What We Are Reading Today: ‘Statistical and Thermal Physics’

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Updated 16 January 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Statistical and Thermal Physics’

  • Ready-to-run programs help make the many abstract concepts concrete

Authors: HARVEY GOULD AND JAN TOBOCHNIK

This revised and expanded edition of “Statistical and Thermal Physics” introduces students to the essential ideas and techniques used in many areas of contemporary physics. Ready-to-run programs help make the many abstract concepts concrete.

The text requires only a background in introductory mechanics and some basic ideas of quantum theory, discussing material typically found in undergraduate texts as well as topics such as fluids, critical phenomena, and computational techniques, which serve as a natural bridge to graduate study.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Island in the Net’ by Steffen Kohn

Updated 11 February 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Island in the Net’ by Steffen Kohn

Until just a few years ago, Cuba was one of the least-connected countries in the world. But as digital technology has become increasingly available, Cubans have found inventive ways to work around such remaining barriers as slow speeds, high costs, and inadequate infrastructure.

In “Island in the Net,” Steffen Kohn examines Cuba’s nascent digital culture and how it has reconfigured the relationship between the state and its citizens.

Each chapter is accompanied by a multimodal anthropology work: a video game, interactive installations, video art, and an ethnographic documentary.