re: universe in a nutshell

physicists aren't always boring. =)
i myself is a physics major, and when i started my first year in ucsd i thought people in my class would be nerds and the professors would be too. but i was completely wrong. the 25 physics majors in my class are the coolest people i've known during my 2 years in ucsd. we hang out, have good laughs, talk about stuff people talk about daily, watch movies, play frisbee, go to beach, it's great. and the faculties, they're plain awesome. they're far from my expectation to be "distinct" and "isolated." they're totally down to earth. they share jokes with us, make fun of us and let us make fun of them, play sports with us, talk about non-physics stuff.

physics is anything but boring =)

if you're looking for more good readings, try einstein's dreams by alan lightman. and driving mr. albert by michael paterniti.