A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

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Now, the book was released in 2008, so you might think that some things have changed. You would be right, but what is 15 years when measured against, millenniums, or, actually, even millions of years. Some things change, but so much remains, more or less, the same. Thankfully, that attitude only lasted for a short while, until I was able to reframe it in a more productive way. Now I tell myself not to worry about big problems that might happen in the future, because I know that we will be hit by a meteor, we will experience a supervolcano eruption. It's best to just enjoy every day, doing what you really know to be what it is that you want to do. Does that mean that I won't recycle anymore, that I will leave the tap running while I brush my teeth? No! Because doing things to reduce my impact makes me feel good, that I'm thinking about society's needs - not just my own. It's what I want to do. If you are an average-sized adult, you contain within you enough potential energy to explode with the force of THIRTY very large hydrogen bombs. Assuming, that is, that you KNOW how to actually do this and REALLY want to make a point. Talk about a monstrous temper tantrum. A Short History of Nearly Everything by American author Bill Bryson is a popular science book that explains some areas of science, using easily accessible language that appeals more so to the general public than many other books dedicated to the subject.

Crown, Sarah (June 22, 2004). "Bryson gives away Aventis winnings". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018 . Retrieved June 30, 2018. In Part 1, “Lost in the Cosmos,” Bryson explains how a universe like ours is formed: all of the matter in existence is compressed into a tiny, dimensionless area and then undergoes a rapid expansion (or “Big Bang”), creating all the space that exists as it spreads out. The Big Bang theory, along with “inflation theory” (the notion that the universe is expanding), were formulated in the 20th century. Bryson emphasizes how the conditions that formed our universe were extraordinary: if one small factor had been different, life as we know it would never have come about. Okay, so here's my Bill Bryson story. I was in The Gladstone, a public house not too far from this very keyboard, with my friend Yvonne, who will remain nameless. We had been imbibing more than freely. A guy approached our table and asked me in a sly surreptitious manner if I was him. Him who? Was I Bill Bryson? Now it is true that I bear a very slight resemblanceUncover the mysteries of time, space and life on earth in this extraordinary book - a journey from the centre of the planet to the dawn of the dinosaurs, and everything in between. So far, this book shows its 2003 date by providing currently inaccurate data; I also did not realize the author would assume zero scientific knowledge on the part of the reader... this could be interesting. This is Bill Bryson's reasoning that we all know we have thought to ourselves but never dared ask; often more than once. The book he has written justifies his view, and makes the word of science seem like an interesting, bright and often mind-blowing world of its own, that we can understand.

People have always exchanged recommendations and warnings with their friends, but it became clear that a more systematic approach was needed. There had to be a place where book-consumers could post advice and help each other avoid these infuriating mistakes, so that everyone could be sure of reading nothing but up-to-the-minute YA erotic paranormal romances.Started reading this one with "the lads" after finishing "The Littlest Prince" in late August of last year. We read about two or three of the short articles regarding some unique aspect of the history and development of our civilization, planet, solar system, galaxy and universe. We generally read this book once or twice a week just before their bedtime to keep their awesome, developing minds focused on the wonders found in the world of science and discovery. It is a great balance to the Bible and/or Sunday school training their young minds are getting. I highly recommend this as "bedtime reading" to anyone over six or seven but under twelve years of age; teens may find the information a bit too simple or uninteresting.

Doctor Thomas Midgley Jr. (1889 – 1944) was an American mechanical engineer and chemist. He was a key figure in a team of chemists that developed the lead additive to gasoline (TEL) as well as some of the first CFCs. His work led to the release of large quantities of lead into the atmosphere as a result of the large-scale combustion of leaded gasoline all over the world. Thomas Midgley Jr. died three decades before the ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas effects of CFCs in the atmosphere became widely known. Bill Bryson remarked that Midgley possessed "an instinct for the regrettable that was almost uncanny". In 1940, at the age of 51, Midgley contracted poliomyelitis, which left him severely disabled. This led him to devise an elaborate system of strings and pulleys to help others lift him from bed. This system was the eventual cause of his own death when he was entangled in the ropes of this device and died of strangulation at the age of 55. In Part 6, “The Road to Us,” Bryson explains that scientists think ice ages are caused by a combination of Earth wobbling on its axis and cool summers that fail to melt sufficient surface ice on the planet. Paradoxically, Bryson explains, it’s unclear to scientists whether increased atmospheric carbon dioxide from human pollution will trigger a harsh ice age or harsh global warming. To Bryson, one thing is certain: we are living on a “knife edge.” El autor lo explica todo de forma muy amena, se te hará fácil de entender aunque no domines el tema del que te habla. Lo cuenta todo de una forma interesante y a veces con toques de humor. Está bien que mezcle hechos importantes, con anécdotas curiosas y a veces irrelevantes que hacen la lectura más entretenida. No esperes que profundice al 100% en todos los temas, pero algunos los desarolla bastante.

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Ayers, Kate (January 23, 2011). "Review – A Short History of Nearly Everything". Bookreporter.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017 . Retrieved June 30, 2018. Meanwhile, scientists discover that subatomic particles operate under completely different scientific laws than everything else in the universe. Bryson is perplexed by the highly speculative and counterintuitive theories that scientists formulate in attempts to make sense of the subatomic world. “Superstring theory,” for example, suggests that tiny particles called “quarks” oscillate in 11 dimensions (seven of which are inaccessible to humans). Bryson then shifts his focus to “continental drift” theorists who correctly claim that Earth’s land masses are in motion, that collisions between them create mountains, and that Earth is molten below its crust. Combined with those two new impressions, I am left with the following conclusions, and a slightly rearranged outlook on life. Bryson, Bill (May 2003). A Short History of Nearly Everything. USA: Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-0817-1. This is a great big-picture book. For a fun microhistory, I'd recommend At Home: A Short History of Private Life also by Bill Bryson.