Popular Culture Books - Page 5

Urban Dictionary: Fularious Street Slang Defined

Amazon Price: $10.39 List Price: $12.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Andrews McMeel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $6.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

a dictionary that knows how many beans make five 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Clear, entertaining definitions and great examples, all of which make the book fun to read just for the heck of it.


But I am still searching for the reverse slang dictionary: i.e., the one that will give me slang definitions of ordinary words. Be able to look up fast different ways to say prison? Or find different names for drugs? Doing time? Cars? etc... As someone who translates fiction into English it is sometimes frustrating when you have the original "foreign" slang expression and can't for the life of you remmber what its anglo-saxon equivalent is.

Editorial Review:

Urbandictionary.com is a very successful site that encourages users to define the world with their own unique terms. In Urban Dictionary, site founder Aaron Peckham culls his more than 170,000 definitions for the funniest, wittiest, and most provocative phrases that define the modern slang scene.

Within urbandictionary.com's lively lexicon are:

business provocative -- Attire used to provoke sexual attention in the workplace.

compunicate -- To chat with someone in the same room via instant messaging service instead of in person.

dandruff -- A person who 'flakes out' and ditches their friends.

wingman -- A guy who takes one for the team by hooking up with a hot girl's ugly friend so his own friend can hook up with the hot girl.

Perfect for those who want to pick up some new slang and those who want to translate it, Urban Dictionary is a gritty and witty look at our ever-changing language.

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Neil Postman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 126 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Judge a book by its cover 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Just today I logged on to one of the biggest news channels' website (CNN) and on the front page under "Popular News" was the following headline: "Is that Miley Cyrus flashing her bra on the Web?" I had just finished my second reading of this book and it seemed like a stark reminder of what Neil Postman was talking about over 20 years ago, how television has drastically changed our culture and redefined everything in our society from news to politics, education and even religion. I don't know of any book written during my lifetime that is more socially relevant and whose message is more important to be read and understood by the general public.

In Chapter 6, "The Age of Show Business", Postman writes, "To say television is entertaining is merely banal. Such a fact is hardly threatening to a culture, not even worth writing a book about. It may even be a reason for rejoicing. Life, as we like to say, is not a highway strewn with flowers. The sight of a few blossoms here and there may make our journey more endurable." He goes on to point out that the problem is not that there are entertaining shows on television, but that in order to accommodate itself to the demands of television, *everything* must be presented as entertainment. In order to generate ratings, advertisers and ultimately revenue, no subject is too serious to be presented in any way other than the one that attracts the most viewers. When the local news reports about a murder, it has no relevant meaning to our lives and it's not told so much to inform us of the tragedy of a murder but because it is the most exciting and what people want to see. News producers have a motto for this, "If it bleeds it leads."

Probably the most alarming example Postman cites is how television has changed politics and political discourse. This is where the transformation from a word-based media to an image-based media is felt the most strongly. Politicians have realized that the content of what they say is now largely irrelevant compared to how they appear, how they present themselves. Postman uses the example that when Ted Kennedy made a run for the presidency, Richard Nixon offered him the following advice: "Lose twenty pounds." Nixon had been in politics most of his adult life and knew the name of the game well, that one's ideas, beliefs, actions and words are now almost completely irrelevant in a world where nearly everyone has started getting their information from television only. Before Mike Huckabee entered this political race, he lost over a hundred pounds. If you look at photographs of presidents throughout our history, you notice that most of them certainly never got anywhere in life because of their looks and some of them are downright ugly men. Political races are now completely decided in the arena of television and their coverage of it has become absurd and embarassing. This is the change that Postman has tried to point out, that a literate culture that depends on the printed word for information and communication creates a vastly different culture from one that depends on images, ten second soundbites and information that has no context or relevance to anyone's life, like what Miley Cyrus or Paris Hilton is up to.

It has been over twenty years since Neil Postman wrote this but his ideas are even more relevant today. This book should be read and understood by everyone but it mostly falls on deaf ears. I think it was Mark Twain who said that the man who doesn't read has no advantage over the man who can't read. Television is now an integral part of life not only in America but in Europe, China and pretty much any other developed nation. This would not be a problem but, as Postman points out, one of the nasty side effects of television is that it has degraded literacy rates, so that every year we hear that people are reading less and less. People and specifically children spend an alarming amount of their free time watching television and to get them to read you practically have to force it upon them. Once in a while a book like Harry Potter will become a hit but for many children and even adults that was the only book they purchased or even attempted to read in an entire year. We hear that children in this country are performing worse every year in school but the finger is never pointed at the obvious culprit because we hear about this on TV.

Editorial Review:

Originally published in 1985, Neil Postman’s groundbreaking polemic about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse has been hailed as a twenty-first-century book published in the twentieth century. Now, with television joined by more sophisticated electronic media—from the Internet to cell phones to DVDs—it has taken on even greater significance. Amusing Ourselves to Death is a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining controlof our media, so that they can serve our highest goals.

Gil Elvgren: All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups (Taschen 25th Anniversary Special Editions)

Charles G Martignette, Louis K Meisel

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taschen Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $9.33

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Interesting Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I'm still studying and reading through it, but it has an interesting magic that's missing in many of today's similar subjects - innocence.

WOW 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Elvgren is a master of his art. This book truly is a gem at this price. If you love pinup art he is the master. Its a slice of days gone past and pretty girls to write home about. Elvgren will live on forever. Take a piece of history home.

great quality, great value, great buy! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in Elvgren or pin-ups. Beautiful picture quality, comprehensive collection. For the money, you can't get much better than this!

Editorial Review:

Post-depression America was in desperate need of a defining iconography that would lift it out of the black and white doldrums, and it came in theform of Gil Elvgren's Technicolor fantasies of the American dream. His technique-which earned him a reputation as "The Norman Rockwell of cheesecake"-involved photographing models and then painting them into gorgeous hyper-reality, with longer legs, more flamboyant hair and gravity-defying busts, and in the process making them the perfect moral-boosting eye-candy for every homesick private.

Imponderables(R): Fun and Games (Collins Gem) (Imponderables Books)

David Feldman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Save your money 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I have always been a big fan of the "imponderables" genre, but I had never read any by author David Feldman, an apparently prolific author in the that specific field. I thought the best place to start would be with his first Imponderalbes book, "Why Don't Cats Like to Swim?," which had apparently been originally published with the title, "Imponderables." I further assumed that an author's first venture into this genre would be the most interesting in that there was a high probability of an array of interesting subjects that eventually led to his writing the book. Well, I was wrong!

I finished this book in record time because I discovered that I couldn't care less about many of the alleged imponderables that were discussed. Really, who really cares about some of the following:

Why does root beer taste flatter than coke?
Which fruits are in Juicy Fruit chewing gum?
If trailer parks didn't exist, would tornadoes exist?
Why don't we ever see money from pay phones collected?
What is the purpose of the little slits in sugar cube wrappers?
What is a minor credit card?
Why are so many milk packages difficult to open and close?

If those and similar questions intrique you, you will probably enjoy this book.

About the only section that I found truly interesting was the section describing how stage hypnotists do their thing.

Perhaps his subsequent works got better in that the author solicites potential questions from his readership to be dealt with in later books. I'll never find out.

Editorial Review:

In gathering the most fascinating questions asked about sports and entertainment into a handy Gem format, pop culture guru David Feldman demystifies these and much more in Imponderables^®: Fun and Games. Providing you with information you can't find in encyclopedias, dictionaries, or almanacs, Fun and Games is a fun look at the little things that make life so interesting.

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster

Dana Thomas

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

informative and eye opening book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

this book was overall well written and full of interesting tibits about everything from the decline of haute couture and the rise of globalization. it definatly changed my mind about fashion shopping. probably not going to buy "luxury" items (made in china, supports business tycoons and not the designers/artists) even though i've had in the past. i recommend this book to anybody who wants to be a smart consumer.

Editorial Review:

Once luxury was available only to the rarefied and aristocratic world of old money and royalty. It offered a history of tradition, superior quality, and a pampered buying experience. Today, however, luxury is simply a product packaged and sold by multibillion-dollar global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand awareness, advertising, and, above all, profits. Award-winning journalist Dana Thomas digs deep into the dark side of the luxury industry to uncover all the secrets that Prada, Gucci, and Burberry don’t want us to know. Deluxe is an uncompromising look behind the glossy façade that will enthrall anyone interested in fashion, finance, or culture.

The Cannabis Grow Bible: The Definitive Guide to Growing Marijuana for Recreational and Medical Use

Greg Green

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 89 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Don't fear the reefer! Dis book will grow you da good ganj mon! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Whaazup!? Is it 4:20 already? Time to wake and bake!

Being a young man with an abusive atheist father and a mom that ran out on me when I was 3, I have always had this huge void in my life. When I was a pup I would fill this void by stealing things and engaging in the destruction of other people's property!

In middle school I got violent. I would pick on the kids that were smaller then me and I was always getting into fights with the big-wigs of the school. I even hit a teacher once, dat bxxitch just wouldn't leave me alone about that homework!

That's all in the past though. Some of the other poverty-stricken kids that went to my school turned me onto this holy sacrament. It's been all good since then. Whenever I get sad about how horrible my life is, all I gotta do is sit back and puff.

Yeah, so that's where this book comes in. The more you toke, the more you're broke, hehe, yeah. So I got this book so I could grow my own private stash. The book told me everything I needed to know about growing wacky weed.

Unfortunately what it didn't tell me was that growing it was a crime! I am doin some time right now, but I'll make parole soon. I can't wait to get out and partake of sweet Mary Jane again though. Hey, puff puff give! Can I come over to you guys's place when I get out? Please?

Editorial Review:

This guide offers methods for growers who want to maximize the yield and potency of their crop. It explains the "Screen of Green" technique that gives a higher yield using fewer plants, an important development for American growers who, if caught, are penalized according to number of plants. The Cannabis Grow Bible is an authoritative source that features almost 200 color and black-and-white photographs, charts, and tables. With an emphasis on the day-to-day aspects of maintaining a garden and European expertise, this book ensures that growers will enjoy a successful harvest.

The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World

Steven L. Kent

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 70 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Inside the Games You Grew Up with but Never Forgot
With all the whiz, bang, pop, and shimmer of a glowing arcade. The Ultimate History of Video Games reveals everything you ever wanted to know and more about the unforgettable games that changed the world, the visionaries who made them, and the fanatics who played them. From the arcade to television and from the PC to the handheld device, video games have entraced kids at heart for nearly 30 years. And author and gaming historian Steven L. Kent has been there to record the craze from the very beginning.
This engrossing book tells the incredible tale of how this backroom novelty transformed into a cultural phenomenon. Through meticulous research and personal interviews with hundreds of industry luminaries, you'll read firsthand accounts of how yesterday's games like Space Invaders, Centipede, and Pac-Man helped create an arcade culture that defined a generation, and how today's empires like Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts have galvanized a multibillion-dollar industry and a new generation of games. Inside, you'll discover:
·The video game that saved Nintendo from bankruptcy
·The serendipitous story of Pac-Man's design
·The misstep that helped topple Atari's $2 billion-a-year empire
·The coin shortage caused by Space Invaders
·The fascinating reasons behind the rise, fall, and rebirth of Sega
·And much more!
Entertaining, addictive, and as mesmerizing as the games it chronicles, this book is a must-have for anyone who's ever touched a joystick.

The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--and How It's Transforming the American Economy

Charles Fishman

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Total reviews: 103 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

An award-winning journalist breaks through the wall of secrecy to reveal the many astonishing ways Wal-Mart's power affects our lives and reaches all around the world.

The Wal-Mart Effect: The overwhelming impact of the world's largest company--due to its relentless pursuit of low prices--on retailers and manufacturers, wages and jobs, the culture of shopping, the shape of our communities, and the environment; a global force of unprecedented nature. Wal-Mart is not only the world's largest company; it is also the largest company in the history of the world. Americans spend $26 million every hour at Wal-Mart, twenty-four hours of every day, every day of the year. Is the company a good thing or a bad thing? On the one hand, market guru Warren Buffett estimates that the company's low prices save American consumers $10 billion a year. On the other, the behemoth is the #1 employer in thirty-seven of the fifty states yet has never let a union in the door.

Though 70 percent of Americans now live within a fifteen-minute drive of a Wal-Mart store, we have not even begun to understand the true power of the company and the many ways it is shaping American life. We know about the lawsuits and the labor protests, but what we don't know is how profoundly the "Wal-Mart effect" is shaping our lives.

Fast Company senior editor Fishman, whose revelatory cover story on Wal-Mart generated the strongest reader response in the history of the magazine, takes us on an unprecedented behind-the-scenes investigative expedition deep inside the many worlds of Wal-Mart. He reveals the radical ways in which the company is transforming America's economy, our workforce, our communities, and our environment. Fishman penetrated the secrecy of Wal-Mart headquarters, interviewing twenty-five high-level ex-executives; he journeyed into the world of a host of Wal-Mart's suppliers to uncover how the company strong-arms even the most established brands; and journeyed to the ports and factories, the fields and forests where Wal-Mart's power is warping the very structure of the world's market for goods. Wal-Mart is not just a retailer anymore, Fishman argues. It has become a kind of economic ecosystem, and anyone who wants to understand the forces shaping our world today must understand the company's hidden reach.

Reckless Road: Guns N' Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction

Canter, Marc

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Music -> Musical Genres -> Rock

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Witness the Rise of Rock's Greatest Band! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a terrific book for anyone that's a fan of Guns N' Roses and likes to see how a band forms, gels and then shoots for the stars! It's an eyewitness account showing the band going from their baby-step days of hanging out and playing tiny flea boxes, to becoming mega-superstars and all the trappings that go with it. The pictures are AMAZING and capture the raw power and excitement that surrounded GNR the entire time they were on stage. All of the side stories from everyone that knew the band are also interesting, funny and offer a very insightful look inside the making of such a legendary band. I LOVED this book!

Editorial Review:

When teenager and amateur photographer Marc Canter set out to document his best friend Saul Hudson's rise as a rock guitarist in 1982, he never imagined he was documenting the genesis of of the next great rock 'n' roll band. His friend became the legendary guitarist Slash, and Canter found himself witnessing the creation of Guns N' Roses front and center. The candid shots contained in Reckless Road, taken as the band toured in 1985-1987 and made the legendary album Appetite for Destruction, capture their raw, blood-sweat-and-tears performances as well as their intimate moments. Containing original gig memorabilia including show flyers, ticket stubs, set lists, press clippings, and handwritten lyrics as well as in-depth interviews with band members and the people closest to them, Reckless Road offers an explicit, first-person perspective readers won't find anywhere else.

The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy)

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Editorial Review:

With both young and adult gamers as loyal fans, The Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved video game series ever created. The contributors to this volume consider the following questions and more: What is the nature of the gamer’s connection to Link? Does Link have a will, or do gamers project their wills onto him? How does the gamer experience the game? Do the rules of logic apply in the game world? How is space created and distributed in Hyrule (the fictional land in which the game takes place)? How does time function? Is Zelda art? Can Hyrule be seen as an ideal society? Can the game be enjoyable without winning? The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy not only appeals to Zelda fans and philosophers but also puts video games on the philosophical map as a serious area of study.