I mostly want to learn artistic skills, like painting and playing instruments. I can tickle some black ink on a canvas and I can rattle out "Good Riddance" on a guitar, but that's about it. But I currently have no time to learn those particular skills, because I've put others as higher priority, like writing and game design. Perhaps if I live forever, I can swap out my current artistry in a few decades with those others. But if we're talking academics, I'd like to be able to learn physics better. I have a layman's understanding, but so many concepts are so mathematical and abstract that I can't wrap my brain around them, or when I can, I can't retain them. I once understood eleven-dimensional string theory, but I lost that knowledge about an hour after I grasped it.
I am a physics major and I think I can help you with your interest in physics!
Do you want a deep complete understanding of physics through maths? Or do you want to skip the math and grasp at the crux of just the physical problems and core concepts? For string theory, very early stages (just to give you a flavour) search- The Complete Idiot's Guide to String Theory by George Musser (You don't need to buy it, there are pdf's available if you are OK with piracy hint hint)
Oh, I can handle the math if I learn it from the ground up, and I'd like to have a mathematical understanding of it. The problem I find is that physics teachings gets split into two kinds: mathless versions that try to explain by analogy and only give vague representations of what's really going on, and technical papers that assume you have a doctorate in physics or math and already know everything. I can never seem to find a middle ground which teaches you the math as it goes (or at least does so well), so ultimately for me to learn physics the way I want, I'd have to go back to school or deeply study it on my own.
Have you read the Feynman Lectures on Physics? They roughly cover a three year university course, but are quite readable and are available for free online here. (I hear that the last one does quantum mechanics in a different way from how it's done now, so it might not be as good a bet as the first two.)
I shall have to give them a looksee. Thanks.
I was, but I'd need a refresher course in Calculus. Since I don't use it in everyday life, I forgot a lot of it.