More of the best from my reading list:
- More by James Trefil:
-
Reading the Mind of God : In Search of the Principle of Universality
- The latest in physics and cosmology, written in a way that educates
both the initiate and the newcomer.
-
A Scientist in the City
- Ecological study of cities, with some
interesting speculation about cities of the future;
-
Meditations at Sunset : A Scientist Looks at the Sky
- His chapter
"When the Water Won't Boil" explores the hypothesis of critical point
universality, with boiling water, phase changes in iron, salad dressing
and the Big Bang.
-
Of a Fire on the Moon, Norman Mailer
- Quirky but gripping history of the Apollo program. Loved the launch
of the rocket, but it did bog down a bit in the later chapters.
-
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers : An Updated Guide to Stress, Stress-Related
Diseases, and Coping, R Sapolsky
- An interesting exploration of the topic, by a neuroimmunologist, or at
least someone who knows them. Describes how acupuncture works, and the
medly of psychological and physiological responses of our bodies.
-
From Bauhaus to Our House, Tom Wolfe
- In By Design, Caplan notes "A later penalty [of the Bauhaus'
leadership] was exposure to Tom Wolfe's caustic wit" in this book. It's a
hoot. Intro to PoMo. Read it in a sitting.
-
By Design : Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel
Louis XIV, and Other Object Lessons , Caplan
- An enjoyable exploration of design in the age of industry. An
anecdotal style, but Industrial Design provides a unifying focus. Lots of
memorable turns of phrase.
-
Who Got Einstein's Office?, Ed Regis
- The history of the Institute for Advanced Study and its best
characters: Einstein, Gödel, von Neuman, Oppenheimer, et al.
- Another by Steven Vogel:
-
Cats' Paws and Catapults : Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People
- Comparisons of evolved and engineered technology; just right for an
engineer with a fondness for biology, perhaps enlightening to one
ignorant of it.
- More by Donald A. Norman:
-
The Design of Everyday Things
- Top-notch, well-designed, lots of references with descriptions.
Hardback title is "The Psychology of..."
-
Turn Signals Are the Facial Expressions of Automobiles
- Aspects of design worth considering, but seldom considered.
-
Home : A Short History of an Idea, Ritold Rybczynski
- It's interesting to get a new look at something we take for
granted. The author's treatment demonstrates that much of our "tradition"
is really just recent memory.