Disovering Feynman, pt.2

One of the books that I could not stop reading. Looking forward to reading it again.

It's hard to pinpoint the best part of the book, but gotta start somewhere. You know how people like to roll out their credentials and accomplishments, well, Feynman introduces himself by simply stating where he was born, mentions his wives, tells his involvement in the Manhattan project, and that he was in Princeton and Cornell. Nothing of "I was part of the core team that developed the first atomic bomb" or "I won a Nobel prize for my work in physics". As if he had others things he valued.

This book contains many funny stories. The title of the book comes from a response he got when asked whether he wanted tea with milk or lemon. Feynman comes off as a mischievous (or rather ingenious) person who tests possibilities. Whether he finds a place to sleep prior to starting his teaching career (spoiler, he actually does, but in a different way), gets his way when dealing with public worker, opens a safe containing top secret documents, or communicates with his wife using a cipher. And how he makes others believe that he speaks Italian (or Latin), so sneaky!

When the first atomic bomb is tested (Trinity), Feynman simply observes the horizon behind a windshield, stating that it's enough to protect him from ultraviolet light. This bit actually shows up in movie "Oppenheimer", where everyone else is given black filmed goggles, and Feynman does not find it necessary. The bomm explodes successfully and the Feynman is the only man to see the fireball with naked eyes.

In true Feynman fashion, he despises authority and rules. When invited to accept his Nobel prize (which he casually mentions in context of doing something that he really loved after getting bored), he tries to wiggle out of it! It's not in his taste to rub shoulders with kings and queens (I didn't know those were terms of accepting the prize). I enjoyed that story very much. People dedicate their lives for such recognition, Feynman is annoyed by it.

The book was such an easy read, one would not even consider that behind sits one of the brightest theoritical physicists who simply did things he enjoyed. I see these stories as lessons for others to follow - do things that matter, and matter to you.

ISBN: 978-0-393-355662-8