The Three-pound Universe


Book Description

"Wonderfully provocative...a relentlessly fascinating tour of neuroscience."-The New York Times Book Review.




Rare Earth


Book Description

What determines whether complex life will arise on a planet, or even any life at all? Questions such as these are investigated in this groundbreaking book. In doing so, the authors synthesize information from astronomy, biology, and paleontology, and apply it to what we know about the rise of life on Earth and to what could possibly happen elsewhere in the universe. Everyone who has been thrilled by the recent discoveries of extrasolar planets and the indications of life on Mars and the Jovian moon Europa will be fascinated by Rare Earth, and its implications for those who look to the heavens for companionship.




One Universe:


Book Description

A new window opens onto the cosmos... Almost every day we are challenged by new information from the outermost reaches of space. Using straightforward language, One Universe explores the physical principles that govern the workings of our own world so that we can appreciate how they operate in the cosmos around us. Bands of color in a sunlit crystal and the spectrum of starlight in giant telescopes, the arc of a hard-hit baseball and the orbit of the moon, traffic patterns on a freeway and the spiral arms in a galaxy full of stars--they're all tied together in grand and simple ways. We can understand the vast cosmos in which we live by exploring three basic concepts: motion, matter, and energy. With these as a starting point, One Universe shows how the physical principles that operate in our kitchens and backyards are actually down-to-Earth versions of cosmic processes. The book then takes us to the limits of our knowledge, asking the ultimate questions about the origins and existence of life as we know it and where the universe came from--and where it is going. Glorious photographs--many seen for the first time in these pages--and original illustrations expand and enrich our understanding. Evocative and clearly written, One Universe explains complex ideas in ways that every reader can grasp and enjoy. This book captures the grandeur of the heavens while making us feel at home in the cosmos. Above all, it helps us realize that galaxies, stars, planets, and we ourselves all belong to One Universe.




The Three Faces of Mind


Book Description

This ground-breaking book helps us discover all the ways we are smart. Based on three decades of teaching and research, it shows that we have at least ten kinds of aptitude---emotional and behavioral as well as mental. Personal stories and simple exercises teach us to access all ten, including: Spatial intelligence to pre-visualize important new projects; Motivational intelligence to light your creative fire; Mood intelligence to grow despite adversity; Pattern intelligence to combat addictions and negative habits; Intuitive intelligence to gain in spiritual wisdom; Parameter intelligence to sustain what you love and live in harmony with the universe.




Holding Up the Universe


Book Description

A New York Times Bestseller From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are. Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone. Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours. Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are—and seeing them right back. "Niven is adept at creating characters. . . . [Libby's] courage and body-positivity make for a joyful reading experience." --The New York Times “Holding Up the Universe . . . taps into the universal need to be understood. To be wanted. And that’s what makes it such a remarkable read.” —TeenVogue.com, “Why New Book Holding Up the Universe Is the Next The Fault in Our Stars” "Want a love story that will give you all the feels? . . . You'll seriously melt!" —Seventeen Magazine




10 Essentials for High Performance Quality in the 21st Century


Book Description

As a society, we tend to reward problem solvers, rather than those who prevent problems at their source. In other words, we focus on after-the-fact occurrences (appraisal activities) instead of trying to eliminate these occurrences (preventing activities). Discussing and evaluating the core requirements of quality efficiency and improvement, 10 Essentials for High Performance Quality in the 21st Century proposes an approach to help shift the paradigm of quality from appraisal mode to preventing mode. Identifying 10 steps readers can follow to optimize the quality of products and improve customer satisfaction, the book explains the rationale behind each of the steps in separate chapters. It addresses specific quality issues in six different sectors of the economy and provides statistics, tables, and figures from various organizations that support the need for a paradigm shift. Outlining a systematic process to guide your organization along the path toward improvement, the book covers risk and quality, multicultural management, empowerment, error analysis, team building, advanced quality planning, and quality operating systems. The accompanying CD provides tips and tools to help you implement all the necessary improvement initiatives under the umbrella of quality.




The Particle at the End of the Universe


Book Description

"The Higgs boson ... is the key to understanding why mass exists and how atoms are possible. After billions of dollars and decades of effort by more than six thousand researchers at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland--a doorway is opening into the mind-boggling world of dark matter and beyond. Caltech physicist and acclaimed writer Sean Carroll explains both the importance of the Higgs boson and the ultimately human story behind the greatest scientific achievement of our time"--Publisher




Go Logo! A Handbook to the Art of Global Branding


Book Description

Unique among branding or creative guideline books, this book examines the enormous influence of both “commercial persuasion� and “societal persuasion� branding—and looks closely at the crucial role creative brand warriors play in building and sustaining winning designs. A primary focus is on exploring what it takes to be a successful creative in the global branding wars as defined by the 12 branding determinants. Global brands, such as Starbucks, Google, Burger King, Delta Airlines, and more, demonstrate the unique traits that make them successful brands.




Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations


Book Description

This unprecedented collection of 27,000 quotations is the most comprehensive and carefully researched of its kind, covering all fields of science and mathematics. With this vast compendium you can readily conceptualize and embrace the written images of scientists, laymen, politicians, novelists, playwrights, and poets about humankind's scientific achievements. Approximately 9000 high-quality entries have been added to this new edition to provide a rich selection of quotations for the student, the educator, and the scientist who would like to introduce a presentation with a relevant quotation that provides perspective and historical background on his subject. Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations, Second Edition, provides the finest reference source of science quotations for all audiences. The new edition adds greater depth to the number of quotations in the various thematic arrangements and also provides new thematic categories.




Cheating, Dishonesty, and Manipulation


Book Description

Why do bright kids cheat, lie, and manipulate? What can you do about it? More than 80% of bright students self-reported that they had cheated in an academic setting and had never been caught. Bright children try to manipulate parents and teachers for many reasons-boredom, a lack of appropriate challenges, a need to fit in, fear of failure, or simply avoiding responsibility. Kate Maupin addresses symptoms, underlying causes, and how to address roots of the problem, rather than simple punishment, so that children do not become repeat offenders. She also discusses ways to build honesty and confidence so that children can become self-sufficient, life-long learners who no longer feel a need to resort to cheating, dishonesty, or manipulation.