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The Toaster Project

Author: Thomas Thwaites

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2012-03-20

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 161689119X

"Hello, my name is Thomas Thwaites, and I have made a toaster." So begins The Toaster Project, the author's nine-month-long journey from his local appliance store to remote mines in the UK to his mother's backyard, where he creates a crude foundry. Along the way, he learns that an ordinary toaster is made up of 404 separate parts, that the best way to smelt metal at home is by using a method found in a fifteenth-century treatise, and that plastic is almost impossible to make from scratch. In the end, Thwaites's homemade toaster—a haunting and strangely beautiful object—cost 250 times more than the toaster he bought at the store and involved close to two thousand miles of travel to some of Britain's remotest locations. The Toaster Project may seem foolish, even insane. Yet, Thwaites's quixotic tale, told with self-deprecating wit, helps us reflect on the costs and perils of our cheap consumer culture, and in so doing reveals much about the organization of the modern world.

GoatMan

Author: Thomas Thwaites

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2016-05-17

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1616894938

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The dazzling success of The Toaster Project, including TV appearances and an international book tour, leaves Thomas Thwaites in a slump. His friends increasingly behave like adults, while Thwaites still lives at home, "stuck in a big, dark hole." Luckily, a research grant offers the perfect out: a chance to take a holiday from the complications of being human—by transforming himself into a goat. What ensues is a hilarious and surreal journey through engineering, design, and psychology, as Thwaites interviews neuroscientists, animal behaviorists, prosthetists, goat sanctuary workers, and goatherds. From this, he builds a goat exoskeleton—artificial legs, helmet, chest protector, raincoat from his mum, and a prosthetic goat stomach to digest grass (with help from a pressure cooker and campfire)—before setting off across the Alps on four legs with a herd of his fellow creatures. Will he make it? Do Thwaites and his readers discover what it truly means to be human? GoatMan tells all in Thwaites's inimitable style, which NPR extols as "a laugh-out- loud-funny but thoughtful guide through his own adventures."

Dezeen Book of Ideas

Author: Marcus Fairs

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780956309822

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Covering architecture, interiors and design, this unique book is stuffed full of amazing concepts and revolutionary products, all chosen by the team behind Dezeen, the world's most influential online architecture and design magazine.

Just Java 2

Author: Peter van der Linden

Publisher: Pearson Education

Published: 2004-06-21

Total Pages: 1372

ISBN-13: 0137009909

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The #1 introduction to J2SE 1.5 and enterprise/server-side development! An international bestseller for eight years, Just Java™ 2 is the complete, accessible Java tutorial for working programmers at all levels. Fully updated and revised, this sixth edition is more than an engaging overview of Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE 1.5) and its libraries: it’s also a practical introduction to today’s best enterprise and server-side programming techniques. Just Java™ 2, Sixth Edition, reflects both J2SE 1.5 and the latest Tomcat and servlet specifications. Extensive new coverage includes: New chapters on generics and enumerated types New coverage of Web services, with practical examples using Google and Amazon Web services Simplified interactive I/O with printf() Autoboxing and unboxing of primitive types Static imports, foreach loop construct, and other new language features Peter van der Linden delivers expert advice, clear explanations, and crisp sample programs throughout–including dozens new to this edition. Along the way, he introduces: The core language: syntax, objects, interfaces, nested classes, compiler secrets, and much more Key libraries: date and calendar, pattern matching, network software, mapped I/O, utilities and generic collections Server-side technology: network server systems, a complete tiny HTML Web server, and XML in Java Enterprise J2EE: Sql and JDBC™ tutorial, servlets and JSP and much more Client-side Java: fundamentals of JFC/Swing GUI development, new class data sharing details Companion Web Site All the book’s examples and sample programs are available at http://afu.com.

Being a Beast

Author: Charles Foster

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2016-06-21

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1627796347

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A passionate naturalist explores what it’s really like to be an animal—by living like them How can we ever be sure that we really know the other? To test the limits of our ability to inhabit lives that are not our own, Charles Foster set out to know the ultimate other: the non-humans, the beasts. And to do that, he tried to be like them, choosing a badger, an otter, a fox, a deer, and a swift. He lived alongside badgers for weeks, sleeping in a sett in a Welsh hillside and eating earthworms, learning to sense the landscape through his nose rather than his eyes. He caught fish in his teeth while swimming like an otter; rooted through London garbage cans as an urban fox; was hunted by bloodhounds as a red deer, nearly dying in the snow. And he followed the swifts on their migration route over the Strait of Gibraltar, discovering himself to be strangely connected to the birds. A lyrical, intimate, and completely radical look at the life of animals—human and other—Being a Beast mingles neuroscience and psychology, nature writing and memoir to cross the boundaries separating the species. It is an extraordinary journey full of thrills and surprises, humor and joy. And, ultimately, it is an inquiry into the human experience in our world, carried out by exploring the full range of the life around us.

The Brave Little Toaster

Author: Thomas M. Disch

Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers

Published: 1986

Total Pages: 88

ISBN-13:

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Feeling abandoned by their beloved master, a vacuum cleaner, tensor lamp, electric blanket, clock radio, and toaster undertake a long and arduous journey to find him in a faraway city.

Adapt

Author: Tim Harford

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published: 2011-05-10

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1429920688

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In this groundbreaking book, Tim Harford, the Undercover Economist, shows us a new and inspiring approach to solving the most pressing problems in our lives. When faced with complex situations, we have all become accustomed to looking to our leaders to set out a plan of action and blaze a path to success. Harford argues that today's challenges simply cannot be tackled with ready-made solutions and expert opinion; the world has become far too unpredictable and profoundly complex. Instead, we must adapt. Deftly weaving together psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, physics, and economics, along with the compelling story of hard-won lessons learned in the field, Harford makes a passionate case for the importance of adaptive trial and error in tackling issues such as climate change, poverty, and financial crises—as well as in fostering innovation and creativity in our business and personal lives. Taking us from corporate boardrooms to the deserts of Iraq, Adapt clearly explains the necessary ingredients for turning failure into success. It is a breakthrough handbook for surviving—and prospering— in our complex and ever-shifting world.

A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife

Author: Daniel Quinn

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2009-12-30

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 0307428699

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The guide of choice for anyone who plans to die someday--are YOU ready for the AFTERLIFE? To find out, take this simple quiz: 1. Like Earth, the Afterlife has celebrities, outcasts, deadheads, losers, and busybodies. True False 2. Is there an Afterlife after the Afterlife? Yes No 3. When you first arrive on "the Other Side," you will be given: a) a set of wings b) a toaster c) a copy of A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife Don't worry if you're not sure how to respond. A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife has answers to these questions and more--and if you're lucky, some of them may turn out to be right! An irreverent, one-of-a-kind compendium from the award-winning author of Ishmael, A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife can be read as a parable, an allegory, a work of fiction--or exactly what it claims to be: a helpful handbook for the recently deceased. It is filled with uncommon wisdom, bizarre imaginings, uncanny perceptions, and unexpected humor. Is it fantastic escapism or a seminal event in human history? Read it and find out.... Face it. The Afterlife is the ultimate test. You might as well study.

Happier at Home

Author: Gretchen Rubin

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

Published: 2012-09-04

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0385670834

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Tolstoy wrote, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This is the statement that inspired bestselling author Gretchen Rubin to wonder whether she could foster an even greater happiness in her home. During The Happiness Project, the same questions kept tugging at her. How can I raise happy children? How can I maintain a tender, romantic relationship with my spouse--after fifteen years of marriage? How do I keep my Blackberry from taking over my private life? How can I foster a well-ordered, light-hearted atmosphere in my house, when no one else will lift a finger to cooperate? This book is Gretchen's account of her second journey in pursuit of happiness. Prescriptive, easy-to-follow, and anecdotal, Happier at Home offers readers a way of thinking and being that is positive and life-affirming. With specific examples following the calendar year, an intimate voice, and drawing from science and pop culture, this book will resonate with anyone looking to strengthen the bonds of family.