Scan barcode
ponch22's review against another edition
5.0
[a:Randall Munroe|3089156|Randall Munroe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1406058780p2/3089156.jpg] has a brilliant way of taking science and applying it to ridiculous scenarios. I loved his first book [b:What If?|21413662|What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions|Randall Munroe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451351509l/21413662._SX50_.jpg|40714465] (wonderfully subtitled: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions) which took crazy questions from people on the internet (e.g., "Is it possible to build a jetpack using downward-firing machine guns?" or "What if a rainstorm dropped all of its water in a single giant drop?") and tried to answer them as seriously as possible.
This book, [b:How To|42086897|How To Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems|Randall Munroe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549394628l/42086897._SX50_.jpg|65639096] (similarly subtitled: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems) feels slightly different because, as far as I can tell, each chapter came from Munroe's brain instead of the internet. This leads to less wackiness in the premises, but the "Advice" is still plenty absurd.
From sending data via a swarm of migrating butterflies ("How to Send a File") to building a piano with 200+ keys to cover the entire spectrum of infra- through ultrasound ("How to Play the Piano"), the advice is crazy (but scientifically well-researched and explained). My favorite chapter was "How to Make an Emergency Landing," in which Monroe asks Canadian test pilot & astronaut [a:Chris Hadfield|1136925|Chris Hadfield|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1372880368p2/1136925.jpg] a dozen questions, each a little crazier than the last. Hadfield takes each question as seriously as one can and answers each with great aplomb.
The entire book is filled with Munroe's xkcd-style cartoons, many of them making me literally LOL while reading. All in all, he's written another funny, informative, but not very helpful science book (unless, of course, you want to "Win an Election" by adopting a few dozen of the most one-sided opinions polls have ever asked about).
This book, [b:How To|42086897|How To Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems|Randall Munroe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549394628l/42086897._SX50_.jpg|65639096] (similarly subtitled: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems) feels slightly different because, as far as I can tell, each chapter came from Munroe's brain instead of the internet. This leads to less wackiness in the premises, but the "Advice" is still plenty absurd.
From sending data via a swarm of migrating butterflies ("How to Send a File") to building a piano with 200+ keys to cover the entire spectrum of infra- through ultrasound ("How to Play the Piano"), the advice is crazy (but scientifically well-researched and explained). My favorite chapter was "How to Make an Emergency Landing," in which Monroe asks Canadian test pilot & astronaut [a:Chris Hadfield|1136925|Chris Hadfield|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1372880368p2/1136925.jpg] a dozen questions, each a little crazier than the last. Hadfield takes each question as seriously as one can and answers each with great aplomb.
The entire book is filled with Munroe's xkcd-style cartoons, many of them making me literally LOL while reading. All in all, he's written another funny, informative, but not very helpful science book (unless, of course, you want to "Win an Election" by adopting a few dozen of the most one-sided opinions polls have ever asked about).
nderiley's review against another edition
4.0
I read about a quarter of this. Definitely a fun book, but my library check out on it expired before I had a chance to finish. Munroe's style is very fun with his mix of showing his work with formulas and cartoons for those of us who enjoy visual learning.
aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition
It's no What If? – I'm as disappointed as anyone to give up on a Randall Munroe book, but this was just not that fun or engaging.