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Aisle 49

Aisle 49A new month brings a new theme to Aisle 49, stocked full of books you covet and desperately want. The beginning of the year is time for fresh starts, new ideas, and even a radical thought or two. Check out our favorite selections by noted inventors such as Nikola Tesla (Tesla: The Lost Inventions) and Buckminster Fuller (Your Private Sky). And for reworking the way we think, there's no one better than James Burke (Connections). For those of you who are working on a project in the basement, Nolo Press's 13th edition of Patent It Yourself is the ultimate DIY book. Intrigued? Check out what else we've picked out for you!

Technica Q&A: Joseph Hallinan

Joseph Hallinan"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 also offers some helpful hints about 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. In this Q&A, find out why Hallinan prefers the outdoors to chess, what famous scientist he'd like to be in his next life, and why the PedEgg is on his mind. Save 30% on Why We Make Mistakes for a limited time.

Technica Q&A: Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost

Nick Montfort and Ian BogostIt'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. In their Q&A, find out why E. coli spinach makes Ian sympathize with Dilbert, why Nick believes laptops make people think differently, and why Ian hasn't yet mastered Latin. Plus, save 30% on Racing the Beam.

Technica Q&A: James Boyle

James BoyleJames Boyle is a professor of law at Duke University and cofounder of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain there, as well. Boyle's newest book, The Public Domain, asserts the importance of a richer public domain in an increasingly private and litigious copyright law environment. In his Technica Q&A, find out why elementary school teachers failed to inspire him, how he has "vicarious geek cred," and learn why he hopes the Internet will be as beneficial to science as it has been for shoe shopping. For a limited time save 30% on The Public Domain.

Technica Q&A: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse TysonIn 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 as a dwarf. "[H]ighly entertaining," cheers Booklist. Read Tyson's Tech Q&A and save 30% on The Pluto Files.

"What Do I Do with This Thing?"

Take Your iPod Touch to the MaxHuzzah! Santa was very good to you this year, and now you've got a new, shiny gadget that you haven't figured out yet. Between work, school, and spending time on Facebook, who has time to read those dull user manuals? Worry not! It's time for our annual "What Do I Do with This Thing?" promotion. New to the iPod Touch? Erica Sadun's Take Your iPod Touch to the Max teaches you all the new tricks. New to geocaching, or just want to go hiking with safety in mind? GPS Made Easy by Lawrence Letham will show you the way. Shop enthusiasts can't be without the classic text How to Run a Lathe by South Bend Machine Works. And for those of you who want to dig a well, but want to save on surveying costs, Dowsing: A Journey beyond Our Five Senses, by Hamish Miller, is just what you need.

Multimedia

Manga Studio for Dummies with CDROM (For Dummies) Manga Studio for Dummies with CDROM (For Dummies)
by Doug Hills

Covers both Manga Studio Debut and EX versions Use the newest features of Manga Studio to bring your ideas to life Manga is magnificent, and with the tools available in the latest version of Manga Studio, it's easy to turn your computer into your drawing... (read more)
Your Price $16.95
Used - Trade Paper

Popular Science

Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Behavior Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Behavior
by Sandra Aamodt

The popular, myth-busting guide to the neuroscience of everyday life, by two high-profile neuroscientists. In this lively book, Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang dispel common myths about the brain and provide a comprehensive, useful overview of how it really... (read more)
Your Price $7.98
Sale - Trade Paper

Operating Systems

Windows 7 All-In-One for Dummies Windows 7 All-In-One for Dummies
by Woody Leonhard

Eight references in one-fully revised to include all the new features and updates to Windows 7 As the #1 operating system in the world, Windows provides the platform upon which all essential computing activities occur. This much-anticiapted version of... (read more)
Your Price $24.00
Used - Trade Paper

Chemistry

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe
by Theodore Gray

Beautiful and informative, surprising and smart, The Elements will appeal to your inner geek (even if you didn't know you had one). With unique stories, bizarre facts, and dazzling photographs of the 118 elements in the periodic table, this book will... (read more)
Your Price $29.95
New - Hardcover

Electricity

Inside the Vacuum Tube Inside the Vacuum Tube
by John F. Rider

John Rider has produced one of the funniest and most thorough books ever written on the way vacuum tubes function. His first chapter on the electron is virtually a comic book. Fresh out of the U.S. Army in 1945, he wrote and published an impressive array... (read more)
Your Price $29.95
New - Trade Paper

Physics

A Briefer History of Time A Briefer History of Time
by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow

From One of the Most Brilliant Minds of Our Time Comes a Book that Clarifies His Most Important Ideas Stephen Hawking's worldwide bestseller, A Brief History of Time, remains one of the landmark volumes in scientific writing of our time. But for years... (read more)
Your Price $8.98
Sale - Trade Paper

Construction

Tom Henry's Key Word Index: Based on the 2008 NEC Tom Henry's Key Word Index: Based on the 2008 NEC
by Tom Henry

Every word in the Code book put into an index with page numbers. Now you can find it in the Code in seconds! This book is a great study aid for electrical exams and is specially designed to increase your speed by getting you familiar with those hard to... (read more)
Your Price $18.00
New - Pamphlet

Engineering

Buildind a Single-shot, Falling-block Rifle Action Buildind a Single-shot, Falling-block Rifle Action
by Walter B. Mueller

Originally published as a series in The Home Shop Machinist magazine, this very popular gunsmithing project for firearms enthusiasts is now presented complete in soft-cover format for workbench ease.... (read more)
Your Price $17.00
New - Pamphlet

This Day in Tech History

Thursday, March 11

Running 35 trillion calculations per second and more powerful than the next 12 fastest supercomputers combined, the "Earth Simulator" is turned on 2002

US Army Corps of Engineers is established 1779

Birthdays
Urbain Jean Joseph le Verrier (1811), co-discovered Neptune

Vannevar Bush (1890), developed first electronic analogue computer

Douglas Adams (1952), author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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