A Short History of Nearly Everything
Nov 29, 2009 Learning and Knowledge, Science and Technology
Anyone who needs to improve their overall understanding of the history of science, or just wants to read an incredibly witty, human account of the trials and tribulations of usually dry-sounding scientists in ages past, needs this book. It literally is a short history of nearly everything, from explanations of how we’ve learned about the echoes of the Big Bang to feuds over dinosaurs to where we are today, told with Bill Bryson’s dry humour.
Synopsis: From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson uses hundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews with luminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space.
The Right Way to Do Wrong: An Expose of Successful Criminals – free download.
Nov 24, 2009 History, Philosophy & Thinking, Skeptical books, Special Offers
Sticking with our magic theme this week we have a great release for anyone interested in magic. Writen by Houdini himself, The Right Way To Do Wrong is an interesting look in to the techniques of what has to be the world’s greatest magician.
Houdini spent a lot of his time debunking people who made fraudulent claims, from psychic abilities to magical powers. The Right Way is Houdini’s first book and is more directed towards exposing criminal activity, but there is a passage or two on “spiritual frauds”. From Burglars, thieves, pickpockets and beggars it’s all covered here, but don’t take my word for it. You can download a free copy of the audio book here.
LibriVox recordings are Public Domain in the USA. If you are not in the USA, please verify the copyright status of these works in your own country before downloading, otherwise you may be violating copyright laws.
SYNOPSIS: The legendary Harry Houdini started the tradition of magicians debunking charlatans and revealing secrets of the trade that continues today through the likes Penn and Teller or James “The Amazing” Randi. But Houdini went even further here, in this delightful 1906 novelty: he revealed the working secrets of thieves, swindlers, and con artists. Culled from his conversations with “the chiefs of police and the most famous detectives in the world,” Houdini’s tales of the tricks of the trade of beggars, pickpockets, and burglars are instructive and amusing. The master showman was also a surprisingly entertaining writer-and this is one of his most enjoyable books, one that will enthrall readers of true crime as well as fans of Houdini himself. Hungarian-American magician and professional skeptic EHRICH WEISS (1874-1926)-aka Harry Houdini, “Handcuff King and Jail Breaker”-also wrote Magical Rope Ties and Escapes (1920) and A Magician Among the Spirits (1924).
Amazon Link
Win possibly the greatest Magic Book ever
Nov 20, 2009 Art, Image based, Special Offers, Specialist Subjects
TASCHEN are noted for their wonderful books crammed full of images and we own quite a few, however this release is really something special. Featuring more than 1,000 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings as well as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch and Caravaggio among others, this 650-page volume traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s.
Combining sensational images with incisive text, Magic explores the evolution of the magician’s craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century’s Golden Age of Magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century’s vaudevillians.
This book is a stunning publication. I will admit, first thoughts were that was a specialist release, however attempting to put the book down is very hard. Well actually it is very easy, its weighty feel is something to behold at a good 10lbs. And yet I must have spent at least 30 minutes turning pages and reading snippets before I realised the time.
Further more we’re giving away a copy of this book and not just any copy. We have managed to secure copies signed by one of the great illusionists of all time, Derren Brown. He is not featured in this book, its time period only stretches from 1400-1950, but many who have influenced him are.
To win a fantastic copy just visit the TASCHEN site here and select the LEAF THROUGH option on the right. Leaf through the MAGIC book until you find a bottle of Ether. Tell us exactly where you found it, along with the reason why you’re into books or magic (your choice but must be in less than 100 words) and email us here.
The winner picked out of a hat will be announced on the 1 December via the blog.
MAGIC – Taschen, Win a copy signed by Derren Brown on Vimeo.
Exclusive – low price offer over at Amazon
Frankie Boyle – My Shit Life So Far
Nov 14, 2009 Biography, Comedy
If you’re a fan of Frankie Boyles then this book goes without saying. If you don’t know his work then he’s probably the UK’s last real rock’n'roll comedy hero in the mainstream. Despite his smart appearance on the cover the book is a hilarious ride about his wild and reckless lifestyle involving drugs and drink, it reminds me more of what you’d get from the true greats like Prior and Hicks 20 years ago.
I did smirk and smile most of the way through and it wasn’t burst out loud funny, but I feel that few books sustain comedy for as long and lasting as this one does. As you can tell by the cover Boyle is offensive, he is crass and at times just plain foul, but he’s also intelligent, insightful but not at the expense of his delivery.
Comedy has managed to be left alone a little, the bland and inoffensive churning out of formulaic acts from the likes of X-Factor and MTV has set music back years. Good solid movies seem to be few and far between and so comedy has filled the void a litte and today we have some incredible stand-ups and great TV comedy. Boyle is certainly up there and whilst I’m not a huge fan of Mock the Week he definitely shines through as the most consistently entertaining. I’ll be watching his DVD live act very soon.
This one’s on the xmas list for a few people I know. My copy was passed on to 2 people who both saw him in a different light after reading it. It will at least cheer you up but what ever you do, don’t let your nan read it.
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
Nov 14, 2009 Learning and Knowledge, Religion and Ethics, Skeptical books, Specialist Subjects
Dawkins has always had a voice in the media but more recently this has been amplified by his struggle against religious idealism. His recent documentaries also called in to question the pseudo-science and hocus-pocus involved in alternative therapy. But it’s easy to forget that Richard Dawkins is also one of the leading minds in evolutionary theory.
Many who fall in to the trap of talking about “Darwinism” as a sort of religious stand point will probably feel that “Dawkinism” is only around the corner. But the the clear and unquestionable evidence that piles up so incredible high in favour of evolutionary theory relates in no way to any religious debate. If you question evolution you may as well question Newtons laws of motion – you’re on rocky territory.
Darwin is arguably the greatest scientist of all time, in a 2005 BBC poll of scientists from around the world he came first by quite a stretch, he was also voted one of the top 5 greatest Britons. Charles Dickens lost his place on the £10 to the man and Richard Owen, the founder of the Natural History, lost pride of place in the great hall to a larger and considerably heavier statue of Darwin.
So it’s unusual to find that of all the scientists you would look to argue with the theories of this one. Even the Church of England finally admitted defeat, albeit over 120 years late officially stating that they we’re wrong to criticise his theories.
The Origin of the Species struggled throughout it’s multiple releases. Painstakingly researched at a time when sea travel was the norm, reworked 4 times and released in 1859, Darwin had no easy task. Initially he was worried about it’s release and after delays and initial worries it was finally put out without a huge fanfare. And yet despite this it has become a cornerstone of scientific understanding.
The Greatest Show on Earth is probably the only book that could ever accompany The Origin of the Species in equalled proportion. It’s fantastically well written and highly enjoyable. Simplifying such an enormous topic has I’m sure been incredibly hard, but Dawkin’s intellect and insight shines through, his writing style is upbeat and energetic but moves just at the right pace.
From it’s opening chapter about the “history deniers” to the final chapter based on The Origin of the Species itself. Every page offers insight, understanding and results in a truly simplified reworking of complex and challenging theories. And in doing so it in no way dilutes the message. It’s easy to forget that Dawkins the religious critic is also a brilliant and well spoken scientist. Consequently this is also one of the most powerful arguments against the Intelligent Design camp without falling in to the slippery slope argument by questioning the existence of supernatural beings.
Top of the Amazon, Sunday Times and countless other best seller lists if you don’t own a copy of this I thoroughly recommend it. It’s available in several versions from hardcover to audio book and I’m sure it will be reprinted and redistributed for a long time to come. I have read most of Dawkins’ books, The selfish gene is probably his most ground breaking and The God Delusion his most famous release, but now I consider The Greatest Show on Earth to quite firmly replace both of those despite only being available for a few months.
New Book Store: Phaidon Chelsea
Nov 9, 2009 Events
A new Phaidon store opened up on the Kings Road in Chelsea. Like TASHEN they print their own books on a variety of subjects. There’s a fantastic selection from Art to history to fashion and a whole load more. It’s very difficult to go in to shops like this without seeing at least a few items you’ll want. So luckily there’s a 50% off section at the back and 20% off everything else during the opening period.
Why Do We Talk
Nov 9, 2009 Learning and Knowledge, Specialist Subjects
Talking is something that is unique to humans, yet it still remains a mystery. Horizon meets the scientists beginning to unlock the secrets of speech – including a father who is filming every second of his son’s first three years in order to discover how we learn to talk, the autistic savant who can speak more than 20 languages, and the first scientist to identify a gene that makes speech possible.
Horizon also hears from the godfather of linguistics, Noam Chomsky, the first to suggest that our ability to talk is innate. A unique experiment shows how a new alien language can emerge in just one afternoon, in a bid to understand where language comes from and why it is the way it is.
Available for the next 14 days on iplayer
Letter to a Christian Nation
Nov 7, 2009 Philosophy & Thinking, Religion and Ethics, Skeptical books
Sam Harris books are usually to be found sitting next to that of Hitchens and Dawkins in the “New-Atheism” sections of a bookshop (if you’re lucky to have such a section). This is one of those obvious releases that anyone who is of the atheist mind set should own a copy of. It is if anything the introductory book for many who haven’t bothered to define themselves spiritually or are perhaps sitting on the fence on the whole issue.
As a book it’s a set of letters very much written AT Christians, asking them questions from someone who has obviously become tired with the tolerance shown to Christianity. They range from the straight up questioning of the clearly flawed historical events in the bible (possibly the weaker section) to the deeper questions about God’s omnipotence and why the universe exists.
You could probably read this book in a few sittings as it’s fairly thin and some sections take just moments to read. But each chapter addresses a single idea and puts forward all the arguments against Christianity without referring to too much biblical scripture.
The book isn’t without it’s faults and at times the tone becomes a little abrasive, but never at any time wanders in the the ascorbic rhetoric associated with Hitchens and appears less “snitty” than Dawkins’ God Delusion. It’s clear that Harris is no biblical scholar and glosses over some of the core ideas of Christianity painting all Christians with the same brush.
However this very much seems to be a response to the fact that in the US Christianity is a default position for many and so he’s fighting an uphill battle. It would be easy to argue against Harris if you are a biblical scholar, but so often many people who call themselves Christians aren’t. In fact many haven’t even bothered to read the bible – this is a key point in the titling of the book and should not be forgotten.
If you don’t know this book it’s well worth reading as a follow up to something like The God Delusion. If you’re the sort of person who simply wants to find the atheist position on a wide variety of subjects it’s a great place to start. It’s not the God Delusion, but it is a bite size version that’s very quick and easy to digest.
Chauvet Cave: The Discovery of the World’s Oldest Paintings
Nov 7, 2009 Art, History, Specialist Subjects
Early cave paintings are quite an astonishing sight. Our very earliest forms of writing stretch back to around 3000 years B.C, however cave paintings have predated this by more than 10,000 years. Other examples such as the Cave of Altamira (cue Steely Dan) found in Spain have dated back as far as 18,000 years BC and for a long time these were the only examples of the earliest forms of humans expressing themselves in such a way.
However the astonishing thing about the Chauvet cave is that the paintings, found by amateur explorers, were so astonishing in quality and detail they were at first thought to be a hoax. Further more the examples were revealed to be more than 32,000 years old, considerably earlier than anything else discovered.
Now that the cave is closed to the public, this book provides an opportunity to view the paintings at first hand, revealing the mastery of our Stone Age ancestors. The pictures are clear and crisp and mostly in colour.
Today is the First Annual Carl Sagan Day
Nov 7, 2009 Biography, Events, Science and Technology
Carl Sagan was a Professor of Astronomy and Space Science and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He served as an advisor and consultant to NASA, and played a major role in the establishment of SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).
He was a Pulitzer Prize winning author and most familiar to the public through his COSMOS series on PBS. In addition to numerous awards, recognitions and honorary degrees for his outstanding contributions, he is acknowledged as one of the most effective public faces of astronomy and space science throughout the world. Sagan died in December 1996.
