en Copyright 2008, Powells.com Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:00:06 PST Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:00:06 PST webmaster@powells.com http://powells.com/favicon.png Powells.com, yo! In Click, Time.com columnist Bill Tancer searches deep inside the massive database of online intelligence to reveal the naked truth and unexpected insights about how people use the Web, navigate to sites, and search for information — and what that says about individuals and their buying habits. In this Tech Q&A, Tancer searches deep inside himself to offer insight into his favorite teacher, what he really means when he says he barbecues for relaxation, and more!]]> Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:18:33 PST The story of carbon — the building block of life that is, ironically, humanity's great threat. In The Carbon Age, Eric Roston evokes this essential element, its journey illuminating history from the Big Bang to modern civilization. In this Tech Q&A, Roston explains the source of his inspiration, which five seminal days he'd choose to revisit in another life, and more!]]> Wed, 3 Sep 2008 11:50:52 PST In The Universe in a Mirror: The Saga of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Visionaries Who Built It, Robert Zimmerman brings the visionaries behind this most remarkable of instruments vividly to life. In this Tech Q&A, Zimmerman brings his own views to life, sharing some of his favorite blogs, why he joined a gun club, and more!]]> Wed, 3 Sep 2008 09:52:12 PST In Icarus at the Edge of Time, one of America's leading physicists delivers a moving and visually stunning futuristic reimagining of the Icarus fable — a fable about fathers and sons, curiosity and wisdom, and the complexity of the universe. In this Tech Q&A, author Brian Greene explains his inspiration to write, shares his score on the Geek Test, and more!]]> Tue, 2 Sep 2008 15:35:35 PST Tom Boellstorff's last two books were anthropological studies on Indonesia. So why now a book on Second Life? Boellstorff decided to study virtual reality as if it were the Yanamamos. In his Q&A, he writes, "I decided to see if the same methods anthropologists used in the physical world could be used to study virtual worlds." His new book, Coming of Age in Second Life, reveals what he's learned since joining the online community in 2004. Read on, and learn about his surprising score on the Geek Test, his fluency in Elvish, and the influence of Lord of the Rings on the virtual world.]]> Tue, 8 Jul 2008 12:07:37 PST In Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique, Michael S. Gazzaniga, one of the world's leading neuroscientists, explores how best to understand the human condition by examining the biological, psychological, and the highly social nature of the species. In this Tech Q&A, Gazzaniga explains his ideas for the biggest changes in human culture, how truly special human beings are, and more!]]> Tue, 8 Jul 2008 12:06:26 PST Just the word E. coli makes us squirm. But Carl Zimmer, author of Microcosm: E.Coli and the New Science of Life finds the little buggers fascinating. In Carl's exclusive Q&A for Powells.com, learn about his obsession with the Mütter Museum, find out what writer he'd love to be reincarnated as, and discover why he can never quite relax. ]]> Mon, 9 Jun 2008 09:46:40 PST Along with being the most comprehensive reference to installing, configuring, and working with Ubuntu, A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux also provides extensive server coverage you won't find in any other Ubuntu book. In this Tech Q&A, author Mark G. Sobell explains the difference between inspiration and panic, shares his childhood love for catalogs, and more!]]> Sun, 8 Jun 2008 15:39:29 PST In Simplexity, Time magazine reporter Kluger adeptly translates cutting-edge theory into high-octane history that surrounds the notion of simplexity — that simple things can be more complicated than they seem, and complex things more simple — and how this affects everyone. In this Tech Q&A, Kluger ]]> Sun, 8 Jun 2008 15:38:41 PST In Guesstimation, authors Lawrence Weinstein and John A. Adam show, using numerous examples, how readers can make numerical estimates of quantities — some absurd and some fascinating — in a wide variety of areas. In this Q&A, Weinstein explains why he can't predict future technologies, shares his youthful struggles with P.E. class, and more!]]> Mon, 12 May 2008 16:13:08 PST Scientists such as Heisenberg and Godel taught us that it's impossible to know everything about the physical universe. But according to James Stein, author of "How Math Explains the World," such uncertainty has led to bigger scientific breakthroughs, which help explain, for example, why car repairs always take so long. In this Q&A, find out why Stein loves Chicago, his favorite cartoonist, and why his junior high school shop teacher took pity on him. ]]> Mon, 12 May 2008 16:06:30 PST Leonard Mlodinow's The Drunkard's Walk is an irreverent look at how randomness influences our lives, and how our successes and failures are far more dependent on chance events than we recognize. In his lively Q&A, he shares why he would love to meet Einstein, when he dribbles or drinks, and why his librarian will always be near and dear to his heart.]]> Mon, 12 May 2008 15:57:32 PST In Kluge, New York University psychologist Gary Marcus argues that the mind is a "kluge" — a clumsy, cobbled-together contraption — as he ponders the accidents of evolution that caused this structure and what we can do about it. In this Q&A, Marcus shares his inspiration for writing, his favorite book as a child, and more!]]> Mon, 12 May 2008 15:57:00 PST From acclaimed New York Times science writer George Johnson comes The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments, an irresistible book on the most fascinating experiments in the history of science. In this Q&A, Johnson shares how Tony Hillerman inspired his writing, why his Geek Test score is unfair, and more!]]> Mon, 12 May 2008 15:55:50 PST Cosmic Jackpot is Paul Davies's eagerly awaited return to cosmology, in which he tackles all the "big questions," including the biggest of them all: Why does the universe seem so well adapted for life? In this Technica Q&A, Davies tackles smaller, but no less scintillating, questions — including what he does for relaxation, his best and worst subjects in school, and more!]]> Tue, 1 Apr 2008 15:32:07 PST