Category: Book of the Day

The Mobile Web: Design It While It’s Still Free

So on the issue of Net Neutrality, corporations like Google have been trying to argue that using your 3G or 4G or super-secretG mobile device should be tiered and priced separately.  A lot of people have made a good argument for why this is a bad idea, but for the moment, people using mobile devices are only limited by their data plan and how well Web designers program for these platforms.

Enter Programming the Mobile Web by Maximiliano Firtman.  If you have a standard website and need to make it accessible for iPhones and Androids, or if you’re out to design browser-based web applications, these cross-platform tips, techniques, and standards are essential for your ability to reach the widest audience possible. If you’re taking any sort of website design classes, check this book out.

Watch the Record Industry Die

When an entire industry refuses to adapt to technology and greed pushes artistry into the backseat, you can end up with the cautionary tale of the record industry.  In Steve Knopper’s Appetite for Self-Destruction, the author traces the creation of CDs, digital music distribution, and the iTunes model. Read how downloading didn’t kill the record industry as much as poor decisions made by company executives did.

It’s Not Bieber Fever. It’s Malaria

Despite the news today that slowing down Justin Bieber makes him tolerable to the ambient art-rock crowd, the only fever we’re here to talk about is malaria. Did you know it’ll impair over 300 million people this year, and as a whole, society’s reaction will likely be minimal? Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years by Sonia Shah talks about how this super virus has plagued humanity since forever ago, and why it remains so fascinating and resilient.

Not the Bees!!!

Did you know that bees only live 5 weeks, and that in that time they have almost a dozen jobs? They’re like the worst temp ever! Actually, they’re really good at what they do: wax making, pollen gathering, wet nursing, mercenary guard work… Pretty amazing little creatures, huh?

Well, here’s your celebration of bee-kind, Bees: Nature’s Little Wonders by Candace Savage. It’s your sneak-peek into a miraculous macro-sized insect civilization taking place on a micro scale. They’re really interesting creatures!

Epic Attention Fail

First, the premise.

So, ignoring the public service message*, we’ve just seen the premise of the book.

Now that we’ve moved passed that, the book, The Invisible Gorilla in the Room is about how all of the different illusions we unintentionally encounter in every day life.  Using the example of a gorilla from a popular Internet video (replaced here with a moonwalking bear), authors Chris Chabris and Daniel Simons attempt to explain why our subconscious blocks out or distorts things in our daily life. So whether or not you saw the moonwalking bear, it’s pretty interesting to think about why others didn’t. After all, what might you be missing?

*Don’t REALLY ignore the public service message: bikers are important!

Too Hot to Go Outside? Watch a Movie in the Library!

It’s supposed to get nasty today. We’re talking wicked nasty. So instead of having a heatstroke, we’d rather see you in the library watching one of our fine films in the A/C, like this winner: Brazil.

Set in a freaky post-apocalyptic future, one man battles the government to find a woman who appears to him in daydreams.  CHAOS ENSUES! Directed by Terry Gilliam (Monty Python’s Holy Grail, 12 Monkeys), it’s just as funny as it is horrifying.

And if you’re without headphones, you can always view the flick in: THE CONE OF SILENCE!!!!

For real, give it a spin.

Why You Should Check The Road Warrior Out at the Library

Check it out! Because…

  1. It’s an awesome movie.
  2. OK, it is kind of bad, but that actually adds to what makes it good.
  3. Checking it out from the library means you don’t have to give Mel Gibson money, which you may understandably not want to do right about now…
  4. The Road Warrior is the 3rd best Road Warrior to ever exist, right after these guys.

Sociology, the Environment, and How They Get Along

The lines of society and environment cross many times, but it is unique to have a book like this handy: the implications of sociological behaviors and attitudes and their impact on the environment as seen from varying professions collected for study. Nature, Society and Environmental Crisis (edited by Bob Carl and Nickie Charles) is a fantastic collection of articles and essays about what we can do in the way we live to address the impact we’re having on the environment.  Having experts in both ecology and sociology allows for a wide range of opinions, priorities, and perceived results and impacts.  This book is great for people interested in sociology, environmentalism, ecology, and anyone with a passing concern in things like pollution, globalization, global warming, or other similar issues.