Why Sh*t Happens: The Science of A Really Bad Day Review
Dr Bentley has crafted a light hearted, easy to read book that takes you through one of the worst days imaginable and then teaches you exactly what the science behind the event is. He details 39 bad events with great humor, which quickly draws you into the idea, and then he follows with a 5 to 10 page discourse on the science behind the event.
Our protagonist, a business man who should have really never left the bed in the morning, Goes through a sequence of events; none of them particularly horrid, but all very annoying. Each event, whether its a bee sting or eating dirt and glass, is used as a launching point for a discussion on such topics as to why the bee stings, how the teeth work, how the digestive system protects you and so on.
There are 39 chapters in the book, each contains a mini lesson. In general, the lessons are:
1) sleeping through the alarm
2) slipping on soap
3) cutting yourself shaving
4) toast on fire
5) exploding liquids
6) milk gone bad
7) wet mp3 player
8) bird droppings
9) forgotten bag
10) skidding on the road
11) diesel instead of gas
12) tripping on the curb
13) chewing gum in hair
14) rain soaked clothing
15) being lost
16) bee sting
17) sticking yourself with superglue
18) electromagnetic interference from phone
19) puncture
20) leaking pens
21) mistaken identity
22) torn clothing
23) opening an e-mail virus
24) jammed finger
25) computer hard disk failure
26) broken finger
27) dropping keys down the drain
28) pulled muscle
29) sparking microwave
30) broken glass
31) stains
32) chile pepper in the eye
33) food on the floor
34) lighning kills the tv
35) burns and blisters
36) scratched cd
37) broken tooth
38) stubbed toe
39) overflowing bath
The chapters are fairly self contained, so reading out of order won't detract. A truly fun read.
Why Sh*t Happens: The Science of A Really Bad Day Overview
Your laptop mysteriously crashes. There�s a fresh red wine stain on the carpet. An overhead bird targets your windshield. Sh*t, as they say, happens � to all of us. But have you ever thought about why such accidents occur? It�s not just bad luck. . . What causes the mishaps that can ruin your day?
In Why Sh*t Happens, esteemed scientist Peter J. Bentley tackles the realm of everyday disaster through a highly empirical approach informed by wit and humor. Bentley brilliantly explores accident on a molecular level, arming you with an essential understanding of what went wrong and explaining how to prevent future bouts of misfortune.
Science is respected, trusted, and according to Bentley, widely misunderstood. When your car engine is damaged by the wrong gasoline or the milk goes bad in the fridge, science is not to blame, but rather can provide an explanation. As he makes his way, mishap by mishap, through an imaginary day in which Murphy�s Law reigns supreme, Bentley reveals the scientific truths from which our daily aggravations originate.
Sh*t will always happen, and now you will know exactly why. Enter, if you dare, the most accident-prone day of your life. . .
Available at Amazon Check Price Now!
Related Products
- The Invisible Kingdom: From the Tips of Our Fingers to the Tops of Our Trash, Inside the Curious World of Microbes
- The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life
- Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring The Earth To Life
- Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past
- Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average
Customer Reviews
Decent concept, awkward execution - Mary A. Swaty - Phoenix, AZ
The title promises entertainment in addition to science. What you get is straight science with very little narrative connection and no ending. I've read science popularizations that were much better done.
Mostly science I already knew - bhr - Bryn Mawr, PA USA
This is a neat little book about a really sad dude who has the worst day ever. Each chapter starts with something awful happening to him and then goes into the science behind why or how that happened.
Much of the science is something a person with any analytic background will already know. There is some new stuff, and I really liked the way it was presented.
The overall tone of the book had me thinking of some kind of british special that John Cleese might narrate - like the science behind beauty thing he did with that Hurley woman.
Overall, a very approachable book that explains the logic behind all the stuff that happens, and lets you explain way bad luck.
(*)>
You Can't Always Tell A Book By Its Title - Michael Gunther - Maryland, USA
In spite of its humorous title, this book is really just a collection of 39 short (non-humorous) essays about science in everyday life: what happens if you stick your fork into a toaster (you get electrocuted), why you shouldn't put regular gas into a diesel engine, why soap is slippery, winestains are hard to remove, etc. The chapters are unconnected, and can be browsed in any order.
With this kind of book, a lot of disconnected information is tossed at the reader but there aren't any unifying ideas or themes. You will learn some interesting everyday science facts, although many of the examples are well-known and have been done lots of times before: cooking at altitude, why divers get the bends, how CDs work. To summarize, this is a book that most readers will just browse through quickly, or dip into briefly to pass the time.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 26, 2010 21:54:04
