Perhaps here things will be different:
technica q&a: george johnson (the ten most beautiful experiments)
technica q&a: gary marcus (kluge)
technica q&a and essay: james d. stein (how math explains the world)
technica q&a: lawrence weinstein (guesstimation)
technica q&a: leonard mlodinow (the drunkard's walk)
events
oscon and ubuntu live
game design sale
aisle 49
new arrivals
doug brown's factoid
bestsellers
Thank heavens, May is finally here. We've had a few days of 70 degree weather, and we're basking in it. Bicyclists whiz by, customers are wearing shorts, and we even have Elvis (Portland's very own) crooning to park dwellers across the street. How is it possible that the Rose Festival is already upon us? Didn't winter last eight months? Collier, who takes no chances, still wears his muffler.
TECHNICA Q&A: GEORGE JOHNSON
George Johnson is an old-fashioned scientist type. In today's world of nanotechnology, abstract scientific experiments such as splitting atoms cost millions and are done by corporations. In his new book, The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments, Johnson revisits a more romantic idea of the scientist, alone in her laboratory, studying the contents of the Bunsen burner. In this Q&A, learn about Johnson's Unix shell program, why he longs to play Go, and find out what Tony Hillerman told him after he turned in his final paper.
TECHNICA Q&A: GARY MARCUS
Gary Marcus, author of Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind, describes his new book as a "curmudgeonly yet optimistic guide to all that is clumsy and absurd about the human mind." We know this feeling well. In his Q&A, find out why he doesn't do chess or video games, learn what invaluable lesson his seventh grade Latin teacher taught him, and see why he scoffs at the Geek Test.
TECHNICA Q&A AND ORIGINAL ESSAY: JAMES D. STEIN
The world is an imperfect place. Scientists such as Heisenberg and Godel taught us that it's impossible to know everything about the physical universe. But according to James Stein, author of How Math Explains the World, such uncertainty has led to bigger scientific breakthroughs, which help explain, for example, why car repairs always take so long. In this Q&A, find out why Stein loves Chicago, his favorite cartoonist, and why his junior high school shop teacher took pity on him. Want even more? Check out Stein's exclusive essay for Powells.com.
He's the Real Deal
Elijah McCoy, born in May 1848, invented the "lubricator cup" for steam engines, allowing the steam to push oil into the engines parts (up to this point, engineers hand-oiled the train like it was the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz). Other competitors made similar lubricants, but customers knew that McCoy's was the best; they made sure to ask for "the real McCoy."
TECHNICA Q&A: LAWRENCE WEINSTEIN
Ever wonder about how many pickles Americans eat each year and how about how long that pile of pickles would measure? Author Lawrence Weinstein ponders such puzzlers in his new book, Guesstimation: Solving the World's Problems on the Back of a Cocktail Napkin, giving equal measure to silly and serious matters. In his Q&A, find out how he scored on the Geek Test, what his favorite blog is, what his childhood career aspirations were, and more.
The Pause That Refreshes
Atlanta pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented a popular fountain drink in May 1886. Pemberton advertised Coca-Cola as a "brain tonic" and a cure for morphine and opium addiction. Pemberton, a Civil War veteran, suffered from both of these afflictions, and the coca in the cola cleared up pains quite nicely.
TECHNICA Q&A: LEONARD MLODINOW
Do you make your own luck? Maybe not. Leonard Mlodinow's latest, The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, is a fascinating study on how the successes and failures in one's life might very well be due to dumb luck — the music of chance, as Paul Auster might say. In this Q&A, read about Mlodinow's tyrannical horticulture teacher, how he discovered his allergic reaction to sulfa, and the plans for his upcoming project with Stephen Hawking.
EVENTS
In Portland in the near future? Check out the aforementioned Leonard Mlodinow live and in person on May 28, or The Undercover Philosopher (more commonly known as Michael Phillips) on May 29, and Carl Zimmer, author of Microcosm: E. Coli and the New Science of Life, on June 1. All these events are at Powell's City of Books and begin at 7:30 p.m. And if that weren't enough, at our humble Tech Store, we host Bill Buxton, author of Sketching User Experiences, at 5:00 p.m. on June 11. Or attend a meeting of the Portland Macintosh Users Group on June 2 at 7:00 p.m. — also at the Tech Store. Find all our upcoming events here.
OSCON AND UBUNTU LIVE
Happy Birthday, OSCON! This year marks the 10th annual O'Reilly Open Source Convention, and the second year they will be joined by Ubuntu Live. Held concurrently in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center, Ubuntu Live runs July 21-22, and OSCON July 21-25. It's a geek love-fest; where else can you mingle with 2,500 software developers, hackers, IT experts and enthusiasts? Powell's Technical Books will be selling books outside the exhibition hall at a 30% discount for the duration of the convention. Come by and say hello! And save 10% on your OSCON registration by using Powell's promo code.
Have Degree, Will Travel
Sally Ride, born on May 26, 1951, became the first U.S. female astronaut, and, in 1983, the first to reach outer space. Flush with a PhD in physics from Stanford, Ride answered a newspaper ad that sought applicants for the space program and joined in 1978.
GAME DESIGN SALE
We have one doozy of a sale this month; game designers and programmers, sit up in your chair and pay attention. For a limited time, save 30% on these excellent books, which include Hans Bacher's Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation, Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton, and Nick Iuppa's Story and Simulations for Serious Games. This sale only lasts for a limited time so get your gamer geek on and create the next Grand Theft Auto.
AISLE 49
Welcome to Aisle 49, the place to find books you covet and desperately want. What's featured this month? Game books for all you players! From old school math and logic, to new school video games, these should keep you busy until those last few rain showers depart. Pocket-sized guides to the Wii and XBox 360, and Professor Hoffmann's Best Math and Logic Puzzles are just a few of our new picks. Shop here for our complete selection.
Waterfront Property
On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn to Manhattan, opened to traffic. This also opened up an opportunity for professional con man George Parker to sell the bridge to unsuspecting tourists. He "sold" the Brooklyn Bridge twice a week for years. His spin? That the new owners could set up tolls and rake in the money. Police officers actually had to stop would-be entrepreneurs from setting up toll booths.
NEW ARRIVALS
Engineers used to say, "The solution to pollution is dilution." Author Jamie Benidickson disagrees in her new book, The Culture of Flushing. Joshua Greenberg's latest, From Betamax to Blockbuster, shows off his librarian credentials in this meticulously written study of movie-tape culture. Ron Judd's Blue Tarp Bible lists the best uses and worst abuses of this ubiquitous fabric. Cy Tymony, the handy-dandy publishing wonder, continues his winning streak with The Sneaky Book for Boys. Build Your
Own Paper Air Force by Trevor Bounford is perfect for your kids, or a welcome distraction for dull meetings. Did a coworker eat your lunch? Get revenge with John Austin's Cubicle Warfare: 101 Office Traps and Pranks. Just hide the book from HR.
DOUG BROWN'S FACTOID
Until recently, biologists assumed alligators just used their lungs for breathing. Then some folks noticed there seemed to be a lot of muscles attached to the lungs, so they looked further. It turns out alligators use these muscles to move their lungs around, facilitating swimming. The lungs operate as floatation devices; to dive, alligators move the lungs toward the tail, and to surface they move the lungs forward. To roll in the water, they pull the lungs to one side. This adaptation may be one reason alligators can move through water while generating so few ripples.
POWELL'S TECHNICAL BOOKS BESTSELLERS
1. National Electrical Code 2008 by NFPA (Construction)
2. InDesign CS3 for Macintosh and Windows by Sandee Cohen (Desktop Publishing)
3. Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell (Graphics)
4. Foundation ActionScript 3.0 with Flash CS3 and Flex 2 by Steve Webster (Web Applications)
5. Passport to World Band Radio by Lawrence Magne (Electronics)
6. Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization by Lester R. Brown (Environmental Studies)
7. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver (Featured Titles)
8. CSS: The Missing Manual (Missing Manual) by David Sawyer McFarland (Internet)
9. Machine Shop Trade Secrets by James A. Harvey (Metal)
10. CSS Pocket Reference by Eric A. Meyer (Internet)
Well, since you put it that way... I'm in.
Technica
By Carole R.
