Science & Scientists Books - Page 5

Science with a Smile

Amazon Price: $44.00 List Price: $44.00 Usually ships in 1 to 4 weeks By: Taylor & Francis Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $7.70

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Satire
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Satire, General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Thought-provoking, insightful, and hilarious essays 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I checked out this book at the library, and found some of the essays so poignant or funny that I had to tell my classmates about them. In particular, "Adventures of a Cross-Disciplinarian", "Age of the Earth", "How to Write a Paper", and "How to Give a Seminar" (approximate title) stood out for me.

I would recommend having a used copy or borrowing this book from the library.

Editorial Review:

This anthology presents the reader with a fascinating view of the whimsical side of science. A unique and historical collection of humorous stories, anecdotes, verse and cartoons touching every science has been meticulously compiled by the author from worldwide sources. In addition to hours of amusement, this book will provide the reader with glimpses of the intensely human ambitions, frustrations, and elations of scientists as well as the changing attitudes within their sciences. The text is well illustrated and can be read from cover to cover with pleasure or sampled at leisure.

What's So Funny About Science?: Cartoons

Sidney Harris

List Price: $5.95 By: William Kaufmann Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $0.59

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Giggles and grins abound 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Cartoonists are truly a breed apart from the rest of us. Not only must they possess a high degree of artistic ability, but they also must have a point to make. Some of the funniest things that I have ever seen have been cartoons lampooning politicians, who by definition possess more than their share of self-importance. Scientists also take themselves very seriously and therefore are legitimate targets for the cartoonists pen. Nobody does this better than Sidney Harris, and this collection is full of giggles and grins. I have posted many of these cartoons on my office wall and have seen many others do the same. Even though the cartoons are funny, they do have a serious side. Pollution and environmental degradation are serious issues and the author raises them without becoming sanctimonious or preachy.
Sidney Harris is my favorite cartoonist, blending the serious with the hilarious. If you like to laugh while receiving serious messages, then you will love this book.

Our Living Multiverse: A Book of Genesis in 0+7 Chapters

Fred Adams

List Price: $14.95 By: Pi Press Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $4.64

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> General AAS
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Love, Sex & Marriage

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Imagine life as we know it exists on a tiny speck of dust floating through nearly empty space in a universe that is but a tiny island in a vast multiverse. Welcome home. "Simply the best cosmology book to come along in a long, long time. Adams addresses the fundamental question of why we are here. It is the first popular cosmology book I will have been willing to recommend in more than five years. Wonderful." -Adrian L. Melott,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas "In this beautifully written book, Fred Adams does a terrific job of describing our current understanding of what's been going on in the last 14 billion years, as elaborate galaxies, stars, planets, and people have emerged from a smooth and simple Big Bang. This book is original, delightful, and full of ideas." -Robert P. Kirschner,Harvard University, author of The Extravagant Universe "This finely illustrated book describes, clearly and accessibly, our new insights into the grand scheme of cosmic evolution." -Martin Rees,Cambridge University, author of Just Six Numbers and Our Cosmic Habitat "With so much talk about the frontier of biology these days, I welcome the occasional reminder that the laws of physics control the formation and evolution of life. In Our Living Multiverse, Fred Adams deftly traces how these laws have shaped the cosmos, from the Big Bang to the present, and how they continue to guide our search for life in the universe." -Neil deGrasse Tyson,Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History, New York

Stroke a Martian and 99 Other Things to Do Before You Die: Plus 5 to Do Afterwards

List Price: $7.95 By: Walker & Company Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Love, Sex & Marriage
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Satire
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists

Editorial Review:

A catalog of life-enhancing projects and activities
 
Here is the best science has to offer the common man: 100 activities guaranteed to excite your mind, challenge your body, and fill you with wonder.
 
The editors of New Scientist--one of the world’s leading science and technology magazines--have handpicked things they would most like to do during their lifetime:

- Swim in a bioluminescent lake.
- Listen to an iceberg being born. 
- Measure the speed of light with chocolate. 
- See Saturn’s rings. 
- Make liquid nitrogen ice cream. 
- Walk in a dinosaur’s footprints. 
- Walk up walls like a gecko. 
- Taste the world’s weirdest food. 
- See your own DNA. 

Some of these activities you can do immediately, some you can dream about, but every one will stimulate your imagination.  From the amazing to the merely adventurous, the eccentric to the utterly memorable, they will broaden your horizons and make you appreciate the potential of the world we live in.
And if you think life is too short, how about becoming a diamond or nailing a murderer after you die?

The Best of the Journal of Irreproducible Results

George H. Scherr

List Price: $12.95 By: Workman Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $0.36

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Satire
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A humorous view at typically boring subjects 4 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

If you want to get a good laugh at scientific studies on almost anything, read this book! Anyoone with a little intelligence will appreciate the thought that went into this book. I only wish there was a followup! Imagine scientific proof that you can lose weight by eating frozen food! The calories burned by the body just to heat up the food can offset the caloric content of the food itself! Guranteed weight loss. See how to plunge a room into darkness with a 'dark bulb', removing all light and enabling a person to sleep at any time of the day. Lots more!

Editorial Review:

The Journal of Irreproducible Results is the magazine that has stood for years as the definitive parody of scholarly and scientific journals everywhere. This anthology collects its greatest moments. Selection of the Library of Science Book and the Book-of-the-Month Science Book clubs. 81,000 copies in print.

The Evolution of Insect Mating Systems

Harvard University Press

Amazon Price: $35.95 List Price: $35.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: AuthorHouse Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $22.76

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Here is the first comprehensive analysis of insect reproductive behavior to employ a modern evolutionary perspective. As such it represents a marriage of two disciplines-entomology and modern evolutionary theory-which have recently made great strides, but in partial isolation from each other. By reviewing all of insect reproductive behavior from an evolutionary viewpoint, Thornhill and Alcock make a powerful case for the importance of sexual selection. In doing so they show the riches to be gained from an integration of theory and example.

"[The Evolution of Insect Mating Systems brings to a vertebrate-biased literature a well-documented and persuasive demonstration of the importance of insects for generation and testing of theory . . . organizes an immense and diverse literature on insect reproductive behavior into a logical framework that will allow more efficient and effective exploration of both insect behavior and sexual selection theory. Thornhill and Alcock demonstrate the utiltity of evolutionary (selectionist) thinking for organizing and explaining diverse and complex patterns of behavior . . . As a result, their books goes well beyond a review and synthesis of tghe literature of insect behavior . . . The Evolution of Insect Mating Systems will make its mark as one of the more important contributions to behavioral ecology, evolutionary theory, and entomology."-Science

Buzzwords: A Scientist Muses on Sex, Bugs, and Rock 'n' Roll

May R. Berenbaum, a Joseph Henry Press Book

Amazon Price: $14.95 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Joseph Henry Press Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $0.66

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Business
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Love, Sex & Marriage
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

What sort of person devotes their life to the study of bugs? How do you picture your average, every-day entomologist? 'I've been photographed on several occasions,' writes author May Berenbaum, 'and it seems that every time, photographers ask me to pose in one of three ways: seated in front of a microscope, with an insect (usually a cockroach) on my face, or with an insect net clutched in my hand'. In "Buzzwords", Berenbaum expertly blows away these stereotypes with short takes on all things entomological - from the story of a pet ant kept for 14 years to major motion pictures featuring cockroaches. "Buzzwords" showcases the Best of Berenbaum, a selection from her humor column in the American Entomologist professional journal, accompanied by a number of original pieces written for this book.'I know people are reading these columns,' she notes, 'because they write me letters that point out all the mistakes I've made!' The book comes in four parts: how entomologists see insects, including their view of a U.S. government plan to eradicate illicit coca fields by dropping caterpillars from airplanes; how the rest of the world sees insects, with Berenbaum's proposed classificatory scheme for placing Spider Man, Firefly, and other cartoon superheroes into well-defined taxa; how entomologists view themselves - featuring Bambi Berenbaum, a gorgeous entomologist created for an episode of TV's popular "The X-Files," whose character was inspired when the scriptwriter consulted Berenbaum's books. How entomologists see their colleagues, with various views on scholarly citation, motion sickness, and more. Along the way are some thought-provoking observations - for example, about the impact of television on public knowledge of science. In one poll, Berenbaum writes, 35 per cent of adults said they believed that prehistoric humans coexisted with dinosaurs, a la the Flintstones. Berenbaum even takes on the controversy over alternative medicine, fearlessly purchasing Chinese medicinal insects during a professional trip to Vancouver, which also happened to be her honeymoon. 'Okay, so maybe giving two talks at an International Congress of Entomology is not everybody's idea of a romantic honeymoon venue, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.'Berenbaum is a noted scientist in a field that doesn't always gets the respect it deserves, but she shows us that there's a fun and even freaky side of life with insects. While working on the University of Illinois' annual Insect Fear Film Festival she received a letter from a 'crush freak' who waxed lyrical about a young, sexy babe with a size 9 or 10 shoe.Berenbaum writes, 'on the one hand, it's almost gratifying to think that insect pest management can arouse people's interest to such an extreme extent. On the other hand, it has convinced me not to list my shoe size in the biographical sketch of my next book'. Readers will appreciate learning how the word 'shloop' was introduced to the medical literature when physicians used a metal suction tip to remove a cockroach from a patient's ear canal, and how one investigator named a series of subspecies bobana, cocana, dodana, and so forth, anticipating by 60 years the song, "The Name Game", by Shirley Ellis.'Although you'll chuckle all the way, Berenbaum has the last laugh, giving powerful lessons in the spectacular diversity of the insect world and the nature of scientific discovery, cleverly packaged as witty observations on subjects far and wide. If you're a scientist or you like reading about science - better yet, if you've ever found a fly in your soup (or worried that you might have unknowingly just slurped one down with your tomato bisque - this book is for you.

Melville and Repose: The Rhetoric of Humor in the American Renaissance

John Bryant

Amazon Price: $145.00 List Price: $145.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $24.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Cats, Dogs & Animals
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> World Literature -> British -> 19th Century

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A truly innovative and thoughtful analysis of Melville 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an extraordinary effort--one of the most thoughtful and innovative analyses of Melville's narrative guises ever published. Bryant is clearly one of the nation's best Melville scholars.

Editorial Review:

John Bryant's book is a strong and significant argument for the centrality of the comic and repose in Melville's novels. The purpose of Melville and Repose is dual: to ground the uses of romantic humor in Melville in sensitive readings of contemporaneous European and American writings, and to offer a definitive account of the comic as the shaping force of Melville's narrative voice throughout the major phase of his literary career. Bryant argues that Melville fused a "rhetoric of geniality" and "picturesque sensibility" adopted from the British with a "rhetoric of deceit" borrowed from the American tall tale in order to create his own amiably cosmopolitan "rhetoric of aesthetic repose." Thorough research into American culture and recent Melville manuscript findings, an engaging style, and full, scholarly readings combine to make this historicist study a welcome addition to the libraries of Americanists and Melville scholars and enthusiasts.

Twenty Years Before the Blackboard: The Lessons and Humor of a Mathematics Teacher (Spectrum)

Michael Stueben

Amazon Price: $34.95 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The Mathematical Association of America Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $21.77

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General AAS
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Mr. Stueben wins! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Precalculus Quiz
M. Stueben (March 5, 2003)

IT HAS come to my attention that some students do not like my quizzes. Consequently, until morale improves, all quiz questions will be written in Mandarin Chinese. Good luck!

DIRECTIONS: Choose the best answer to the following question from the choices below.

(Chinese text you don't need to know to solve it)

A. All of the below.
B. None of the below.
C. All of the above.
D. One of the above.
E. None of the above.
F. None of the above.

aaand that is the kind of teacher he is. I'm in his precalc class; he may seem like a strange kook (especially if you've seen him in person), but he is truly an excellent teacher. And I personally attest that Dan Tran and Mr. Stueben are two people who will never lie if they can manage it. And this book will do you good to read.

Editorial Review:

This book is the legacy of twenty years of mathematics teaching. During this time the author searched for motivational techniques, mnemonics, insightful proofs, and serious applications of humour to aid his teaching. The result is an amazing book: part philosophy, part humour, and completely fascinating. This is one of the best 'methods' books ever written in the field of teaching elementary mathematics. Anybody interested in the psychology of learning or teaching mathematics will find this book a treasure.

The Bluffer's Guide to Science: Bluff Your Way in Science (Bluffer's Guides - Oval Books)

Brian Malpass

List Price: $6.95 By: Oval Books Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $31.85

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Science & Scientists
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

A snappy little book containing facts, jargon, and inside information--all that readers need to know to hold their own among the experts.