September 26, 2007
You unlock this door with the key of imagination:
technica q&a: stuart clark (the sun kings)
technical q&a: david ruelle (the mathematician's brain)
isepp lecture series
author event: david blume
bike repair manuals
sustainable living sale
new arrivals
doug brown's factoid
bestsellers
Where did summer go? We hardly had a chance to light the charcoal in the barbecue this season. It's now dark out when we close the store at 9 p.m., and the candlelit windows of the Tugboat Brewery beckon us as we walk to the Fourth Avenue bus stop. Oh, the agony of catching the last bus home, lamenting so many lost opportunities.
TECHNICA Q&A: STUART CLARK
Stuart Clark loves to tell a good story, and he outdoes himself in his latest book, The Sun Kings: The Unexpected Tragedy of Richard Carrington and the Tale of How Modern Astronomy Began. Clark transports us back to Victorian England in 1859, when, during a solar flare, buildings burned, telegraphs failed, and compasses went wonky. Astronomer Richard Carrington tried to explain how the sun's magnetisms affect the Earth, but was met with ridicule and hardship, and died before he was proved correct. Check out Stuart Clark's Q&A to discover exactly what he found so fascinating about this nearly forgotten man. You'll save 30% on The Sun Kings, too.
TECHNICA Q&A: DAVID RUELLE
Mathematicians are different from the average person. The Mathematician's Brain, by David Ruelle, is a thoughtful balance of mathematical ideas, the philosophy behind them, and the strange, fascinating quirks of mathematicians such as Alan Turing, Felix Klein, and Bernhard Riemann. Ruelle aims his prose at mathematicians, but also at those of us who simply appreciate the beautiful philosophy of math. Want to learn a bit more about David Ruelle? Check out his Q&A and save 30% on The Mathematician's Brain.
September Mind Meld: Star Trek appeared on TV screens for the first time on September 8, 1966. But it easily could've been waylaid by an early pilot for the series, which featured Spock with his famous arched eyebrows and pointy ears plus an alarmingly reddish complexion. Advertisers, troubled by his demonic appearance, asked that Nimoy's publicity photos be airbrushed. They were, and Spock became a cult figure. Within a few years, thousands of children spent their playground time imitating Spock's V hand salute and his deadly "Vulcan nerve pinch."
ISEPP LECTURE SERIES
You know it's autumn when ISEPP's Linus Pauling Memorial Lectures Series returns to our calendar. This year's lineup sounds like a Who's Who of Science. Author Oliver Sacks is the first speaker out of the gate. On October 18, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, he presents his lecture Why the Brain Loves Music. His new book, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, will literally be hot off the presses, as it releases October 16. Save 15% off your ticket price by mentioning Technica when you order through the ISEPP office: 503-232-2300. And check out this year's entire astonishing list of speakers by aiming your browser at the Institute for Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (ISEPP) website.
AUTHOR EVENT: DAVID BLUME
In 1983, author David Blume almost succeeded in publishing his book Alcohol Can Be a Gas!: Fueling an Ethanol Revolution for the 21st Century. But Big Oil didn't want any part of Blume's revolution, so they had their lawyers stop the printing presses, and Blume's manuscript was locked up for 25 years. In 2003, after several years of studying alcohol fuels, Blume revised Alcohol Can Be a Gas (but wisely kept the original introduction by Buckminster Fuller). This highly readable, profusely illustrated manual is the first comprehensive book on small- to farm-scale alcohol production in 90 years. Don't miss David Blume's author appearance at Powell's Technical Books on Friday, October 5, at 7 p.m.
A Birthday Kiss: Milton S. Hershey's birthday was this month — September 13, 1857. Hershey originally ran a caramel making business, but sold it for a million dollars in 1900 because he believed that chocolate had a better future. With his windfall, he bought 40,000 acres in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, built the Hershey factory, and became a noted philanthropist. In 1912, Hershey and his wife had tickets for the Titanic maiden voyage, but couldn't go because his wife became ill. Lucky man!
BIKE REPAIR MANUALS
The wonderfully heady, breezy days of fall are upon us, and this brings out the cyclist in everyone. After you've dusted off your old Schwinn, think practical thoughts. You do know what to do if you get a flat on the Burnside Bridge, right? Get thee to our featured Bike Engineering section. You'll find great titles such as Chris Sidwells's Bicycle Repair Manual, Mel Allwood's Complete Do-It-Yourself Bike Book, and the classic Dancing Chain by Frank Berto, now in its second edition, not to mention the legendary Tim Paterek frame building DVDs. Knowledge is pedal power.
Burning Ring of Fire: September 2, 1666. The Great Fire of London destroys 80% of the city and lasts three days. Thomas Farryner's bakery on Pudding Lane started the conflagration. People sought refuge inside the stone walls of St Paul's Cathedral but, since it was being repaired at the time, the cathedral was covered by wooden scaffolding which caught fire as well. Refugees camped out at Moorfield's Park. The greedy love misery, however; diarist Samuel Pepys noted that the price of bread near this park doubled after the hordes took refuge there.
SUSTAINABLE LIVING SALE
It makes sense, both financially and philosophically, to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy, and to explore better, healthier ways to heat our houses and fuel our cars. For a limited time, save 30% on our featured titles including Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls by Nigel Dunnett, The New Ecological Home by Daniel Chiras, and Biodiesel Power by Lyle Estill. Don't you feel better already?
When Life Gives You Lemons: Ford Motors debuted its now infamous Edsel on "E Day," September 4, 1957. Instead of rushing out and buying this new model, consumers complained. For starters, they were in the midst of a recession, and the Edsel's big size meant big gas bills. The shift gears were on the steering wheel hub — when customers honked their horn, they often shifted gears as well. Moreover, many people thought the Edsel was just plain ugly. In May of 1958, protestors threw tomatoes and eggs at then-Vice President Richard Nixon as he rode down the street in an Edsel. In a sad attempt to deflect criticism, Nixon joked that the protestors' target was the car, not him.
NEW ARRIVALS
Looking for one last guilty pleasure as summer ends? Colin Evans's The Casebook of Forensic Detection is a mystery writer's greatest reference. Peter Cannavo's The Working Landscape, based on his PhD dissertation at Harvard, discusses topics as diverse as urban sprawl, timber politics in the Northwest, and rebuilding at Ground Zero. Old-School Woodshop Accessories, by Chris Gleason, is a great collection of vintage woodshop tricks updated for today's modern hobbyists. In The Heart, editor James Peto presents essays and photographs that discuss the visage of the human heart — from as far back as the Egyptian era, to revisiting Leonardo Da Vinci's anatomical studies, and witnessing the heart transplants of today. Mesmerizing and poignant. Find more fascinating books for fall in our new arrivals aisle.
DOUG BROWN'S FACTOID
We all know about venomous snakes and spiders, but are there any venomous mammals? Yes. Some species of shrews have venom in their saliva that affects their insect prey, as does a Cuban insectivore called a solenodon. Male platypuses have sharp envenomated spurs on their hind legs that can deliver a very painful jab. On the defensive side, hedgehogs have been observed to chew poisonous plants (and even the poison glands of toads) and then spit a saliva froth onto their spines, thus making themselves poisonous. No mammals are known to have venom lethal to humans.
TECH BESTSELLERS
1. Shot by Shot by John Cantine (Film Production)
2. Introduction to Low Temperature Differential Stirling Engines by James R. Senft (Engineering)
3. The Machinist's Second Bedside Reader by Guy Lautard (Machine Shop)
4. Build an Oil Fired Tilting Furnace by Stephen Chastain (Foundry and Forging)
5. Metal Casting by Stephen Chastain (Foundry and Forging)
6. Miniature Ringbom Engines by James R. Senft (Engineering)
7. The Machinist's Bedside Reader by Guy Lautard (Machine Shop)
8. The Machinist's Third Bedside Reader by Guy Lautard (Machine Shop)
9. The Bull of the Woods by J. R. Williams (Machine Shop)
10. How (Not) to Paint a Locomotive by Christopher Vine (Model Construction)
Beyond it is another dimension — a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas...
Technica
By Carole R.
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