Sparkly sexist vampires > Space-Time curvature?

I haven't blogged for over three months. I did map out a number of posts, some on paper, some in my mind, but I never got around to sitting down and typing them out. But I came across something on the Web just now which I have to SCREAM about.

It's this:

The top search suggestion on Google for 'step' is Stephenie Meyer! Take a look at the people 'below' her - the second name is Stephen Hawking, and two steps down, there's Stephen King, who is one of the best writers of horror fiction. And as for Hawking....

My sister gave me Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" for my 16th birthday. I don't think I've ever held a book so reverently, or learnt so much from a single book after that. In it, Dr.Hawking presents cosmological concepts and theories in a simple narrative style, chapter after chapter. When I studied cosmology in M.Sc, I found that the theories in the book are a little oversimplified. But why did I study cosmology? Stephen Hawking was definitely a reason. His book is an inspiration to thousands, if not millions of young students. It is also an excellent resource for the even larger population who are curious about the Universe but have lost touch with mathematics.

So, what do I have against Stephenie Meyer? Absolutely nothing, except that all she has done is write the Twilight 'Saga.' (ugh)

I don't hate Twilight because hating it is fashionable. I hate it because I did read the books - I read the 50-odd pages in the first three books that remain if you skip the 'Edward is so handsome' parts. As for Breaking Dawn, I read it till the wedding and stopped because my pharyngeal reflex works. Talking about the Twilight 'Saga' is redundant, as the bad writing, sexism, and sparkly vampires in it have been discussed very well.

When more people are interested in the person who wrote Twilight than the person who wrote A Brief History of Time, all I can say is:

'நெஞ்சு பொறுக்கு திலையே - இந்த
நிலைகெட்ட மனிதரை நினைத்துவிட்டால்'

Open Book, Read a few lines, take a deep breath...

When I write clues for my cryptic crosswords, I use my Dictionary extensively. I give it quite a workout, and I remember to breathe deeply while I'm doing it. You know why? Because this little girl and I have something in common.

Of course, I'm not the only one who does this. Some people are trying to cash in on this, too. A company has introduced a product - "New book smell in a can" to make ebooks seem more real. I love ebooks, and something that can actually make them better seems like a good idea. (Of course, there is no ordering information available – hoax alert #1!)

But why do books smell good? It's definitely not the freshness of the paper. In fact, old book smell is due to several organic gases that are released as the paper and glue in the book decay. And new book smell? Probably due to the printing ink. So that's what we like! Problem solved - or maybe not...

Some time back, I was looking at a pop-up book with my niece. I took a good sniff, of course, and the smell was very familiar. I didn't have to think too long, for memories came up rapidly – A large book with a laminated cover - A huge white moon with a smiling face on the first page - A deep blue sky with stars, Russian style – Heavy, textured paper – Windows and doors and pop-outs in the pages – The cool table top under my arm - sunlight through the open window in front... The children's section in the Devaneya Paavanar Library.

I also remembered going to get the book issued, and the librarian pointing to the REFERENCE sign, saying “You cannot take out the books in that shelf. Books like dictionaries are kept there because everyone will need them, also books that are very expensive. Because not everyone knows how to handle books - other children may tear it.”

I owe that librarian a great deal. She was perfect for a children's library – sweet, encouraging, and never putting a finger to her lips. She made the library a nice place to spent time in, not just to come in when I needed a book. And I hadn't thought of her in a few years.

Printing ink and organic gases? Synaptic memory in the olfactory lobe? No,there's a simpler explanation which also explains the joy of reading – IT'S MAGIC!