17 Scientists Pick 17 High Impact Books

Great idea from New Scientist. And an impressive list of thinkers (with short articles from each on the books they chose):

1. Farthest North - Steve Jones, geneticist

2. The Art of the Soluble - V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist

3. Animal Liberation - Jane Goodall, primatologist

4. The Foundation trilogy - Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist

5. Alice in Wonderland - Alison Gopnik, developmental psychologist

6. One, Two, Three... Infinity - Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist

7. The Idea of a Social Science - Harry Collins, sociologist of science

8. Handbook of Mathematical Functions - Peter Atkins, chemist

9. The Mind of a Mnemonist - Oliver Sacks, neurologist

10. A Mathematician’s Apology - Marcus du Sautoy, mathematician

11. The Leopard - Susan Greenfield, neurophysiologist

12. Darwin and the Emergence of Evolutionary Theories of Mind and Behavior - Frans de Waal, psychologist and ethologist

13. Catch-22 / The First Three Minutes - Lawrence Krauss, physicist

14. William James, Writings 1878-1910 - Daniel Everett, linguist

15. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Chris Frith, neuroscientist

16. The Naked Ape - Elaine Morgan, author of The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis

17. King Solomon's Ring - Marian Stamp Dawkins, Zoologist

I'll go with Oliver Sacks' recommendation to start.

Earth Day Reading: 50 Simple Things...For the 21st Century

I'm going to a reading tonight by John, Sophie, and Jesse Javna, principal creators of 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth: Completely New and Updated for the 21st Century.

50 Simple Things - revisited: [link fixed]

In this brand new edition—completely revised and updated—Javna and his two children, Sophie, age 14 and Jesse, age 18, have collaborated with 50 top environmental advocacy groups to explore the most important environmental issues facing us today. Together they outline simple, step-by-step actions that empower readers to become citizen activists in the fight to save the earth. The Javnas believe that although individual actions are important, real and lasting change will come about only when we work together.

Good idea, huh?

Here's their Web site. [link fixed] Go give 'em some love!

"The History of the World": 1601

Cool collection of books online via the University of Chicago:

The first Booke containeth the Dedicatorie Epistle or Preface of the worke, addressed to Titus Vespasian the Emperour. Also the names of the Authors out of which he gathered the Historie, which he prosecuteth in 36 Bookes: togither with the Summarie of every Chapter: & beginneth, The Books, &c.




Free Book

Via Boing Boing, A Woman Who Went to Alaska, written by May Kellog Sullivan in 1902.

A New Dune Movie?

Rumors via The Raw Feed.

And there are new Dunes? Didn't know that.

The Angry Rakkasan

Army officer author at DKos has a book just out. The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War.

Getting mine tonight.