Note: Makini Howell will talk about her journey and new book at Powell's City of Books on April 27 at 4 p.m. Grains, grains, grains. I have fallen...
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Powell's Books Bldg. 2 40 NW 10th Avenue Portland, OR97209
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United States of AmericaWork 503 228 465145.523427687852305,
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Powell's Technical Books is now Powell's Books Bldg. 2, on the corner of 10th and Couch, across the street from Powell's City of Books. The new space brings our mathematics, sciences, computing, engineering, construction, and transportation sections closer to our flagship store.
Phone 503-228-4651
Hours Daily: 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Powell's Technical Books is now Powell's Books Bldg. 2, on the corner of 10th and Couch, across the street from Powell's City of Books. The new space brings our mathematics, sciences, computing, engineering, construction, and transportation sections closer to our flagship store.
Here are just some of the books we're talking about at Powell's.
A Universe from Nothing
Lawrence Krauss's new book, A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing, summarizes the continuing developments in the field of cosmology. In addition to championing these new insights in the study of modern physics, Krauss also frames these advances in the appropriate context of their resulting implications for theologians and deists. Adapted from a lecture he delivered at the 2009 Atheist Alliance international annual convention (and made popular on YouTube), A Universe from Nothing explores the history of the universe from the big bang through inflation to its theoretical endpoint using the most current (and widely accepted) science.
Krauss is marvelously adept at conveying his broad scientific knowledge in as succinct and lucid a manner as is perhaps possible, making it relatively easy for a nontheoretical physicist to grasp the concepts he is attempting to illustrate. Among the more notable and recent advancements that Krauss examines in the book are the discoveries that the universe is now accelerating following the so-called "cosmic jerk" that took place some five billion years ago (see also the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics), the abundance of dark energy that appears to account for nearly three-quarters of the universe's total mass (that resides mostly in "empty space"), and the uniform flatness that characterizes our universe. The majority of the book is spent assembling and explaining the related pieces that together form a picture of the universe which, according to the latest scientific data, seems to have evolved from nothing — in fact, it may have only been able to evolve precisely because there was nothing.
The ultimate arbiter of truth is experiment, not the comfort one derives from one's a priori beliefs, not the beauty and elegance one ascribes to one's theoretical models. The results of experiments that I will describe here are not only timely, they are also unexpected. The tapestry that science weaves in describing the evolution of our universe is far richer and far more fascinating than any revelatory images or imaginative stories that humans have concocted.
As our understanding of the nearly 14-billion-year-old universe is constantly evolving, there is clearly much to be learned about cosmology. Krauss is enthusiastic in his dissemination of the accumulated knowledge and seems eager to welcome whatever conceptual refinements future advancements will inevitably bring. A Universe from Nothing is not simply a scientific treatise, however, as Krauss considers what ramifications these new insights have on age-old theological arguments.
For more than two thousand years, the question, "Why is there something rather than nothing?" has been presented as a challenge to the proposition that our universe — which contains the vast complex of stars, galaxies, humans, and who knows what else — might have arisen without design, intent, or purpose. While this is usually framed as a philosophical or religious question, it is first and foremost a question about the natural world, and so the appropriate place to try and resolve it, first and foremost, is with science.
Richard Dawkins, in the book's afterword, characterizes Krauss's book as "the knockout blow" to the theologian's remaining arguments in favor of a creator. With a few hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe and a modern physics that seems to indicate that our universe could have only arose from nothing, Krauss's assertion that a god is "unnecessary — or at best redundant" is as compelling as the science he uses to arrive at said claim. A Universe from Nothing, like most books of reason and evidence, will do little to dissuade those who ardently profess their belief in a deity, but as cosmology clarifies our place in the universe with greater precision, the arguments in favor of a creator seem ever less defensible. Krauss, in this eminently readable (and often funny!) book, has ventured further down the road of rationality and empiricism, allowing us a guided tour on the never-ending quest to truly understand the nature of life in this brilliant universe we call home.
If we wish to draw philosophical conclusions about our own existence, our significance, and the significance of the universe itself, our conclusions should be based on empirical knowledge. A truly open mind means forcing our imaginations to conform to the evidence of reality and not vice versa, whether or not we like the implications.
If you've ever said to yourself (or your significant other), "as soon as I finish this level, I'll go to bed," you have to read Extra Lives. It's not so much a defense of video games as a willingness to explore the impact they have, for good and ill, in the author's (and by extension the reader's) life. Gamers and non-gamers alike will be engrossed by Bissell's self-deprecating sense of humor, as well as his compelling narrative skills.
If you've ever said to yourself (or your significant other), "as soon as I finish this level, I'll go to bed," you have to read Extra Lives. It's not so much a defense of video games as a willingness to explore the impact they have, for good and ill, in the author's (and by extension the reader's) life. Gamers and non-gamers alike will be engrossed by Bissell's self-deprecating sense of humor, as well as his compelling narrative skills.
Decoding the Heavens recounts the discovery of the Antikythera mechanism, arguably the most remarkable archaeological find in human history. A mechanical computer dating from the second century BCE, it was recovered from an ancient Mediterranean shipwreck by Greek sponge divers in 1900 (after nearly 2,000 years of submersion). Its function, however, would elude academics, researchers, computer scientists, and archaeologists for still another century.
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Sam Kean proves that chemistry makes for great storytelling with this entertaining look at the human stories behind the elements found in the periodic table. A delightful history of science, The Disappearing Spoon makes for both an engaging and enlightening read.
Sam Kean proves that chemistry makes for great storytelling with this entertaining look at the human stories behind the elements found in the periodic table. A delightful history of science, The Disappearing Spoon makes for both an engaging and enlightening read.
The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
Nominated as a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction, The Shallows is a fascinating look at the cultural implications and neuroscientific consequences of the Internet Age. The Internet is an unprecedented educational tool and time-saver, but to the detriment of our attention spans. Carr examines our intellectual history and illustrates how our process of thinking is once again being reshaped.
The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America
Consider the bee, which produces 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey over a lifetime of hundreds of trips to flowers. This intrepid insect is not just industrious, it's a touchstone for ecology today. Subject to threats ranging from monoculture to pesticides to climate change, bees — and the dedicated people who shepherd them — persevere. Hannah Nordhaus has written an insightful and entertaining account of the tenuous relationship between bees, beekeepers, and modernity.
The Geek Dad's Guide to Weekend Fun practically makes fun happen just by existing — and not just on weekends and not just for dads. This book contains unlimited inspiration for any level of handy parent to while away innumerable hours doing nerdy, techy, awesome things with their kids. But be aware: your child may acquire the knowledge necessary to measure the speed of light — using chocolate.
Gorgeous and a little on the fancy-pants side, these are the cabins that you drive to in your Jag. For those of us who may not be rockin' the upscale cabin price tag, there are plenty of great styles to adapt and incorporate into our own living space. Author Michelle Kodis always pulls together a well-crafted book with great attention to detail and design: Modern Cabin fits that bill.
Chick Days is a welcome addition to the ever-growing flock of chicken-keeping guides. In it, Jenna Woginrich, accomplished blogger and author of Made from Scratch, provides an accessible and entertaining overview of backyard chicken keeping, covering chick selection, laying logistics, and everything in between. But what really sets this book apart is the visual chronicle of photographer Mars Vilaubi's own backyard chickens — Amelia, Honey and Tilda — as they grow from tiny, fuzzy, fit-in-the-palm-of-your-hand hatchlings to full-fledged layers.
This is an absolutely fascinating account of a line of cells that would proliferate to such a degree that they became immortal. Shaved from a tumor in a poor black woman in the 1950s, cultured without her knowledge, and grown to amazing proportions, HeLa cells would change the face of science and medicine forever. Pivotal in the search for disease obliteration, HeLa would prove invaluable because it simply would not die. Yet, Henrietta Lacks did die, in pain and obscurity, and her family knew nothing of her living cells. Posing some very serious questions ranging from tissue ownership to the billion dollar pharmaceutical industry to the mad rush for the elusive cure for cancer to the impossible cost of health insurance, Skloot has done an admirable job of research here. Ironically, Henrietta's story, if read in a novel, would seem ridiculously fantastical. Yet she lived — and her cells still do. Her story is unforgettable.
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
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