wdhertog reviewed Wat als? by Randall Munroe
Review of 'Wat als? / druk 1' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Erg leuk om eens op een absurde manier met natuurkunde bezig te zijn
Hardcover, 304 pages
English language
Published July 26, 2015 by H&S, imusti.
Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has 600,000 to a million page hits daily. Every now and then, Munroe would get emails asking him to arbitrate a science debate. 'My friend and I were arguing about what would happen if a bullet got struck by lightning, and we agreed that you should resolve it . . . ' He liked these questions so much that he started up What If.
If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive?
How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm?
If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce?
What if …
Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has 600,000 to a million page hits daily. Every now and then, Munroe would get emails asking him to arbitrate a science debate. 'My friend and I were arguing about what would happen if a bullet got struck by lightning, and we agreed that you should resolve it . . . ' He liked these questions so much that he started up What If.
If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive?
How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm?
If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce?
What if everyone only had one soulmate?
When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British empire?
How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live?
What would happen if the moon went away?
In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, studded with memorable cartoons and infographics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. Far more than a book for geeks, WHAT IF: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much the smarter for having read.
Elizabeth Morgan reviewed What If? by Randall Munroe
None
3 stars
This is probably the first audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton where I think he is actually suited to the task, because this is short snippets of fun science rather than a dramatic production.
I enjoyed the short snippets of fun science, too. Short enough chapters to listen to a few while doing household chores. I pretty much treated it like a podcast. While the audio version lacks the fun of Randall Munroe's drawings to go alongside the text, the lack doesn't detract, and I found the science easier to follow by having it read to me rather than trying to read it myself.
(I also have the dead-tree version in the house, because my husband doesn't like audio books and I knew he'd like this, so I have the pictures anyway.)
This is probably the first audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton where I think he is actually suited to the task, because this is short snippets of fun science rather than a dramatic production.
I enjoyed the short snippets of fun science, too. Short enough chapters to listen to a few while doing household chores. I pretty much treated it like a podcast. While the audio version lacks the fun of Randall Munroe's drawings to go alongside the text, the lack doesn't detract, and I found the science easier to follow by having it read to me rather than trying to read it myself.
(I also have the dead-tree version in the house, because my husband doesn't like audio books and I knew he'd like this, so I have the pictures anyway.)
