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By Avis Lang, Neil DeGrasse Tyson. 2019
“Extraordinary.… A feast of history, an expert tour through thousands of years of war and conquest.” —Jennifer Carson, New York…
Times Book Review In this far-reaching foray into the millennia-long relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-author Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry, and power that will introduce Tyson’s millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.By Daphne B., Alex Manley. 2021
A nuanced, feminist, and deeply personal take on beauty culture and YouTube consumerism, in the tradition of Maggie Nelson’s Bluets…
As Daphné B. obsessively watches YouTube makeup tutorials and haunts Sephora’s website, she’s increasingly troubled by the ways in which this obsession contradicts her anti-capitalist and intersectional feminist politics. In this poetic treatise, she rejects the false binaries of traditional beauty standards and delves into the celebrities and influencers, from Kylie to Grimes, and the poets and philosophers, from Anne Boyer to Audre Lorde, who have shaped the reflection she sees in the mirror. At once confessional and essayistic, Made-Up is a meditation on the makeup that colours, that obscures, that highlights who we are and who we wish we could be. The original French-language edition was a cult hit in Quebec. Translated by Alex Manley—like Daphné, a Montreal poet and essayist—the book’s English-language text crackles with life, retaining the flair and verve of the original, and ensuring that a book on beauty is no less beautiful than its subject matter. “The most radical book of 2020 talks about makeup. Radical in the intransigence with which Daphne B hunts down the parts of her imagination that capitalism has phagocytized. Radical also in its rejection of false binaries (the authentic and the fake, the futile and the essential) through the lens of which such a subject is generally considered. With the help of a heady combination of pop cultural criticism and autobiography, a poet scrutinizes her contradictions. They are also ours.” —Dominic Tardif, Le Devoir “[Made-Up] is a delight. I read it in one go. And when, out of necessity, I had to put it down, it was with regret and with the feeling that I was giving up what could save me from a catastrophe.” —Laurence Fournier, Lettres Québécoises, five stars "Made-Up is a radiant, shimmering blend of memoir and cultural criticism that uses beauty culture as an entry point to interrogating the ugly contradictions of late capitalism. In short, urgent chapters laced with humor and wide-ranging references, Daphné B. plumbs the depths of a rich topic that’s typically dismissed as shallow. I imagine her writing it in eye pencil, using makeup to tell the story of her life, as so many women do." —Amy Berkowitz, author of Tender Points "A companion through the thicket of late stage capitalism, a lucid and poetic mirror for anyone whose image exists on a screen." —Rachel Kauder Nalebuff "Made-Up is anything but—committed to the grit of our current realities, Daphné B directs her piercing eye on capitalism in an intimate portrayal of what it means to love, and how to paint ourselves in the process. Alex Manley has gifted English audiences with a nuanced translation of a critical feminist text, exploring love and make-up as a transformative social tool." —Sruti Islam "The book will leave you both laughing in recognition and wincing at the reality of the beauty world’s impact on our collective psyche." —Chatelaine d"[Made-Up] examines the intersection of beauty culture and consumer culture... Aided by the work of writers like Anne Carson, Anne Boyer, Amanda Hess, and Arabelle Sicardi... B. makes sharp observations about the ideologies behind both beauty [...] and consumerism." —Bitch Media "Made-Up: A True Story of Beauty Culture under Late Capitalism is well worth reading." —Literary Review of Canada "[Made-Up], newly translated by writer/poet Alex Manley from its original French, puts an iBy Michael Harris. 2021
Our lives are defined by a story of endless growth and consumption. Now a climate crisis demands that we change.…
Can we write new stories? In All We Want, award-winning author Michael Harris dismantles our untenable consumer culture and delivers surprising, heartwarming alternatives. Drawing on the wisdom of philosophers, scientists, and artists, Harris uncovers three realms where humans have always found deeper meaning: the worlds of Craft, the Sublime, and Care. Past attempts to blunt our impact on the environment have simply redirected our consumption—we bought fuel-efficient cars and canvas tote bags. We cannot, however, buy our way out of this crisis. We need, instead, compelling new stories about life's purpose. Part meditation and part manifesto, All We Want is a blazing inquest into the destructive and unfulfilling promise of our consumer society, and a roadmap toward a more humane future.By Vivek Shraya. 2022
“A deeply generous and honest gift to the world.”—Elliot Page The author of I’m Afraid of Men lets readers in…
on the secrets to a life of reinvention.Vivek Shraya knows this to be true: people change. We change our haircuts and our outfits and our minds. We change names, titles, labels. We attempt to blend in or to stand out. We outgrow relationships, we abandon dreams for new ones, we start fresh. We seize control of our stories. We make resolutions. In fact, nobody knows this better than Vivek, who’s made a career of embracing many roles: artist, performer, musician, writer, model, teacher. In People Change, she reflects on the origins of this impulse, tracing it to childhood influences from Hinduism to Madonna. What emerges is a meditation on change itself: why we fear it, why we’re drawn to it, what motivates us to change, and what traps us in place. At a time when we’re especially contemplating who we want to be, this slim and stylish handbook is an essential companion—a guide to celebrating our many selves and the inspiration to discover who we’ll become next.By Eve Zibart. 2006
This irresistible read is packed with fun facts and tasty tidbits about Disney, from stories about the entertainment empire's founding…
family to the inspiration for many of the popular theme park attractions. Memorable dates include: May 11, 1904 - The great surrealist painter Salvador Dali was born in Igueras, Catalonia. His 1946 collaboration with Walt Disney was one of the most unusual partnerships in the entertainment industry. December 2, 1929 - The Haunted House, in which Mickey Mouse takes shelter from the storm in what turns out to be a well populated mansion, was released in theaters. This movie was the first time animators created what was to become a popular Disney setting. January 9, 1937 - The release of Donald Duck's second film, Don Donald, proved that Donald was capable of carrying a series without any help from Mickey. It also served as the debut vehicle for a ducky girlfriend called Donna, who was later renamed Daisy.Released to coincide with the company's 18-month-long 50th anniversary celebrations, Today in History: Disney has something for Disney fans of every generation.By Luis Alvarez. 2008
Providing a new history of youth culture based on rare, in-depth interviews with former zoot-suiters, Luis Alvarez explores race, region,…
and the politics of culture in urban America during World War II. He argues that Mexican American and African American youths, along with many nisei and white youths, used popular culture to oppose accepted modes of youthful behavior, the dominance of white middle-class norms, and expectations from within their own communities.THE CONVERGING WORLD tells the incredible story of one community's attempt to change their world for the better. Faced with…
the challenge of making the English village of Chew Magna a 'zero waste' society, Pontin developed a groundbreaking non-profit scheme that twinned them with Tamil Nadu, a poor rural community in southern India. He helped set up a system of wind turbines for Tamil Nadu that would not only reduce the community's reliance on fossil fuels but also provided a local source of sustainable income. The carbon credits produced through this scheme were then sold in Chew Magna to individuals and businesses to offset emissions they cannot yet reduce - all part of a larger local zero-waste effort. The effects of this scheme have been dramatic and exhilarating - while Chew Magna gets closer to zero waste, Tamil Nadu's carbon emissions and poverty levels are diminishing accordingly. Pontin's story presents a model of action for any individual or community concerned about climate change, environmental damage, social inequality and the plight of the third world.By Brian Taylor, Florian Freistetter. 2018
A blunt and humorous profile of Isaac Newton focusing on his disagreeable personality and showing that his offputting qualities were…
key to his scientific breakthroughs.Isaac Newton may have been the most important scientist in history, but he was a very difficult man. Put more bluntly, he was an asshole, an SOB, or whatever epithet best describes an abrasive egomaniac. In this colorful profile of the great man--warts and all--astronomer Florian Freistetter shows why this damning assessment is inescapable.Newton's hatred of fellow scientist Robert Hooke knew no bounds and he was strident in expressing it. He stole the work of colleague John Flamsteed, ruining his career without a second thought. He carried on a venomous battle with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over the invention of calculus, vilifying him anonymously while the German scientist was alive and continuing the attacks after he died. All evidence indicates that Newton was conniving, sneaky, resentful, secretive, and antisocial. Compounding the mystery of his strange character is that he was also a religious fanatic, a mystery-monger who spent years studying the Bible and predicted the apocalypse.While documenting all of these unusual traits, the author makes a convincing case that Newton would have never revolutionized physics if he hadn't been just such an obnoxious person. This is a fascinating character study of an astounding genius and--if truth be told--an almighty asshole as well.By Clemence Von Mueffling. 2018
A magical guide Aerin Lauder Founder Creative Director of AERIN…
and Style Image Director of Est e LauderFrom three generations of French beauty experts Ageless Beauty the French Way is the ultimate book of tips products practices and French beauty secrets in ten categories such as Hair Skin Makeup Sleep and Perfume While many women are passionate about the best skin care lines hair treatments and beauty practices Cl mence von Mueffling has that passion in her DNA Both her mother and grandmother were beauty editors for French Vogue and Cl mence proudly continues their legacy in Ageless Beauty the French Way a luxurious entertaining unparalleled guide to every French beauty secret for women from all walks of life Learn the most effective ways to let your natural beauty shine through that double-cleansing your face is the only way to go that there is more to choosing the perfect perfume than you ever imagined and that a simple nightly facial massage is the ultimate secret to an ageless glamorous youthful face Weaving wisdom from all three women with insiders tips from top beauty experts Cl mence shares both timeless and age-specific information in three categories Jeunesse 15-35 Pl nitude 35-55 and Maturit 55 creating a wonderful guide that any woman can cherish throughout her life and pass down to her daughter through the yearsBy Timothy J White. 2017
An exhaustive review of the history, current state, and future opportunities for harnessing light to accomplish useful work in materials,…
this book describes the chemistry, physics, and mechanics of light-controlled systems.• Describes photomechanical materials and mechanisms, along with key applications• Exceptional collection of leading authors, internationally recognized for their work in this growing area• Covers the full scope of photomechanical materials: polymers, crystals, ceramics, and nanocomposites• Deals with an interdisciplinary coupling of mechanics, materials, chemistry, and physics• Emphasizes application opportunities in creating adaptive surface features, shape memory devices, and actuators; while assessing future prospects for utility in optics and photonics and soft roboticsBy Fucheng Liu, Shan Lu, Yue Sun. 2019
This book introduces readers to the navigation guidance and control technologies involved in single-spacecraft double-spacecraft and multiple-spacecraft…
tasks in elliptical orbits It comprehensively covers the key technologies of guidance navigation and control GNC system design for spacecraft in elliptical orbits including the orbit design formation configuration design and maintenance autonomous navigation technology and relative navigation technology as well as autonomous rendezvous technology The methods that this book introduces are very close to actual practical engineering applications and presented in an accessible style The book can serve as reference teaching material for senior undergraduates and postgraduates with space navigation related majors while also providing essential information and guidance for research personnel and engineering technical personnel engaged in the development of GNC systems for spacecraftBy Mark Pendergrast. 2003
As our first technology for contemplation of the self, the mirror is arguably as important an invention as the wheel…
and perhaps even more universal. Mirror Mirror is the fascinating story of the mirror's invention, refinement, and use in an astonishing range of human activities-from the bloodthirsty smoking gods of the Toltecs, to the fantastic mirrored rooms wealthy Romans created for their orgies, to the mirror's key role in the use and understanding of light. From Archimedes to Isaac Newton to Max Factor to David Hockney, this is the fascinating tale of one of the most remarkable inventions in human history and its effects on myth, religion, science, manners, and the arts.By Angelo M. Codevilla. 2009
In this cross-cultural study, Angelo M. Codevilla illustrates that as people shape their governments, they shape themselves. Drawing broadly from…
the depths of history, from the Roman republic to de Tocqueville’s America, as well as from personal and scholarly observations of the world in the twentieth century, The Character of Nations reveals remarkable truths about the effects of government on a society’s economic arrangements, moral order, sense of family life, and ability to defend itself. Codevilla argues that in present-day America, government has had a profound negative effect on societal norms. It has taught people to seek prosperity through connections with political power; it has fostered the atrophy of civic responsibility; it has waged a Kulturkampf against family and religion; and it has dug a dangerous chasm between those who serve in the military and those who send it in harm’s way. Informative and provocative, The Character of Nations shows how the political decisions we make have higher stakes than simply who wins elections.Today the classics of the western canon, written by the proverbial dead white men,” are cannon fodder in the culture…
wars. But in the 1950s and 1960s, they were a pop culture phenomenon. The Great Books of Western Civilization, fifty-four volumes chosen by intellectuals at the University of Chicago, began as an educational movement, and evolved into a successful marketing idea. Why did a million American households buy books by Hippocrates and Nicomachus from door-to-door salesmen? And how and why did the great books fall out of fashion? In A Great Idea at the Time Alex Beam explores the Great Books mania, in an entertaining and strangely poignant portrait of American popular culture on the threshold of the television age. Populated with memorable characters, A Great Idea at the Time will leave readers asking themselves: Have I read Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura lately? If not, why not?By Andi Zeisler. 2008
Whether or not we like to admit it, pop culture is a lens through which we alternately view and shape…
the world around us. When it comes to feminism, pop culture aids us in translating feminist philosophies, issues, and concepts into everyday language, making them relevant and relatable. In Feminism and Pop Culture, author and cofounder of Bitch magazine Andi Zeisler traces the impact of feminism on pop culture (and vice versa) from the 1940s to the present and beyond. With a comprehensive overview of the intertwining relationship between women and pop culture, this book is an ideal introduction to discussing feminism and daily life.By Michael Eric Dyson. 2004
Acclaimed for his writing on Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. , Tupac Shakur, and many more, Michael Eric Dyson…
has emerged as the leading African-American intellectual of his generation. This collection gathers the best of Dyson's vast and growing body of work from the last several years: his most incisive commentary, the most stirring passages, and the sharpest, most probing and broadminded critical analyses. From Michael Jordan to the role of religion in public life, from Toni Morrison to patriotism in the wake of 9/11, the mastery and ease with which Dyson tackles just about any subject of relevance to black America today is without parallel.By Herbert Gans. 1999
Is NYPD Blue a less valid form of artistic expression than a Shakespearean drama? Who is to judge and by…
what standards?In this new edition of Herbert Gans’s brilliantly conceived and clearly argued landmark work, he builds on his critique of the universality of high cultural standards. While conceding that popular and high culture have converged to some extent over the twenty-five years since he wrote the book, Gans holds that the choices of typical Ivy League graduates, not to mention Ph. D. ’s in literature, are still very different from those of high school graduates, as are the movie houses, television channels, museums, and other cultural institutions they frequent. This new edition benefits greatly from Gans’s discussion of the ”politicization” of culture over the last quarter-century. Popular Culture and High Culture is a must read for anyone interested in the vicissitudes of taste in American society.By Andreas Karachalios. 2009
This study, the first comprehensive account of Erich Hückel's career, examines his scientific work as well as his importance for…
the emergence of quantum chemistry as an independent discipline in Germany during the 1930s. Hückel began his career by studying quantum physics in Göttingen, but his background in chemistry led him to take up pioneering research on the physics of chemical bonding. Drawing on a variety of sources, Andreas Karachalios offers a probing account of fast-breaking developments in quantum theory that paved the way for Hückel's research. In Göttingen and later in Leipzig, Hückel interacted with leading figures not only in quantum physics and physical chemistry but also with others in nearby fields, including organic chemistry and mathematics. During his later career in Marburg, Hückel clashed with Linus Pauling over the properties of the benzine molecule. In order to appreciate this controversy, Karachalios gives a brief account of the mathematical formalism of spin invariants, with both Hückel and Pauling used in their analyses, though with different interpretations. This serves not only to clarify their differences but also to illustrate the importance of the quantum-mechanical theory of resonance for chemistry at this time.By Thomas Sowell. 1981
By Richard P. Feynman. 1939
A Nobel Prize-winning physicist, a loving husband and father, an enthusiastic teacher, a surprisingly accomplished bongo player, and a genius…
of the highest caliber---Richard P. Feynman was all these and more. Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track--collecting over forty years' worth of Feynman's letters--offers an unprecedented look at the writer and thinker whose scientific mind and lust for life made him a legend in his own time. Containing missives to and from such scientific luminaries as Victor Weisskopf, Stephen Wolfram, James Watson, and Edward Teller, as well as a remarkable selection of letters to and from fans, students, family, and people from around the world eager for Feynman's advice and counsel, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track not only illuminates the personal relationships that underwrote the key developments in modern science, but also forms the most intimate look at Feynman yet available. Feynman was a man many felt close to but few really knew, and this collection reveals the full wisdom and private passion of a personality that captivated everyone it touched. Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track is an eloquent testimony to the virtue of approaching the world with an inquiring eye; it demonstrates the full extent of the Feynman legacy like never before. Edited and with additional commentary by his daughter Michelle, it's a must-read for Feynman fans everywhere, and for anyone seeking to better understand one of the towering figures--and defining personalities--of the twentieth century.