More Noise Please » books

America, F*ck Yeah!

Lance — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:12:17 +0000

From 1935 to 1942, the WPA created a series of guide books that captured what life was like in each of the 48 states. Inspired by that series, the editors of State by State paired together some of today’s most interesting authors with each of the fifty states (D.C. is an afterword) to paint a picture of our nation today.

There are a couple of entries that left me a little dry, but each essay is so completely different in tone and style that it makes for a great ride. Anthony Bourdain crafts his memories of growing up in New Jersey with such detail that you can practically smell the funk wafting off the page. In the Massachusetts entry, John Hodgman equally makes me want to avoid that state at all costs, yet find a nice place there to retire. And there’s more than one state that is presented in graphic novel format.

The entries vary wildy from “facts” about their founding fathers, to memoirs of growing up to basic observations of daily life. Somehow it all works and when you’re done you feel just a little bit more knowledgeable about that neighbor state you only visited to buy fireworks. Plus if nothing else, you’ll be able to come away knowing the state bird of Oregon. It’s the western meadowlark.

State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America [Amazon]

Nuclear Family Vacation

Lance — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:56:51 +0000

I don’t remember where I heard about this book, but it was a good find and a great read. To be clear, it’s less about a family vacationing at nuclear spots and more about indepth visits to nuclear weapon sites. It doesn’t just cover silos, but the labs that created the science and the factories that helped to build them. The couple doesn’t just stick to American sites either – they journey to the former Soviet Union as well. In fact some of the more worrisome accounts take place in now independent republics of the Cold War juggernaut forced to deal with their role in the big WMD drama.

If you’re at all interested in the nuclear arms race, or the cold war in general, this is a good little book. The science is explained well, and the details are thorough.

A Nuclear Family Vacation: Travels in the World of Atomic Weaponry [Amazon]

Also check out the DVD set: Atomic Bomb Collection Complete Library (including Trinity and Beyond) — amazing series of documentaries on the creation of atomic weapons at home and abroad. Bonus: narration by William Shatner

Late to the boat, unlike Chuck Norris

Lance — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:36:05 +0000

Yeah, I missed this one the first time around. Well, second time around too since it was also a website I had never come across. Anyhoo… picked this up in Virgin Megastore today while I waiting to make a return – bravo to whoever is in charge of their impulse buy point of sale items. For less than $10 bucks you get such Norris factoids as:

“In China there is an ancient legend that one day a child will be born from a dragon and vanguish evil from the land. That man is not Chuck Norris, but Chuck Norris did kill that man.”

Plus some other more PG-13 rated items:

“Chuck Norris’s dick is so big, it has its own dick. And Chuck Norris’s dick’s dick is bigger than your dick.”

Short, funny read. Even though some items have been lifted from Bill Brasky’s sketches..

The Truth About Chuck Norris [Amazon]

Star Wars Cross-Sections

Lance — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:20:01 +0000

This isn’t exactly new, but I just got around to “reading” it. If you’re into Star Wars and have a jones for engineering or possibly a subscription to Popular Mechanics, you’ll dig this. It’s basically a ton of beautifully painted technical schematics for some of the more interesting vehicles from the Star Wars galaxy. It’s not entirely complete – but it’s very thorough. It’s also kind of fun to see the continunity department hard at work (check out the entry on the Death Star to see who/what are credited as the designers). Just seeing the Falcon dissected alone is worth the price of admission (although I still say it doesn’t have enough storage space for a cargo ship).

Star Wars Complete Cross-Sections: The Spacecraft and Vehicles of the Entire Star Wars Saga [Amazon]