The Bluffer's Guide to Rocket Science
The Bluffer's Guide to Rocket Science

Author: Peter Berlin

Publisher:

Published: 2008-09

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781906042110

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Introduction Popular comment has it that “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to ...,” as in “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to program a mobile phone.” This is true—it takes a teenager. A rocket scientist would intellectualize the whole process, press two buttons at once, and crash the software. The last person you would want to ask is a rocket scientist. Blown opportunities Many more millionaires have gone bankrupt trying to develop rockets than satellites. They have overlooked the fact that the operative word in “controlled explosion” is controlled. Gravity depravity Nobody knows what gravity really is, so don’t blow your bluffing cover by trying to explain it. The only thing known for certain is that any two physical bodies will attract each other in proportion to their sizes (which fact is best not taken literally by oddly sorted couples). Lunartrick One Sunday afternoon, the 12-year-old von Braun strapped rockets to a cart, lit the fuse, and sent the fire-spitting vehicle careening down a street . . . . His life-long aim was to send a rocket to the moon. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that flying a lunar mission is tricky.

The Bluffer's Guide to the Quantum Universe
The Bluffer's Guide to the Quantum Universe

Author: Jack Klaff

Publisher:

Published: 2013-09-02

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 9781909365780

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Instantly acquire all the knowledge you need to pass as an expert in the world of quantum physics. Never again confuse a boson with a hadron, a fermion with a meson, or a photon with a lepton or an electron. If in doubt, always fall back on a bluffon. Bask in the admiration of your fellow physicists as you pronounce confidently on the theories of superstrings and entanglement, and hold your own in any discussion about Schrödinger’s Cat.

Bluffer's Guide To Etiquette
Bluffer's Guide To Etiquette

Author: William Hanson

Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK

Published: 2018-06-26

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781785212383

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Instantly acquire all the knowledge you need to pass as an expert in the world of etiquette and high society. Know what to say, what not to say, where to be seen, and what and what not to wear. Never again be found wanting when asked if someone is a PLU or a NQOCD, why port should be passed to the left, or how many air kisses you should aim at the proffered cheek of someone you barely know. Arm yourself with the essential words or phrases which have entered the etiquette lexicon from pre-revolutionary France, and know not to mix up your droit du seigneur with your noblesse oblige. Bask in the admiration of your aristocratic hosts as you enquire politely about the place à table, pronounce confidently on whether the going is heavy or soft, and hold your own against the most sneering of posturing parvenus.

The Bluffer's Guide to Science
The Bluffer's Guide to Science

Author: Brian Malpass

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781902825588

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In most areas of human endeavor, bluffing is an easy way of getting by -- a method of artificially appearing knowledgeable. The Bluffer's Guides are a three million-copy best-selling series of snappy little books containing facts, jargon, and inside information -- all that readers need to know to hold their own among the experts.

Sex
Sex

Author: Sarah Brewer

Publisher:

Published: 2006-10

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781903096932

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Genitalia A cursory look at the design and anatomical positioning of the male and female sexual organs shows that when God designed homo sapiens, aestheticism and ease of access were not high on the job description. Sperm wars To get past the cervix, climb up the uterine wall and find a Fallopian tube a sperm must be armed with the physiological equivalent of an oxyacetylene torch, a set of Alpine crampons, several large-scale Ordnance Survey maps and a gold American Express card. Once there, the chances of meeting a willing egg coming in the opposite direction, in the dark, are only around one percent. Kissing Attitudes to sexual practices vary widely from culture to culture. Even something as innocuous as the kiss is not universally popular. The Inuit rub noses for fear of chapped lips, the Kwakiutl Indians suck each other's tongues and the Sirionos of South America appear to lack any intermediate show of affection between wishing each other "Good evening" and the commencement of rutting.

The Bluffer's Guide to the Classics
The Bluffer's Guide to the Classics

Author: Ross Leckie

Publisher: Oval Projects Ltd

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781903096390

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Be an instant expert in opera and bluff your way Z99 all aficianados No heroics required just a sense of humor From Demi-Gods to Democracy and Oracles to Oratory the Bluffers Guide to the Classics offers all you need to know to achieve th

Daddy Day Care
Daddy Day Care

Author: Jonathan Tindale

Publisher: Jonathan Tindale

Published: 2018-01-31

Total Pages: 62

ISBN-13: 1981415734

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2018 Award Winner - Best Parenting & Family - Pacific Book Review 2018 Award Winner - Bronze - Non-Fiction - Wishing Shelf Book Awards The award winning Daddy Day Care is an outrageously funny and honest guide to parenting for dads. Find out what happens when one dad stays at home during maternity leave to bring up his baby daughter. What is it like to be the only bloke in playgroup? How do you bluff your way through mum chat? How can your sidekick provide a cheap alternative to the gym? Aimed at dads (and curious mums) Daddy Day Care is illustrated with funny stick men, and offers a truly alternative look at the poo soaked chaos of full-time childcare. Daddy Day Care includes chapters on:weaning and feedinglocal playgroupsa bluffers guide to parenting bookssleeping and nappingteething and first aidDIY and jobs around the housebaby gadgetswhat to wear – for children and dadsa brief history of fatherhoodpottery cafes and ravesZen and the art of fatherhood Best served with beer – or strong coffee (for the chronically sleep-deprived parent). Reviews"Great book for new dads - an honest and funny account of what life with a baby is like" - A Mum Reviews "Very well written, so honest and funny too" - Life as Mum "This book is a great read, especially if you're a soon to be dad. Very funny and I found myself nodding along on almost every page!" - One Hull of a Dad "If you’re looking for a gift for a new parent, or even an expectant one, this book is the answer" - Parent Game blog "Truly laugh-out-loud - five sticky fingers and five stars for this valiant manual in fathering" - Readers Favorite

H.P. Lovecraft in Popular Culture
H.P. Lovecraft in Popular Culture

Author: Don G. Smith

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2005-12-13

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 078642091X

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Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born late in the 19th century, but it was not until after his death in 1937 that he became a worldwide icon of horror and supernatural fiction. Influenced largely by Lord Dunsany and Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft's stories are known for their unique assimilation of gothic themes into science fiction. Lovecraft's influence has stretched far beyond literary horror, as a number of his works have been adapted for feature films, television episodes, comic book tales and, in recent years, video games. This scholarly study highlights Lovecraft's profound impact on 20th century popular culture. Early chapters introduce his complete writings, providing an annotated bibliography of the author's horror and science fiction tales. The works are discussed in the context of the Cthulhu Mythos, an invented mythology centering on ancient and alien beings interacting with the terrestrial world. Later chapters provide a filmography of motion pictures that credit Lovecraft or are identifiably adapted from his works, as well as a discussion of the works that have been adapted for television, comic books, role-playing video games, and music. The book concludes with a close examination of the Lovecraft legacy, commenting on his specific social and metaphysical ideologies and placing the author in context among such notable literary personalities as Mary Shelley, Nathanial Hawthorne, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Calling Bullshit
Calling Bullshit

Author: Carl T. Bergstrom

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks

Published: 2021-04-20

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 0525509208

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Bullshit isn’t what it used to be. Now, two science professors give us the tools to dismantle misinformation and think clearly in a world of fake news and bad data. “A modern classic . . . a straight-talking survival guide to the mean streets of a dying democracy and a global pandemic.”—Wired Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news abound and it’s increasingly difficult to know what’s true. Our media environment has become hyperpartisan. Science is conducted by press release. Startup culture elevates bullshit to high art. We are fairly well equipped to spot the sort of old-school bullshit that is based in fancy rhetoric and weasel words, but most of us don’t feel qualified to challenge the avalanche of new-school bullshit presented in the language of math, science, or statistics. In Calling Bullshit, Professors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West give us a set of powerful tools to cut through the most intimidating data. You don’t need a lot of technical expertise to call out problems with data. Are the numbers or results too good or too dramatic to be true? Is the claim comparing like with like? Is it confirming your personal bias? Drawing on a deep well of expertise in statistics and computational biology, Bergstrom and West exuberantly unpack examples of selection bias and muddled data visualization, distinguish between correlation and causation, and examine the susceptibility of science to modern bullshit. We have always needed people who call bullshit when necessary, whether within a circle of friends, a community of scholars, or the citizenry of a nation. Now that bullshit has evolved, we need to relearn the art of skepticism.