Time


Alexander Waugh - 1998
    Waugh looks at every aspect of time - from the Big Bang, through clock time and calendars to the end of time. Drawing on Waugh's polymathic knowledge of art, music, literature, science and social history, this is a hugely entertaining examination of the big questions about time: how were seconds, minutes and hours agreed; how were the various calendars arrived at and why are there twelve months in a year and seven days in a week?

Richard Dawkins' God Delusion: A Repentant Refutation


Klaus Nürnberger - 2010
    Part I asks: Is evolving Nature all there is – self-generated, self-sustaining, self-contained? Are human beings, as the topmost outgrowth of Nature, responsible to none other but themselves? That is the stance of naturalist and atheist Richard Dawkins. Or is evolving reality derived from, and dependent on, a transcendent Source and Destiny, to whom humans are accountable and whose benevolence reaches out to humans as persons because humans are persons? That is the conviction of the Christian faith. Part II shows that Dawkins’ interpretation of religion is deficient even in evolutionary terms and lacks the objectivity and impartiality of genuine science.Backed with in-depth study and thorough research, Richard Dawkins’ God Delusion: A repentant refutation is a masterfully written work that attempts to provide answers to believers and non-believers by presenting scientific and religious reasoning.

How We'll Live on Mars


Stephen L. Petranek - 2014
    Now he makes the case that living on Mars is not just plausible, but inevitable.It sounds like science fiction, but Stephen Petranek considers it fact: Within twenty years, humans will live on Mars. We'll need to. In this sweeping, provocative book that mixes business, science, and human reporting, Petranek makes the case that living on Mars is an essential back-up plan for humanity and explains in fascinating detail just how it will happen.The race is on. Private companies, driven by iconoclastic entrepreneurs, such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Paul Allen, and Sir Richard Branson; Dutch reality show and space mission Mars One; NASA; and the Chinese government are among the many groups competing to plant the first stake on Mars and open the door for human habitation. Why go to Mars? Life on Mars has potential life-saving possibilities for everyone on earth. Depleting water supplies, overwhelming climate change, and a host of other disasters — from terrorist attacks to meteor strikes — all loom large. We must become a space-faring species to survive. We have the technology not only to get humans to Mars, but to convert Mars into another habitable planet. It will likely take 300 years to "terraform" Mars, as the jargon goes, but we can turn it into a veritable second Garden of Eden. And we can live there, in specially designed habitations, within the next twenty years.In this exciting chronicle, Petranek introduces the circus of lively characters all engaged in a dramatic effort to be the first to settle the Red Planet. How We'll Live on Mars brings firsthand reporting, interviews with key participants, and extensive research to bear on the question of how we can expect to see life on Mars within the next twenty years.

Darknet: A Beginner's Guide to Staying Anonymous


Lance Henderson - 2012
    This book covers it all! Encrypting your private files, securing your PC, masking your online footsteps, and all while giving you peace of mind with TOTAL 100% ANONYMITY. Don't waste months scouring the internet for info. Just read this! You'll be hooked in five minutes. It's all here: CIA techniques, how the NSA catches Tor users, Truecrypt and the FBI, nuking tracking cookies, private browsing, preventing identity theft. I will show you: -How to Be Anonymous Online -Step by Step Guides for Tor, Freenet, I2P, VPNs, Usenet and more -Browser Fingerprinting -Anti-Hacking and Counter-Forensic Techniques -Photo & Video Metadata -How to Encrypt Files (I make this super simple) -How to Defeat NSA Spying -How to Browse the Deep Web -How to Protect Your Identity -How to Hide Anything! You've probably read How to Be Invisible by J. J. Luna and Incognito Toolkit by Rob Robideau, and while they are fine books, you need this companion piece to take it to the next level!

How to Think Like Stephen Hawking


Daniel Smith - 2016
    Not least because he has continued to strive to achieve so much while being hindered by debilitating illness. He has demonstrated categorically that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything, no matter your physical state.Of course, it helps if you happen to possess a mind such as his. His work on black holes put him on the map, and he became globally famous for his A Brief History of Time, communicating the most difficult scientific ideas at a period when he’d lost the ability to speak.How to Think Like Stephen Hawking reveals the key motivations, desires and philosophies that make Hawking one of the world’s most enduring talents. Studying how he overcame great adversity, fought his demons as well as his detractors and looked back to the origins of the universe, and with quotes and passages by and about him, you too can learn to think like the man who claims he can think in eleven dimensions.Other books in the series include: How to Think Like Sherlock, How to Think Like Churchill and How to Think Like Steve Jobs

Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars


Lee Billings - 2013
    But soon, Earth's isolation could come to an end. Over the past two decades, astronomers have discovered thousands of planets orbiting other stars. Some of these exoplanets may be mirror images of our own world. And more are being found all the time.Yet as the pace of discovery quickens, an answer to the universe's greatest riddle still remains just out of reach: Is the great silence and emptiness of the cosmos a sign that we and our world are somehow singular, special, and profoundly alone, or does it just mean that we’re looking for life in all the wrong places? As star-gazing scientists come closer to learning the truth, their insights are proving ever more crucial to understanding life’s intricate mysteries and possibilities right here on Earth.Science journalist Lee Billings explores the past and future of the "exoplanet boom" through in-depth reporting and interviews with the astronomers andplanetary scientists at its forefront. He recounts the stories behind their world-changing discoveries and captures the pivotal moments that drove them forward in their historic search for the first habitable planets beyond our solar system. Billings brings readers close to a wide range of fascinating characters, such as:FRANK DRAKE, a pioneer who has used the world’s greatest radio telescopes to conduct the first searches for extraterrestrial intelligence and to transmit a message to the stars so powerful that it briefly outshone our Sun.JIM KASTING, a mild-mannered former NASA scientist whose research into the Earth’s atmosphere and climate reveals the deepest foundations of life on our planet, foretells the end of life on Earth in the distant future, and guides the planet hunters in their search for alien life.SARA SEAGER, a visionary and iron-willed MIT professor who dreams of escaping the solar system and building the giant space telescopes required to discover and study life-bearing planets around hundreds of the Sun’s neighboring stars.Through these and other captivating tales, Billings traces the triumphs, tragedies, and betrayals of the extraordinary men and women seeking life among the stars. In spite of insufficient funding, clashing opinions, and the failings of some of our world’s most prominent and powerful scientific organizations, these planet hunters will not rest until they find the meaning of life in the infinite depths of space. Billings emphasizes that the heroic quest for other Earth-like planets is not only a scientific pursuit, but also a reflection of our own culture’s timeless hopes and fears.

Sun in a Bottle: The Strange History of Fusion and the Science of Wishful Thinking


Charles Seife - 2008
    When weapons builders detonated the first hydrogen bomb in 1952, they tapped into the vastest source of energy in our solar system--the very same phenomenon that makes the sun shine. Nuclear fusion was a virtually unlimited source of power that became the center of a tragic and comic quest that has left scores of scientists battered and disgraced. For the past half-century, governments and research teams have tried to bottle the sun with lasers, magnets, sound waves, particle beams, and chunks of metal, have struggled to harness the power of fusion. (The latest venture, a giant, multi-billion-dollar, international fusion project called ITER, is just now getting underway.) Again and again, they have failed, disgracing generations of scientists. Throughout this fascinating journey Charles Seife introduces us to the daring geniuses, villains, and victims of fusion science: the brilliant and tortured Andrei Sakharov; the monomaniacal and Strangelovean Edward Teller; Ronald Richter, the secretive physicist whose lies embarrassed an entire country; and Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann, the two chemists behind the greatest scientific fiasco of the past hundred years. Sun in a Bottle is the first major book to trace the story of fusion from its beginnings into the 21st century, of how scientists have gotten burned by trying to harness the power of the sun.

Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet


Leonard David - 2016
    In October 2015, NASA declared Mars “an achievable goal”; that same season, Ridley Scott and Matt Damon’s The Martian drew crowds into theaters, grossing over $200 million.Now the National Geographic Channel fast forwards years ahead with Mars, a six-part series documenting and dramatizing the next twenty-five years as humans land on and learn to live on Mars. Following on the visionary success of Buzz Aldrin’s Mission to Mars and the visual glory of Marc Kaufman’s Mars Up Close, this companion book to the Nat Geo series shows the science behind the mission and the challenges awaiting those brave individuals.The book combines science, technology, and storytelling, offering what only National Geographic can create. Clear scientific explanations make the Mars experience real and provide amazing visuals to savor and return to again and again.

Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla: Biography of a Genius


Marc J. Seifer - 1996
    Based on original material and previously unavailable documents, this acclaimed book is the definitive biography of the man considered by many to be the founding father of modern electrical technology. Among Tesla's creations were the channeling of alternating current, fluorescent and neon lighting, wireless telegraphy, and the giant turbines that harnessed the power of Niagara Falls.

Mad Science: Einstein's Fridge, Dewar's Flask, Mach's Speed, and 362 Other Inventions and Discoveries that Made Our World


Randy Alfred - 2012
    On the next day, 17 years earlier, the first U.S. Satellite passed through the Van Allen radiation belt. On March 17, the airplane "black box" made its maiden voyage (1953). And what about today? Every day of the year has a rich scientific and technological heritage just waiting to be uncovered, and Wired's top-flight science-trivia book MAD SCIENCE collects them chronologically, from New Year's Day to year's end, showing just how entertaining, wonderful, bizarre, and relevant science can be.In 2010, Wired's popular "This Day in Tech" blog peaked with more than 700,000 page views each month, and one story in 2008 drew more than a million unique viewers. This book will collect the most intriguing anecdotes from the blog's run-one for each day of the year-and publish them in a package that will instantly appeal to hardcore techies and curious laypeople alike.

FREE Weights and Measures Study Guide: Conversion of over 1,000 units including Length, Area, Volume, Speed, Force, Energy, Electricity, Viscosity, Temperature, & more


MobileReference - 2007
    You will use it from high school to college and beyond. The full version is absolutely FREE. Features Conversion of over 1,000 units. Metric, English, and US customary systems. Length, Area, Volume, Speed, Force, Energy, Electricity, Viscosity, Temperature, and more. List of powers of 10 prefixes. Explanation of SI writing style. Approximate conversion of units. Clear and concise explanations. Difficult concepts are explained in simple terms. Navigate from Table of Contents or search for words or phrases. Add bookmarks and annotation. Access the guide anytime, anywhere - at home, on the train, in the subway. Use your down time to prepare for an exam. Always have the guide available for a quick reference. Indispensable resource for technical and life science students. The full version is absolutely FREE. FREE updates. Table of Contents Conversion of units: Length: Definition | Conversion Area: Definition | 2-D Formulae | 3-D Formulae | Conversion Volume: Definition | Formulae | Conversion Angle: Definition | Conversion Mass: Definition | Conversion Time: Definition | Conversion Speed: Definition | Conversion Acceleration: Definition | Conversion Force: Definition | Conversion Pressure or mechanical stress: Definition | Conversion Energy, work, or heat: Definition | Conversion Power: Definition | Conversion Angular momentum: Definition | Conversion Electricity: Current | Charge | Resistance | Voltage | Formulae | Conversion Viscosity: Definition | Conversion Information entropy: Definition | Conversion Temperature: Definition | Conversion Approximate conversion of units History: Systems of measurement | History of measurement Metric system (SI): Definition | SI writing style | Powers of 10 prefixes Other Systems: English system | Imperial unit | United States customary units | Comparison of the Imperial and U.S. customary systems

You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes


Chris Hadfield - 2014
    . .In You Are Here, bestselling author and celebrated astronaut Chris Hadfield creates a virtual orbit of Earth, giving us the really big picture: this is our home, from space. The millions of us who followed Hadfield's news-making Twitter feed from the ISS thought we knew what we were looking at when we first saw his photos. But we may have caught the beauty and missed the full meaning. Now, through photographs - many of which have never been shared - Hadfield unveils a fresh and insightful look at our planet. He sees astonishing detail and importance in these images, not just because he's spent months in space but because his in-depth knowledge of geology, geography and meteorology allows him to reveal the photos' mysteries.Featuring Hadfield's favourite images, You Are Here is divided by continent and represents one (idealized) orbit of the ISS. This planetary photo tour - surprising, playful, thought-provoking and visually delightful - provides a breathtakingly beautiful perspective on the wonders of the world. You Are Here opens a singular window on our planet, using remarkable photographs to illuminate the history and consequences of human settlement, the magnificence of newly uncovered landscapes, and the power of the natural forces shaping our world and the future of our species.

There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings


Kenn Amdahl - 1991
    Despite its title, it's not wild ranting pseudo-science to be dismissed by those with brains. Rather, Amdahl maintains that one need not understand quantum physics to grasp how electricity works in practical applications. To understand your toaster or your fax machine, it doesn't really matter whether there are electrons or not, and it's a lot easier and more fun to start with the toaster than with quarks and calculus. The book is mildly weird, often funny, always clear and easy to understand. It assumes the reader doesn't know a volt from a hole in the ground and gently leads him or her through integrated circuits, radio, oscillators and the basics of the digital revolution using examples that include green buffalo, microscopic beer parties, break-dancing chickens and naked Norwegian girls in rowboats. OK, it's more than mildly weird.The book has been reprinted numerous times since 1991 and has achieved minor cult status. Reviewed and praised in dozens of electronics and educational magazines, it is used as a text by major corporations, colleges, high schools, military schools and trade schools. It has been studied by education programs at colleges across the United States. This book was making wise cracks in the corner before anyone thought of designing books for dummies and idiots; some say it helped to inspire that industry.It may be the only "introduction to electronics books" with back cover comments by Dave Barry, Ray Bradbury, Clive Cussler, and George Garrett, as well as recomendations from Robert Hazen, Bob Mostafapour, Dr. Roger Young, Dr. Wayne Green, Scott Rundle, Brian Battles, Michelle Guido, Herb Reichert and Emil Venere. As Monitoring Times said, "Perhaps the best electronics book ever. If you'd like to learn about basic electronics but haven't been able to pull it off, get There Are No Electrons. Just trust us. Get the book."

Understanding Physics for JEE Main & Advanced Mechanics Part 2


D.C. Pandey - 2014
    •“Sample examples” are given for subject understanding before the text. •Each topic includes the “introductory exercise” to test the ability. •“Extra Points” are given to follow the points in brief. •2 leveled solved examples are given at the end of chapter •Consist 2 leveled exercise level 1 for AIEEE and level 2 for IIT JEE, including subjective Questions, Single Correct Option, Assertion & Reason, Match the Column including Reasoning, Aptitude & Comprehension, etc. •Chapter-wise Hints & Solutions are provided at the end of the book

The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics


David M. Toomey - 2007
    G. Wells' 1895 classic The Time Machine, readers of science fiction have puzzled over the paradoxes of time travel. What would happen if a time traveler tried to change history? Would some force or law of nature prevent him? Or would his action produce a "new" history, branching away from the original?In the last decade of the twentieth century a group of theoretical physicists at the California Institute of Technology undertook a serious investigation of the possibility of pastward time travel, inspiring a serious and sustained study that engaged more than thirty physicists working at universities and institutes around the world.Many of the figures involved are familiar: Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Kip Thorne; others are names known mostly to physicists. These are the new time travelers, and this is the story of their work--a profoundly human endeavor marked by advances, retreats, and no small share of surprises. It is a fantastic journey to the frontiers of physics.