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shumska's review against another edition
3.0
vjerujem da je ova knjiga vrednija nego što to mogu percipirati. pitanjima izvanzemaljaca nisam se nikada bavila niti su mi bila osobito intrigantna; čak nemam niti neko jasno formulirano mišljenje o njihovoj egzistenciji (da ga imam, vjerujem da bi mi i knjiga bila interesantnija). ne poričem webbovu vještinu i posvećenost temi: odabrao je 50 odgovora na pitanje "postoje li izvanzemaljci?" (npr. "oni su tu i nazivaju se mađarima", "nisu imali dovoljno vremena da nas dosegnu", "šalju signale, ali mi ih ne znamo primiti", ne žele uspostaviti kontakt" itd...) i njih iscrpno objasnio. neke teorije su intrigantne, neke duhovite i smiješne, neke začuđujuće, neke znanstveno utemeljene - ima svega.. kako god, ukoliko te zanima ta tema, ovo će ti biti zabavno štivo, možda te poljuljati u dosadašnjim uvjerenjima i otvoriti vratašca za neke nove misli i pretpostavke.
d6y's review against another edition
4.0
It is what it says it is: 75 individual solutions to the Fermi Paradox. They are grouped into three sections, but I'd personally liked to have just seen the best three or four in each section.
nicolereneegu's review
4.0
What an interesting book! Not only did I learn a great deal about the landscape of theories regarding the Fermi paradox, but I also learned a lot about a variety of related topics, including astrobiology, evolution, probabilities, maths, quantum mechanics, and general/special relativity! While I don't 100% agree with the author's final conclusion that we are likely alone in the Galaxy, if not the Universe as a whole, I was able to clearly follow and understand his reasoning in support of it.
Another important perk is that I was able to speed through it in only two days of dedicated reading, which is a big deal for me. The last few books I've read have taken a month or more each, which has got me feeling pretty badly about my reading speed. But now that I've seen how fast I can read, I feel hopeful that maybe it won't always be such a slog. Maybe I should just be reading more nonfiction.
Another important perk is that I was able to speed through it in only two days of dedicated reading, which is a big deal for me. The last few books I've read have taken a month or more each, which has got me feeling pretty badly about my reading speed. But now that I've seen how fast I can read, I feel hopeful that maybe it won't always be such a slog. Maybe I should just be reading more nonfiction.
omnibozo22's review
4.0
I have enough science background to follow the basic arguments, though not the specific math, employed throughout this thoughtful and provocative book. Of my many college classics over way too many years, the Astro-GeoPhysics class I took from Prof. Kim Malville at CU Boulder is one that has had lasting impact. I wasn't a stellar (hehehe) student, but the readings have stuck with me, especially Carl Sagan's book on the probability of other life in the universe. I'm also grateful for Prof. Greg Rozenberg's patient review of DNA basics (so I could understand the concept of using DNA as massive parallel processing computers). Webb's ultimate personal conclusion wasn't completely convincing, but that's the nature of every one of the 39 explanations he explores.
katski's review
5.0
This was an excellent read. The facts and speculations presented were given in a way that made it comprehensible, even for someone like me.
But now I have an existential crisis and I question everything and everyone around me, so thank you for doing that.
But now I have an existential crisis and I question everything and everyone around me, so thank you for doing that.
18thstjoe's review
4.0
some of the 50 are mostly repetitive, would have like to have seen more depth of discussion
wacosinker's review
5.0
Enjoyable throughout, though I almost regret having read it because I agree with the author's answer to the Fermi paradox. The "Sieve of Fermi", which is a stacked probability equation, makes sense. Weber to conclude, The only thing sadder than being the lone intelligence, or for all practical purposes, a lone intelligent species, is the thought they we might well extinguish ourselves.
Andy Revikin's thoughts on the paradox, as shared to Adam Frank via Twitter, 8,14,2016.
1. "The galaxy is quiet because there are two kinds of outcomes when intelligence emerges.
a) Burnout and extinction as the capacity to innovate outpaces the capacity for ethical judgement and complexity judgement.
b) Planets that survive are those that thread the needle and thrive in a "small" and very quiet way.
2. The galaxy is quiet because intelligence is implicitly ultimately maladaptive. After what can sometimes be a spectacular, even brilliant, run, 1a is an inevitable result.
I'm hoping for number 1. (Brad Allenby has a third notion -- we're presuming intelligent life is intelligible to us.
Andy Revikin's thoughts on the paradox, as shared to Adam Frank via Twitter, 8,14,2016.
1. "The galaxy is quiet because there are two kinds of outcomes when intelligence emerges.
a) Burnout and extinction as the capacity to innovate outpaces the capacity for ethical judgement and complexity judgement.
b) Planets that survive are those that thread the needle and thrive in a "small" and very quiet way.
2. The galaxy is quiet because intelligence is implicitly ultimately maladaptive. After what can sometimes be a spectacular, even brilliant, run, 1a is an inevitable result.
I'm hoping for number 1. (Brad Allenby has a third notion -- we're presuming intelligent life is intelligible to us.
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