Amazing!, 20 Mar 2008
Your brain is a hologram. The cosmos is a hologram. Your body is a hologram. Your mind is a hologram. Dreams are holograms. The world you perceive around you is a hologram. There is an underlying order to everything from which reality is projected. This implicate order is also known as 'the zero point energy field'. It's like a piece of holographic film on which the universe is printed. Each part contains the whole. This book is a must read for anyone trying to do anything parapsychological, whether it's psychokenisis, remote viewing, spiritual healing, or predicting the future, what you are dealing with is a hologram. As an amature music recording artist, the part I found most interesting was the bit about using holography to create 3-D surround sound through a standard pair of earphones! do an internet search for 'cetera holophony algorithm'. This book has something for everyone in it.

LOVE THIS BOOK, 11 Feb 2008
The book not only provides a perspective of looking at the universe as holographic, but also provides an avalanche of very interesting stories.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, and a firm believer that there are no limitations to what we can experience and the changes we can create in our bodies and in our lives, even on genetic level, I wanted to share one of the stories from this book:

"Brocq's disease involves a horribly disfiguring hereditary condition. Victims of Brocq's disease develop a thick, horny covering over their skin that resembles the scales of a reptile. The skin can become so hardened and rigid that even the slightest movement will cause it to crack and bleed.

Brocq's disease was incurable until 1951 when a sixteen-year-old boy with an advanced case of the affliction was referred as a last resort to a hypnotherapist named A.A. Mason at the Queen Victoria Hospital in London. Mason discovered that the boy was a good hypnotic subject and could easily be put into a deep state of trance.

While the boy was in trance, Mason told him that his Brocq's disease was healing and would soon be gone. Five days later the scaly layer covering the boy's left arm fell off, revealing soft, healthy flesh beneath. By the end of tend days the arm was completely normal.

Mason and the boy continued to work on different body areas until all of the scaly skin was gone. The boy remained symptom-free for at least five years, at which point Mason lost touch with him.

This is extraordinary because Brocq's disease is a genetic condition, and getting rid of it involves more than just controlling autonomic processes such as blood flow patterns and various cells of the immune system. It means tapping into the masterplan, the DNA programming itself. So, it would appear that when we access the right strata of our beliefs, our minds can override even our genetic makeup.

Reality as Illusion, 09 Jul 2007
I merely scraped a C grade in GCE O Level Physics but I had hoped that this book would be accessible for the layman interested in the radical implications of quantum theory. However I found "The Holographic Universe" to be a difficult read full of weighty philosophical and scientific theorising and a lot of it didn't make sense to me. The author starts off by proposing the existence of a holographic universe , apparently based on the fact that subatomic particles are actually insubstantial waveforms until they are observed at which stage only then do they become particles. Therefore our consciousness must in some way create what appears to be a solid reality out of nothing. I can accept that argument but I must admit that I found it hard to get my head around the fact that the universe is some kind of interactive 3D photographic projection.Most of "The Holographic Universe" uses this theory to explain away a wide variety of paranormal phenomena from stigmatism to telekinesis , from synchronicities to out of body and near death experiences. The author puts forward an impressive body of evidence to support the existence of these fascinating phenomena but I must admit that I didn't understand how this proved his theory of the holographic nature of the universe. This book would be of interest to those with a broad knowledge of physics and those with a deep knowledge of mystical ,esoteric philosophies, however I found it all to be a bit too obscure and deep to fully comprehend and enjoy. Perhaps someone might get round to writing a dumbed down version of this book to help us all to get enlightened !

Well documented book, fascinating stuff, 25 May 2007
Great read, keep an open mind. Very well known book in the quantum physics world, but don't be put off, the book is understandable, its up to you to look in these theories further.

Fantastic!, 09 Apr 2007
This book is probably the easiest to read on the planet when it comes to explaining quantum physics and how our universe and everything in it is basically the same as a hologram. It's a book that everybody interested in the nature of our reality should definitely read, whatever angle they are coming from!

Amazing!, 20 Mar 2008
Your brain is a hologram. The cosmos is a hologram. Your body is a hologram. Your mind is a hologram. Dreams are holograms. The world you perceive around you is a hologram. There is an underlying order to everything from which reality is projected. This implicate order is also known as 'the zero point energy field'. It's like a piece of holographic film on which the universe is printed. Each part contains the whole. This book is a must read for anyone trying to do anything parapsychological, whether it's psychokenisis, remote viewing, spiritual healing, or predicting the future, what you are dealing with is a hologram. As an amature music recording artist, the part I found most interesting was the bit about using holography to create 3-D surround sound through a standard pair of earphones! do an internet search for 'cetera holophony algorithm'. This book has something for everyone in it.

LOVE THIS BOOK, 11 Feb 2008
The book not only provides a perspective of looking at the universe as holographic, but also provides an avalanche of very interesting stories.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, and a firm believer that there are no limitations to what we can experience and the changes we can create in our bodies and in our lives, even on genetic level, I wanted to share one of the stories from this book:

"Brocq's disease involves a horribly disfiguring hereditary condition. Victims of Brocq's disease develop a thick, horny covering over their skin that resembles the scales of a reptile. The skin can become so hardened and rigid that even the slightest movement will cause it to crack and bleed.

Brocq's disease was incurable until 1951 when a sixteen-year-old boy with an advanced case of the affliction was referred as a last resort to a hypnotherapist named A.A. Mason at the Queen Victoria Hospital in London. Mason discovered that the boy was a good hypnotic subject and could easily be put into a deep state of trance.

While the boy was in trance, Mason told him that his Brocq's disease was healing and would soon be gone. Five days later the scaly layer covering the boy's left arm fell off, revealing soft, healthy flesh beneath. By the end of tend days the arm was completely normal.

Mason and the boy continued to work on different body areas until all of the scaly skin was gone. The boy remained symptom-free for at least five years, at which point Mason lost touch with him.

This is extraordinary because Brocq's disease is a genetic condition, and getting rid of it involves more than just controlling autonomic processes such as blood flow patterns and various cells of the immune system. It means tapping into the masterplan, the DNA programming itself. So, it would appear that when we access the right strata of our beliefs, our minds can override even our genetic makeup.

Reality as Illusion, 09 Jul 2007
I merely scraped a C grade in GCE O Level Physics but I had hoped that this book would be accessible for the layman interested in the radical implications of quantum theory. However I found "The Holographic Universe" to be a difficult read full of weighty philosophical and scientific theorising and a lot of it didn't make sense to me. The author starts off by proposing the existence of a holographic universe , apparently based on the fact that subatomic particles are actually insubstantial waveforms until they are observed at which stage only then do they become particles. Therefore our consciousness must in some way create what appears to be a solid reality out of nothing. I can accept that argument but I must admit that I found it hard to get my head around the fact that the universe is some kind of interactive 3D photographic projection.Most of "The Holographic Universe" uses this theory to explain away a wide variety of paranormal phenomena from stigmatism to telekinesis , from synchronicities to out of body and near death experiences. The author puts forward an impressive body of evidence to support the existence of these fascinating phenomena but I must admit that I didn't understand how this proved his theory of the holographic nature of the universe. This book would be of interest to those with a broad knowledge of physics and those with a deep knowledge of mystical ,esoteric philosophies, however I found it all to be a bit too obscure and deep to fully comprehend and enjoy. Perhaps someone might get round to writing a dumbed down version of this book to help us all to get enlightened !

Well documented book, fascinating stuff, 25 May 2007
Great read, keep an open mind. Very well known book in the quantum physics world, but don't be put off, the book is understandable, its up to you to look in these theories further.

Fantastic!, 09 Apr 2007
This book is probably the easiest to read on the planet when it comes to explaining quantum physics and how our universe and everything in it is basically the same as a hologram. It's a book that everybody interested in the nature of our reality should definitely read, whatever angle they are coming from!

Life, the universe and everything, 14 Jul 2008
I love documentaries that start talking about the quantum world. Of course there is part of your mind that is shouting "this makes no sense" but instead I listen to the bit that says "I must know more". If you are turned off by phrases like M-theory or cosmological constant then this is obviously not the book for you.

If, like me, you love popular science and want to push things a little further without getting bogged down in mathematical formulae which mean NOTHING to me then this is the book for you. Kaku is a great guide through the physics of the very big like red dwarfs and black holes to the subatomic world of gluons and string theory. Whenever there's a danger of losing the reader he uses a simple analogy to help the information make sense. His style is light but serious and his ability to pack so much in without losing a layman like me is impressive.

This is a fabulous book about science for the casual adult reader which will get you to look at the world in a very different way. Enjoy the ride.


Beyond Worlds, 06 Jul 2008
Parallel Worlds is a highly readable account of some of the most advanced and exciting aspects of cosmology and its related disciplines today. Covering everything from Einsteinian relativity, through quantum mechanics and on to the most-favoured current "theories of everything" - string theory and its new variant M-theory - Kaku guides his readers through a potted history of the universe, from its fiery beginning to its cold dark end ... and possibly beyond.

The journey is an exciting one, full of sound and fury - from the pattering of quasars and cosmic background radiation to the roar of supernovae - signifying plenty.

There are one or two editing mishaps - "googol" becomes "google", Jodrell Bank becomes "Jordell Bank", "Brownian motion" becomes "Browning motion" (leading me to wonder what would have happened if Terrence Rattigan had written "The Brownian Version" - in which a retired schoolteacher must confront his failure as a continuous-time stochastic process relating to the movement of a particle in a gas or liquid) - and someone needs to explain to the prof that "enormity" is not the same as "enormousness" but, these very petty cavils aside, this is an entertaining and informative guide to the nature of our universe and the universes that may exist alongside it.

accessible, 10 Jan 2008
a GENUINELY accessible book, written in layman's (or layperson's as it must be these days) terms. the logic of the format flows easily and the topics covered are fascinating, highly speculative but also logically probable. a book to come back to again.

The Humanity's Exit Strategy, 04 Jun 2007
Michio Kaku's "Parallel Worlds" is the best popular science non-fiction ever written. Its breakthrough theories reach out to the most naive reader with such a strength that whatever you've known about the Big Bang or religious essays on the beginning and the end of our world, suddenly becomes a tiny moment caught in the universe yet ever-evolving.

It has very logical structure on complex issues such as the essence of non-material dark energy that apparently consists the 73 percent of the energy in our universe, the bubble theories of the existence of parallel universes where the humanity can move to as our planet comes to an end due to the unavoidable universal freeze. Thus, he masterfully presents the idea of multiverses that co-exist in a string, subject to ongoing Big Bangs here and there. As he narrates "...entire universes continually sprout or "bud" off other universes. If true, it would unify two of the great religious mythologies, Genesis and Nirvana. Genesis would take place continually within the fabric of timeless Nirvana".

(One has another appreciation for Michio Kaku for his bringing up in a Buddhist family who nevertheless sent him off to a Catholic Sunday School had made him one of the most read scientists.)

Decoding Einstein's and Darwin's at their time distant theories on reading "the God's Mind" and the "end of humanity", Michio Kaku unveils the latest developments in the scientific world on the humanity's beginning and future, claiming that even a string of Big Bangs and multiverses would still need an ultimate creator/composer...

This book is a definite buy on the most indefinite questions we have.

Wow!, 19 Apr 2007
This book is mind blowing. Written on a level that makes it accessible to pretty much everybody it covers all aspects of cosmology and their implications regarding time travel, parallel worlds, string theory and black holes. It even covers some of the history behind the major scientists involved (Einstein, Gamow, Schrodinger, Hoyle etc) and includes anecdotes telling of the debates they had with each other concerning some of the major questions. It doesn't matter if you don't fully understand some of the ideas (Quantum theory, for example, is probably fully understood by nobody), there are plenty of other things to keep you interested and its all so well written that it really is close to being impossible to put down.

Amazing!, 20 Mar 2008
Your brain is a hologram. The cosmos is a hologram. Your body is a hologram. Your mind is a hologram. Dreams are holograms. The world you perceive around you is a hologram. There is an underlying order to everything from which reality is projected. This implicate order is also known as 'the zero point energy field'. It's like a piece of holographic film on which the universe is printed. Each part contains the whole. This book is a must read for anyone trying to do anything parapsychological, whether it's psychokenisis, remote viewing, spiritual healing, or predicting the future, what you are dealing with is a hologram. As an amature music recording artist, the part I found most interesting was the bit about using holography to create 3-D surround sound through a standard pair of earphones! do an internet search for 'cetera holophony algorithm'. This book has something for everyone in it.

LOVE THIS BOOK, 11 Feb 2008
The book not only provides a perspective of looking at the universe as holographic, but also provides an avalanche of very interesting stories.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, and a firm believer that there are no limitations to what we can experience and the changes we can create in our bodies and in our lives, even on genetic level, I wanted to share one of the stories from this book:

"Brocq's disease involves a horribly disfiguring hereditary condition. Victims of Brocq's disease develop a thick, horny covering over their skin that resembles the scales of a reptile. The skin can become so hardened and rigid that even the slightest movement will cause it to crack and bleed.

Brocq's disease was incurable until 1951 when a sixteen-year-old boy with an advanced case of the affliction was referred as a last resort to a hypnotherapist named A.A. Mason at the Queen Victoria Hospital in London. Mason discovered that the boy was a good hypnotic subject and could easily be put into a deep state of trance.

While the boy was in trance, Mason told him that his Brocq's disease was healing and would soon be gone. Five days later the scaly layer covering the boy's left arm fell off, revealing soft, healthy flesh beneath. By the end of tend days the arm was completely normal.

Mason and the boy continued to work on different body areas until all of the scaly skin was gone. The boy remained symptom-free for at least five years, at which point Mason lost touch with him.

This is extraordinary because Brocq's disease is a genetic condition, and getting rid of it involves more than just controlling autonomic processes such as blood flow patterns and various cells of the immune system. It means tapping into the masterplan, the DNA programming itself. So, it would appear that when we access the right strata of our beliefs, our minds can override even our genetic makeup.

Reality as Illusion, 09 Jul 2007
I merely scraped a C grade in GCE O Level Physics but I had hoped that this book would be accessible for the layman interested in the radical implications of quantum theory. However I found "The Holographic Universe" to be a difficult read full of weighty philosophical and scientific theorising and a lot of it didn't make sense to me. The author starts off by proposing the existence of a holographic universe , apparently based on the fact that subatomic particles are actually insubstantial waveforms until they are observed at which stage only then do they become particles. Therefore our consciousness must in some way create what appears to be a solid reality out of nothing. I can accept that argument but I must admit that I found it hard to get my head around the fact that the universe is some kind of interactive 3D photographic projection.Most of "The Holographic Universe" uses this theory to explain away a wide variety of paranormal phenomena from stigmatism to telekinesis , from synchronicities to out of body and near death experiences. The author puts forward an impressive body of evidence to support the existence of these fascinating phenomena but I must admit that I didn't understand how this proved his theory of the holographic nature of the universe. This book would be of interest to those with a broad knowledge of physics and those with a deep knowledge of mystical ,esoteric philosophies, however I found it all to be a bit too obscure and deep to fully comprehend and enjoy. Perhaps someone might get round to writing a dumbed down version of this book to help us all to get enlightened !

Well documented book, fascinating stuff, 25 May 2007
Great read, keep an open mind. Very well known book in the quantum physics world, but don't be put off, the book is understandable, its up to you to look in these theories further.

Fantastic!, 09 Apr 2007
This book is probably the easiest to read on the planet when it comes to explaining quantum physics and how our universe and everything in it is basically the same as a hologram. It's a book that everybody interested in the nature of our reality should definitely read, whatever angle they are coming from!

Life, the universe and everything, 14 Jul 2008
I love documentaries that start talking about the quantum world. Of course there is part of your mind that is shouting "this makes no sense" but instead I listen to the bit that says "I must know more". If you are turned off by phrases like M-theory or cosmological constant then this is obviously not the book for you.

If, like me, you love popular science and want to push things a little further without getting bogged down in mathematical formulae which mean NOTHING to me then this is the book for you. Kaku is a great guide through the physics of the very big like red dwarfs and black holes to the subatomic world of gluons and string theory. Whenever there's a danger of losing the reader he uses a simple analogy to help the information make sense. His style is light but serious and his ability to pack so much in without losing a layman like me is impressive.

This is a fabulous book about science for the casual adult reader which will get you to look at the world in a very different way. Enjoy the ride.


Beyond Worlds, 06 Jul 2008
Parallel Worlds is a highly readable account of some of the most advanced and exciting aspects of cosmology and its related disciplines today. Covering everything from Einsteinian relativity, through quantum mechanics and on to the most-favoured current "theories of everything" - string theory and its new variant M-theory - Kaku guides his readers through a potted history of the universe, from its fiery beginning to its cold dark end ... and possibly beyond.

The journey is an exciting one, full of sound and fury - from the pattering of quasars and cosmic background radiation to the roar of supernovae - signifying plenty.

There are one or two editing mishaps - "googol" becomes "google", Jodrell Bank becomes "Jordell Bank", "Brownian motion" becomes "Browning motion" (leading me to wonder what would have happened if Terrence Rattigan had written "The Brownian Version" - in which a retired schoolteacher must confront his failure as a continuous-time stochastic process relating to the movement of a particle in a gas or liquid) - and someone needs to explain to the prof that "enormity" is not the same as "enormousness" but, these very petty cavils aside, this is an entertaining and informative guide to the nature of our universe and the universes that may exist alongside it.

accessible, 10 Jan 2008
a GENUINELY accessible book, written in layman's (or layperson's as it must be these days) terms. the logic of the format flows easily and the topics covered are fascinating, highly speculative but also logically probable. a book to come back to again.

The Humanity's Exit Strategy, 04 Jun 2007
Michio Kaku's "Parallel Worlds" is the best popular science non-fiction ever written. Its breakthrough theories reach out to the most naive reader with such a strength that whatever you've known about the Big Bang or religious essays on the beginning and the end of our world, suddenly becomes a tiny moment caught in the universe yet ever-evolving.

It has very logical structure on complex issues such as the essence of non-material dark energy that apparently consists the 73 percent of the energy in our universe, the bubble theories of the existence of parallel universes where the humanity can move to as our planet comes to an end due to the unavoidable universal freeze. Thus, he masterfully presents the idea of multiverses that co-exist in a string, subject to ongoing Big Bangs here and there. As he narrates "...entire universes continually sprout or "bud" off other universes. If true, it would unify two of the great religious mythologies, Genesis and Nirvana. Genesis would take place continually within the fabric of timeless Nirvana".

(One has another appreciation for Michio Kaku for his bringing up in a Buddhist family who nevertheless sent him off to a Catholic Sunday School had made him one of the most read scientists.)

Decoding Einstein's and Darwin's at their time distant theories on reading "the God's Mind" and the "end of humanity", Michio Kaku unveils the latest developments in the scientific world on the humanity's beginning and future, claiming that even a string of Big Bangs and multiverses would still need an ultimate creator/composer...

This book is a definite buy on the most indefinite questions we have.

Wow!, 19 Apr 2007
This book is mind blowing. Written on a level that makes it accessible to pretty much everybody it covers all aspects of cosmology and their implications regarding time travel, parallel worlds, string theory and black holes. It even covers some of the history behind the major scientists involved (Einstein, Gamow, Schrodinger, Hoyle etc) and includes anecdotes telling of the debates they had with each other concerning some of the major questions. It doesn't matter if you don't fully understand some of the ideas (Quantum theory, for example, is probably fully understood by nobody), there are plenty of other things to keep you interested and its all so well written that it really is close to being impossible to put down.

Never ending chapters of speculation, 26 Aug 2008
If you enjoy reading the more far-fetched New Scientist cosmology articles then I am sure you will find this book entertaining. However, if you like your science at all Popperian you will probably, like me, find it increasingly irritating as you progress. There is very little criticism of the ideas presented in the book, some of which are at best controversial and at worst probably nonsense. Furthermore it would also be very easy to go away with a distorted view about the relative importance of various thinkers; for example, Chaitin is virtually put on a par with Godel and Wolfram with Turing. Having said that there was something addictive about this book and I suspect I'll end up buying more of Chown's work.

So what?, 27 Jun 2008
Is the complexity of the universe the result of a four line computer program?

Will we be resurrected within a computer simulation contrived by an advanced civilisation utilising the energy made available to them as the universe approaches it's ultimate demise?

Are we already living within such a simulation?

Has a message been left for us by the creator in the background radiation of the universe?

These and other completely unverifiable musings are addressed in this book and that, for me, is one of the problems with it - all of the ideas are so out there that after a while I found myself thinking "Here's another off the wall idea that can't be verified one way or another, so what?".

Having said that, it's well written and the author is very capable when it comes to explaining some pretty complex ideas.

If you want to keep up too speed with the current ideas doing the rounds in cosmology then this book will probably interest you. If, on the other hand, you're one of these people who think cosmologists have far too much time on their hands and should get out more, then this book will probably confirm those suspicions!

Thanks for inspiring me again, 10 Jun 2008
I am a part-time physics student and last week finished doing my exams. So, you can imagine, I was sick to death of physics. But a friend urged me to read this book and, against my better judgment, I did. And I'm so glad I did. I couldn't put it down. It's all the fun stuff that wasn't in my course. It's reminded me of why I did physics in the first place. Thanks Mr. Chown for inspiring me again!

Entertaining but simplistic and misleading, 10 Jun 2008
The author clearly has a good grounding in the various scientific theories of fundamental physics, but to be honest I did not make it past chapter one as the conclusions he draws are quite ludicrous and do not stand up to the simplest of scrutiny. Firstly, he puts forward the theory of cosmic inflation as an established fact rather than what it actually is, which is simply one of the top theories currently put forward to explain how our universe got to where it is.

But then he goes on to try and establish the minimum distance you would have to travel to find your double. This is based simply on the number of permutations in which the protons which make up your body (no mention of neutrons or electrons, btw) can be arranged in a given volume of space. Where this falls down is that he does not give any thought to the probability of certain permutations arising. By this counting, one would assume that there was a very high chance of finding your double floating free in space, devoid of any context. He compounds this by postulating that your double might be close because there may be 10^20 habitable planets in the visible universe, which somehow, in his mind, actually increases the probability that a particular 1 in 10^10^28 permutation of protons will be repeated. In fact this would mean each such planet would need an average population of about 10^10^27 before a repeat of your combination of protons would be likely.

The book is entertainingly written and engaging which makes it accessible to a wide audience, which makes it all the more of a shame that Marcus is so sloppy in his reasoning and conclusions. Perhaps the later chapters are more convincing. Unfortunately, after chapter one I had lost all faith in the author and gave up on the book.

The 8 Amazon reader reviews of the hardback, 21 Mar 2008
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Big questions, even bigger answers, 13 Aug 2007
By Toby Briggs "Toby Briggs" (Bath, UK)
Big questions. Brave people with even bigger answers which, even if they turn out to be wrong, illuminate vast areas of modern science. Chow takes you by the hand and leads you to the frontier of knowledge - literally, since one of his big questions is: What is the limit of what we can know? What IBM mathematician Gregory Chatin has to say about this will leave your brain reeling, but it has implications for everything from the limits of computers to the origin of human intuition, imagination and creativity. Elsewhere Chow asks: What happened before the Big Bang explosion? Where does the everyday world come from? Can life survive into the infinite future of the Universe? Why do we experience a common past, present and future when none of these concepts appear in our basic description of space and time (remarkably, it may be due to our biology rather than to physics)? And why are fridges hard to shove about?! (because empty space is "sticky"!) This is a very stimulating book which I have raved about to all my friends.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Truly mind-boggling, 30 Jan 2007
By B. M. Clegg (Wiltshire, England)
This book is really approachable, yet it covers some of the most amazing scientific theories and speculations around. At times you'll be hard pushed to believe this is real science, not science fiction - but it is. A really excellent read - much better than those silly science questions books about penguins feet freezing that the cover seems to be copying.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
*****
breathtaking speculation, 11 Sep 2007
By Simon Laub (Aarhus, Denmark, Europe)
Once in a while comes along a book with breathtaking speculation. Marcus Chowns latest "Dispatches from the frontline of science" certainly fits the description of being "breathtaking". In the words of Brian May (Queen guitarist): "Marcus Chown rocks". We sometimes forget how big and how weird the universe really is. And then it is nice that we have Marcus Chown around to remind us. There is only a finite number of ways of arranging protons in a given volumen of space. Just as it is possible to estimate how many oranges that can be stacked together in a box, it it possible to estimate how many protons you can have in a given volume of space. Because of its quantum graininess, the obervable universe has "only" 10^118 locations where a proton can be. When we further assume that the distribution of galaxies in the observable universe and beyond is the result of random processes that went on the first split seconds of the Universe existence. It follows: Try out enough places in the universe and eventually you come to a part that looks exactly like our observable universe, but is somewhere else. Somewhere out there a copy of you is walking around reading a book that also looks like your book. - Infinite turns out to be a pretty weird thing. It gets worse - or better - with Nick Bostroms simulation argument, which suggest that our universe is really some experiment set up by some super advanced civisisation. And with Frank Tiplers resurrection of all humans in the big crunch at the of time (in the universe) - things gets really weird. Surely, you don't wanna miss the ride. Pick up the book asap. -Simon

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Exhilarating!, 14 Feb 2007
By Mandy Roberts (Birmingham, England)
This is the most exhilarating popular science book I have read since Carl Sagan's 'The Cosmic Connection', and I must have read that 30-odd years ago. Sagan's book opened my eyes to truly cosmic vistas and enriched my life. I think this book will do the same for today's generation. I've already started reading it again!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Confusing (in a good way), 1 Oct 2007
By Mr. C. Johnson "capoeirafreak" (Cambridge)
A good introduction to Quantum Theory for beginners - easy to read, yet fundamentally confusing. I really liked the book, but my nearest doppelganger wasn't so impressed.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
*****
The never ending days of trying not to get lost in this book, 26 Jan 2007
By Mr. R. Bradley "Tearmatt" (Plymouth UK)
As soon as I took it off the shelf I was hooked. You get tucked into the pages after the heading of the first chapter. The words begin to flow and you're taken on a smooth ride into the heart of all the really interesting bits of science, the ones that have the most extreme of theories and questions. All the information is explained in true layman's terms Which is a big help to non degree level people like myself, and is broken down in quick night time session chapters, yet don't expect to sleep easy, some of the information and facts about quantum theory are somewhat upsetting and take away most, or any individual belief that we are unique and more than just lucky animals. All and all a great read for the open minded.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
****
very interesting, from start to finish, 20 Jun 2007
By Hambletta-Maud "hamble" (sunny ireland) - See all my reviews
i really enjoy books about speculative cosmology, and this one hits all the right buttons. by the end of it you will be wondering whether we are just a lot of lucky self-replicating molecules inhabiting a universe that is just right for life or whether there are infinitely similar copies of ourselves spread out in multiverses throughout the cosmos. i know which, but i'm not telling.

8 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
***
Average ........, 8 Aug 2007
By smashing (Yorkshire)
Yes its true - its easy to follow with no mind blowing mathematics and equations to understand. However, where's the evidence for all of the theories in this book ? It ok to say this scientist believes this and that physicist believes that but for me there wasn't enough of the next line - "because....... etc" !! It desperately needs more step by step discussion as to how these fabulous ideas were arrived at, and the sound logical steps in thinking from which they are derived. Too close to science fiction & too far from science fact for me.

Amazing!, 20 Mar 2008
Your brain is a hologram. The cosmos is a hologram. Your body is a hologram. Your mind is a hologram. Dreams are holograms. The world you perceive around you is a hologram. There is an underlying order to everything from which reality is projected. This implicate order is also known as 'the zero point energy field'. It's like a piece of holographic film on which the universe is printed. Each part contains the whole. This book is a must read for anyone trying to do anything parapsychological, whether it's psychokenisis, remote viewing, spiritual healing, or predicting the future, what you are dealing with is a hologram. As an amature music recording artist, the part I found most interesting was the bit about using holography to create 3-D surround sound through a standard pair of earphones! do an internet search for 'cetera holophony algorithm'. This book has something for everyone in it.

LOVE THIS BOOK, 11 Feb 2008
The book not only provides a perspective of looking at the universe as holographic, but also provides an avalanche of very interesting stories.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, and a firm believer that there are no limitations to what we can experience and the changes we can create in our bodies and in our lives, even on genetic level, I wanted to share one of the stories from this book:

"Brocq's disease involves a horribly disfiguring hereditary condition. Victims of Brocq's disease develop a thick, horny covering over their skin that resembles the scales of a reptile. The skin can become so hardened and rigid that even the slightest movement will cause it to crack and bleed.

Brocq's disease was incurable until 1951 when a sixteen-year-old boy with an advanced case of the affliction was referred as a last resort to a hypnotherapist named A.A. Mason at the Queen Victoria Hospital in London. Mason discovered that the boy was a good hypnotic subject and could easily be put into a deep state of trance.

While the boy was in trance, Mason told him that his Brocq's disease was healing and would soon be gone. Five days later the scaly layer covering the boy's left arm fell off, revealing soft, healthy flesh beneath. By the end of tend days the arm was completely normal.

Mason and the boy continued to work on different body areas until all of the scaly skin was gone. The boy remained symptom-free for at least five years, at which point Mason lost touch with him.

This is extraordinary because Brocq's disease is a genetic condition, and getting rid of it involves more than just controlling autonomic processes such as blood flow patterns and various cells of the immune system. It means tapping into the masterplan, the DNA programming itself. So, it would appear that when we access the right strata of our beliefs, our minds can override even our genetic makeup.

Reality as Illusion, 09 Jul 2007
I merely scraped a C grade in GCE O Level Physics but I had hoped that this book would be accessible for the layman interested in the radical implications of quantum theory. However I found "The Holographic Universe" to be a difficult read full of weighty philosophical and scientific theorising and a lot of it didn't make sense to me. The author starts off by proposing the existence of a holographic universe , apparently based on the fact that subatomic particles are actually insubstantial waveforms until they are observed at which stage only then do they become particles. Therefore our consciousness must in some way create what appears to be a solid reality out of nothing. I can accept that argument but I must admit that I found it hard to get my head around the fact that the universe is some kind of interactive 3D photographic projection.Most of "The Holographic Universe" uses this theory to explain away a wide variety of paranormal phenomena from stigmatism to telekinesis , from synchronicities to out of body and near death experiences. The author puts forward an impressive body of evidence to support the existence of these fascinating phenomena but I must admit that I didn't understand how this proved his theory of the holographic nature of the universe. This book would be of interest to those with a broad knowledge of physics and those with a deep knowledge of mystical ,esoteric philosophies, however I found it all to be a bit too obscure and deep to fully comprehend and enjoy. Perhaps someone might get round to writing a dumbed down version of this book to help us all to get enlightened !

Well documented book, fascinating stuff, 25 May 2007
Great read, keep an open mind. Very well known book in the quantum physics world, but don't be put off, the book is understandable, its up to you to look in these theories further.

Fantastic!, 09 Apr 2007
This book is probably the easiest to read on the planet when it comes to explaining quantum physics and how our universe and everything in it is basically the same as a hologram. It's a book that everybody interested in the nature of our reality should definitely read, whatever angle they are coming from!

Life, the universe and everything, 14 Jul 2008
I love documentaries that start talking about the quantum world. Of course there is part of your mind that is shouting "this makes no sense" but instead I listen to the bit that says "I must know more". If you are turned off by phrases like M-theory or cosmological constant then this is obviously not the book for you.

If, like me, you love popular science and want to push things a little further without getting bogged down in mathematical formulae which mean NOTHING to me then this is the book for you. Kaku is a great guide through the physics of the very big like red dwarfs and black holes to the subatomic world of gluons and string theory. Whenever there's a danger of losing the reader he uses a simple analogy to help the information make sense. His style is light but serious and his ability to pack so much in without losing a layman like me is impressive.

This is a fabulous book about science for the casual adult reader which will get you to look at the world in a very different way. Enjoy the ride.


Beyond Worlds, 06 Jul 2008
Parallel Worlds is a highly readable account of some of the most advanced and exciting aspects of cosmology and its related disciplines today. Covering everything from Einsteinian relativity, through quantum mechanics and on to the most-favoured current "theories of everything" - string theory and its new variant M-theory - Kaku guides his readers through a potted history of the universe, from its fiery beginning to its cold dark end ... and possibly beyond.

The journey is an exciting one, full of sound and fury - from the pattering of quasars and cosmic background radiation to the roar of supernovae - signifying plenty.

There are one or two editing mishaps - "googol" becomes "google", Jodrell Bank becomes "Jordell Bank", "Brownian motion" becomes "Browning motion" (leading me to wonder what would have happened if Terrence Rattigan had written "The Brownian Version" - in which a retired schoolteacher must confront his failure as a continuous-time stochastic process relating to the movement of a particle in a gas or liquid) - and someone needs to explain to the prof that "enormity" is not the same as "enormousness" but, these very petty cavils aside, this is an entertaining and informative guide to the nature of our universe and the universes that may exist alongside it.

accessible, 10 Jan 2008
a GENUINELY accessible book, written in layman's (or layperson's as it must be these days) terms. the logic of the format flows easily and the topics covered are fascinating, highly speculative but also logically probable. a book to come back to again.

The Humanity's Exit Strategy, 04 Jun 2007
Michio Kaku's "Parallel Worlds" is the best popular science non-fiction ever written. Its breakthrough theories reach out to the most naive reader with such a strength that whatever you've known about the Big Bang or religious essays on the beginning and the end of our world, suddenly becomes a tiny moment caught in the universe yet ever-evolving.

It has very logical structure on complex issues such as the essence of non-material dark energy that apparently consists the 73 percent of the energy in our universe, the bubble theories of the existence of parallel universes where the humanity can move to as our planet comes to an end due to the unavoidable universal freeze. Thus, he masterfully presents the idea of multiverses that co-exist in a string, subject to ongoing Big Bangs here and there. As he narrates "...entire universes continually sprout or "bud" off other universes. If true, it would unify two of the great religious mythologies, Genesis and Nirvana. Genesis would take place continually within the fabric of timeless Nirvana".

(One has another appreciation for Michio Kaku for his bringing up in a Buddhist family who nevertheless sent him off to a Catholic Sunday School had made him one of the most read scientists.)

Decoding Einstein's and Darwin's at their time distant theories on reading "the God's Mind" and the "end of humanity", Michio Kaku unveils the latest developments in the scientific world on the humanity's beginning and future, claiming that even a string of Big Bangs and multiverses would still need an ultimate creator/composer...

This book is a definite buy on the most indefinite questions we have.

Wow!, 19 Apr 2007
This book is mind blowing. Written on a level that makes it accessible to pretty much everybody it covers all aspects of cosmology and their implications regarding time travel, parallel worlds, string theory and black holes. It even covers some of the history behind the major scientists involved (Einstein, Gamow, Schrodinger, Hoyle etc) and includes anecdotes telling of the debates they had with each other concerning some of the major questions. It doesn't matter if you don't fully understand some of the ideas (Quantum theory, for example, is probably fully understood by nobody), there are plenty of other things to keep you interested and its all so well written that it really is close to being impossible to put down.

Never ending chapters of speculation, 26 Aug 2008
If you enjoy reading the more far-fetched New Scientist cosmology articles then I am sure you will find this book entertaining. However, if you like your science at all Popperian you will probably, like me, find it increasingly irritating as you progress. There is very little criticism of the ideas presented in the book, some of which are at best controversial and at worst probably nonsense. Furthermore it would also be very easy to go away with a distorted view about the relative importance of various thinkers; for example, Chaitin is virtually put on a par with Godel and Wolfram with Turing. Having said that there was something addictive about this book and I suspect I'll end up buying more of Chown's work.

So what?, 27 Jun 2008
Is the complexity of the universe the result of a four line computer program?

Will we be resurrected within a computer simulation contrived by an advanced civilisation utilising the energy made available to them as the universe approaches it's ultimate demise?

Are we already living within such a simulation?

Has a message been left for us by the creator in the background radiation of the universe?

These and other completely unverifiable musings are addressed in this book and that, for me, is one of the problems with it - all of the ideas are so out there that after a while I found myself thinking "Here's another off the wall idea that can't be verified one way or another, so what?".

Having said that, it's well written and the author is very capable when it comes to explaining some pretty complex ideas.

If you want to keep up too speed with the current ideas doing the rounds in cosmology then this book will probably interest you. If, on the other hand, you're one of these people who think cosmologists have far too much time on their hands and should get out more, then this book will probably confirm those suspicions!

Thanks for inspiring me again, 10 Jun 2008
I am a part-time physics student and last week finished doing my exams. So, you can imagine, I was sick to death of physics. But a friend urged me to read this book and, against my better judgment, I did. And I'm so glad I did. I couldn't put it down. It's all the fun stuff that wasn't in my course. It's reminded me of why I did physics in the first place. Thanks Mr. Chown for inspiring me again!

Entertaining but simplistic and misleading, 10 Jun 2008
The author clearly has a good grounding in the various scientific theories of fundamental physics, but to be honest I did not make it past chapter one as the conclusions he draws are quite ludicrous and do not stand up to the simplest of scrutiny. Firstly, he puts forward the theory of cosmic inflation as an established fact rather than what it actually is, which is simply one of the top theories currently put forward to explain how our universe got to where it is.

But then he goes on to try and establish the minimum distance you would have to travel to find your double. This is based simply on the number of permutations in which the protons which make up your body (no mention of neutrons or electrons, btw) can be arranged in a given volume of space. Where this falls down is that he does not give any thought to the probability of certain permutations arising. By this counting, one would assume that there was a very high chance of finding your double floating free in space, devoid of any context. He compounds this by postulating that your double might be close because there may be 10^20 habitable planets in the visible universe, which somehow, in his mind, actually increases the probability that a particular 1 in 10^10^28 permutation of protons will be repeated. In fact this would mean each such planet would need an average population of about 10^10^27 before a repeat of your combination of protons would be likely.

The book is entertainingly written and engaging which makes it accessible to a wide audience, which makes it all the more of a shame that Marcus is so sloppy in his reasoning and conclusions. Perhaps the later chapters are more convincing. Unfortunately, after chapter one I had lost all faith in the author and gave up on the book.

The 8 Amazon reader reviews of the hardback, 21 Mar 2008
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Big questions, even bigger answers, 13 Aug 2007
By Toby Briggs "Toby Briggs" (Bath, UK)
Big questions. Brave people with even bigger answers which, even if they turn out to be wrong, illuminate vast areas of modern science. Chow takes you by the hand and leads you to the frontier of knowledge - literally, since one of his big questions is: What is the limit of what we can know? What IBM mathematician Gregory Chatin has to say about this will leave your brain reeling, but it has implications for everything from the limits of computers to the origin of human intuition, imagination and creativity. Elsewhere Chow asks: What happened before the Big Bang explosion? Where does the everyday world come from? Can life survive into the infinite future of the Universe? Why do we experience a common past, present and future when none of these concepts appear in our basic description of space and time (remarkably, it may be due to our biology rather than to physics)? And why are fridges hard to shove about?! (because empty space is "sticky"!) This is a very stimulating book which I have raved about to all my friends.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Truly mind-boggling, 30 Jan 2007
By B. M. Clegg (Wiltshire, England)
This book is really approachable, yet it covers some of the most amazing scientific theories and speculations around. At times you'll be hard pushed to believe this is real science, not science fiction - but it is. A really excellent read - much better than those silly science questions books about penguins feet freezing that the cover seems to be copying.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
*****
breathtaking speculation, 11 Sep 2007
By Simon Laub (Aarhus, Denmark, Europe)
Once in a while comes along a book with breathtaking speculation. Marcus Chowns latest "Dispatches from the frontline of science" certainly fits the description of being "breathtaking". In the words of Brian May (Queen guitarist): "Marcus Chown rocks". We sometimes forget how big and how weird the universe really is. And then it is nice that we have Marcus Chown around to remind us. There is only a finite number of ways of arranging protons in a given volumen of space. Just as it is possible to estimate how many oranges that can be stacked together in a box, it it possible to estimate how many protons you can have in a given volume of space. Because of its quantum graininess, the obervable universe has "only" 10^118 locations where a proton can be. When we further assume that the distribution of galaxies in the observable universe and beyond is the result of random processes that went on the first split seconds of the Universe existence. It follows: Try out enough places in the universe and eventually you come to a part that looks exactly like our observable universe, but is somewhere else. Somewhere out there a copy of you is walking around reading a book that also looks like your book. - Infinite turns out to be a pretty weird thing. It gets worse - or better - with Nick Bostroms simulation argument, which suggest that our universe is really some experiment set up by some super advanced civisisation. And with Frank Tiplers resurrection of all humans in the big crunch at the of time (in the universe) - things gets really weird. Surely, you don't wanna miss the ride. Pick up the book asap. -Simon

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Exhilarating!, 14 Feb 2007
By Mandy Roberts (Birmingham, England)
This is the most exhilarating popular science book I have read since Carl Sagan's 'The Cosmic Connection', and I must have read that 30-odd years ago. Sagan's book opened my eyes to truly cosmic vistas and enriched my life. I think this book will do the same for today's generation. I've already started reading it again!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Confusing (in a good way), 1 Oct 2007
By Mr. C. Johnson "capoeirafreak" (Cambridge)
A good introduction to Quantum Theory for beginners - easy to read, yet fundamentally confusing. I really liked the book, but my nearest doppelganger wasn't so impressed.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
*****
The never ending days of trying not to get lost in this book, 26 Jan 2007
By Mr. R. Bradley "Tearmatt" (Plymouth UK)
As soon as I took it off the shelf I was hooked. You get tucked into the pages after the heading of the first chapter. The words begin to flow and you're taken on a smooth ride into the heart of all the really interesting bits of science, the ones that have the most extreme of theories and questions. All the information is explained in true layman's terms Which is a big help to non degree level people like myself, and is broken down in quick night time session chapters, yet don't expect to sleep easy, some of the information and facts about quantum theory are somewhat upsetting and take away most, or any individual belief that we are unique and more than just lucky animals. All and all a great read for the open minded.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
****
very interesting, from start to finish, 20 Jun 2007
By Hambletta-Maud "hamble" (sunny ireland) - See all my reviews
i really enjoy books about speculative cosmology, and this one hits all the right buttons. by the end of it you will be wondering whether we are just a lot of lucky self-replicating molecules inhabiting a universe that is just right for life or whether there are infinitely similar copies of ourselves spread out in multiverses throughout the cosmos. i know which, but i'm not telling.

8 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
***
Average ........, 8 Aug 2007
By smashing (Yorkshire)
Yes its true - its easy to follow with no mind blowing mathematics and equations to understand. However, where's the evidence for all of the theories in this book ? It ok to say this scientist believes this and that physicist believes that but for me there wasn't enough of the next line - "because....... etc" !! It desperately needs more step by step discussion as to how these fabulous ideas were arrived at, and the sound logical steps in thinking from which they are derived. Too close to science fiction & too far from science fact for me.


get someone to buy it for you, 28 Apr 2008
if you are interested in imaging, forget it. there is no info on what the variouse targets can look like when photographed, only how to find them. a companion book on how too image and what to use is recomended.

The Novice Stargazer's Bible, 06 Mar 2008
Ask any amateur astronomer what the first book they would recommend to a novice, and the majority will tell you this very book.

Written in a style that is user friendly yet not patronising, it carefully details the highlights of the night sky (by season), giving ratings for each target. All the information on how to find that elusive nebula or galaxy etc is here, along with realistic sketched views through the scope (and finderscope) from a 'normal' viewing site.

Rather than showing each target as a HST or large observatory scope photograph, leading to frustration from the novice, this book is refreshingly honest at what the back garden stargazer will see.

Along with the catalogue of targets (with excellent descriptions of what you are looking at), there is plenty of information on how to set up scopes, what equipment to use and other general advice needed for the novice/amateur astronomer.

I've yet to see a book that covers amateur observations so well.



All that the novice needs, 22 Nov 2006
Put simply, if a novice astronomer with ANY size of telescope buys only one book to assist them, then this should be it (or at least the most recent version of it should be). I'm actually a fairly experienced amateur astronomer with an appalling inability to navigate my way round the skies - at least I did have until I had this book bought for me. Broken down into seasonal sections with indications of the right conditions to go looking for particular objects, I can't think of anything that could make the task easier (short of someone actually finding the objects for you!). It is such a good book I can forgive it a few typos and some lapses of English grammar.

My advice - buy this book!

Every bit as good as they all say !!, 24 Jul 2006
.
.

Well, what else is there to say about this book ?

In a nutshell, it transformed me from clueless beginner to starhopper & DSO finder in 2 hours flat. I have a 200mm Newtonian and I find the book perfect for this scope even though it is aimed primarily at users of small scopes. For a novice it beats a straightforward atlas hands down, giving clear step by step hops to each object. There's much more to this book than mere instructions as well. There's very good info on every single object too, so you find something, then read about it at the time you're observing it. Also, having found a number of the "summer" objects at the 1st attempt I'm very happy that I've failed to find some of the objects listed as these will become targets when I'm more practiced, so the book will remain useful for a long time, and probably forever, as the quickest way to re visit favourite objects.

An utter gem., 10 Jun 2006
This book is perfect. It take the reader and builds his interest in observing just at the point where without it the new scope would end up in the cupboard under the stairs and never be seen again until cleared out by the wife several years later and given away to a distant nephew.

The frission of finding the objects in the book never palls.

The Universe in a Nutshell attempts to address the relative difficulty of Hawking's first foray into popular science, A Brief History of Time. While this sold in its millions, few readers got past the first few chapters. Helpfully, this new work is full of beautifully prepared colour illustrations and decorations, and has a "tree-like" structure, so that readers can skip from chapter to chapter without losing the thread.

In 200 highly illustrated pages, Hawking is pushing the frontiers of popular physics beyond relativity and quantum theory, past superstring theory and imaginary time, into a dizzying new world of M-theory and branes. It's a colossal venture--one Hawking is uniquely qualified to undertake--but it is crammed into far too small a space. When you consider the other rather good tomes being written on the nature of consciousness these days, the decision to limit The Universe in a Nutshell to the dictates of publishing rather than to the natural parameters of the material is an unfortunate one.

Worse, Hawking tries to paper over the complexity of his field. He rushes over the very concepts he should be helping us understand, only to belabour simple ideas, often by means of flip Star Trek metaphors. Also unfortunately, the illustrations--by turns trivial and opaque--mirror the faults of the text. The author's name alone will guarantee sales, but the book we long for--the long, ruminative, poetic celebration of Hawking's world--seems as far away as ever. --Simon Ings

Amazing!, 20 Mar 2008
Your brain is a hologram. The cosmos is a hologram. Your body is a hologram. Your mind is a hologram. Dreams are holograms. The world you perceive around you is a hologram. There is an underlying order to everything from which reality is projected. This implicate order is also known as 'the zero point energy field'. It's like a piece of holographic film on which the universe is printed. Each part contains the whole. This book is a must read for anyone trying to do anything parapsychological, whether it's psychokenisis, remote viewing, spiritual healing, or predicting the future, what you are dealing with is a hologram. As an amature music recording artist, the part I found most interesting was the bit about using holography to create 3-D surround sound through a standard pair of earphones! do an internet search for 'cetera holophony algorithm'. This book has something for everyone in it.

LOVE THIS BOOK, 11 Feb 2008
The book not only provides a perspective of looking at the universe as holographic, but also provides an avalanche of very interesting stories.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, and a firm believer that there are no limitations to what we can experience and the changes we can create in our bodies and in our lives, even on genetic level, I wanted to share one of the stories from this book:

"Brocq's disease involves a horribly disfiguring hereditary condition. Victims of Brocq's disease develop a thick, horny covering over their skin that resembles the scales of a reptile. The skin can become so hardened and rigid that even the slightest movement will cause it to crack and bleed.

Brocq's disease was incurable until 1951 when a sixteen-year-old boy with an advanced case of the affliction was referred as a last resort to a hypnotherapist named A.A. Mason at the Queen Victoria Hospital in London. Mason discovered that the boy was a good hypnotic subject and could easily be put into a deep state of trance.

While the boy was in trance, Mason told him that his Brocq's disease was healing and would soon be gone. Five days later the scaly layer covering the boy's left arm fell off, revealing soft, healthy flesh beneath. By the end of tend days the arm was completely normal.

Mason and the boy continued to work on different body areas until all of the scaly skin was gone. The boy remained symptom-free for at least five years, at which point Mason lost touch with him.

This is extraordinary because Brocq's disease is a genetic condition, and getting rid of it involves more than just controlling autonomic processes such as blood flow patterns and various cells of the immune system. It means tapping into the masterplan, the DNA programming itself. So, it would appear that when we access the right strata of our beliefs, our minds can override even our genetic makeup.

Reality as Illusion, 09 Jul 2007
I merely scraped a C grade in GCE O Level Physics but I had hoped that this book would be accessible for the layman interested in the radical implications of quantum theory. However I found "The Holographic Universe" to be a difficult read full of weighty philosophical and scientific theorising and a lot of it didn't make sense to me. The author starts off by proposing the existence of a holographic universe , apparently based on the fact that subatomic particles are actually insubstantial waveforms until they are observed at which stage only then do they become particles. Therefore our consciousness must in some way create what appears to be a solid reality out of nothing. I can accept that argument but I must admit that I found it hard to get my head around the fact that the universe is some kind of interactive 3D photographic projection.Most of "The Holographic Universe" uses this theory to explain away a wide variety of paranormal phenomena from stigmatism to telekinesis , from synchronicities to out of body and near death experiences. The author puts forward an impressive body of evidence to support the existence of these fascinating phenomena but I must admit that I didn't understand how this proved his theory of the holographic nature of the universe. This book would be of interest to those with a broad knowledge of physics and those with a deep knowledge of mystical ,esoteric philosophies, however I found it all to be a bit too obscure and deep to fully comprehend and enjoy. Perhaps someone might get round to writing a dumbed down version of this book to help us all to get enlightened !

Well documented book, fascinating stuff, 25 May 2007
Great read, keep an open mind. Very well known book in the quantum physics world, but don't be put off, the book is understandable, its up to you to look in these theories further.

Fantastic!, 09 Apr 2007
This book is probably the easiest to read on the planet when it comes to explaining quantum physics and how our universe and everything in it is basically the same as a hologram. It's a book that everybody interested in the nature of our reality should definitely read, whatever angle they are coming from!

Life, the universe and everything, 14 Jul 2008
I love documentaries that start talking about the quantum world. Of course there is part of your mind that is shouting "this makes no sense" but instead I listen to the bit that says "I must know more". If you are turned off by phrases like M-theory or cosmological constant then this is obviously not the book for you.

If, like me, you love popular science and want to push things a little further without getting bogged down in mathematical formulae which mean NOTHING to me then this is the book for you. Kaku is a great guide through the physics of the very big like red dwarfs and black holes to the subatomic world of gluons and string theory. Whenever there's a danger of losing the reader he uses a simple analogy to help the information make sense. His style is light but serious and his ability to pack so much in without losing a layman like me is impressive.

This is a fabulous book about science for the casual adult reader which will get you to look at the world in a very different way. Enjoy the ride.


Beyond Worlds, 06 Jul 2008
Parallel Worlds is a highly readable account of some of the most advanced and exciting aspects of cosmology and its related disciplines today. Covering everything from Einsteinian relativity, through quantum mechanics and on to the most-favoured current "theories of everything" - string theory and its new variant M-theory - Kaku guides his readers through a potted history of the universe, from its fiery beginning to its cold dark end ... and possibly beyond.

The journey is an exciting one, full of sound and fury - from the pattering of quasars and cosmic background radiation to the roar of supernovae - signifying plenty.

There are one or two editing mishaps - "googol" becomes "google", Jodrell Bank becomes "Jordell Bank", "Brownian motion" becomes "Browning motion" (leading me to wonder what would have happened if Terrence Rattigan had written "The Brownian Version" - in which a retired schoolteacher must confront his failure as a continuous-time stochastic process relating to the movement of a particle in a gas or liquid) - and someone needs to explain to the prof that "enormity" is not the same as "enormousness" but, these very petty cavils aside, this is an entertaining and informative guide to the nature of our universe and the universes that may exist alongside it.

accessible, 10 Jan 2008
a GENUINELY accessible book, written in layman's (or layperson's as it must be these days) terms. the logic of the format flows easily and the topics covered are fascinating, highly speculative but also logically probable. a book to come back to again.

The Humanity's Exit Strategy, 04 Jun 2007
Michio Kaku's "Parallel Worlds" is the best popular science non-fiction ever written. Its breakthrough theories reach out to the most naive reader with such a strength that whatever you've known about the Big Bang or religious essays on the beginning and the end of our world, suddenly becomes a tiny moment caught in the universe yet ever-evolving.

It has very logical structure on complex issues such as the essence of non-material dark energy that apparently consists the 73 percent of the energy in our universe, the bubble theories of the existence of parallel universes where the humanity can move to as our planet comes to an end due to the unavoidable universal freeze. Thus, he masterfully presents the idea of multiverses that co-exist in a string, subject to ongoing Big Bangs here and there. As he narrates "...entire universes continually sprout or "bud" off other universes. If true, it would unify two of the great religious mythologies, Genesis and Nirvana. Genesis would take place continually within the fabric of timeless Nirvana".

(One has another appreciation for Michio Kaku for his bringing up in a Buddhist family who nevertheless sent him off to a Catholic Sunday School had made him one of the most read scientists.)

Decoding Einstein's and Darwin's at their time distant theories on reading "the God's Mind" and the "end of humanity", Michio Kaku unveils the latest developments in the scientific world on the humanity's beginning and future, claiming that even a string of Big Bangs and multiverses would still need an ultimate creator/composer...

This book is a definite buy on the most indefinite questions we have.

Wow!, 19 Apr 2007
This book is mind blowing. Written on a level that makes it accessible to pretty much everybody it covers all aspects of cosmology and their implications regarding time travel, parallel worlds, string theory and black holes. It even covers some of the history behind the major scientists involved (Einstein, Gamow, Schrodinger, Hoyle etc) and includes anecdotes telling of the debates they had with each other concerning some of the major questions. It doesn't matter if you don't fully understand some of the ideas (Quantum theory, for example, is probably fully understood by nobody), there are plenty of other things to keep you interested and its all so well written that it really is close to being impossible to put down.

Never ending chapters of speculation, 26 Aug 2008
If you enjoy reading the more far-fetched New Scientist cosmology articles then I am sure you will find this book entertaining. However, if you like your science at all Popperian you will probably, like me, find it increasingly irritating as you progress. There is very little criticism of the ideas presented in the book, some of which are at best controversial and at worst probably nonsense. Furthermore it would also be very easy to go away with a distorted view about the relative importance of various thinkers; for example, Chaitin is virtually put on a par with Godel and Wolfram with Turing. Having said that there was something addictive about this book and I suspect I'll end up buying more of Chown's work.

So what?, 27 Jun 2008
Is the complexity of the universe the result of a four line computer program?

Will we be resurrected within a computer simulation contrived by an advanced civilisation utilising the energy made available to them as the universe approaches it's ultimate demise?

Are we already living within such a simulation?

Has a message been left for us by the creator in the background radiation of the universe?

These and other completely unverifiable musings are addressed in this book and that, for me, is one of the problems with it - all of the ideas are so out there that after a while I found myself thinking "Here's another off the wall idea that can't be verified one way or another, so what?".

Having said that, it's well written and the author is very capable when it comes to explaining some pretty complex ideas.

If you want to keep up too speed with the current ideas doing the rounds in cosmology then this book will probably interest you. If, on the other hand, you're one of these people who think cosmologists have far too much time on their hands and should get out more, then this book will probably confirm those suspicions!

Thanks for inspiring me again, 10 Jun 2008
I am a part-time physics student and last week finished doing my exams. So, you can imagine, I was sick to death of physics. But a friend urged me to read this book and, against my better judgment, I did. And I'm so glad I did. I couldn't put it down. It's all the fun stuff that wasn't in my course. It's reminded me of why I did physics in the first place. Thanks Mr. Chown for inspiring me again!

Entertaining but simplistic and misleading, 10 Jun 2008
The author clearly has a good grounding in the various scientific theories of fundamental physics, but to be honest I did not make it past chapter one as the conclusions he draws are quite ludicrous and do not stand up to the simplest of scrutiny. Firstly, he puts forward the theory of cosmic inflation as an established fact rather than what it actually is, which is simply one of the top theories currently put forward to explain how our universe got to where it is.

But then he goes on to try and establish the minimum distance you would have to travel to find your double. This is based simply on the number of permutations in which the protons which make up your body (no mention of neutrons or electrons, btw) can be arranged in a given volume of space. Where this falls down is that he does not give any thought to the probability of certain permutations arising. By this counting, one would assume that there was a very high chance of finding your double floating free in space, devoid of any context. He compounds this by postulating that your double might be close because there may be 10^20 habitable planets in the visible universe, which somehow, in his mind, actually increases the probability that a particular 1 in 10^10^28 permutation of protons will be repeated. In fact this would mean each such planet would need an average population of about 10^10^27 before a repeat of your combination of protons would be likely.

The book is entertainingly written and engaging which makes it accessible to a wide audience, which makes it all the more of a shame that Marcus is so sloppy in his reasoning and conclusions. Perhaps the later chapters are more convincing. Unfortunately, after chapter one I had lost all faith in the author and gave up on the book.

The 8 Amazon reader reviews of the hardback, 21 Mar 2008
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Big questions, even bigger answers, 13 Aug 2007
By Toby Briggs "Toby Briggs" (Bath, UK)
Big questions. Brave people with even bigger answers which, even if they turn out to be wrong, illuminate vast areas of modern science. Chow takes you by the hand and leads you to the frontier of knowledge - literally, since one of his big questions is: What is the limit of what we can know? What IBM mathematician Gregory Chatin has to say about this will leave your brain reeling, but it has implications for everything from the limits of computers to the origin of human intuition, imagination and creativity. Elsewhere Chow asks: What happened before the Big Bang explosion? Where does the everyday world come from? Can life survive into the infinite future of the Universe? Why do we experience a common past, present and future when none of these concepts appear in our basic description of space and time (remarkably, it may be due to our biology rather than to physics)? And why are fridges hard to shove about?! (because empty space is "sticky"!) This is a very stimulating book which I have raved about to all my friends.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Truly mind-boggling, 30 Jan 2007
By B. M. Clegg (Wiltshire, England)
This book is really approachable, yet it covers some of the most amazing scientific theories and speculations around. At times you'll be hard pushed to believe this is real science, not science fiction - but it is. A really excellent read - much better than those silly science questions books about penguins feet freezing that the cover seems to be copying.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
*****
breathtaking speculation, 11 Sep 2007
By Simon Laub (Aarhus, Denmark, Europe)
Once in a while comes along a book with breathtaking speculation. Marcus Chowns latest "Dispatches from the frontline of science" certainly fits the description of being "breathtaking". In the words of Brian May (Queen guitarist): "Marcus Chown rocks". We sometimes forget how big and how weird the universe really is. And then it is nice that we have Marcus Chown around to remind us. There is only a finite number of ways of arranging protons in a given volumen of space. Just as it is possible to estimate how many oranges that can be stacked together in a box, it it possible to estimate how many protons you can have in a given volume of space. Because of its quantum graininess, the obervable universe has "only" 10^118 locations where a proton can be. When we further assume that the distribution of galaxies in the observable universe and beyond is the result of random processes that went on the first split seconds of the Universe existence. It follows: Try out enough places in the universe and eventually you come to a part that looks exactly like our observable universe, but is somewhere else. Somewhere out there a copy of you is walking around reading a book that also looks like your book. - Infinite turns out to be a pretty weird thing. It gets worse - or better - with Nick Bostroms simulation argument, which suggest that our universe is really some experiment set up by some super advanced civisisation. And with Frank Tiplers resurrection of all humans in the big crunch at the of time (in the universe) - things gets really weird. Surely, you don't wanna miss the ride. Pick up the book asap. -Simon

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Exhilarating!, 14 Feb 2007
By Mandy Roberts (Birmingham, England)
This is the most exhilarating popular science book I have read since Carl Sagan's 'The Cosmic Connection', and I must have read that 30-odd years ago. Sagan's book opened my eyes to truly cosmic vistas and enriched my life. I think this book will do the same for today's generation. I've already started reading it again!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
*****
Confusing (in a good way), 1 Oct 2007
By Mr. C. Johnson "capoeirafreak" (Cambridge)
A good introduction to Quantum Theory for beginners - easy to read, yet fundamentally confusing. I really liked the book, but my nearest doppelganger wasn't so impressed.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
*****
The never ending days of trying not to get lost in this book, 26 Jan 2007
By Mr. R. Bradley "Tearmatt" (Plymouth UK)
As soon as I took it off the shelf I was hooked. You get tucked into the pages after the heading of the first chapter. The words begin to flow and you're taken on a smooth ride into the heart of all the really interesting bits of science, the ones that have the most extreme of theories and questions. All the information is explained in true layman's terms Which is a big help to non degree level people like myself, and is broken down in quick night time session chapters, yet don't expect to sleep easy, some of the information and facts about quantum theory are somewhat upsetting and take away most, or any individual belief that we are unique and more than just lucky animals. All and all a great read for the open minded.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
****
very interesting, from start to finish, 20 Jun 2007
By Hambletta-Maud "hamble" (sunny ireland) - See all my reviews
i really enjoy books about speculative cosmology, and this one hits all the right buttons. by the end of it you will be wondering whether we are just a lot of lucky self-replicating molecules inhabiting a universe that is just right for life or whether there are infinitely similar copies of ourselves spread out in multiverses throughout the cosmos. i know which, but i'm not telling.

8 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
***
Average ........, 8 Aug 2007
By smashing (Yorkshire)
Yes its true - its easy to follow with no mind blowing mathematics and equations to understand. However, where's the evidence for all of the theories in this book ? It ok to say this scientist believes this and that physicist believes that but for me there wasn't enough of the next line - "because....... etc" !! It desperately needs more step by step discussion as to how these fabulous ideas were arrived at, and the sound logical steps in thinking from which they are derived. Too close to science fiction & too far from science fact for me.


get someone to buy it for you, 28 Apr 2008
if you are interested in imaging, forget it. there is no info on what the variouse targets can look like when photographed, only how to find them. a companion book on how too image and what to use is recomended.

The Novice Stargazer's Bible, 06 Mar 2008
Ask any amateur astronomer what the first book they would recommend to a novice, and the majority will tell you this very book.

Written in a style that is user friendly yet not patronising, it carefully details the highlights of the night sky (by season), giving ratings for each target. All the information on how to find that elusive nebula or galaxy etc is here, along with realistic sketched views through the scope (and finderscope) from a 'normal' viewing site.

Rather than showing each target as a HST or large observatory scope photograph, leading to frustration from the novice, this book is refreshingly honest at what the back garden stargazer will see.

Along with the catalogue of targets (with excellent descriptions of what you are looking at), there is plenty of information on how to set up scopes, what equipment to use and other general advice needed for the novice/amateur astronomer.

I've yet to see a book that covers amateur observations so well.



All that the novice needs, 22 Nov 2006
Put simply, if a novice astronomer with ANY size of telescope buys only one book to assist them, then this should be it (or at least the most recent version of it should be). I'm actually a fairly experienced amateur astronomer with an appalling inability to navigate my way round the skies - at least I did have until I had this book bought for me. Broken down into seasonal sections with indications of the right conditions to go looking for particular objects, I can't think of anything that could make the task easier (short of someone actually finding the objects for you!). It is such a good book I can forgive it a few typos and some lapses of English grammar.

My advice - buy this book!

Every bit as good as they all say !!, 24 Jul 2006
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Well, what else is there to say about this book ?

In a nutshell, it transformed me from clueless beginner to starhopper & DSO finder in 2 hours flat. I have a 200mm Newtonian and I find the book perfect for this scope even though it is aimed primarily at users of small scopes. For a novice it beats a straightforward atlas hands down, giving clear step by step hops to each object. There's much more to this book than mere instructions as well. There's very good info on every single object too, so you find something, then read about it at the time you're observing it. Also, having found a number of the "summer" objects at the 1st attempt I'm very happy that I've failed to find some of the objects listed as these will become targets when I'm more practiced, so the book will remain useful for a long time, and probably forever, as the quickest way to re visit favourite objects.

An utter gem., 10 Jun 2006
This book is perfect. It take the reader and builds his interest in observing just at the point where without it the new scope would end up in the cupboard under the stairs and never be seen again until cleared out by the wife several years later and given away to a distant nephew.

The frission of finding the objects in the book never palls.

Very good book, but a bit hard to understand, 24 Jul 2008
Before I read this book, I have finished A Briefer History of Time also by Stephen Hawking. Therefore, I have had a general idea of time and relativity already.

I found University in a Nutshell is much harder to understand comparing with the A Briefer History of Time. The knowledge introduced in the book is much deeper and I counldn't understand much of it. I have got a master degree in microelectronics, if I got problem to understand I think many other people will have the same problem.

Hawking is trying to introduce the knowledge using non-mathematical ways. It is well illustrated, however, I think it is a bit over illustrated. I found many of the illustrations are redundant such as Einstein's photos and some other diagram isn't really helpful for readers to understand the knowledge which is written by word.

Generally speaking, it is still a very good book. It covers quite a lot of knoledge points such as black hole and etc. And it is quite a fun to read.

Mostly understandable :), 14 Jun 2006
I am not much of a science / physics person (as in I don't really understand these matters but do find them fascinating) but I am very interested in astronomy, so I am always happy to read something about the universe in language which does not employ too much maths or excessive equations, as I simply get lost otherwise. I found Mr Hawking's explanations very accessible, apart from the discussion about time and the whole argument as to whether it has always been there, and sadly even the beautiful illustrations didn't help...but I'd put that down as my own fault rather than the author's! All in all, very well-written book, most concepts will be understood by ordinary people without prior knowledge of maths/physics, I am grateful to Mr Hawking for making this difficult subject seem much less daunting!

Only for people with science knowledge, 09 Jun 2005
A lovely book, lavishly illustrated and covering a huge swathe of scientific ground. The only problem is that despite being written for non-scientists, it doesn't really explain very much and the lavish illustrations sometimes don't really describe what's going on either. If you have read similar popular science books then you'll find this an interesting recap of a large field, but if you haven't you'll probably just end up feeling lost and confused.

Universe in a Nutshell review, 14 Jan 2005
I think this book has a broad appeal for all readers that have an interest in science. When I first bought the book I was worried thet it would be too complicated because my area of expertise is law not science, but it is explained in an interesting and simple way with illustrations and minimal use of maths! Not only will you get an idea of the science behind this book but it will also leave you with philisophical thoughts about the universe and the mysteries that are incomprehensable and yet to be solved.

Excellent but incomplete picture of the universe, 25 Nov 2004
This book is a must read for everyone who loves science. One has to feel some discomfort from the incompleteness of the big bang universe and its inefficiency to explain the growing number of observations. It is quite uncertain what existed before the big bang. That is why new theories like Eugene Savov's Theory of Interaction that cast light on the most recent mysteries from the near and distant space should be considered.

Amazing!, 20 Mar 2008
Your brain is a hologram. The cosmos is a hologram. Your body is a hologram. Your mind is a hologram. Dreams are holograms. The world you perceive around you is a hologram. There is an underlying order to everything from which reality is projected. This implicate order is also known as 'the zero point energy field'. It's like a piece of holographic film on which the universe is printed. Each part contains the whole. This book is a must read for anyone trying to do anything parapsychological, whether it's psychokenisis, remote viewing, spiritual healing, or predicting the future, what you are dealing with is a hologram. As an amature music recording artist, the part I found most interesting was the bit about using holography to create 3-D surround sound through a standard pair of earphones! do an internet search for 'cetera holophony algorithm'. This book has something for everyone in it.

LOVE THIS BOOK, 11 Feb 2008
The book not only provides a perspective of looking at the universe as holographic, but also provides an avalanche of very interesting stories.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, and a firm believer that there are no limitations to what we can experience and the changes we can create in our bodies and in our lives, even on genetic level, I wanted to share one of the stories from this book:

"Brocq's disease involves a horribly disfiguring hereditary condition. Victims of Brocq's disease develop a thick, horny covering over their skin that resembles the scales of a reptile. The skin can become so hardened and rigid that even the slightest movement will cause it to crack and bleed.

Brocq's disease was incurable until 1951 when a sixteen-year-old boy with an advanced case of the affliction was referred as a last resort to a hypnotherapist named A.A. Mason at the Queen Victoria Hospital in London. Mason discovered that the boy was a good hypnotic subject and could easily be put into a deep state of trance.

While the boy was in trance, Mason told him that his Brocq's disease was healing and would soon be gone. Five days later the scaly layer covering the boy's left arm fell off, revealing soft, healthy flesh beneath. By the end of tend days the arm was completely normal.

Mason and the boy continued to work on different body areas until all of the scaly skin was gone. The boy remained symptom-free for at least five years, at which point Mason lost touch with him.

This is extraordinary because Brocq's disease is a genetic condition, and getting rid of it involves more than just controlling autonomic processes such as blood flow patterns and various cells of the immune system. It means tapping into the masterplan, the DNA programming itself. So, it would appear that when we access the right strata of our beliefs, our minds can override even our genetic makeup.

Reality as Illusion, 09 Jul 2007
I merely scraped a C grade in GCE O Level Physics but I had hoped that this book would be accessible for the layman interested in the radical implications of quantum theory. However I found "The Holographic Universe" to be a difficult read full of weighty philosophical and scientific theorising and a lot of it didn't make sense to me. The author starts off by proposing the existence of a holographic universe , apparently based on the fact that subatomic particles are actually insubstantial waveforms until they are observed at which stage only then do they become particles. Therefore our consciousness must in some way create what appears to be a solid reality out of nothing. I can accept that argument but I must admit that I found it hard to get my head around the fact that the universe is some kind of interactive 3D photographic projection.Most of "The Holographic Universe" uses this theory to explain away a wide variety of paranormal phenomena from stigmatism to telekinesis , from synchronicities to out of body and near death experiences. The author puts forward an impressive body of evidence to support the existence of these fascinating phenomena but I must admit that I didn't understand how this proved his theory of the holographic nature of the universe. This book would be of interest to those with a broad knowledge of physics and those with a deep knowledge of mystical ,esoteric philosophies, however I found it all to be a bit too obscure and deep to fully comprehend and enjoy. Perhaps someone might get round to writing a dumbed down version of this book to help us all to get enlightened !

Well documented book, fascinating stuff, 25 May 2007
Great read, keep an open mind. Very well known book in the quantum physics world, but don't be put off, the book is understandable, its up to you to look in these theories further.

Fantastic!, 09 Apr 2007
This book is probably the easiest to read on the planet when it comes to explaining quantum physics and how our universe and everything in it is basically the same as a hologram. It's a book that everybody interested in the nature of our reality should definitely read, whatever angle they are coming from!

Life, the universe and everything, 14 Jul 2008
I love documentaries that start talking about the quantum world. Of course there is part of your mind that is shouting "this makes no sense" but instead I listen to the bit that says "I must know more". If you are turned off by phrases like M-theory or cosmological constant then this is obviously not the book for you.

If, like me, you love popular science and want to push things a little further without getting bogged down in mathematical formulae which mean NOTHING to me then this is the book for you. Kaku is a great guide through the physics of the very big like red dwarfs and black holes to the subatomic world of gluons and string theory. Whenever there's a danger of losing the reader he uses a simple analogy to help the information make sense. His style is light but serious and his ability to pack so much in without losing a layman like me is impressive.

This is a fabulous book about science for the casual adult reader which will get you to look at the world in a very different way. Enjoy the ride.


Beyond Worlds, 06 Jul 2008
Parallel Worlds is a highly readable account of some of the most advanced and exciting aspects of cosmology and its related disciplines today. Covering everything from Einsteinian relativity, through quantum mechanics and on to the most-favoured current "theories of everything" - string theory and its new variant M-theory - Kaku guides his readers through a potted history of the universe, from its fiery beginning to its cold dark end ... and possibly beyond.

The journey is an exciting one, full of sound and fury - from the pattering of quasars and cosmic background radiation to the roar of supernovae - signifying plenty.

There are one or two editing mishaps - "googol" becomes "google", Jodrell Bank becomes "Jordell Bank", "Brownian motion" becomes "Browning motion" (leading me to wonder what would have happened if Terrence Rattigan had written "The Brownian Version" - in which a retired schoolteacher must confront his failure as a continuous-time stochastic process relating to the movement of a particle in a gas or liquid) - and someone needs to explain to the prof that "enormity" is not the same as "enormousness" but, these very petty cavils aside, this is an entertaining and informative guide to the nature of our universe and the universes that may exist alongside it.

accessible, 10 Jan 2008
a GENUINELY accessible book, written in layman's (or layperson's as it must be these days) terms. the logic of the format flows easily and the topics covered are fascinating, highly speculative but also logically probable. a book to come back to again.

The Humanity's Exit Strategy, 04 Jun 2007
Michio Kaku's "Parallel Worlds" is the