"Entertaining and thought-provoking…Byrne’s enthusiasm for her esoteric subject is contagious, damn it." —Melissa Dahl, New York Times Book Review In this sparkling debut work of popular science, Emma Byrne examines the latest research to show how swearing can be good for you. She explores every angle of swearing—why we do it, how we do it, and what it tells us about ourselves. Packed with the results of unlikely and often hilarious scientific studies—from the “ice-bucket test” for coping with pain, to the connection between Tourette’s and swearing, to a chimpanzee that curses at her handler in sign language—Swearing Is Good for You presents a lighthearted but convincing case for the foulmouthed.
From the New York Times bestselling author of How We Got To Now and Farsighted Forget everything you’ve ever read about the age of dumbed-down, instant-gratification culture. In this provocative, unfailingly intelligent, thoroughly researched, and surprisingly convincing big idea book, Steven Johnson draws from fields as diverse as neuroscience, economics, and media theory to argue that the pop culture we soak in every day—from Lord of the Rings to Grand Theft Auto to The Simpsons—has been growing more sophisticated with each passing year, and, far from rotting our brains, is actually posing new cognitive challenges that are actually making our minds measurably sharper. After reading Everything Bad is Good for You, you will never regard the glow of the video game or television screen the same way again. With a new afterword by the author.
Laugh and learn with fun facts about eating healthy, being active, avoiding germs, and more—all told in Dr. Seuss’s beloved rhyming style and starring the Cat in the Hat! “I’m the Cat in the Hat and I’ve come here to say: to be healthy, be active—an hour each day.” The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library series combines beloved characters, engaging rhymes, and Seussian illustrations to introduce children to non-fiction topics from the real world! Take care of yourself and learn why it’s important to: move your body every day eat colorful foods wash your hands and much more! Perfect for story time and for the youngest readers, Oh, the Things You Can Do That Are Good for You! also includes an index, glossary, and suggestions for further learning. Look for more books in the Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library series! Wacky Weather One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent Super-Dee-Dooper Book of Animal Facts Oh, the Pets You Can Get!
Though food is supposed to be one of life's simple pleasures, few things cause more angst and confusion. Every day we are bombarded with come-ons for the latest diet, promises for "clinically proven" miracle ingredients, and warnings about contaminants in our favorite foods. It's enough to give anybody indigestion. Packed with useful-and surprising-information, Coffee Is Good for You cuts through the clutter to reveal what's believable and what's not in a fun and easily digestible way. You'll find out: Locally grown produce isn't necessarily more healthful than fruits and vegetables from across the globe Alcohol does cause breast cancer You don't need eight glasses of water a day for good health Milk isn't necessary for strong bones Oatmeal really can lower cholesterol Sea salt isn't more healthful than regular salt Low-fat cookies may be worse for you than high-fat cheese
In an unorthodox approach, Georgetown University professor Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice, and sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving their careers. Not only are pre-existing passions rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work, but a focus on passion over skill can be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers. Cal reveals that matching your job to a pre-existing passion does not matter. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it. With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love, and will change the way you think about careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.
Cities are where the twenty-first century is really going to happen. Already at the beginning of the century, we became 50% urban as a global population, and by 2050 we're going to be up to 70% urban. So cities could either be our coffin or our ark. Leo Hollis presents evidence that cities can deliver a better life and a better world in the future. From exploring what slime mold can tell us about traffic flow, to looking at how traditional civic power structures are being overturned by Twitter, to investigating how cities all over the world are tackling climate change, population growth, poverty, shifting work patterns and the maintenance of the fragile trust of their citizens, Cities Are Good for You offers a new perspective on the city. Combining anecdote, scientific studies, historical portraits, first-hand interviews and observations of some of the most exciting world cities, Hollis upends long-held assumptions with new questions: Where do cities come from? Can we build a city from scratch? Does living in the city make you happier or fitter? Is the metropolis of the future female? What is the relationship between cities and creativity? And are slums really all that bad? Cities Are Good for You introduces us to dreamers, planners, revolutionaries, writers, scientists, architects, slum-dwellers and kings. Ranging globally and through time in search of answers--from the archive to the laboratory, from City Hall to the architect's desk--it is above all driven by the idea that cities are for people and by people.
For those foolish enough to have read "The Name of this Book is Secret" and too foolhardy to have turned away from "If You're Reading This, It's Too Late", the third book in the series is best avoided. This book contains none of the following: A cursed Aztec artefact, an evil and deranged chef, a secret jungle lair inhabited by cocoa-crazed monkeys, the most dangerous chocolate ever created. Never visit www.keepthesecret.co.uk if you know what's good for you. "What child could resist it? A deliciously dark and chocolatey book full of big chunks of crazy humour and a cast of mouth-watering characters... "This Book is Not Good for You" is actually very good for you...the teasing, topsy-turvy world created by the scrumptious Mr Bosch is guaranteed to have you laughing all the way to the next instalment." - Lancashire Evening Post