The Quantum Zoo: A Tourist's Guide to the Neverending Universe


Marcus Chown - 2006
    Together, they explain virtually everything about the world we live in. But, almost a century after their advent, most people haven't the slightest clue what either is about. Did you know that there's so much empty space inside matter that the entire human race could be squeezed into the volume of a sugar cube? Or that you grow old more quickly on the top floor of a building than on the ground floor? And did you realize that 1 per cent of the static on a TV tuned between stations is the relic of the Big Bang? These and many other remarkable facts about the world are direct consequences of quantum physics and relativity. Quantum theory has literally made the modern world possible. Not only has it given us lasers, computers, and nuclear reactors, but it has provided an explanation of why the sun shines and why the ground beneath our feet is solid. Despite this, however, quantum theory and relativity remain a patchwork of fragmented ideas, vaguely understood at best and often utterly mysterious. average person. Author Marcus Chown emphatically disagrees. As Einstein himself said, Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone. If you think that the marvels of modern physics have passed you by, it is not too late. In Chown's capable hands, quantum physics and relativity are not only painless but downright fun. So sit back, relax, and get comfortable as an adept and experienced science communicator brings you quickly up to speed on some of the greatest ideas in the history of human thought.

Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Strategic Approach


Joan E. Pynes - 1997
    This book shows how to integrate HR practices with the mission of their organization. An accessible tool complete with an instructor s manual, this book provides an integrated approach to current HR concerns and is unique in its focus on both public and nonprofit agencies. Offering guidance and techniques for implementing effective human resource management strategies job analysis, performance evaluation, recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and benefits, and collective bargaining Pynes demonstrates how strategic human resources management is essential to proactively managing change.

Analyzing the Analyzers


Harlan Harris - 2013
    

Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Plants and Animals Among California's Oaks


Kate Marianchild - 2014
    Yet, while common, oak woodlands are anything but ordinary. In a book rich in illustration and suffused with wonder, author Kate Marianchild combines extensive research and years of personal experience to explore some of the marvelous plants and animals that the oak woodlands nurture. Acorn woodpeckers unite in marriages of up to ten mates and raise their young cooperatively. Ground squirrels roll in rattlesnake skins to hide their scent from hungry snakes. Manzanita's rust-colored, paper-thin bark peels away in time for the summer solstice, exposing sinuous contours that are cool to the touch even on the hottest day. Conveying up-to-the-minute scientific findings with a storyteller's skill, Marianchild introduces us to a host of remarkable creatures in a world close by, a world that rustles, hums, and sings with the sounds of wild things.

Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre


Brett L. Markham - 2006
    Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Because self-suf?ciency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with photographs, tables, diagrams, and illustrations.

The Earth: A Very Short Introduction


Martin Redfern - 2003
    First, geologists realized that the continents themselves were drifting across the surface of the globe and that oceans were being created and destroyed. Secondly, pictures of the entire planet were returned from space. Suddenly, the Earth began to be viewed as a single entity; a dynamic, interacting whole, controlled by complex processes we scarcely understood. This Introduction explores emerging geological research and explains how new advances in the understanding of plate tectonics, seismology, and satellite imagery have enabled us to begin to see the Earth as it actually is: dynamic and ever changing.

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession


Daniel J. Levitin - 2006
    Why does music evoke such powerful moods? The answers are at last be- coming clear, thanks to revolutionary neuroscience and the emerging field of evolutionary psychology. Both a cutting-edge study and a tribute to the beauty of music itself, This Is Your Brain on Music unravels a host of mysteries that affect everything from pop culture to our understanding of human nature, including: • Are our musical preferences shaped in utero? • Is there a cutoff point for acquiring new tastes in music? • What do PET scans and MRIs reveal about the brain’s response to music? • Is musical pleasure different from other kinds of pleasure?This Is Your Brain on Music explores cultures in which singing is considered an essential human function, patients who have a rare disorder that prevents them from making sense of music, and scientists studying why two people may not have the same definition of pitch. At every turn, this provocative work unlocks deep secrets about how nature and nurture forge a uniquely human obsession.

Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook: Perfectly Timed Gardening for Your Most Bountiful Harvest Ever


Ron Kujawski - 2011
    Detailed weekly to-do lists break gardening down into simple and manageable tasks so that you always know what needs to be done and when to do it, from starting seeds and planting strawberries to checking for tomato hornworms and harvesting carrots. Enjoy a bountiful harvest with this organized and stress-free approach to gardening.

Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Castles and Cathedrals, Skyscrapers and Bridges, and So Much More...


Lee J. Ames - 1980
    From the Eiffel Tower to the Taj Mahal -- 50 man-made and natural structures from around the world are drawn here.

The Furniture Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Identify, Restore Care for Furniture


Christophe Pourny - 2014
    In this, his first book, he teaches readers everything they need to know about the provenance and history of furniture, as well as how to restore, update, and care for their furniture—from antiques to midcentury pieces, family heirlooms or funky flea-market finds. The heart of the book is an overview of Pourny’s favorite techniques—ceruse, vernis anglais,and water gilding, among many others—with full-color step-by-step photographs to ensure that readers can easily replicate each refinishing technique at home. Pourny brings these techniques to life with a chapter devoted to real-world refinishing projects, from a veneered table to an ebonized desk, a gilt frame to a painted northern European hutch. Rounding out this comprehensive guide is care and maintenance information, including how to properly clean leather, polish hardware, fix a broken leg, and replace felt pads, as well as recipes to make your own wax, shellac, varnish, stain, and more.

Air Fry Every Day: 75 Recipes to Fry, Roast, and Bake Using Your Air Fryer


Ben Mims - 2018
    The high-powered convection heating translates to faster cook times, and with so little oil, you'll have easy clean-up too. Air Fry Every Day shows you how to use your air fryer to create healthier fresh takes on comfort food classics, crowd-pleasing snacks, and kid-friendly dishes, such as buffalo wings, coconut shrimp, shoestring fries, stuffed blooming onions with lemon aioli, and spiced sweet potato wedges with garlic yogurt dip. You'll also find deliciously unexpected ways to put your air fryer to use in recipes such as golden bread crumb-crusted cider-brined pork chops, crispy air-fried rice, and beautifully bronzed whole heads of cauliflower. An air fryer is also incredibly versatile: with its powerful convection heating, it can bake, roast, and steam at superfast speeds, so in addition to craveworthy "fried" foods, you'll find recipes for roasted meats, breads, pizzas, and even desserts and sweet baked goods--you may never turn your oven on again. With recipes that are creative, fast, and foolproof, and essential tips and techniques to maximize your air fryer's capabilities, Air Fry Every Day is the best reason why you should add this tool to your arsenal of kitchen gadgets.

Where the Wild Things Were: Life, Death, and Ecological Wreckage in a Land of Vanishing Predators


William Stolzenburg - 2008
    Not so anymore. All but exterminated, these predators of the not-too-distant past have been reduced to minor players of the modern era. And what of it? Wildlife journalist William Stolzenburg follows in the wake of nature's topmost carnivores, and finds chaos in their absence.From the brazen mobs of deer and marauding raccoons of backyard America to streamsides of Yellowstone National Park crushed by massive herds of elk; from urchin-scoured reefs in the North Pacific to ant-devoured islands in Venezuela, Stolzenburg leads a startling tour through bizarre, impoverished landscapes of pest and plague. For anyone who has seldom given thought to the meat-eating beasts so recently missing from the web of life, here is a world of reason to think again.

The Smoothie Recipe Book: 150 Smoothie Recipes Including Smoothies for Weight Loss and Smoothies for Optimum Health


Callisto Media - 2013
    The Smoothie Recipe Book serves up 150 enticing recipes for every palate.Enjoying the many advantages of smoothies has never been simpler:* 150 delicious recipes include green smoothies, protein smoothies, low-fat smoothies, weight-loss smoothies, anti-aging smoothies, smoothies for diabetics, and more.* Learn how smoothies can help you reach your weight-loss goals and keep the weight off for good without making you feel like you’re starving.* Make kid-friendly smoothies that get them to eat their daily dose of fruits and vegetables without ever knowing it!* The Smoothie Recipe Book is your guide to the optimum health and weight loss.Working healthful, nutritious food into busy, on-the-go lifestyles can be difficult, so let The Smoothie Recipe Book be your quick guide to detoxing and cleansing your system as well as for getting essential, natural vitamins and minerals to gain boundless energy and optimum health.Fiber-rich, low-calorie smoothies made with whole fruits and vegetables, herbs, and spices are also a tasty way to take unwanted pounds off as part of your weight-loss regimen.With The Smoothie Recipe Book: 150 Smoothie Recipes Including Smoothies for Weight Loss and Smoothies for Optimum Health, you’ll experience the vitality and energy to be your best.

Nature Anatomy


Julia Rothman - 2014
    With whimsically hip illustrations, every page is an extraordinary look at all kinds of subjects, from mineral formation and the inside of a volcano to what makes sunsets, monarch butterfly migration, the ecosystem of a rotting log, the parts of a bird, the anatomy of a jellyfish, and much, much more.

Zero to Maker: Learn (Just Enough) to Make (Just About) Anything


David Lang - 2013
    You’ll discover how to navigate this new community, and find the best resources for learning the tools and skills you need to be a dynamic maker in your own right.Lang reveals how he became a pro maker after losing his job, and how the experience helped him start OpenROV—a DIY community and product line focused on open source undersea exploration. It all happened once he became an active member of the Maker culture. Ready to take the plunge into the next Industrial Revolution? This guide provides a clear and inspiring roadmap.* Take an eye-opening journey from unskilled observer to engaged maker-entrepreneur* Enter the Maker community to connect with experts and pick up new skills* Use a template for building a maker-based entrepreneurial lifestyle* Learn from the organizer of the first-ever Maker Startup Weekend* Be prepared for exciting careers of the future