Hidden Figures


Margot Lee Shetterly - 2016
    It is the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space program. Now a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.This book brings to life the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, who lived through the Civil Rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the movement for gender equality, and whose work forever changed the face of NASA and the country.

The Climate Chronicles: Inconvenient Revelations You Won't Hear From Al Gore--And Others


Joe Bastardi - 2018
    This methodology revealed distinct cyclical patterns that were used to provide the foundation for his forecasting. The wonderful advances in science add to the mix, but are tools to use, not answers that should automatically be accepted as we see with the climate agenda. The lesson in weather, in history, in anything, is that the foundation you stand on today is built from yesterday to reach for tomorrow. The book examines the clash between that philosophy and one that minimizes lessons of the past, or ignores them, and uses climate and weather to simply further an agenda that has very little to do with either. An uncurious media is a willing accomplice in advancing the missive to the population, The Climate Chronicles reveals that clash in an effort to get the reader to search beyond what they are told. As such its a must read for those seeking not an agenda driven answer, but the right answer, wherever it may lead them. Bastardi's goal is not to get you to blindly accept what he says, but to dig in and examine for yourself. The book shows, given the implications of not doing so, more is at stake than just tomorrows weather.

The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket


Trevor Corson - 2006
    With the same eye for drama and humor that Corson brings to the exploits of the chefs, he delves into the biology and natural history of the creatures of the sea. He illuminates sushi's beginnings as an Indo-Chinese meal akin to cheese, describes its reinvention in bustling nineteenth-century Tokyo as a cheap fast food, and tells the story of the pioneers who brought it to America. He shows how this unlikely meal is now exploding into the American heartland just as the long-term future of sushi may be unraveling.The Zen of Fish is a compelling tale of human determination as well as a delectable smorgasbord of surprising food science, intrepid reporting, and provocative cultural history.

Strange Brains and Genius: The Secret Lives Of Eccentric Scientists And Madmen


Clifford A. Pickover - 1998
    A few highlights:"The Pigeon Man from Manhattan" Legendary inventor Nikola Tesla had abnormally long thumbs, a peculiar love of pigeons, and a horror of women's pearls."The Worm Man from Devonshire" Forefather of modern electric-circuit design Oliver Heaviside furnished his home with granite blocks and sometimes consumed only milk for days (as did Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison)."The Rabbit-Eater from Lichfield" Renowned scholar Samuel Johnson had so many tics and quirks that some mistook him for an idiot. In fact, his behavior matches modern definitions of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome.Pickover also addresses many provocative topics: the link between genius and madness, the role the brain plays in alien abduction and religious experiences, UFOs, cryonics -- even the whereabouts of Einstein's brain!

How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn't


Irwin A. Schiff - 1985
    

A Soup For Every Day: 365 of Our Favourite Recipes


New Covent Garden Soup Company - 2010
    Now, a few years on and with hundreds of recipes at their fingertips, they have decided to share their all-time favorites with you in this definitive collection. Soup is generally easy to make and a great way to use up leftovers, but it can also be exotic and sophisticated, and A Soup for Every Day is packed with ideas for whatever the occasion demands. With a recipe for each day of the year, carefully chosen according to what's in season, you'll find tons of inspiration to create a healthy, nutritious meal for all the family, an impressive dish for a dinner party, or comfort food for a cold winter's afternoon. With all sorts of delicious concoctions—from Butternut Squash and Goat's Cheese or Pea and Ham to Moroccan Lamb and Chickpea or Carrot and Coriander—this wonderful book contains all the recipes any soup lover will ever need.

Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook


Michael Linenberger - 2005
    Outlook 2007 and 2003 are also covered. This seminal guide presents the author's best practices of time, task, and e-mail management, drawing from time management theories and applying these best practices in Microsoft Outlook. Anyone who finds they are overburdened by e-mail or working too late each day will benefit from this book.

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design


Roman Mars - 2020
    The show celebrates design and architecture in all of its functional glory and accidental absurdity, with intriguing tales of both designers and the people impacted by their designs.Now, in The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to Hidden World of Everyday Design, host Roman Mars and coauthor Kurt Kohlstedt zoom in on the various elements that make our cities work, exploring the origins and other fascinating stories behind everything from power grids and fire escapes to drinking fountains and street signs. With deeply researched entries and beautiful line drawings throughout, The 99% Invisible City will captivate devoted fans of the show and anyone curious about design, urban environments, and the unsung marvels of the world around them.

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language


Gretchen McCulloch - 2019
    Language is humanity's most spectacular open-source project, and the internet is making our language change faster and in more interesting ways than ever before. Internet conversations are structured by the shape of our apps and platforms, from the grammar of status updates to the protocols of comments and @replies. Linguistically inventive online communities spread new slang and jargon with dizzying speed. What's more, social media is a vast laboratory of unedited, unfiltered words where we can watch language evolve in real time.Even the most absurd-looking slang has genuine patterns behind it. Internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch explores the deep forces that shape human language and influence the way we communicate with one another. She explains how your first social internet experience influences whether you prefer "LOL" or "lol," why ~sparkly tildes~ succeeded where centuries of proposals for irony punctuation had failed, what emoji have in common with physical gestures, and how the artfully disarrayed language of animal memes like lolcats and doggo made them more likely to spread.Because Internet is essential reading for anyone who's ever puzzled over how to punctuate a text message or wondered where memes come from. It's the perfect book for understanding how the internet is changing the English language, why that's a good thing, and what our online interactions reveal about who we are.

The Great American Divorce: Why Our Country Is Coming Apart—And Why It Might Be for the Best


David Austin French - 2020
    

An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for Everyday Foodies


Tyler Cowen - 2012
    

IBM and the Holocaust


Edwin Black - 1999
    As the 3rd Reich embarked upon its plan of conquest & genocide, IBM & its subsidiaries helped create enabling technologies, step-by-step, from the identification & cataloging programs of the 30s to the selections of the 40s. Only after Jews were identified--a massively complex task Hitler wanted done immediately--could they be targeted for efficient asset confiscation, ghettoization, deportation, enslaved labor & annihilation. It was a cross-tabulation & organizational challenge so monumental, it called for a computer. Of course, in the 30s no computer existed. But IBM's Hollerith punch card technology did exist. Aided by the company's custom-designed & constantly updated Hollerith systems, Hitler was able to automate the persecution of the Jews.Historians were amazed at the speed & accuracy with which the Nazis were able to identify & locate European Jewry. Until now, the pieces of this puzzle have never been fully assembled. The fact is, IBM technology was used to organize nearly everything in Germany & then Nazi Europe, from the identification of the Jews in censuses, registrations & ancestral tracing programs to the running of railroads & organizing of concentration camp slave labor. IBM & its German subsidiary custom-designed complex solutions, anticipating the Reich's needs. They didn't merely sell the machines & walk away. Instead, IBM leased these machines for high fees & became the sole source of the billions of punch cards needed. IBM & the Holocaust details the carefully crafted corporate collusion with the 3rd Reich, as well as the structured deniability of oral agreements, undated letters & the Geneva intermediaries--all undertaken as the newspapers blazed with accounts of persecution & destruction. Just as compelling is the human drama of one of our century's greatest minds, IBM founder Thomas Watson, who cooperated with the Nazis for the sake of profit. Only with IBM's technologic assistance was Hitler able to achieve the staggering numbers of the Holocaust. Edwin Black has now uncovered one of the last great mysteries of Germany's war against the Jews: how Hitler got the names.

Herbs and Superfoods for Weight Loss and Detox


Emma Green - 2018
     In truth, if you want to live healthily, you must eat wisely. And generally-speaking, there is definitely a lot of nutrient availability missing from store-bought, commonly used, "regular" foods. If we think about our nutrition more definitively, it remains true that the commonly used or more "inadequate" foods can definitely support life. We know this from our experience in living day-to-day. But then it must also be true that "herbal" or "super" foods must, in turn, be able to fortify, help, sustain, and aid the body, more-dramatically so. Even energizing our bodies to the point of purer health, weight loss shedding, and healing bliss, in many instances. Through definitive research, I've learned that the amazing qualities in herbs and superfoods are truly our "forgotten" foods. And because of their unusual or pungent tastes and smells, we've negated them, historically speaking. This also happened because of our diminished knowledge concerning their usage, and because they were (unfortunately) eliminated as a food source; seeing later generations ignoring them altogether. In reality, we must follow this ideal criterion: it does matter what we eat; we need all kinds of food to live; diet extremes will harm health. Thankfully, and more recently, there has been a greater interest in these lost and forgotten foods on the world stage. And in this title, Herbs and Superfoods for Weight Loss and Detox, we'll discover an amazing list of herbs and superfoods, and we'll take a look into the history, benefits and scientific evidence, negatives and cautions, how to use, taste, and even where to source them from. Including an all-inclusive look at: licorice root, gynostemma, he shou wu, velvet antler, reishi mushrooms, goji berries, astragalus root, cinnamon, gotu kola, acai berries, and many, many more! Remember, over time, our bodies build up poisons and store waste from food that is not fully eliminated. It is raw food that helps us to detoxify the body, by flushing out these poisons and setting us back on a course toward a promotion of greater energy, clearer skin, shinier hair, and a slimmer, more-natural figure, too. But making the transition to a raw diet too quickly can have negative effects on the body. Instead, the much healthier way is to make a gentle change; one that's based on your previous diet and current nutritional needs. For a definitive look at the forgotten herbs and superfoods, and a discussion of the importance of them in your life, please get your copy of this comprehensive title, today. It's fully planned and backed by thorough research, and its knowledge base can definitively enhance your life and your overall well-being.

Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues


Joel Selvin - 2014
    His heart damaged by rheumatic fever as a youth, Berns was not expected to live to see 21. Although his name is little remembered today, Berns worked alongside all the greats of the era—Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler, Burt Bacharach, Phil Spector, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, anyone who was anyone in New York rhythm and blues. In seven quick years, he went from nobody to the top of the pops—producer of monumental r&b classics, songwriter of “Twist and Shout,” “My Girl Sloopy,” “Piece of My Heart,” and others.His fury to succeed led Berns to use his Mafia associations to muscle Atlantic Records out of their partnership and intimidate new talents like Neil Diamond and Van Morrison, whom he had signed to his record label. Berns died at age 38 from a long-expected heart attack, just when he was seeing his grandest plans and life’s ambitions frustrated and foiled.

Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical


Anthony Bourdain - 2001
    That is until 1904, when the disease broke out in a household in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Authorities suspected the family cook, Mary Mallon, of being a carrier. But before she could be tested, the woman, soon to be known as Typhoid Mary, had disappeared. Over the course of the next three years, Mary worked at several residences, spreading her pestilence as she went. In 1907, she was traced to a home on Park Avenue, and taken into custody. Institutionalized at Riverside Hospital for three years, she was released only when she promised never to work as a cook again. She promptly disappeared.For the next five years Mary worked in homes and institutions in and around New York, often under assumed names. In February 1915, a devastating outbreak of typhoid at the Sloane Hospital for Women was traced to her. She was finally apprehended and reinstitutionalized at Riverside Hospital, where she would remain for the rest of her life.Typhoid Mary is the story of her infamous life. Anthony Bourdain reveals the seedier side of the early 1900s, and writes with his renowned panache about life in the kitchen, uncovering the horrifying conditions that allowed the deadly spread of typhoid over a decade. Typhoid Mary is a true feast for history lovers and Bourdain lovers alike.