Tag Archives: science

The Red Queen

Posted on January 12, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature© 1993 Matthew Ridley404 pages The Red Queen begins with a question: why do creatures have sex? Why did it evolve? The answer, Matt Ridley believes, lies in the principle of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

This week: Christmas reads, science in the city, and social telegraphy

Posted on December 24, 2013 by smellincoffee

Dear readers:             A blessed Yuletide and a merry Christmas to those of you in the northern hemisphere, as we celebrate the rebirth of the Sun – or the birth of the Son, if you prefer. The library is closing … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

This week at the library: NaNoWriMo, rebels against the rebellion, death on Everest, and maaaaybe Richard Sharpe

Posted on November 12, 2013 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: For the first time in the five or so years I’ve been aware of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, I am attempting to participate. For those who have not heard of this, it’s a challenge in which … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Sky is Not the Limit

Posted on September 21, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Sky is not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist © 2004 Neil deGrasse Tyson203 pages           How does a young black kid from the Bronx become a world-famous astrophysicist, Director of the Hayden Planetarium and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sky Walking

Posted on September 15, 2013 by smellincoffee

Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir© 2007 Tom Jones384 pages Although the exploration of space has a scientific edge, the first astronauts were not scientists: they were military pilots. Thomas Jones is no exception, establishing the foundation for his career in … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Two Sides of the Moon

Posted on September 5, 2013 by smellincoffee

Two Sides of the Moon© 2006 Alexei Leonov and David Scott448 pages Remember the fifties, those fat complacent days when the Future seemed a century away? Then up went Sputnik, gave the world a butt-kick, and made it clear tomorrow … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Making of the Fittest

Posted on August 22, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution304 pages© 2006 Sean B. Carroll Sean B. Carroll’s The Making of the Fittest examines the genetics of evolution, relating to readers not only how changes come about … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Gulp

Posted on July 2, 2013 by smellincoffee

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal© 2013 Mary Roach352 pages Mary Roach is no stranger to delving into topics which others find icky — like corpses. Even her more conventional works flirt with taboo, and in Gulp she embraces disgust whole-heartedly, by … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Brilliant Harry Potter fanfiction

Posted on June 5, 2013 by smellincoffee

Last while I heard a fanfiction series, “Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality“, mentioned on a podcast. In it, Harry is raised not by the abusive and smallminded Dursleys, but by a scientist, and thought to think critically. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The Botany of Desire

Posted on May 17, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World© 2001 Michael Pollan256 pages      Meander through your garden and ponder the meaning of life; such is the advice of Michael Pollan, who in The Botany of Desire … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment