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SCEPTICS |
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Beyond Coincidence |
Martin Plimmer &
Brian King |
Great opportunity to explain apparently spooky coincidences that gives way
to amazement
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Maths, sceptics |
| The Demon Haunted World |
Carl Sagan |
An eloquent plea for reason
and the scientific method instead of wide-eyed acceptance |
Sceptics, overview |
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The Skeptic's Dictionary |
Robert Todd
Carroll |
Overview of the many strange beliefs people
out there hold. Format makes it less readable than some, but still good
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Sceptics |
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Why People Believe Weird Things |
Michael Shermer |
Powerful and effective exploration of where
strange beliefs come from and how they take hold.
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Sceptics, overview |
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TECHNOLOGY |
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Almost Human |
Lee Gutkind |
Fly on the wall documentary book of the
personalities, achievements and disasters of the Carnegie Mellon roboticists.
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Technology |
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Backroom Boys |
Francis Spufford |
Wonderful history of six quirky UK technology
breakthroughs including Concorde and the game Elite
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Technology |
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Being Virtual |
Davey Winder |
Glossy and very personal view on virtual
worlds and the people who inhabit them.
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Technology |
| A Brief History of Science |
Thomas Crump |
The history of science
through the development of scientific tools and instruments
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Overview, technology |
| The Calendar |
David Ewing Duncan |
The struggle to establish a
calendar that matches reality |
Astronomy, technology |
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Climate Change Begins at Home |
Dave Reay |
Why climate change is a problem and what we as
individuals can do about it, without jargon or being preachy
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Earth science,
technology |
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Colossus |
B. Jack Copeland et al |
A series of essays on the wartime codebreaking
at Bletchley Park, and the ground-breaking Colossus computers with newly
declassified content |
Technology |
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Computers Ltd |
David Harel |
Interesting meta-math exploration of the
limits of computers. Four star for computing fans, otherwise
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Technology |
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Constant Touch |
John Agar |
Superb history of the mobile phone -
technology, sociology, politics, the works!
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Technology |
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Dark Side of the Moon |
Wayne Biddle |
A summary history of the rise of Nazi Germany
and of the von Braun family combine to explain how Wernher von Braun went
from aristocrat to US hero.
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Technology |
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Dark Side of the Moon |
Gerard DeGroot |
Shows clearly how the race to the moon was
driven by politics, not science. Only scores low because there's so little
science in the story |
Technology |
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Dazzled and Deceived |
Peter Forbes |
Excellent book on the fascinating topic of
mimicry and camouflage, covering both the natural world and military
attempts. Great insights into evolutionary mechanisms. |
Biology,
technology |
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Decoding the Heavens |
Jo Marchant |
The twists and turns of the story of a
remarkable 2,000 year old mechanical computer and how it was decoded. |
Technology |
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Defusing Armageddon |
Jeffrey T. Richelson |
Very dull story of NEST, the organization that
deals with nuclear incidents.
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Technology |
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Donald Michie: on Machine Intelligence, Biology
& more |
Donald Michie &
Ashwin Srinivasan (ed.) |
An enjoyable collection of writings by a
pioneer of artificial intelligence and IVF.
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Technology |
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Doomsday Men |
P. D. Smith |
History of the hydrogen bomb concentrating on
mass destruction, Leo Szilard and reflections in fiction.
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Technology |
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Drive On! A social history of the motor car |
L. J. K. Setright |
Infuriatingly pompous, yet fascinating
exploration of the development and impact of the automobile
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Technology |
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Electronic Brains |
Mike Hally |
The early days of electronic computer are
uncovered around the world - US, UK, Australia and USSR - in an engaging
little book |
Technology |
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Enhancing Me |
Pete Moore |
Although using a restrictive definition of enhancement, a thought-provoking
look at how humans can be made more than human.
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Human Science,
technology |
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The Gecko's Foot |
Peter Forbes |
Wonderful examples of the potential for nature to inspire
remarkable new technology, particularly at the nano level.
Highly recommended |
Biology,
technology |
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Frank Whittle: Invention of the Jet |
Andrew Nahum |
Unsatisfactory attempt to tell the story of the struggle to produce a
working jet engine  |
Technology,
biography |
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How to Build a Nuclear Bomb |
Frank Barnaby |
Nightmare study of what weapons of mass
destruction are and can do in the hands of terrorists - ultimately
frustrating
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Technology |
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How to Live Off-grid |
Nick Rosen |
Only scores 3 stars because it's not popular
science but a good combination of a travel book around off-grid homes and
advice to those who want to unplug.
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Technology |
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It's ONLY Rocket Science |
Lucy Rogers |
Fact-packed survey of space technology and
science, but no narrative, so rather a dull read.
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Technology |
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Jacquard's Web |
James Essinger |
Good, but not outstanding, journey from
punch-card operated looms to the first mechanical computers
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Technology |
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Leaving Earth |
Robert Zimmerman |
Interesting, in-depth history of space
stations, their planned roles as stepping stones to the solar system and
what really happened.
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Technology |
| Longitude |
Dava Sobel |
Clockmaker John Harrison's
attempts to devise an accurate chronometer for navigation |
Biography, technology |
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Print is Dead |
Jeff Gomez |
Good article on why the printed book is at
risk, stretched to a book and with some doubtful arguments.
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Technology |
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The Long Tail |
Chris Anderson |
A simple, brilliant idea - the Internet can
transform retail by offering almost unlimited choice, exploring the tail of
the sales distribution |
Technology |
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The Man Who Ran the Moon |
Piers Bizony |
An excellent insight into the race to the moon
from the viewpoint of NASA, and particularly administrator James Webb. Five
stars for effectiveness, but has to have three as its rating as very little
science.
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Technology |
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Mathematics with Love |
Mary Stopes-Roe |
Delightful correspondence and maths lessons
between Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb and his sweetheart |
Biography,
technology |
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The [Mechanical] Turk |
Tom Standage |
The amazing story of the mechanical chess
player built in 1770
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Technology |
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Powering Up |
Rebecca Mileham |
Thought-provoking exploration of the effects
computer games have on us. Sometimes over-enthusiastic, but mostly good.
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Technology |
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The Quest for the Quantum Computer |
Julian Brown |
Very good exploration of the weird world of
quantum computing. Five star for techies, but actual rating reflects
over-technical approach. |
Physics,
technology |
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The Rainhill Trials |
Christopher
McGowan |
Pure technology, but a fascinating insight
into the men and machines that brought railways into being
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Technology |
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The Rocketbelt Caper |
Paul Brown |
Stranger than fiction true story of the
development of the rocketbelt and the plunge into kidnapping and murder that
one rocketbelt caused |
Technology |
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Signor Marconi's Magic Box |
Gavin Weightman |
Gripping story of the young Marconi's race
against time to be the first to achieve long distance radio communication.
Excellent stuff |
Technology |
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The Silicon Eye |
George Gilder |
Meet some unknown but essential characters of
the silicon revolution and join their journey, attempting to take a whole
new approach to digital cameras.
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Technology |
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Soft Machines |
Richard A. L,
Jones |
Interesting book on one aspect of
nanotechnology (nano machines), but more of a good textbook than popsci
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Technology,
biology |
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Space Race |
Deborah Cadbury |
Engaging and sometimes horrifying story of the
origins and realities of the race to space and the moon from both sides of
the iron curtain |
Technology |
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The Telephone Gambit |
Seth Shulman |
How an exploration of the archival material on
Alexander Graham Bell uncovered the true story of the telephone.
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Technology |
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Ultimate Robot |
Robert Malone |
Highly illustrated and fun guide to robots as
cultural icons - could do with more on the science though
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Technology |
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The Victorian Internet |
Tom Standage |
How the telegraph network changed the world,
crossed continents (and resulted in love between telegraphists).
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Technology |
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Watt's Perfect Engine |
Ben Marsden |
Interesting story of James Watt, particularly
focussing on steam engines - but not a lot of science
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Technology |
| What Just Happened |
James Gleick |
Articles on the development
and future of the IT business |
Technology |
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Where Wizards Stay Up Late |
Katie Hafner &
Matthew Lyon |
Engaging history of the early days of what
would become the Internet |
Technology |
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TV/Movies |
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| The Physics of Star Trek |
Lawrence M. Krauss |
How much can real science
make the wonders of Star Trek possible? |
TV, physics |
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The Science of Doctor Who |
Paul Parsons |
The world's longest running SF TV show comes
under the "Science of" spotlight in an enjoyable and tantalising book
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TV |
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Taking the Red Pill |
Glen Yeffeth (Ed.) |
Tasty collection of essays on the science and philosophy of the movie The
Matrix
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TV/Movies |
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A Teaspoon and an Open Mind: The Science of
Doctor Who |
Michael White |
Doctor Who seems the ideal subject for a
Science Of... book, but unfortunately the science is very weakly linked to
the TV show, rather missing the point
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TV/Movies |
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