when they are constantly getting atomic wedgies because they wear shirts saying "Put Linux Anywhere".
Q: OK, Back to the topic. Whats a typical day in the life of a Linux developer?
A: Usually his mom wakes him up in time to catch the school bus, like 8:00. We encourage this because we want the developers to be well edumacted.
By the time he gets home at 2:00 (the Linux enthusiast does not participate in socalled "extra cirricular" activities, or worry about being "well rounded" and does not have a "social identity" or "play well with others") he has been beaten up a few times for wearing a "I GNU SPOCK" tshirt.
Then, to take out his frustration, he hammers away at the keyboard for a few hours. If the resultant code compiles, he will go ahead and check it in. Then mommy tucks him in for the night.
Q: Interesting. So who will be in charge of resolving the memset bug?
A: We have a nice prospect in mind. He has a strong background in manual labor and performing menial tasks. I'm not sure what his name is but he has a hotmail account, dAsUpAhZillAZ99@hotmail.com.
Q: Sounds great. I'm looking forward to it!
A: Just keep reading slashdot, where are the pimply nerds congregate. You may get assaulted by some homosexual linux zealots, but you will learn to like it.
Q: Sounds like fun!
A: Also hang out at sourceforge.net, where bad project ideas go to a quiet and lonely death among the other dirty GNU hippie projects.
Q: Thanks for your time!
A: Tell commander tuna taco I said I will pay in full after I get a real job. Then I will be back for another taco-snotting.
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go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy .u .stupid .fuck .u .stupid .moron .dumbass .karma .whore .go .whore .yourself .on .the .street .for .1 .karma .becuz .no .one .here .wants .to .hear .your .dumbass .complaining .about .stupid .shit .like .this .go .fuck .yourself .u .damn .loser .go .complain .to .ur .mommy
Obviously the moderators flunked chemistry.
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