▁it ▁describes ▁research ▁by ▁am ateurs , ▁who ▁" of fer ▁an ▁alternative ▁set ▁of ▁vis ions ▁... ▁concrete ▁rather ▁than ▁abstract , ▁physical ▁rather ▁than ▁mathematical ." ▁The ▁leading ▁character ▁is ▁Jim ▁Carter , ▁a ▁man ▁with ▁an ▁" un sh ak able ▁belief " ▁in ▁a ▁theory ▁of ▁the ▁whole ▁universe ▁constructed ▁of ▁" end less ▁hier arch ies ▁of ▁cir cl ons ", ▁circular ▁mechanical ▁objects ▁that ▁reproduce ▁and ▁split ▁like ▁smoke ▁rings . ▁Un known ▁to ▁Carter , ▁his ▁basic ▁idea ▁that ▁atoms ▁could ▁be ▁explained ▁as ▁sub atomic ▁smoke ▁rings ▁had ▁already ▁been ▁proposed ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 7 0 s ▁by ▁the ▁ren owned ▁English ▁phys ic ist ▁William ▁Thom son ▁( l ater ▁Baron ▁Kel vin ), ▁and ▁the ▁Scottish ▁math ematic ian ▁P . G . ▁T ait . ▁T ait ▁and ▁Thom son ' s ▁theory ▁of ▁vor tex ▁atoms ▁has ▁been ▁called ▁by ▁the ▁historian ▁Hel ge ▁K rag h ▁" a ▁Victor ian ▁theory ▁of ▁everything ", ▁and ▁is ▁now ▁regarded ▁as ▁an ▁early ▁kind ▁of ▁string ▁theory . ▁ ▁Journal ism ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁journalist , ▁W ert heim ▁has ▁written ▁for ▁newsp apers ▁in ▁various ▁countries ▁including ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times , ▁Los ▁Angeles ▁Times , ▁The ▁Guardian , ▁The ▁Daily ▁Te legraph , ▁and ▁Die ▁Zeit . ▁She ▁has ▁written ▁science ▁articles ▁for ▁mag az ines ▁including ▁New ▁Scient ist , ▁The ▁Sciences , ▁Cab inet , ▁A e on , ▁The ▁Australian ▁Review ▁of ▁Books , ▁and