Wittier and sciencier:
technica q&a: dan hooper (dark cosmos)
technica q&a: guy ogilvy (the alchemist's kitchen)
technica q&a: fritjof capra (the hidden connections)
photography and digital imaging sale
isepp lecture series
new arrivals
history of science
dvds
doug brown's factoid
bestsellers

How is it possible that the holidays have come and gone already? The frantic holiday rush is finally past, and now we have happy geeks roaming the aisles with Powell's gift cards burning atomic holes in their pockets. We like this time of year, when there are zero social obligations — except for that Fritjof Capra lecture that we're dying to see.

TECHNICA Q&A: DAN HOOPER
Dan Hooper describes Dark Cosmos: In Search of Our Universe's Missing Mass and Energy as "a book about two of the biggest mysteries in science today — dark matter and dark energy." In this Technica Q&A, Hooper disusses his inspiration, his best subject in school, and more. Save 30% off the list price when you buy Dark Cosmos now.

TECHNICA Q&A: GUY OGILVY
Author Guy Ogilvy describes The Alchemist's Kitchen as "an alchemical recipe book" with "extensive appendices chock full of recipes for all manner of useful things like glue, perfumes, soap, pigments, gunpowder, and alcohol." Read his Q&A and save 30% when you buy The Alchemist's Kitchen from Powells.com.

Does anyone remember "oleo"? Chemist Henry Bradley patented oleomargarine in January 1871. Two years beforehand, Napoleon Bonaparte kicked off the search for a butter substitute when he offered a prize to anyone who could come up with a decent spread suitable for the military (cheap and long-lasting). Margarine consumption boomed during World War II, when real butter became a rare luxury. The dairy industry has been disgruntled ever since.

TECHNICA Q&A: FRITJOF CAPRA
Fritjof Capra, author of The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living, describes his current book project about the science of Leonardo Da Vinci (due in 2007), discusses his favorite childhood teacher, and shares his passion for chess in this exclusive Q&A. For a limited time, save 30% off the cover price of The Hidden Connections.

Isaac Asimov's birthday is January 2, 1920. He was a very prolific writer, mathematician, and biochemist (dare I say the Joyce Carol Oates of science?). He also sported a mean pair of sideburns in the 1970s. Asimov has works in every major category of the Dewey Decimal System except Philosophy. He was a "claustrophile," a lover of small spaces, and as a child, Asimov wanted to run a magazine stand in the New York City subway.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIGITAL IMAGING SALE
Did you get a camera (digital or film) for the holidays? Is one of your resolutions to brush up on your photography skills? For a limited time, save 30% on all sorts of photography and digital imaging books from Focal Press. Browse our extensive selection here.

ISEPP LECTURE SERIES
Two lectures of note are coming up in the ISEPP's Linus Pauling Memorial Lecture Series: On January 18, Dr. Fritjof Capra will present The Web of Life, which offers a brilliant synthesis of such recent scientific breakthroughs as the theory of complexity, Gaia theory, chaos theory, and other explanations of the properties of organisms, social systems, and ecosystems. And on Febraury 15, Dr. Michael Ruse will explain the controversial struggle between evolution and creationism (intelligent design) and explain why evolutionists may be their own worst enemy. Follow the links above, and use the promotional code "Technology" to save 50% on tickets to these two exciting events.

NEW ARRIVALS
Relax! It's January and the stress of the holidays is past you now. Here are some of our favorite new books, perfect for those holes in your bookshelf. I Am Plastic: The Designer Toy Explosion, by Paul Budnitz, is pure eye candy, an enormous book on the relatively new world of artisan-made plastic toys, by designers as diverse as Daniel "Ghostworld" Clowes, David Horvath and Tado. Mini House Now by Agata Losantos is a modern homage to extremely small house design — 300 square feet or smaller! Sarah Norgate's new book, Beyond 9 to 5: Your Life in Time, is an intriguing study of the pyschological, social, and cultural influences that affect the way we perceive time. And the third edition of Sharon Wood Wortman's The Portland Bridge Book has just been released, which includes updates to bridge changes such as the remodeled St. John's Bridge, a new section on the Sauvie Island Bridge, and many more dazzling photographs.

HISTORY OF SCIENCE
Pass the caviar. The Concorde supersonic airliner made its first test flight on January 9, 1969. For 20 years, the Concorde was the way to travel if you could only spare 3.5 hours to get from London to New York. Although it sounds pretty ritzy, the Concorde actually lacked the first class amenities that slower airplanes had, like movies, reclining seats, and walking room. To make up for this, they served gourmet food on fine china to their passengers. The Concorde flew twice as high as commercial jetliners; passengers could see the curvature of the earth from their windows.

DVDS
Who doesn't love the alien? Carole saw The Man Who Fell to Earth late at night on TV when she was 16, which promptly blew her mind and jumpstarted a lifelong crush on David Bowie. How thrilling to discover that Nicholas Roeg's masterpiece has been re-released by the Criterion Collection, which comes with 20 minutes of unseen footage, audio commentary with Nicholas Roeg and David Bowie, and even a copy of the original novel by Walter Tevis! As a child of the '70s, James recommends Schoolhouse Rock 30th Anniversary Edition. This is the complete collection of all 46 songs, plus one extra, and a hidden easter egg as well. And, as always, all DVDs ship free of charge.

DOUG BROWN'S FACTOID
Parthenogenesis (virgin birth) has been reported in a number of lizard species, and even in rattlesnakes.  Just recently, a new species was added to the list: Komodo dragons.  Two female Komodo monitors in separate UK zoos have laid fertilized eggs despite not having known the touch of a male. In order to fertilize her own eggs, a female copies a set of her chromosomes, so the two sex chromosomes are the same.  In humans, that means the results of parthenogenesis would be female (females are XX, males are XY).  Komodos have the opposite system of sex determination, so the offspring are all male.

TECH BESTSELLERS
1. Boost Your Brain Power Week by Week by Bill Lucas
2. Linux Pocket Guide by Daniel J. Barrett
3. Eclipse IDE Pocket Guide by Ed Burnette
4. The Machinist's Second Bedside Reader by Guy Lautard
5. Beautiful Evidence by Edward R. Tufte
6. The Machinist's Third Bedside Reader by Guy Lautard
7. Rails Recipes by Chad Fowler
8. Designing Interfaces by Jenifer Tidwell
9. Secrets of Mental Math by Arthur Benjamin and Michael Shermer
10. XSLT 1.0 Pocket Reference by Evan Lenz

Technica
By Carole

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