Petr Beckmann
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Petr Beckmann (1924-1993) was a physicist who defected to the United States from Czechoslovakia in 1963 and became a Professor of electrical engineering at the University of Colorado.
Beckmann was a prolific scientific author; he wrote several electrical engineering textbooks and non-technical works. By 1968 he had founded Golem Press, which published most of his books, including The Health Hazards of Not Going Nuclear (1976), which promoted nuclear power during the height of the anti-nuclear movement. Beckmann also wrote one of the most captivating and insightful books of its kind, A History of π, documenting the history of the calculation of π. He published his own monthly newsletter, Access to Energy (www.accesstoenergy.com), which since September 1993 has been written by Arthur B. Robinson.
- In 1981, he took early retirement with Emeritus status, in order to devote himself fully to the defense of science, technology and free enterprise through his monthly newsletter Access to Energy. He founded the Golem Press in 1967, publishing more than 9 books. These included "The History of Pi", "Einstein Plus 2", and "Health Hazards of Not Going Nuclear". He wrote more than 60 scientific papers and 8 technical books. Dr. Beckmann spoke at I.S.I.L.'s San Francisco Conference in 1990 where he received a standing ovation for his speech in which he attacked "sham environmentalists". [1]
Beckmann was also a frequent and colorful participant in Usenet debates. In them, he claimed to have debunked Albert Einstein's theory of relativity in his book Einstein Plus 2 as well as in a disputatious journal, Galilean Electrodynamics, which he also founded. The History of π also expresses his intense and colorful opposition to Catholicism, Naziism, and Communism - all of which had controlled Czechoslovakia at various times.
[edit] Books
- Petr Beckmann, Elements of Applied Probability Theory, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968
- Petr Beckmann, Depolarization of Electromagnetic Waves, Golem Press, June 1968, ISBN 9995711583
- Petr Beckmann, Whispered anecdotes: Humor from behind the Iron Curtain, Golem Press, 1969, ISBN 0-911762-04-3
- Petr Beckmann, A History of π, Golem Press, 1971, ISBN 0-911762-12-4
- Petr Beckmann, The structure of language: A new approach, Golem Press, 1972, ISBN 0-911762-13-2
- Petr Beckmann, Eco-hysterics & the Technophobes, Golem Press, January 1973, ISBN 0-911762-15-9
- Petr Beckmann, Orthogonal Polynomials for Engineers and Physicists, Golem Press, March 1973, ISBN 0-911762-14-0
- Petr Beckmann, Elementary Queuing Theory and Telephone Traffic, Flatiron Pub June 1976, ISBN 0-686-98072-7
- Petr Beckmann, The Health Hazards of Not Going Nuclear, Golem Press, April 1977, ISBN 0-911762-17-5
- Petr Beckmann, Hammer and Tickle: Clandestine Laughter in the Soviet Empire, Golem Press, 1980, ISBN 0-911762-20-5
- Petr Beckmann, Einstein Plus Two, Golem Press, August 1987, ISBN 0-911762-39-6
- Petr Beckmann, A. Spizzichino, Scattering of Electromagnetic Waves from Rough Surfaces, Artech House Publishers, August 1987, ISBN 0-89006-238-2
- Petr Beckmann, Musical Musings, Golem Press, August 1989, ISBN 0-911762-40-X
[edit] External links
- Petr Beckmann, a biography from SourceWatch, from the Center for Media and Democracy.
[edit] References
- Beckmann, Petr (1967). Probability in communication engineering. New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace & World. OCLC 565718.
- Beckmann, Petr (1973). Orthogonal polynomials for engineers and physicists. Boulder, Co: Golem Press. ISBN 0-911762-14-0.
- Beckmann, Petr (1973). Eco-hysterics and the technophobes. Boulder, CO: Golem Press. ISBN 0-911762-15-9.
- Beckmann, Petr (1976). The health hazards of NOT going nuclear. Boulder, CO: Golem Press. ISBN 0-911762-16-7.
- Beckmann, Petr (1982). A history of π. Boulder, Co: Golem Press. ISBN 0-911762-18-3.
