Reviews for Manhwa Wonderful Science 1 (Korean Edition)

The average rating for Manhwa Wonderful Science 1 (Korean Edition) based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-11-06 00:00:00 Allan Davis This has been on my to-read shelf for ages, but I wanted to wait until the festive season to begin it ... and I'm glad I did. A great start to the Christmas celebrations. The author covers a wide range of topics and discusses the theoretical science behind them. For instance, how Santa has solved the quantum physics of high-speed transportation, how lasers could be used to cook the perfect turkey, how a bit of Christmas Spirit can be good for your mental health and how Mary could very well of been a virgin (although Jesus would have been a girl or Mary was a genetic hermaphrodite!). From the very first chapter, where the Bethlehem Star is compared to a comet or plant alignment, to the last, where a future Christmas with virtual reality get-togethers and genetically engineered sprouts, everything has interest and, more importantly, a fantastic sense of humour. I love the fact that serious scientists have, at one time or another, turned their minds to more 'theoretical' problems, and come up with some fun and fantastic conclusions. For instance, reindeers can't pull Santa's sleigh across the sky ... they would burn up due to friction. So, they'd need a coat of some sort, such as the space shuttle 'wears' to protect them. Especially the antlers, which act as a way to manipulate airwaves, like Concorde did, in order to fly and steer. Simples! Yes, on occasion, the science got away from me, but then I am a biologist, so my physics knowledge comes from Sci-Fi novels and Star Trek! But on the whole, the articles are written in nice, bite-size pieces that are easy to follow ... even if some of the Christmas metaphors are stretched unbelievably far! But overall, I would recommend this book. It has definitely put me in the Christmas spirit!

Review # 2 was written on 2014-01-07 00:00:00 Rhonda Smith I am on the fence about this one. In this book, Roger Highfield discussed the science behind many aspects of Christmas, from the virgin birth to the science of cooking a Turkey. The problem is that is it is... odd. The first problem is that it is a bit dry. It is not as funny (if at all) as it is claimed to be, and feels far too heavy to be a coffee table read. The second problem is its methodological inconsistency. One minute it assumes that somethings are nonsense, then assumes they are real, with no real statement as to why. This could be because much of the material in the book comes from Highfield's newspaper contributions, but surely the could have been rewritten to better fit a book format. I also take umbrage against his pandering to religion. In the acknowledgements, he claimed to have sought feedback from a priest to ensure that the book isn't blasphemous. Science and religion are not compatible, and blasphemy should be something no scientist should fear if it is grounded in evidence-based proof. Why on earth Highfield is trying to be kind to religion at the expense of scientific common sense is beyond me. It isn't all bad. The parts on mental health at Christmas and alcohol were genuinely interesting for me, but the buck stopped there. I didn't really dig this read overall.