Book picks similar to
The Big Book of Maker Skills: Tools & Techniques for Building Great Tech Projects by Chris Hackett
nonfiction
non-fiction
makerspace
engineering
Mastering Fermentation: Recipes for Making and Cooking with Fermented Foods
Mary Karlin - 2013
Mastering Fermentation is a beautifully illustrated and authoritative guide to the art and science of fermented foods, featuring more than seventy recipes that allow you to progress from simple fermented condiments like vinegars and mustards to more advanced techniques for using wild yeast starters, fermenting meats, and curing fish. Cooking instructor and author Mary Karlin begins with a solid introduction to the wide world of fermentation, explaining essential equipment, ingredients, processes, and techniques. The diverse chapters cover everything from fermented dairy to grains and breads; legumes, nuts, and aromatics; and fermented beverages. Last but not least, the book concludes with more than twenty globally-inspired recipes that incorporate fermented foods into enticing finished dishes like Grilled Lamb Stuffed with Apricot-Date Chutney and Saffron Yogurt Sauce. Offering an accessible, recipe-driven approach, Mastering Fermentation will inspire and equip you to facilitate the transformative, fascinating process of fermentation, with delicious results.
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words
Randall Munroe - 2015
Explore computer buildings (datacenters), the flat rocks we live on (tectonic plates), the things you use to steer a plane (airliner cockpit controls), and the little bags of water you're made of (cells).
The Tetris Effect: The Game that Hypnotized the World
Dan Ackerman - 2016
But how did an obscure Soviet programmer, working on frail, antiquated computers, create a product which has now earned nearly 1 billion in sales? How did a makeshift game turn into a worldwide sensation, which has been displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, inspired a big-budget sci-fi movie, and been played in outer space? A quiet but brilliant young man, Alexey Pajitnov had long nurtured a love for the obscure puzzle game pentominoes, and became obsessed with turning it into a computer game. Little did he know that the project that he labored on alone, hour after hour, would soon become the most addictive game ever made. In this fast-paced business story, reporter Dan Ackerman reveals how Tetris became one of the world's first viral hits, passed from player to player, eventually breaking through the Iron Curtain into the West. British, American, and Japanese moguls waged a bitter fight over the rights, sending their fixers racing around the globe to secure backroom deals, while a secretive Soviet organization named ELORG chased down the game's growing global profits.The Tetris Effect is an homage to both creator and creation, and a must-read for anyone who's ever played the game-which is to say everyone.
Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys and Techniques
Rick Snoman - 2004
This book examines different aspects of music production, from sound design, compression and effect to mixing and mastering to publishing and promoting, to help you become a better producer.
The Story Template: Conquer Writer's Block Using the Universal Structure of Story
Amy Deardon - 2011
But where do you start? And how do you finish? Award-winning author Amy Deardon answers these questions in The Story Template: Conquer Writer's Block Using the Universal Structure of Story. This approach will help you focus your creativity and complete your unique and compelling story, script, or novel. With this tool and more than 100 targeted writing exercises, you will learn to: A. Ascertain the four foundational story pillars, and use the "secret weapon" of the story template, to structure your story.B. Build character depth with believable change.C. Create subplots to raise tension while you deepen and contrast story themes.R. Review writing techniques that shape your ideas into a compelling manuscript. The Story Template is a product of Amy's comprehensive research-as well as her personal experience-for what makes a story "work." No matter your level of accomplishment, this book will help you build a better story.
The Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers
Mark Hatch - 2013
But it's not about tearing down the old guard. It's about building, it's about creating, it's about breathing life into groundbreaking new ideas. It's called the Maker Movement, and it's changing the world.Mark Hatch has been at the forefront of the Maker Movement since it began. A cofounder of TechShop--the first, largest, and most popular makerspace--Hatch has seen it all. Average people pay a small fee for access to advanced tools--everything from laser cutters and milling machines to 3D printers and AutoCAD software. All they have to bring is their creativity and some positive energy. Prototypes of new products that would have cost $100,000 in the past have been made in his shop for $1,000.The Maker Movement is where all the next great inventions and innovations are happening--and you can play a part in it.
How to Build a Fire: And Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew
Erin Bried - 2010
Courageous, responsible, and involved, they understand sacrifice, hard work, and how to do whatever is necessary to take care of their loved ones. They also know how to have a rollicking good time.Sensible, fun, and inspiring, How to Build a Fire offers a rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of grandfathers near and far by sharing their practical skills and sweet stories on how to be stronger, smarter, richer, and happier. Inside are more than one hundred essential step-by-step tips for fixing, leading, prospering, playing, and hosting, including how to • buck up and be brave in the face of adversity • play hard and break in a baseball mitt • bait a hook and catch a big fish • look dapper and tie a perfect tie • get a raise and earn more • write a love letter and kindle romance • change a flat tire and save the day • stand up and give a sparkling toast • play the harmonica and make your own music Loaded with charming illustrations, good humor, and warm nostalgia, How to Build a Fire is the perfect handbook for guys or gals of any age. The first of its kind, this collection of our grandfathers’ hard-earned wisdom will help you build confidence and get back to what’s really important in life.
Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories
Grace Young - 2010
It is the rare culinary practice that makes less seem like more, and by which small amounts of food feed many.For centuries the Chinese have carried their woks to all corners of the earth and re-created stir-fry dishes, using local and sometimes nontraditional ingredients. The old expression: "One wok runs to the sky’s edge" means "one who uses the wok becomes master of the cooking world." And as the wok user becomes master of the cooking world, so does he become master of the stir-fry, one of the greatest techniques of Chinese cookery. The technique and tradition of stir-frying, which is at once simple yet subtly complex, is as vital today as it has been for hundreds of years. In Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, James Beard Award-winning author Grace Young shares more than 100 classic stir-fry recipes that sizzle with heat and pop with flavor, from the great Cantonese stir-fry masters to the culinary customs of Sichuan, Hunan, Shanghai, Beijing, Fujian, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, as well as other countries around the world. With more than 80 stunning full-color photographs, Young’s definitive work illustrates the innumerable, easy-to-learn possibilities the technique offers—dry stir-fries, moist stir-fries, clear stir-fries, velvet stir-fries—and weaves the insights of Chinese cooking philosophy into the preparation of such beloved dishes as Kung Pao Chicken, Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli, Chicken Lo Mein with Ginger Mushrooms, and Dry-Fried Sichuan Beans. In honoring the traditions of her cultural ancestors who traveled the globe, Young offers delectable crossover recipes for Chinese Jamaican Jerk Chicken Fried Rice, Chinese Trinidadian Stir-Fried Shrimp with Rum, Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken, and Chinese American Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. Expert home cooks and professional chefs teach you the foundations of stir-fry mastery in the modern kitchen—everything from how to choose, season, and care for a wok and the best skillet alternative; the importance of marinades and the proper technique for slicing meat and poultry for optimum tenderness; to how to select and handle Asian vegetables; ways to shortcut labor-intensive preparations; and tips on how to control heat and choose the best cooking oil. Fascinating personal portraits illustrate how stir-frying is not just a cooking technique but a vital element of China’s rich culture. With this book, Grace Young has created the authoritative guide to stir-frying, a work that is at once rewarding and beautiful, much like the technique of stir-frying itself.
The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Volume 1: Big Game
Steven Rinella - 2014
In this first-ever complete guide to hunting—from hunting an animal to butchering and cooking it—the host of the popular hunting show MeatEater shares his own expertise with us, and imparts strategies and tactics from many of the most experienced hunters in the United States as well. This invaluable book includes • recommendations on what equipment you will need—and what you can do without—from clothing to cutlery to camping gear to weapons • basic and advanced hunting strategies, including spot-and-stalk hunting, ambush hunting, still hunting, drive hunting, and backpack hunting • how to effectively use decoys and calling for big game • how to find hunting locations, on both public and private land, and how to locate areas that other hunters aren’t using • how and when to scout hunting locations for maximum effectiveness • basic information on procuring hunting tags, including limited-entry “draw” tags • a species-by-species description of fourteen big-game animals, from their mating rituals and preferred habitats to the best hunting techniques—both firearm and archery—for each species • how to plan and pack for backcountry hunts • instructions on how to break down any big-game animal and transport it from your hunting site • how to butcher your own big-game animals and select the proper cuts for sausages, roasts, and steaks, and how to utilize underappreciated cuts such as ribs and shanks • cooking techniques and recipes, for both outdoor and indoor preparation of wild game
Tiny House Living: Ideas for Building & Living Well in Less than 400 Square Feet
Ryan Mitchell - 2014
Free yourself from clutter, mortgages and home maintenance while making more room in everyday life for the important things. Whether you downsize to a 400-square-foot home or simply scale back the amount of stuff you have in your current home, this book shows you how to well with less.This book explores the philosophies behind the tiny house movement, helps you determine whether it's a good fit for you, and guides you through the transition to a smaller space. For inspiration, you'll meet tiny house pioneers and hear how they built their dwellings (and their lives) in unconventional, creative and purposeful ways.Everything you need to design a tiny home of your own:• Worksheets and exercises to help you determine your true needs, define personal goals, and develop a tiny house layout that's just right for you• Practical strategies for cutting through clutter and paring down your possessions.• Guidance through the world of building codes and zoning laws.• Design tricks for making the most of every square foot, including multi-function features and ways to maximize vertical space.• Tours of 11 tiny homes and the unique story behind each.Imagine you house help you Live Your Dreams!
Fluent Python: Clear, Concise, and Effective Programming
Luciano Ramalho - 2015
With this hands-on guide, you'll learn how to write effective, idiomatic Python code by leveraging its best and possibly most neglected features. Author Luciano Ramalho takes you through Python's core language features and libraries, and shows you how to make your code shorter, faster, and more readable at the same time.Many experienced programmers try to bend Python to fit patterns they learned from other languages, and never discover Python features outside of their experience. With this book, those Python programmers will thoroughly learn how to become proficient in Python 3.This book covers:Python data model: understand how special methods are the key to the consistent behavior of objectsData structures: take full advantage of built-in types, and understand the text vs bytes duality in the Unicode ageFunctions as objects: view Python functions as first-class objects, and understand how this affects popular design patternsObject-oriented idioms: build classes by learning about references, mutability, interfaces, operator overloading, and multiple inheritanceControl flow: leverage context managers, generators, coroutines, and concurrency with the concurrent.futures and asyncio packagesMetaprogramming: understand how properties, attribute descriptors, class decorators, and metaclasses work"
Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure
Janice Hardy - 2014
Over 100 different exercises lead you through the novel-planning process, building upon each other to flesh out your idea as much or as little as you need to do to start writing. Find Exercises On: - Creating Characters - Choosing Point of View - Determining the Conflict - Finding Your Process - Developing Your Plot - And So Much More! Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to planning your novel, as well as a handy tool for revising a first draft, or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working.
Python for Informatics: Exploring Information: Exploring Information
Charles Severance - 2002
You can think of Python as your tool to solve problems that are far beyond the capability of a spreadsheet. It is an easy-to-use and easy-to learn programming language that is freely available on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux computers. There are free downloadable copies of this book in various electronic formats and a self-paced free online course where you can explore the course materials. All the supporting materials for the book are available under open and remixable licenses. This book is designed to teach people to program even if they have no prior experience.
A Beginner's Guide to Living in an RV: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Full-Time RVing Across America
Alyssa Padgett - 2017
We made it up as we traveled to all fifty states, constantly googling things like "how to RV" and "what is boondocking?" Meanwhile, we flooded the bathroom, took ice cold showers, and got stuck in the mud. Now, we've been full-timing for over three years and we've learned the ins and outs of RVing America. In this guide, I answer all of the most common questions we receive about RV living, from how to choose the right RV to how we get mail on the road, to how to find free camping. This guide is for anyone exploring the RV lifestyle and looking for RVing books to help make the transition easier. Also, because I want to make sure this book is valuable for you, below you can see a few specific areas of RVing I cover. A few topics I cover in the guide: - How to find great internet on the road - The costs of full-time RVing - Whether or not to tow a car behind your RV - What we do for health insurance while traveling - The best RVing clubs and memberships - Our favorite apps for RVers A few topics I DON'T cover, since I have zero experience in these areas, are: - Traveling with kids - How to downsize to an RV from a house - How to travel with pets Transitioning to living on the road was the best decision my husband and I could have ever made. RVing has improved our marriage and our life together, and we've seen more of America than we could have ever imagined. While this book isn't about our story or why you should travel, it will be a useful tool as you find yourself asking a million different questions about what it's like living in an RV. Oh, and don't forget to use the #RVlife on Instagram once you start traveling. That's what all the cool kids do.
A Smarter Way to Learn Python: Learn it faster. Remember it longer.
Mark Myers - 2017
I was smart enough to earn an honors degree in philosophy from Harvard, but an aptitude test told me to avoid computer programming. I'm sure it was right. But then I designed a learning system for myself that quadrupled my aptitude for learning computer languages. It worked so well for me that I've used it to teach coding to grandmothers, cab drivers, musicians, and 50,000 other newbies.
"Mark Myers' method of getting what can be...difficult information into a format that makes it exponentially easier to consume, truly understand, and synthesize into real-world application is beyond anything I've encountered before." —Amazon reviewer Jason A. Ruby reviewing my first book, A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript
Quadruple your learning ability.
Washington University research shows that a key teaching method I use—interactive recall practice—improves learning performance 400 percent.
"I don't feel lost and I don't feel that I am forgetting things as I go along." —Amazon reviewer Leonie M. reviewing my second book, A Smarter Way to Learn HTML and CSS
Understanding is easy. Remembering is hard.
Computer languages are not inherently hard to understand, even for non-techies. Remembering is the problem. If you remember all of Chapter 1 through Chapter 10, you'll understand Chapter 11. But you don't remember. Though you read and read, most of it doesn't stick. You don't have a solid foundation to build on. Halfway through the book, it all collapses. That's when most people give up."I've signed up to a few sites like Udemy, Codecademy, FreeCodeCamp, Lynda, YouTube videos, even searched on Coursera but nothing seemed to work for me. This book takes only 10 minutes each chapter and after that, you can exercise what you've just learned right away!" —Amazon reviewer Constanza Morales reviewing my first book, A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript
Interactive exercises make it stick.
Research shows that you will remember everything if you're repeatedly asked to recall it. That's the beauty of flash cards. But technology offers an even better way to make information stick. With my book you get almost a thousand interactive exercises—they're free online—that embed the whole book in your memory. Algorithms check your work to make sure you know what you think you know. When you stumble, you do the exercise again. You keep trying until you know the chapter cold.
"Not only do the exercises make learning fun, they reinforce the material right away so it sinks in deeper." —Amazon reviewer Timothy B. Miller reviewing my second book, A Smarter Way to Learn HTML and CSS
You won't get bored or sleepy.
The exercises keep you engaged, give you extra practice where you're shaky, and prepare you for each next step. Every lesson is built on top of a solid foundation that you and I have carefully constructed. Each individual step is small. But all the little steps add up to real knowledge—knowledge that you retain.
I finally feel like I KNOW it and won't need to look up the syntax each time..." —Amazon reviewer J. Caritas reviewing my third book, A Smarter Way to Learn jQuery
Really, it ain't that hard.