en Copyright 2012, Powells.com Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:00:09 PST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:00:09 PST webmaster@powells.com http://powells.com/favicon.png Powells.com, yo! In clear and compelling terms, Life in Space: Astrobiology for Everyone shows how the emerging field of astrobiology investigates the nature of life in space. How did life begin? How common is it? Where do we fit in? These are the important questions that astrobiology seeks to answer.]]> Tue, 7 Apr 2009 11:12:36 PST Richly illustrated and vividly written, Complexity: A Guided Tour offers a comprehensive and eminently comprehensible overview of the ideas underlying complex systems science, the current research at the forefront of this field, and the prospects for the field's contribution to solving some of the most important scientific questions of our time.]]> Tue, 7 Apr 2009 11:10:25 PST In Decoding the Heavens, Jo Marchant details the 100-year quest to decode an ancient Greek computer device. This is the surprising story behind the 2,000-year-old mechanism that challenges modern assumptions about what ancient scientists knew, and the technological equipment they used to understand their world.]]> Tue, 7 Apr 2009 11:09:03 PST "To err is human," Alexander Pope once said, but have you ever wondered why? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joseph Hallinan has. He describes his new book, Why We Make Mistakes, as "a field guide to human error," and offers some helpful hints for making fewer of them. Adults tend to act and see in patterns, neglecting to notice the details. That's why your kids always know where your car keys are and you don't.]]> Tue, 3 Feb 2009 13:40:01 PST James Boyle is a professor of law and cofounder of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke University. Boyle's newest book, The Public Domain, asserts the importance of a richer public domain in an increasingly private and litigious copyright law environment.]]> Tue, 3 Feb 2009 13:38:04 PST It's not hard to imagine how Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost spent their youth. Their new book, Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System, is one of the first to explore the "systems" of the Atari game console, and explains the relationship between platforms and creative expression. They discuss and dissect popular Atari games such as Pitfall, Adventure, Pac-Man, and Star Wars.]]> Tue, 3 Feb 2009 13:32:23 PST Tue, 3 Feb 2009 13:30:48 PST In The Pluto Files, New York Times-bestselling author Neil deGrasse Tyson chronicles America's irrational love affair with Pluto. In his typically witty way, Tyson explores the history of planet classification and America's obsession with the "planet" that's recently been judged a dwarf. "[H]ighly entertaining," cheers Booklist. ]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:34:44 PST In iBrain, one of America's leading neuroscientists, Gary W. Small, reveals the remarkable brain evolution caused by the constant presence of technology today, separating the digital natives — those born in the computer age — from the digital immigrants, who discovered computer technology as adults.]]> Thu, 4 Dec 2008 11:50:43 PST Profits and potential are explored in The Clean Tech Revolution, the definitive book on clean tech: technologies designed to provide superior performance at lower costs, greatly reducing the world's dependence on "dirty" energy such as fossil fuels and other environmentally damaging products.]]> Thu, 4 Dec 2008 11:49:31 PST In The Age of Entanglement, Louisa Gilder offers a brilliantly original and richly illuminating exploration of entanglement — the seemingly telepathic communication between two separated particles, which is one of the fundamental concepts of quantum physics.]]> Thu, 4 Dec 2008 11:45:26 PST 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