Download or read book Mayor of the Universe written by Lorna Landvik and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2014-09-15 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A mild-mannered actuary, Fletcher Weschel lives at the crossroads of Bland and Humdrum—or so he thinks until a cosmic contest catapults him into the fantasy world he made up as a boy. Suddenly his childhood bedroom is aswarm with aliens, all bent on discovering the human who best personifies their mission—in this case, the deeply serious pursuit of fun. Ejected from the boring comfort of his office chair, Fletcher finds himself astride the bare back of a horse, in front of a safe (that he happens to be cracking), and then . . . in the cabin of a weight-loss camp for kids? Apparently adventures come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s up to Fletcher to make the most of these, conducted by his alien guide, Tandala, who takes on the corporeal form of a big-boned Jamaican and tends to get distracted by Earth’s many surprising pleasures (garlic! libraries! love!). But even fantasies can have consequences, and as Fletcher struggles through them, he is cheered and assisted by Wanda Plum, a plucky second-grade teacher who helps him realize what his ultimate role really is on this highly mysterious, infinitely marvelous pale-blue dot in a vast universe. Though its cast includes aliens, this charmed and charming book is quintessential Lorna Landvik—less about outer space than about the crowded, complex inner space of the human heart.
Download or read book New Worlds in the Cosmos written by Michel Mayor and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-09-25 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Table of contents
Download or read book Electric Universe written by David Bodanis and published by Crown. This book was released on 2006-02-28 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bestselling author of E=mc2 weaves tales of romance, divine inspiration, and fraud through an account of the invisible force that permeates our universe—electricity—and introduces us to the virtuoso scientists who plumbed its secrets. For centuries, electricity was seen as little more than a curious property of certain substances that sparked when rubbed. Then, in the 1790s, Alessandro Volta began the scientific investigation that ignited an explosion of knowledge and invention. The force that once seemed inconsequential was revealed to be responsible for everything from the structure of the atom to the functioning of our brains. In harnessing its power, we have created a world of wonders—complete with roller coasters and radar, computer networks and psychopharmaceuticals. In Electric Universe, the great discoverers come to life in all their brilliance and idiosyncrasy, including the visionary Michael Faraday, who struggled against the prejudices of the British class system, and Samuel Morse, a painter who, before inventing the telegraph, ran for mayor of New York City on a platform of persecuting Catholics. Here too is Alan Turing, whose dream of a marvelous thinking machine—what we know as the computer—was met with indifference, and who ended his life in despair after British authorities forced him to undergo experimental treatments to “cure” his homosexuality. From the frigid waters of the Atlantic to the streets of Hamburg during a World War II firestorm to the interior of the human body, Electric Universe is a mesmerizing journey of discovery.
Download or read book Okay Universe written by Valerie Plante and published by Drawn & Quarterly. This book was released on 2021-06-05 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A story about political organizing and the power of community Translated from French by Helge Dascher Valérie Plante stood up to the patriarchal power system of her city, took down an incumbent, and became the first woman elected Mayor of Montreal. Her origin story comes alive in Okay, Universe. This captivating graphic novel—created in a true collaboration with Governor-General Award-winner Delphie Côté-Lacroix—follows her journey from community organizer and volunteer to municipal candidate, and the phone call from the local social justice political party that changed her life forever. Okay, Universe is the first time Plante has told her story, and she has chosen an art form that is not just emblematic of the city of Montreal and its love of the arts and bande dessinée, it’s an art form that is accessible to all readers and perfectly suited to her message. With patience, determination, and the strength of will to remain true to her core beliefs, Okay, Universe details the inspiring political campaign where slowly but surely she gained the trust of a neighbourhood fighting for affordable housing, environmental protections, and equal opportunities. Okay, Universe demystifies the path to success, simultaneously showing the Mayor’s inextinguishable commitment to creating positive change in the world and educating about the vitality of political engagement."
Download or read book Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe written by Danny Wallace and published by Random House. This book was released on 2006 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Danny Wallace wanted to write about a place so special and so crucial to our existence that it had never before been tackled: the Centre of the Universe. But then he realised that getting there might be a problem, and when he did, there'd probably be nothing much to write about. Until he heard about a manhole cover, on a small street, in a small town, tucked away in a remote part of Idaho. The manhole cover had been declared the Centre of the Universe. The mayor had the science to back it up. The town rejoiced. And the name of the town? Wallace. It was a cosmic coincidence Danny couldn't resist...
Download or read book Gods and Robots written by Adrienne Mayor and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-21 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces the story of how ancient cultures envisioned artificial life, automata, self-moving devices and human enhancements, sharing insights into how the mythologies of the past related to and shaped ancient machine innovations.
Download or read book The Mayor of Central Park written by Avi and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2005-03-15 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life is good for Oscar Westerwit. He's the mayor of Central Park -- the greatest place on earth for the squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and other animals who live there. He's the shortstop and manager of his baseball team. What could be bad? Plenty! Big Daddy Duds, jewel thief, all-around thug, and leader of rats, is about to take over the park. And when he does, the other animals who live there will be turned out of their homes. Everyone looks to Oscar to save the day, but he may not even be able to save himself. . . .
Download or read book How It Began A Time Traveler s Guide to the Universe written by Chris Impey and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2012-03-26 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Impey combines the vision of a practicing scientist with the voice of a gifted storyteller.”—Dava Sobel In this vibrant, eye-opening tour of milestones in the history of our universe, Chris Impey guides us through space and time, leading us from the familiar sights of the night sky to the dazzlingly strange aftermath of the Big Bang. What if we could look into space and see not only our place in the universe but also how we came to be here? As it happens, we can. Because it takes time for light to travel, we see more and more distant regions of the universe as they were in the successively greater past. Impey uses this concept—"look-back time"—to take us on an intergalactic tour that is simultaneously out in space and back in time. Performing a type of cosmic archaeology, Impey brilliantly describes the astronomical clues that scientists have used to solve fascinating mysteries about the origins and development of our universe. The milestones on this journey range from the nearby to the remote: we travel from the Moon, Jupiter, and the black hole at the heart of our galaxy all the way to the first star, the first ray of light, and even the strange, roiling conditions of the infant universe, an intense and volatile environment in which matter was created from pure energy. Impey gives us breathtaking visual descriptions and also explains what each landmark can reveal about the universe and its history. His lucid, wonderfully engaging scientific discussions bring us to the brink of modern cosmology and physics, illuminating such mind-bending concepts as invisible dimensions, timelessness, and multiple universes. A dynamic and unforgettable portrait of the cosmos, How It Began will reward its readers with a deeper understanding of the universe we inhabit as well as a renewed sense of wonder at its beauty and mystery.
Download or read book Life as We Knew it written by Susan Beth Pfeffer and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2008 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's still would be open. High school sophomore Miranda's disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, like "one marble hits another." The result is catastrophic. How can her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis are wiping out the coasts, earthquakes are rocking the continents, and volcanic ash is blocking out the sun? As August turns dark and wintery in northeastern Pennsylvania, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove. Told in a year's worth of journal entries, this heart-pounding story chronicles Miranda's struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world. An extraordinary series debut Susan Beth Pfeffer has written several companion novels to Life As We Knew It, including The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon.
Download or read book Other Worlds written by Michael D. Lemonick and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1885. The Preface begins: It is proposed to rehearse the lustrous story of Rome, from its beginning in the mists of myth and fable down to the mischievous times when the republic came to its end, just before the brilliant period of the empire opened. As one surveys this marvellous vista from the vantage-ground of the present, attention is fixed first upon a long succession of well- authenticated facts which are shaded off in the dim distance, and finally lost in the obscurity of unlettered antiquity. The flesh and blood heroes of the more modern times regularly and slowly pass from view, and in their places the unsubstantial worthies of dreamy tradition start up. The transition is so gradual, however, that it is at times impossible to draw the line between history and legend. Fortunately for the purposes of this volume it is not always necessary to make the effort. The early traditions of the Eternal City have so long been recounted as truth that the world is slow to give up even the least jot or tittle of them, and when they are disproved as fact, they must be told over and over again as story.
Download or read book The Elegant Universe Superstrings Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory written by Violet R. Nunez and published by Laurentiu-Marian Ene. This book was released on 2024-10-24 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Delve into the fascinating world of String Theory with this comprehensive guide that covers everything from the basics of Quantum Mechanics to the challenges and future directions in the field. Explore the connections between String Theory and Quantum Gravity, delve into the mysteries of the Multiverse, and uncover the intricate relationships between String Theory and Mathematics. Packed with insights and explanations, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in the cutting-edge theories that are shaping our understanding of the universe.
Download or read book The Universe Legend written by and published by Dorrance Publishing. This book was released on with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Beginning and the End of Everything written by Paul Parsons and published by Michael O'Mara Books. This book was released on 2018-11-01 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Beginning and the End of Everything is the whole story as we currently understand it - from nothing, to the birth of our universe, to its ultimate fate. Authoritative and engaging, Paul Parsons takes us on a rollercoaster ride through billions of light years to tell the story of the Big Bang, from birth to death.
Download or read book A Perfect Universe written by Scott O'Connor and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-02-13 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scott O’Connor’s novels have been hailed as “astonishing” (Library Journal), and “so insistently stirring, you want to lean in close to catch every word” (The New York Times Book Review). Now, from the author of Untouchable and Half World comes A Perfect Universe, a piercingly emotional cycle of stories in the tradition of Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad and Annie Proulx’s Close Range. Welcome to the often-overlooked corners of sun-bleached Los Angeles, where a teenaged bicycle thief searches for a kidnapped boy, a young musician emerges as the lone survivor of a building collapse, and an aging actor faces the erasure of his past. There, far from the Hollywood spotlight, we also meet two sisters locked in a destructive cycle of memory and illness, coffee-shop regulars whose lives are torn apart by a stunning moment of violence, and the desperate, fraudulent writer whose fictions connect these unforgettable characters in subtle and surprising ways. Sharply observed, exhilaratingly paced, and beautifully written, A Perfect Universe is a masterful exploration of growing up and growing old, loss and longing, identity and deception, and the search for redemption, humanity, and grace.
Download or read book Chemical Abundances in the Universe written by International Astronomical Union. Symposium and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Session I : Primordial nucleosynthesis and the first stars in the Universe -- Session II : First stars in the Galaxy -- Session III : Chemical abundances in the high red-shift Universe -- Session IV : Chemical abundance constraints on mass assembly and star formation in local galaxies and the Milky Way -- Session V : Extrasolar planets: the chemical abundance connection -- Session VI : Abundance surveys and projects in the era of future large telescopes.
Download or read book My Name is Universe written by Toni Pou and published by Actar D, Inc.. This book was released on 2024-06-12 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My Name is Universe is a book of interviews with internationally renowned personalities through which some of the layers of knowledge included in the Periodic Table are revealed, recreated by Eugenia Balcells in the mural Homage to the Elements. Who would have thought that a work of art based on a scientific idea could explode like a veritable intellectual Big Bang and take us on a thrilling journey from atoms to galaxies through music, philosophy, art, cinema, chemistry, poetry, theater, dance, astrophysics, education, architecture, painting, quantum physics, religion or mathematics? My Name is Universe is a book in which science, the arts and the humanities are intertwined, appealing to the transversality and unity of knowledge. A text that cultivates an attitude of wonder at the world around us, the engine of artistic and scientific creation, and that stimulates the reader’s curiosity and creativity.
Download or read book Rock Stars in Space written by Gravity George and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2011-12-28 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An epic tale of a guy called Angus Hereford, some porpoises, and the greatest rock'n'roll band since three pm yesterday. The plot takes bold leaps into the stratosphere. These flights of fancy carry us on a surreal, twisted, ironic, comedic journey; from a dull life in suburbia to interplanetary rock'n'roll stardom. From stuck at the bus stop to performing sold-out mega-gigs on Saturn.
