Benjamin Schumacher

I really enjoyed this old fashioned science fiction story written by a noted professor of physics, whom I became familar with by watching his Teach Company course on Quantum Mechanics. The story takes place on Venus, where the crew of a dirigible has to cope with a disaster on the planet's surface that has disabled the landing craft. Can its occupant--the wife of one of the dirigible crew members--survive? Schumacher blends lots of futuristic inventions, such as a very specialized space suit, with some great storytelling that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last. Highly recommended. I can't find any more fiction by him, although he does say he was published in Analog when he was 16 (which would be about 1976 or so.)… (altro)

I've watched several Teaching Company courses on physics that included quantum physics, but this course, dedicated to the subject, gave me a much clearer understanding of the basics that lay beneath the other things I've learned. Schumacher is generally good at explaining complicated things in non-technical ways, and his introduction to some of the terminology of quantum physics is easy to follow. There are a few instances when his love of the subject he is talking about doesn't quite translate into what I as a viewer was supposed to get out of it, but that wasn't a big problem. This is a 2009 Teaching Company course, so it is light on the special effects, which is mostly just as well. It even includes a lectern, which Schumacher insists on calling a podium - perhaps I need to email him about that while taking time to praise the course and his old-fashioned science fiction story that is available on Amazon.… (altro)