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In this very appropriately-titled book, the author ponders various physical problems in the world of sports - problems whose estimated solutions can often be quite surprising. On the positive side, I found this book highly entertaining. The Fermi method of estimating solutions to various problems is very well illustrated. The formulas used are many; they are mostly quite simple and are fun to go through. Also, of particular note is that I found several comments/passages in this book to be absolutely hilarious; in fact, on many occasions I had to take a pause to wipe the tears out of my eyes before continuing on (some of the author's choices of words in various contexts are… Read more
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Despite this book's catchy title and its surreal cover image, it is actually a very serious and broadly-sweeping look at the history of weather and climate control. The author has covered many aspects of this subject - from mythology and divination, on to tricksters and deceivers to serious but misguided visionaries and finally to serious modern-day research and contemporary attempts at making the hoped-for changes. Also discussed are the pros and cons of weather/climate control, should such a thing become feasible. The author writes clearly and packs a lot of information on each page. Occasionally, he throws in a bit of humour but mostly, the book is written in a very serious,… Read more
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The field of elementary particle physics comes to life in this fascinating book. The author's main theme is the theoretical prediction and subsequent search for the particle responsible for giving mass to other non-zero rest mass particles. That particle has been named the Higgs boson. The author starts with a brief summary of the history of elementary particle physics and highlights the major discoveries made through the twentieth century. Then, he zeroes in on theoretical physicist Peter Higgs with a quick mini-biography and his theoretical prediction of the possible existence of the boson that now bears his name. But most of the excitement contained in this book comes with the… Read more
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