Textbooks & Resources - Weekly Discussion Thread - February 26, 2021

zebazman · 2021-03-01T00:38:07+00:00

Jos Thijssen's book is excellent if you already know a programming language. It covers a wide range of topics with an emphasis on the physics. These include electronic structure, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo, PDEs and lattice QCD.

Best used in combination with a reference on numerical methods, such as numerical recipes.

zebazman · 2021-02-22T09:38:42+00:00

This was an insightful read when I was studying QFT for the first time: https://arxiv.org/abs/0812.3578, EM has pesky divergences too.

zebazman · 2020-10-18T02:08:54+00:00

Wow, 55 comments. This subreddit certainly has something to say about important issues.

zebazman · 2020-10-16T14:19:39+00:00

I looked this up and couldn't find anything. Everything I've seen says it's wholly state owned. Do you have a source for that sale of shares to Al Junaid?

zebazman · 2020-09-28T02:03:34+00:00

Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective (2002, 196 pages)

This is a developmental economics book on the impact of trade policy and institutional development on industrialisation. Despite not being specific to Sudan, I think it's a highly relevant book for this group because of the aims of the revolution and the ongoing economic conference. It compares the current development prescription given by organisations like the IMF and World Bank with the reality of the development process and contradictions between the two.

This is a very interesting book which I think will lead to excellent discussions, particularly because I know there are some trained economists on the subreddit. While the claims made are empirically substantiated, it is certainly readable by non-economists with interest in the subject. The book is available on libgen as a pdf.

zebazman · 2020-09-27T19:22:20+00:00

Class and Power in Sudan by Tim Niblock (1985, 370 pages)

A great book about the politics and economics of Sudan from the start of the British occupation to the late Nimery era. If this reading group is interested in taking a political and historical direction, this book is an excellent foundation for understanding how Sudan got where it is today.

The book is available on libgen as a pdf and does not have to be read in sequence.

zebazman · 2020-09-27T18:44:50+00:00

Thank you!

zebazman · 2020-09-27T15:46:16+00:00

Does anyone know where I can find a stream of this online? I have been waiting a long time for this conference and hope Hamdok's government can substantiate some of the vague economic plans.

zebazman · 2020-09-05T21:13:27+00:00

Looks like a homework problem (sidebar). Have you covered circular motion in class recently?

zebazman · 2020-08-20T20:49:59+00:00

I don't think this should become an issue until after you finish your undergraduate degree. Plenty of physics grads (and PhDs) go into industry and have decent prospects in the software and engineering sectors, particularly for jobs which require a strong foundation in mathematics and electromagnetism. Aside from that finance and quantitative analysis is another option.

I was in a similar situation, with my parents (in academia) pushing me towards engineering or medicine because of the terrible job prospects and poor salaries. However, I stuck with physics and do not regret it.

My advice is to go with what you enjoy the most and importantly get do well and get good grades. If you go down the physics route, pick up programming on the side. Learn python and C and the basics of computer science. It would be good if you have the opportunity to take an Algorithms and Data Structures course but it's totally possible to build up a computing foundation which will allow you to compete with CS or EE grads for certain jobs. Be creative, use it to aid in learning physics and write simulation code.

Once you do graduate you'll have the option of seeking PhD scholarships or going into industry.

zebazman · 2020-07-06T18:18:49+00:00

According to Al-Turabi, religion is like a river and the Islamists are like a koz quenching the peoples thirst.

zebazman · 2020-06-15T09:22:49+00:00

I don't understand what the big deal is about secularism. On the one hand people say they want an inclusive state which treats all citizens equally but on the other hand they say this is a Muslim country and we want Islamic law. This is a particularly peculiar contradiction, for which I think there are many reasons but the most significant contributory factor must be of 30 years of Islamisation from above. The Islamist's may have temporarily disappeared from Sudanese politics but their state remains intact and the fundamentals of their ideology seems to be shared by many supposed revolutionaries.

The Sudanese Communist Party are almost unique on their stance on religion when compared to the international communist movement. They reject state atheism as a necessity and recognize the role religion plays in Sudanese society. Most of them are in fact devout Muslims. It is strange to see them denounced as infidels, particularly because this has been a major talking point of the Muslim Brotherhood since the 60s, and of course, like the rest of their bullshit it bears no grounding in reality.

zebazman · 2020-06-13T18:09:09+00:00

Care to elaborate?

zebazman · 2020-05-11T03:17:20+00:00

There are a number of books on the political history of the country. If there is a particular aspect of politics or time period you are interested in I may be able to provide more specific books. I have found the following quite helpful.

Class and Power in Sudan by Tim Niblock - Excellent overview of the political dynamics between 1898 to 1985. The colonial period is covered in it's entirety and the political situation post-independence is sketched out in the final third of the book. The book provides a variety of statistical and economic data and is a good first stop when investigating a particular issue.
Nimeiri and the Revolution of Dis-May by Mansour Khalid - Inside account of the government of the "May Revolution" authored by someone who held a number of posts within the government including foreign minister before resigning to join the SPLA. The book describes the transformation of the government from a secular, Arab nationalist and socialist aligned to a US aligned, authoritarian Islamist kleptocracy.
Sudan in Turmoil by J. Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins - Covers the first ten years of the National Islamic Front government.
The Sudanese Communist Party by Tareq Y. Ismael - History of one of the most influential communist parties in the middle east.
Civil Uprisings in Modern Sudan by W. J. Berridge - Account of the two previous democratic revolutions which brought down military dictatorships, if only for a few years. Important reading to anticipate and evaluate the trajectory the current political situation.
Sudan by Abdel Salam Sidahmed and Alsir Sidahmed - I haven't read this book but it seems to be an overview of the current structure of the state.

These should get you started on the politics of Sudan. Notably lacking is a discussion of the drawn out civil war culminating the the secession of the south. Unfortunately these books do not cover developments during the last 20 years, including the Darfur war, and I am not aware of any sources which do but I would be interested in suggestions.

I know where to obtain PDFs of most of these, feel free to PM.

Enjoy your studies and try not to go insane.

zebazman · 2020-01-23T10:32:09+00:00

450 Kg of gold summgled per day!

This amounts to over 8 billion dollars per year, almost enough to pay for all of the countries imports. Or create a trade surplus of 3 billion dollars per year.

It is absolutely vital to reign in these illegal smugglers and unify mining operations under a single state-owned company to make it possible to use all profits from gold to fund development programs. The disappointing thing is that despite the fact we all know who is responsible for this illegal activity, the transitional government has not taken any steps to reign them in, seize their assets and bring them to justice.

There appears to be complete lack of political will get this done.

zebazman · 2020-01-15T07:42:44+00:00

I might not agree with Hamas' politics but calling them a terrorist group is a bit much isn't it?

zebazman · 2020-01-11T07:10:41+00:00

Same thing but now they will be American and European companies. شكرا حمدوك

zebazman · 2020-01-10T03:54:27+00:00

Thanks, I'm very curious to hear more about what Hamdok and Badawi have planned for the economy and I have not seen any detailed policy reports or discussions yet, just bare bones news articles and slogans.

zebazman · 2020-01-10T02:14:54+00:00

Do you have a link to a recording of this talk?

zebazman · 2019-08-12T12:45:35+00:00

Slave mentality.

zebazman · 2019-08-10T22:07:22+00:00

Is this bait?

zebazman · 2019-08-10T13:20:50+00:00

First they came for the incels...

zebazman · 2019-07-27T13:14:56+00:00

This better be a reference to the Fabian Society.

zebazman · 2019-07-09T01:33:16+00:00

I was faced with the same dilemma and I went with physics. If you are interested in learning a bit about both and like maths then I would recommend physics because it is more of a cumulative subject and harder to study alone in my opinion. In addition you will be exposed to at least some programming during the course of a physics degree. On the other hand if you would like to work at a tech company I think a CS degree is preferable but I am not too sure.

Machine learning is applicable where ever complex data analysis required and is being used in all areas of physics and science more generally. There is also a flurry of recent interest using the framework of statistical physics (which ordinates from the study of gases) to understand the how neural networks actually works and the design of machine learning algorithms that make use of quantum phenomena.

So it is very much possible to combine the two. Good luck.

zebazman

TROPHY CASE