Beach Haven

Review by Michael Beach

Bibliography
​Jayawardhana, R. (2013). Neutrino Hunters: The Thrilling Chase for a Ghostly Particle to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe. New York: Scientific American.
 
I first got interested in neutrino particles many years ago. When we lived in Colorado, much of my professional work put me on airplanes, heading for many corners of the globe. One of those trips I was thumbing through an airline magazine and saw a story on neutrinos. Much of the description of the 'ghost particle' mirrored descriptions of the substance of the spirit as described in the Doctrine and Covenants. I have often kicked myself for not hanging onto the magazine.

I recently stumbled across this book. It is essentially a history of those scientists who made speculation about subatomic particles in general, then those who were able to create tools to try and measure their forces. In the process they discovered many subatomic particles, neutrinos just being one among the discoveries. In the book there are several sections that act as tutorials both of the current understanding of the various subatomic particles, as well as the methods and infrastructure it takes to run experiments and take force measurements. The science is complicated of course, but someone like me who is less ingrained in the community can follow along as described by Ray Jayawardhana. In fact, my poor Anglo brain might find his name more difficult to say than to grasp his explanation of the science involved (just kidding... sort of).

Despite the broader descriptions of other particles, the focus of the book is on neutrinos and the specific scientists who worked it all out. As one might guess, there were plenty of setbacks, collaborations, and competitive interference. Some of the discovery was accidental, or perhaps better said as incidental. As the evidence mounted not all involved were supportive of the explanations eventually adopted. This may be because of the normal versus revolutionary paradigmatic science as described by Thomas Kuhn. At any rate, human endeavor is fraught, and whether facts are created or discovered (that’s a debate by the way), acceptance is rarely universal and almost never rapidly so. Such was and is still the case surrounding subatomic theory (quantum mechanics) and the neutrino in particular.

​Review by Michael Beach

Bibliography
Medina, E. (2011). Cybernetic Revolutionaries: Technology and Politics in Allende's Chile. Cambridge and London: The MIT Press..

As the title suggests, this work is a look at technology efforts in 1970’s Chile. This of course was pre-Internet. The Chilean government was attempting centralized planning and operation of the country’s economy by bringing all sorts of data about things like crop yields, price indices, and interest rates into not only a single computer system, but into a single physical location. The location was a sort of Star Trek ship bridge where an octagonal room was ringed with screens of data. Statisticians worked to make sense of all the information. Also in the room was a ring of futuristic chairs for government officials to discuss the information. Each chair included a number of control buttons that allowed the occupant to manipulate a screen.

By definition, data is post-facto, but in the case of the Chilean effort, because of the limited tech of the day, some data was not only slow in coming, but by the time it made it to the central room, it was counter-factual.

Although Chilean president Salvador Allende was attempting to ‘centralize’ decisions, the political climate was also one of decentralization, as in the data came from decisions being made at other locations. This was a reflection of his political views. The approach was a holistic design to account for decentralized data through a national Telex network. At the time, Chile was in the throws of work stoppages by industrial workers in particular. The network was dubbed ‘Cybersyn’.

Because of the instability of Chilean politics of the day, the full system never really got running. In many ways, the project was the brain child of Stafford Beer, who was a British cybernetician. Like the program he shepherded, his own status in Chile waxed and waned with the popularity of the Allende government. At times he had his family in Chile with him in lavish surroundings. As Allende’s topple neared, Beer had to leave his family out of Chile for their physical safety. He found himself at increasing risk in more and more spartan accommodations.
​
The story is a good case study of how political agendas and technological thought go hand in hand. Although Allende’s success was not pinned to Cybersyn, the technical effort was clearly dependent on political will and support. The tech was seen by administration opponents as a controlling means to ends such groups were against. As a result, the program was scrapped along with the government administration that championed and represented the programmatic ideals. Values of the Allende leadership were seen as expressed in the aims of the Cybersyn project, and any associated technology. Eden Medina speculates that the nature of the technology as a closed system caused people without access to view the whole as suspect. In today’s world, something approaching more universal access to the tech, if not the information, would likely cause less anti-tech rhetoric. Political animas would be more toward the specific way it was used to gather intelligence, make decisions, and enact policy that many felt as repressive. 

Bibliography
​Brenton, Tony, ed. 2017. Was Revolution Inevitable?: Turning Points of the Russian Revolution. London and New York: Oxford University Press.

​Review by Michael Beach
 
This is an interesting volume. Each chapter has a different author. Each proposes a counter-factual ‘what if’ concerning pivotal moments in the history of the Russian revolution of the early 20th century. The individual authors are each historians whose academic scholarship have concentrated on Russia and the rise of the Soviet in particular.

Each of the cases are more or less persuasive. I think the strongest case was made by Orlando Figes in his chapter titled, “The ‘Harmless Drunk’: Lenin and the October Insurrection”. As the Tsarist hold was slipping and several parties were vying for power, it was by no means a given that the Bolsheviks would eventually take control of Russia. Lenin was living in exile in Germany for a number of years. As the revolution became stronger and more violent, he went back and forth between the two countries a number of times. In general, when the Red army gained ground he would come to Russia. When things seem to go the other way he fled back to Germany, or at least closer to it. Gains by the Red army did not equate to gains by the Bolsheviks, but they were at least sympathetic causes. As the royal household was falling and violence increased, Lenin entered Russia for the last time, but did so in cognito. He disguised himself as a drunk and meandered through the crowds until he could get to a safe house in the capital. Finges speculates what might have happened if any of the city police or White army guards had recognized him. They would surely have put him in jail. Though the Tsar would have fell out of power, both his brother and his son were likely to have formed a new Duma and held some sort of election before the Bolshevik party forcibly seized control over all the revolutionary factions. Lenin coming out of hiding and encouraging his party to put down other opposing parties through force likely is what caused the Tsar’s brother, a popular war hero, to recant and then get murdered along with the rest of the Romanov family. Any political leaders who originally were open to forming a new government quickly ceded when Lenin’s followers began to kill their political colleagues.

Personally, I’ve not explored this sort of historical approach before. In fact, Tony Brenton who authors one chapter and edits the volume, admits that most historians are loath to approach counter-factual musings. Each author acknowledges to what degree they believe their alternative may or may not have made any ultimate difference. Each gives reasons not just for how things might have changed, but also how it was just as likely, or even more so, that outcomes would have been no different.  My look at Russian history and politics is at a very amateur level. I’ve read a book or two and visited Siberia twice for work reasons many years ago. These arguments by scholars imminently more qualified to document and speculate make this small part of human history jump out for me.

Bibliography
​Churchill, Winston S. 1948. The Second World War: The Gathering Storm. Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin Company.
 
This is one volume in a series written by the former British Prime Minister. I only have this particular book and not the entire series. This is a personal memoir, and as such depicts events either within his direct experience as he recalls them, or related events as he came to understand them through others. Churchill directly shares in appendices copies of documents that he refers to such as letters, official transcripts, or published government forms. Comparing his earlier works on his experiences during WWI, in this case he claims more authoritative views. “I am perhaps the only man who has passed through both the two supreme cataclysms of recorded history in high Cabinet office. Whereas, however, in the First World War I filled responsible but subordinate posts, I was for more than five years in the second struggle with Germany the Head of His Majesty’s Government. I write, therefore, from a different standpoint and with more authority than was possible in my earlier books” (Churchill 1948, iii).

The period covered begins in the immediate aftermath of WWI in which Churchill makes the argument that the seeds of WWII were sown between 1919 and 1929 by the victors of the first war by how they set treaties and requirements heaped on the German government. He shares some of the warning signs missed as political unrest in Germany grew, and complacency in both the UK and France did also. Often Churchill as a member of the Cabinet or Parliament was ignored or countered when he would share concerns coming to him through intelligence reports or other means. Given the assumed military size differences between the French and German armies, any aggression was thought to be easily quelled. Yet, as Hitler took power, a warning in itself, he was also building military equipment and growing the ranks of the army and navy. All of this was in violation of the imposed treaties, and many in allied authority simply did not believe it was really happening until it was too late.

For a casual history consumer like me, there was much I didn’t know about how events flowed. In particular I found the section on Hitler’s excuses for moving against Austria particularly foreboding. One can take the rhetoric of Hitler about ethnically German people in Austria, or the need to defend Germany against western or Russian aggression and shift the time and circumstance to today. Recent justification by Vladimir Putin as concerning the Ukraine are pretty much word for word the arguments used by Hitler in his eventual advancements in Austria, then eastern Europe. Serendipitously, I happen to be going through this portion of the book as Russia’s aggression in the Ukraine was beginning, and the similarities were uncanny.

This is an insightful historical work by someone who had a great deal to do with how things went. One can question any sort of memoire for accuracy, or for subjectivity, but then again, the same can be said no matter the historical author even when the work is not autobiographical.
​

Bibliography
​Cronon, W. (1991). Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. New York & London: W.W. Norton & Company.
 
In this work, William Cronon examines various boundary topics between human environments and ‘nature’. In reality, what today many people think of as natural spaces are really a human-made environments that differ from other human-made environments. For Cronon, Chicago and its markets, driven by the farms of the Midwest and transportation networks formed between them, are simply parts of a larger socio-economic system. “Although this book takes Chicago and the Great West as its immediate focus, its broader ambition is to explore century-old economic and ecological transformations that have continued to affect all of North America and the rest of the world besides” (Cronon, 1991, p. xvi).

The initial incentive to ‘tame’ the land through displacement of indigenous flora, fauna, and people in favor of European style farming was for local economic value. As Chicago began to transform first it’s ports, then the rivers through canal creation, and finally overland transport through a network of railroads, its leaders also increased a financial hold over farmers and competing cities through a number of cooperatives. The Chicago Board of Trade helped solidify definitions of grain quality types and associated monetary values. Similar pricing and quality controls expanded to beef and pork. By becoming the de facto ‘middle man’ between farmers and large markets along the east coast of the US, many of Chicago’s business leaders, and seedier elements as well, grew very wealthy. Tactics such as downgrading quality ratings when paying farmers, then mixing grains to claim higher quality when selling to large markets were common place.

​William Cronon’s work is a story of boundary definition. Wilderness and farm, rural and urban, buyer and seller, controller and controlled, these are the sort of boundaries explored in the book. In each case, human invention (technical or sociological) define the metamorphosis from what one might call ‘nature’ to what today is more about ‘human nature’. Cronon calls the former ‘first nature’ and the human created version ‘second nature’. 

BibliographyHughes, T. P. (1983). Networks of Power: Electrification in Western Society, 1880-1930. Baltimore & London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
 
Electrical power and ‘modern’ society are often linked in many ways. Areas of the world not using electricity may be seen as ‘backward’. Even in the U.S. these days there is much debate about movement from fossil fuels to sustainable electricity for more parts of technology. Many Americans would be lost if they had to go 24 hours without access to their electrically powered cell phones and computers. There are plenty who might argue the opposite, that ever-changing technology, at least communications technology, tends to isolate us more than bring us together. Where electricity prevails, time has less meaning. Any activity can be lighted at any time of the day. Sleep patterns also tend to be altered in societies with electrification. For example, despite changing daylight hours throughout the year people will likely keep the same work schedule. Students may be accustomed to all-night cramming sessions the night before a big test. Many people fall asleep to the musings of late-night comics. Before electrification, circadian rhythms tended to be primarily timed with the rising and setting of the sun.

In this work, Thomas Hughes shares historical events as electrical power was harnessed from the early days of Edison and Tesla. He pays attention to expansion of electrical technology within the United State, particularly in Chicago and California. He further reviews electrification in London and Berlin. Hughes also comments on how electricity and society affected each other in these four cities. Students of technology and society will recognize these topics. Technology transfer refers to the spread of ideas and invention beyond national borders. He looks at critical problems in advancing technology, sometimes referred to as reverse salients. Hughes examines social conflict and its affect on electrification. This includes personal rivalries among inventors, as well as companies attempting to grow within each of the cities examined. Technological momentum and the effects of World War I (both advancing and inhibiting electrical growth) offer an interesting take. Many scientists and technologists continued to share information despite the war, though others were prohibited. Berlin, for example, was somewhat isolated from others during the war, but war needs caused the German government to channel funds into electrical power for manufacturing of weapons and munitions. Unlike World War II, there was little air bombardment beyond the front lines, so industry by and large remained intact.

Thomas Hughes does not discuss electrification in eastern or southern societies. Perhaps this is a function of scale. One can only put so much into a book. Perhaps it is because he feels these particular cities are similar enough to point to socio-technical trends that perhaps would be different in other societies. Even among the focus histories he has included, there are significant differences as noted in his work. For example, each of the histories show different political and economic contexts. As a result, electrical power generation and transmission grew in very different ways. Standardization was difficult in some locations and centrally managed in others. By looking at the growth of a single technology, Hughes is able to expose the co-production (even co-dependence) of these societies and electricity.
​

Bibliography
Monsarrat, Nicholas. 1951. The Cruel Sea. Harmondsworth (England): Penguin Books Ltd.
 
The reader is treated to a fictional depiction of an English corvette during World War II. It begins with the ship still in the yard with it’s first captain, Lieutenant-Commander George Ericson, arriving. Monsarrat introduces the crew as members come and go. The interactions, personal circumstances and levels of sea-going experience all add to the drama as they slowly meld into a successful ship’s company. The corvette was a sort of small escort vessel designed to protect merchant convoys from German U-boats. They were hastily constructed with no air-conditioning and limited heating. Crew accommodations were spartan and armament limited.

The name of the specific ship from the story was the HMS Compass Rose. Along the way, the crew and ship engage a number of U-boats and sink several. They also conduct a number of rescue operations where the Germans are successful in sinking ships leaving many sailors in the water. All the action takes place in the Atlantic theater. In the end, Compass Rose is lost to a German torpedo. Not all the crew survive, and some survivors suffer what today would be called PTSD.

​The book is a good mix between personal conflict, team building, high-stakes warfare, and character retrospection. There was at least one full-length motion picture based on the book. 

BibliographyKaiser, David. 2011. How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company.

Reviewed by Michael Beach 

The title of this book makes the topic quite clear. David Kaiser compares the state of theoretical physics post World War II (particular the 1960s and 1970s) as compared with pre-war science. In particular he looks at a group that formed primarily at UC Berkeley known as the Fundamental Fysics Group (sic). Members of this at first informal group were generally trained in traditional experimental physics, but longed for the days of European salons of the 1920s and 1930s that included the likes of Albert Einstein and Michael Polanyi where one was more free to speculate.

The author makes a central point how in order to advance understanding, “a critical mass of researchers needed to embrace a different mode of doing physics” (Kaiser 2011, xiv). “They had to incorporate philosophy, interpretation, even bald speculation back into their daily routine” (Ibid.).

Members of the Berkeley interlocutors embraced ‘new age’ ideas around eastern mysticism, spiritualism, and the like. They looked to link physics with human psychological power through use of experimental drugs, among other empirical approaches. They called this sort of ‘science’ after the Greek letter psi with a goal “to plumb the foundations of quantum mechanics in search of explanations for parapsychological… phenomena: extrasensory perception, psychokinesis, the works” (Kaiser 2011, 65).

So how did the group of mostly grad students and dropouts employ ‘drugs, sex, and rock-n-roll’ to ‘revive’ theoretical physics? After WWII, most practitioners of physics were focused on empiricism and number crunching. The work was not appealing to the book’s documented physicists who fancied themselves above what Thomas Kuhn called ‘normal science’. They were looking to create revolutionary ideas in the tradition of Einstein. Their group discussions often revolved around ‘Bell’s Theorem’ that postulates how “quantum mechanics worked impeccably ‘for all practical purposes’” (Kaiser 2011, 25). Success of a number of them waxed and waned. Some of them produced very popular books. There was a great deal of focus on mental performances by the likes of Uri Geller. As the hype gained more notoriety, a number of debunkers emerged. One of the primary members, Ira Einhorn emerged as a sort of leader and guru to the group, and to non-physicists who shared similar interests. Unfortunately, Einhorn spiraled downward. He eventually killed his girlfriend and fled to Europe to avoid prosecution. Physics as an industry began to be less funded, and psi topics in particular became eschewed. Members of the group who did not get wealthy on their earlier popular books were forced to seek other ways to make a living including taking on everyday jobs.
​
Kaiser notes how more recently a sort of resurgence of theoretical physics is upon us, and some members of the Fundamental Fysics Group have reemerged in the field. In general, they are avoiding the link with parapsychology. Event he idea of ‘psi’ has changed. The group no longer exists, but some of its early participants redubbed a more modern version as “PSI: Physical Sciences Institute” (Kaiser 2011, 241). One might recognize later versions of physics speculation in the form of ideas like chaos theory or the more recently debated string theory. 

Mauldin, Bill. 1944. Up Front. New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
 
Review by Michael Beach

The author severed in the US Army during WWII. In that time, he was assigned to the army periodical Stars and Stripes as a cartoonist. The focus of his cartoons was the war experience as seen through the lens of the ‘doggies’ meaning the average front line infantryman. His two consistent characters are Willie and Joe. They are referred to as doggies because of their constant dog face expression from the weariness of war. The book shares some of his more notable cartoons and the stories behind them.

Along with the experiences that inspired his drawings, Mauldin explains many of the attitudes and perceptions of the enlisted soldiers, officers, Italian and French citizens, the partisans, and German soldiers taken prisoner. Mauldin directly interacted with all of these groups. His wit is at times stinging, at times good natured. His editors seemed to always support him, but ‘the brass’ sometimes took umbrage.

My favorite comes near the end of the book. The troops he was with had advanced into the Alps. One soldier sits on a rock near a very attractive local girl. Another soldier stands nearby. The seated soldier has his head in his hands and laments, “I ast her to teach me to yodel. She taught me to yodel.” He was obviously hoping for something else.

Mauldin does a good job of explaining differences between the frontline ‘doggies’ and so many others he encountered who didn’t face the daily stress of direct warfare. He is fair, though. Not all the frontline heroes are heroes, and not all those serving behind the fighting are villains. As you might guess there are plenty of humorous anecdotes throughout. The last few pages seem more serious. He walks the reader through a time when he was ready to rotate statewide. In the interim, he spends time at a field hospital. He notes several characters from doctors, to medics, their wry humor and dedication to treating wounded soldiers over extended periods.
​
I found the work both entertaining and insightful. I think it fair to say the sort of experiences Bill Mauldin documents are probably not unique to the particular war he was involved in. 

Payne, Stanley G., and Jesus Palacios. 2014. Franco: A Personal and Political Biography. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Francisco Franco rose to power just prior to World War II. He became a de facto dictator in Spain until his death in 1975. His rule was nationalist, and took on the trappings of Hitler’s Nazi party, but instead of exterminating Jews, Spain under Franco protected them. Spain did not become engaged in Hitler’s European war at any scale. Hitler sent little help to Spain, and Spain committed few troops to Hitler’s campaigns. In a way, the two nationalist governments kept out of each other’s way.
​
Franco came up through the military ranks quicker than his peers. When political strife that led to the Spanish civil war intensified, his extended family were on both sides. His brother was a famous military pilot but became anti-regal or pro-socialist during the civil war. Francisco Franco remained loyal to the traditional government, then the republican leadership until it began to crumble just before the civil war began.

As the title implies, there is much of the public biographical history shared by the authors. In addition, they include many details documented by various Franco family members and associates. At times, he drives history. At other times he is driven by the greater society and events surrounding him. Like many national leaders, his ideas and actions are both enigmatic, and change over time.