Bill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller: but even when he stays safely in his own study at home, he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. A Short History of Nearly Everything is his quest to find out everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization - how we got from there, being nothing at all, to here, being us. Bill Bryson's challenge is to take subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us, like geology, chemistry and particle physics, and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people who have never thou... View More...
This down-to-earth book shows how to make solar work reliably, consistently and economically. It explains what can realistically be run from solar: and what cannot. It covers the energy typically used (and saveable) for every aspect of a home or property (of any size). It shows how to assess the available sun year around (anywhere) and how to assess the size system you need. It covers design and installation in depth. View More...
Solar That Really Works fills a previously all but unexplored need. In one tightly written book, Collyn covers all that is needed to design and install solar electrical systems in anything from a tiny caravan or campervan to a large fishing camp. It includes the specialised needs of big converted coaches and the increasingly accepted fifth-wheeler caravans.
Solar That Really Works covers just what can and cannot realistically be run from a typical solar installation. It shows how to calculate the energy required, shows simple ways of finding out the most probable solar energy available anyw... View More...
Do we really need another Ned Kelly book? After all, his story is a part of Australian folklore and his legend has been captured in movies, books and paintings. The answer is yes, as this book is unique. It is a rigorous look at the forensic science behind investigations into Ned Kelly. In 2009 the remains of Ned Kelly were dug up at Pentridge Prison and identified after an exhaustive forensic analysis by the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine. Analysing a skeleton more than 130 years old involved processes such as DNA extraction, 3D facial reconstruction, and identifying the skeleton by... View More...
National Living Treasure Dr Karl places everyday science under the microscope; gives an insight into your insides; considers the elements of life; talks popcorn and pop stars, missing microbes and teaspoons; and ponders the paradoxical panda all in the name of edifying entertainment.Featuring 16 squared pages crammed full of glorious words and pictures, Brain Food will make you laugh, make you think AND best of all, make youse smarterer! About the Author: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki is the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow at the University of Sydney. He is a qualified medical doctor, engineer, physici... View More...
Thanks to film and literature, the idea of robots and artificial intelligence has long intrigued us. The fascination continues with Popular Mechanics Robots, which gathers the very best of the magazine's fantastic robotic coverage and examines the way we live with these machines today - and how we will continue to exist with other advanced technologies in the future. Readers can now discover all varieties of robot, including ones that recognize our faces, gestures, and emotions; drive our cars; serve as highly intelligent personal assistants and medical diagnosticians; go into space; and even ... View More...
How to write what you want to say...in science is a guide for those who know what they want to say but can't find the words. It provides a unique tool for improving scientific writing. It suits inexperienced scientific writers from the middle years of schoolingto tertiary level. View More...
This is the latest in the bestselling Sterling Milestones series. It provides a detailed look at 250 milestones in the discipline of Engineering. It is written by the creator of the How Stuff Works series. Engineering is where human knowledge meets real-world problems and solves them. It's the source of some of our greatest inventions, from the wheel to the jet engine. Marshall Brain, creator of the How Stuff Works series and a professor at the Engineering Entrepreneurs Programme at NCSU, provides a detailed look at 250 milestones in the discipline. He covers the various areas, including chemi... View More...
In The Big Fat Surprise, investigative journalist Nina Teicholz reveals the unthinkable- that everything we thought we knew about dietary fat is wrong. For the past 60 years, we have been told that the best possible diet involves cutting back on fat, especially saturated fat. But what if the low-fat diet is itself the problem? What if the very foods we've been denying ourselves - the creamy cheeses, the sizzling steaks - are the key to reversing the epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease? In this captivating, vibrant, and convincing narrative, based on a nine-year-long investigation... View More...
Selected and introduced by Richard Dawkins, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing is a celebration of the finest writing by scientists for a wider audience - revealing that many of the best scientists have displayed as much imagination and skill with the pen as they have in the laboratory. This is a rich and vibrant collection that captures the poetry and excitement of communicating scientific understanding and scientific effort from 1900 to the present day. Professor Dawkins has included writing from a diverse range of scientists, some of whom need no introduction, and some of whose wor... View More...