MY LATEST POSTS
134. Flying Blind Into the Future
Dramatic, unforeseen change is an increasing feature of our interconnected world. But how can we prepare for it? This is a blog summary of a feature article due to appear in "The Actuary" (July edition), and on which I will be expanding in a keynote talk to the 2017...
Superbowl for politicians
Op-ed submitted to Boston Globe after Patriots' Superbowl LI win. Pity they didn't take it, but here it is anyway. The message that it contains is rather important; like footballers, politicians need to adapt quickly to circumstances! When wide receiver Julian Edelman...
My career in poetry
I am stimulated to write this post by the news that the “celebrated American poet Joseph Charles McKenzie” has composed a poem to celebrate Donald Trump’s inauguration. The poem contains the immortal lines “With purpose and strength he came down from his tower To...
Idiots’ Guide to Vegetables
Commissioned by the Guardian a while ago, but then spiked on the basis that it was too "sciencey" [sic]. I wonder what else they expected from a scientist? At any rate, here is my guide to the quirkier side of vegetables (from fresh and juicy to saggy and sorry) for a...
MY LATEST POSTS
MINI STORIES FROM SCIENCE
134. Flying Blind Into the Future
Dramatic, unforeseen change is an increasing feature of our interconnected world. But how can we prepare for it? This is a blog summary of a feature article due to appear in "The Actuary" (July edition), and on which I will be expanding in a keynote talk to the 2017...
STRAY THOUGHTS
My career in poetry
I am stimulated to write this post by the news that the “celebrated American poet Joseph Charles McKenzie” has composed a poem to celebrate Donald Trump’s inauguration. The poem contains the immortal lines “With purpose and strength he came down from his tower To...
PLANNING FOR LIFE’S CRISES
Superbowl for politicians
Op-ed submitted to Boston Globe after Patriots' Superbowl LI win. Pity they didn't take it, but here it is anyway. The message that it contains is rather important; like footballers, politicians need to adapt quickly to circumstances! When wide receiver Julian Edelman...
FOOD & GASTRONOMY
Idiots’ Guide to Vegetables
Commissioned by the Guardian a while ago, but then spiked on the basis that it was too "sciencey" [sic]. I wonder what else they expected from a scientist? At any rate, here is my guide to the quirkier side of vegetables (from fresh and juicy to saggy and sorry) for a...
MY BOOKS
My books are aimed to help people see and understand the world through a scientist’s eyes, with a good leavening of humour, anecdote and the personal stories.
TESTIMONIALS
“Fisher is a master story-teller, making difficult scientific concepts seem simple through elegant exposition. Crashes, Crises and Calamities addresses the challenge of disaster prediction … by a brilliant and engaging integration of diverse scientific perspectives.”
Simon A. Levin, Moffett Professor of Biology, Princeton University; author of Fragile Dominion“[Rock, Paper, Scissors is a] tour de force of exposition, with many amusing and enlightening vignettes of the application of game theory to real-world interactions in the home, amongst friends, in business, and in international relations.”
Professor Robert Marks, Winner of computer tournament on strategies for effective cooperation“Scientists are constantly trying to make science accessible to the general public, but rarely are they as successful as physicist [Len] Fisher.”
Library Journal Review“From locusts watching Star Wars to Murphy’s Law of Management, The Perfect Swarm hits all the buttons … a wonderful tour through the new mathematics of swarms, flocks and crowds.”
Ian Stewart, Author, Professor Stewart’s Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities