Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2010: With her wry humor and inextinguishable curiosity, Mary Roach has crafted her own quirky niche in the somewhat staid world of science writing, showing no fear (or shame) in the face of cadavers, ectoplasm, or sex. In Packing for Mars, Roach tackles the strange science of space travel, and the psychology, technology, and politics that go into sending a crew into orbit. Roach is unfailingly inquisitive (Why is it impolite for astronauts to float upside down during conversations? Just how smelly does a spacecraft get after a two week mission?), and she eagerly seeks out the stories that don't make it onto NASA's website--from SPCA-certified space suits for chimps, to the trial-and-error approach to crafting menus during the space program's early years (when the chefs are former livestock veterinarians, taste isn't high on the priority list). Packing for Mars is a book for grownups who still secretly dream of being astronauts, and Roach lives it up on their behalf--weightless in a C-9 aircraft, she just can't resist the opportunity to go "Supermanning" around the cabin. Her zeal for discovery, combined with her love of the absurd, amazing, and stranger-than-fiction, make Packing for Mars an uproarious trip into the world of space travel. --Lynette Mong

Oil and the Future of Energy: Climate Repair * Hydrogen * Nuclear Fuel * Renewable and Green Sources * Energy Efficiency

Oil and the Future of Energy: Climate Repair * Hydrogen * Nuclear Fuel * Renewable and Green Sources * Energy Efficiency

The most important and accessible science writing on a topic of intense public interest and concern: oil and the future of energy.

Customer Review: A great primer on energy and fuels
I don't know what the other previous 2 star reviews were complaining about. I received this book yesterday and thought it was a great book for people wanting to learn more about not only oil but other forms of fuels and alternative fuels. This book does talk about bio-fuels as well (under "bio-mass fuels"), contrary to what one reviewer said. The diagrams were great and they even had a section in color with some great computer generated graphics/diagrams. Since it's edited by the people at Scientific American, it is not too simple, yet not too technical either. Actually, I kind of wished they "dumbed it down" for readers who are not as technically familiar with how fuels are processed.
Overall, I thought it was a great primer on fuels and will allow the reader to better understand this topic.
Customer Review: Yuk.
Well, as tempting as the use of the video review option is I am not quite that cruel. This collection of articles from Scientific America was about the dullest piece of work I have ever had the misfortune to be required to read. In addition to the monotonous repetitive bilge that spills from its paper back binding the editors of SA seem to have left out a crucial component to any good scientific publication...references. Yes, it seems that each article is very well written yet void of a reference as to where it came from. Blah Blah Blah...have a nice day.

-tom

Practice Problems for the Mechanical Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual, 12th Edition

Practice Problems for the Mechanical Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual, 12th Edition

The best way to prepare for the mechanical PE exam is to solve problems--the more problems the better. Practice Problems for the Mechanical Engineering PE Exam provides you with the breadth-and-depth problem-solving practice you need to successfully prepare for the exam. Build your confidence and improve your problem-solving skills

• More than 500 problems, similar in format and difficulty to the actual exam
• Coordinated with the chapters of the Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual
• Step-by-step solutions explain how to reach the correct answers most efficiently
• Comprehensive coverage of exam topics

"The Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual, along with the Practice Problems and the Sample Exam, successfully prepared me for the exam." --Adam Ross, PE, Mechanical Engineer

Customer Review: Helpful for Studying
I worked through several of these problems before the exam. Most of the problems are harder than the problems on the exam, but that is a good thing.

This, and the on-line practice test from NCEES are all I used to study and I feel I was well prepared. The PPI problems help you get the knowledge of the material; while the NCEES problems give you a feel for timing, and what the exam problems are like.

The only thing that would make this more helpful for studying would be if it had difficulty or time ratings for each question. There were some areas of study I did not want to spend a lot of time on.

Don't take lots of books to the exam. All I used was the MERM (Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual) that accompanies this. It had what I needed to solve every problem except one.
Customer Review: not representative of exam grade questions
I recommend this manual only as a means for working additional problems once you've exhausted your textbook sample problems. I just took the ME PE exam yesterday and the problems on the actual exam should take no longer than 5 minutes to work, IF you know what tools (equations, etc) to use. The sample problems in this book took me, on average, about 35 minutes each to work. 90% of them are far more difficult than anything you'll see on the actual exam.

I think time would be much better spent simply working the "easy" problems out of your old textbooks.

Excel Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips and Tools

Excel Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips and Tools

If you think that getting creative with Excel means the underhanded tweaking of numbers, think again. Excel Hacks shows even the most experienced users how to do things with Excel they might never have thought of doing--and lets them have a little fun while they're at it. Microsoft Excel is not just the dominant spreadsheet in the world; it's also one of the most popular applications ever created. Its success lies not only in its power and flexibility, but also in its streamlined, familiar interface that casually conceals its considerable capabilities. You don't need to know everything that Excel can do in order to use it effectively, but if you're like the millions of Excel power users looking to improve productivity, then Excel Hacks will show you a wide variety of Excel tasks you can put to use, most of which are off the beaten path. With this book, Excel power users can bring a hacker's creative approach to both common and uncommon Excel topics--"hackers" in this sense being those who like to tinker with technology to improve it. The "100 Industrial Strength Tips and Tools" in Excel Hacks include little known "backdoor" adjustments for everything from reducing workbook and worksheet frustration to hacking built-in features such as pivot tables, charts, formulas and functions, and even the macro language. This resourceful roll-up-your-sleeves guide is for intermediate to advanced Excel users eager to explore new ways to make Excel do things--from data analysis to worksheet management to import/export--that you never thought possible. Excel Hacks will help you increase productivity with Excel and give you hours of "hacking" enjoyment along the way.
Customer Review: A Series of Useful Tips and Tools for Microsoft Excel
"Excel Hacks" is a useful and easy-to-follow book. Excel is used for a wide array of tasks in today's corporate and educational environments. While Excel is used widely, its full range of utility is, based on my own experience, not utilized by a large percentage of Excel users.

This book covers versions of Excel preceding Excel 2007, and Excel 2007 offers an expanded range of formatting tools and options that diminish the need for some of the hacks in the publication. That being said, this book is a worthwhile investment for all Excel users.

For those readers who use VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) with Excel, there are a number of hacks in this book that lend themselves to quick and useful extensions into code.
Customer Review: great supplement
Although there is some overlap between hacks, overall this is a great addition to an excel reference library

Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future

Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future

Like many of us, Mark Hertsgaard has long worried about the declining health of our environment. But in 1991, he decided to act on his own concern and investigate the escalating crisis for himself. Traveling on his own dime, he embarked on an odyssey lasting most of the decade and spanning nineteen countries. Now, in Earth Odyssey he reports on our environmental predicament through the eyes of the people who live it.

Earth Odyssey is a vivid, passionate narrative about one man's journey around the world in search of the answer to the essential question of our time: Is the future of the human species at risk? Combining first-rate reportage with irresistible storytelling, Mark Hertsgaard has written an essential--and ultimately hopeful--book about the uncertain fate of humankind.
Customer Review: A good balance between environmental statistics and personal narrative
This book does a great job in bringing down to human scale otherwise abstract concepts like global warming, overpopulation and resource management. Anyone who enjoys reading travel stories and learning about the impact our current state of development may have in future generations will enjoy reading Earth Odyssey.
Customer Review: sobering thoughtful book about our planet
Excellent review of factors which influence our environmental survival. Very easy to read. Hertsgaard puts a human face on many of these issues by including stories of people he meets on his journey. Good index.