Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, Douglas R. Hofstader. © 1979 by Basic Books, Inc.

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Kurt Godel was a twentieth-century Austrian mathematician who proved that all systems of mathematics which are consistent will include undecidable propositions. M.C. Escher was a twentieth-century Dutch artist whose lithographs play with our preconceptions of reality. Johann Sebastian Bach was a seventeenth-century German baroque composer and organist whose works broke ground technically and artistically.

What do these three men have in common? That is the theme of Hofstader's book, a masterpiece of modern philosophy which won the Pulitzer Prize.

Hofstader, a specialist in artificial intelligence, deals with a number of concepts in GEB: mathematics, computers and computer programs, music, Epimenides' paradox ("This sentence is false", a key concept in Godel's Theorem), our perception of intelligence, logic, Zen, molecular biology, translation and many other passing fancies, all of which he ties together brilliantly. Summarizing this book is nearly impossible, but it's an interesting and delightful journey throughout.

Of particular interest to mathematically challenged readers are the Dialogues interspersed with the narrative, which help illustrate the many points Hofstader makes. Most of these Dialogues feature Achilles and a Tortoise, who converse about various ideas in an interesting and amusing fashion. For instance, the first Dialogue uses these two characters and Zeno (a Greek philosopher) to explain why Achilles can never beat the Tortoise in a footrace. (Basically, since he has to cover the distance each moment that the Tortoise continues to move, he can never actually reach the Tortoise.) The second Dialogue, by Lewis Carroll, uses logic to explain why logic can't be used to prove anything. It's all intriguing and thought-provoking, although some may argue that it's just silly. My own feeling is that anything that provokes discussion can never be silly.

I must admit that there are large chunks of this book which I don't fully understand. Hofstader deals with some difficult concepts, and although he does his best to make them clear, they're of such a difficulty level that they remain fuzzy. However, the more I read, the more I understand--and this book was written to be read again and again.

I apologize; I hoped to write a better review of GEB, but it encompasses so much and does it so intelligently that I can't hope to give you more than a glimpse into its beauty. Highly recommended for everyone, even if much of it may seem obscure at first. Take your time. Read slowly. Enjoy.
 

I'm blowing my own horn today.

I had the idea for this story some time ago. I entered a difficult contest, "WYRM's Gauntlet--off season" , knowing that if I made it all the way to the finals that I'd have to write two stories. One had to be "spec fic", or some form of fantasy/science fiction/horror story. The second could be any genre.

Knowing going in that I'd have to write stories, I had a couple of ideas in mind for the spec fic story. Both of them, strangely enough, were inspired by my latest collections of Beatles music. You can find the first here, which I adapted to suit the prompt: "Living In Stereo" . Lest you think I may have cheated, let me reassure you that I didn't begin actually writing the story until the prompt was posted. As I said, I had two stories in mind, and I just chose to write the one which fit better with the prompt. It worked; I got to the next round.

Now I'm in the finals, and therefore I had one final story to write. I considered penning the next installment in my secret agent series (Jonathan Black, who has a folder all his own in my port if you're interested), but I didn't think that would go over well with this group. They're all fantasy lovers, you see. So I decided to use my other spec fic idea.

Before I actually began writing, my daughter and I attended a Regina Spektor concert. It was marvelous. She's a singer/songwriter/pianist with tons of talent and a quirky sense of humor. So for the encore, she played her song "Samson" solo on piano. And at the line "Beneath the stars came falling", the stage came up in a galaxy of stars over the backdrop and piano and walls. It was gorgeous. I knew I'd found my title, even if it's a little off topic.

If you're interested, I'd love reviews. I like it. I think it has a marvelous sense of wonder.

ID: 1604127   (Rated: ASR) Title: Beneath The Stars Came Falling  Description: A meeting of minds. Thanx to Regina Spektor for the title. By: Lynn McKenzie

(Oh yes--I have to turn it in Monday, October 12th, at 10 PM EDT. So if you could review it before then, it'd help. )