
Cakes, Custard, Categories and Colbert - mathgenius
https://golem.ph.utexas.edu/category/2015/11/cakes_custard_categories_and_c.html
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mcguire
_Cakes, Custard and Category Theory_ / _How to Bake Pi_ is very similar to
_Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_ : it has not much of anything to
do with the subjects mentioned in the title. You will find some recipes, sort
of, and you'll find some category theory, sort of. But if you're looking to
learn anything about either, this is not the book for you.

As another reviewer said, this is a love letter from the author to
mathematics. But, like most love letters, if you are not the sender or the
receiver, it won't make a great deal of sense. There are many anecdotes from
the life of a mathematician here, and many short vignettes of mathematics. But
not enough details about either to make some kind of autobiography or some
kind of informative math book. Unfortunately, since I'm neither the author nor
Mathematics, I'm left with nothing but the feeling that I've been reading
something that was not intended for me.

Here's one example of the former: "I once went to a party and decided to try
an experiment: I refused to tell anyone what my job was. Telling people you're
a mathematician produces all sorts of odd responses. Some people become
afraid, and extract themselves very quickly, but others immediately start
trying to demonstrate how 'intelligent' they are. Yet others immediately start
trying to belittle me...." Unfortunately, she never tells us what happened in
the experiment.

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Chris2048
Random, I just got this book from the library...

