The Toaster Project

The Toaster Project
Author: Thomas Thwaites
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2012-03-20
Genre: Art
ISBN: 161689119X
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"Hello, my name is Thomas Thwaites, and I have made a toaster." So begins The Toaster Project, the author's nine-month-long journey from his local appliance store to remote mines in the UK to his mother's backyard, where he creates a crude foundry. Along the way, he learns that an ordinary toaster is made up of 404 separate parts, that the best way to smelt metal at home is by using a method found in a fifteenth-century treatise, and that plastic is almost impossible to make from scratch. In the end, Thwaites's homemade toaster—a haunting and strangely beautiful object—cost 250 times more than the toaster he bought at the store and involved close to two thousand miles of travel to some of Britain's remotest locations. The Toaster Project may seem foolish, even insane. Yet, Thwaites's quixotic tale, told with self-deprecating wit, helps us reflect on the costs and perils of our cheap consumer culture, and in so doing reveals much about the organization of the modern world.

GoatMan

GoatMan
Author: Thomas Thwaites
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2016-05-17
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1616894938
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The dazzling success of The Toaster Project, including TV appearances and an international book tour, leaves Thomas Thwaites in a slump. His friends increasingly behave like adults, while Thwaites still lives at home, "stuck in a big, dark hole." Luckily, a research grant offers the perfect out: a chance to take a holiday from the complications of being human—by transforming himself into a goat. What ensues is a hilarious and surreal journey through engineering, design, and psychology, as Thwaites interviews neuroscientists, animal behaviorists, prosthetists, goat sanctuary workers, and goatherds. From this, he builds a goat exoskeleton—artificial legs, helmet, chest protector, raincoat from his mum, and a prosthetic goat stomach to digest grass (with help from a pressure cooker and campfire)—before setting off across the Alps on four legs with a herd of his fellow creatures. Will he make it? Do Thwaites and his readers discover what it truly means to be human? GoatMan tells all in Thwaites's inimitable style, which NPR extols as "a laugh-out- loud-funny but thoughtful guide through his own adventures."

The Brave Little Toaster

The Brave Little Toaster
Author: Thomas M. Disch
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 88
Release: 1986
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN:
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Feeling abandoned by their beloved master, a vacuum cleaner, tensor lamp, electric blanket, clock radio, and toaster undertake a long and arduous journey to find him in a faraway city.

Just Java 2

Just Java 2
Author: Peter van der Linden
Publisher: Pearson Education
Total Pages: 1366
Release: 2004-06-21
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0137009909
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The #1 introduction to J2SE 1.5 and enterprise/server-side development! An international bestseller for eight years, Just Java™ 2 is the complete, accessible Java tutorial for working programmers at all levels. Fully updated and revised, this sixth edition is more than an engaging overview of Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE 1.5) and its libraries: it’s also a practical introduction to today’s best enterprise and server-side programming techniques. Just Java™ 2, Sixth Edition, reflects both J2SE 1.5 and the latest Tomcat and servlet specifications. Extensive new coverage includes: New chapters on generics and enumerated types New coverage of Web services, with practical examples using Google and Amazon Web services Simplified interactive I/O with printf() Autoboxing and unboxing of primitive types Static imports, foreach loop construct, and other new language features Peter van der Linden delivers expert advice, clear explanations, and crisp sample programs throughout–including dozens new to this edition. Along the way, he introduces: The core language: syntax, objects, interfaces, nested classes, compiler secrets, and much more Key libraries: date and calendar, pattern matching, network software, mapped I/O, utilities and generic collections Server-side technology: network server systems, a complete tiny HTML Web server, and XML in Java Enterprise J2EE: Sql and JDBC™ tutorial, servlets and JSP and much more Client-side Java: fundamentals of JFC/Swing GUI development, new class data sharing details Companion Web Site All the book’s examples and sample programs are available at http://afu.com.

Dezeen Book of Ideas

Dezeen Book of Ideas
Author: Marcus Fairs
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: Architectural design
ISBN: 9780956309822
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Covering architecture, interiors and design, this unique book is stuffed full of amazing concepts and revolutionary products, all chosen by the team behind Dezeen, the world's most influential online architecture and design magazine.

Being a Beast

Being a Beast
Author: Charles Foster
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2016-06-21
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1627796347
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A passionate naturalist explores what it’s really like to be an animal—by living like them How can we ever be sure that we really know the other? To test the limits of our ability to inhabit lives that are not our own, Charles Foster set out to know the ultimate other: the non-humans, the beasts. And to do that, he tried to be like them, choosing a badger, an otter, a fox, a deer, and a swift. He lived alongside badgers for weeks, sleeping in a sett in a Welsh hillside and eating earthworms, learning to sense the landscape through his nose rather than his eyes. He caught fish in his teeth while swimming like an otter; rooted through London garbage cans as an urban fox; was hunted by bloodhounds as a red deer, nearly dying in the snow. And he followed the swifts on their migration route over the Strait of Gibraltar, discovering himself to be strangely connected to the birds. A lyrical, intimate, and completely radical look at the life of animals—human and other—Being a Beast mingles neuroscience and psychology, nature writing and memoir to cross the boundaries separating the species. It is an extraordinary journey full of thrills and surprises, humor and joy. And, ultimately, it is an inquiry into the human experience in our world, carried out by exploring the full range of the life around us.

Adapt

Adapt
Author: Tim Harford
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2011-05-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1429920688
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In this groundbreaking book, Tim Harford, the Undercover Economist, shows us a new and inspiring approach to solving the most pressing problems in our lives. When faced with complex situations, we have all become accustomed to looking to our leaders to set out a plan of action and blaze a path to success. Harford argues that today's challenges simply cannot be tackled with ready-made solutions and expert opinion; the world has become far too unpredictable and profoundly complex. Instead, we must adapt. Deftly weaving together psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, physics, and economics, along with the compelling story of hard-won lessons learned in the field, Harford makes a passionate case for the importance of adaptive trial and error in tackling issues such as climate change, poverty, and financial crises—as well as in fostering innovation and creativity in our business and personal lives. Taking us from corporate boardrooms to the deserts of Iraq, Adapt clearly explains the necessary ingredients for turning failure into success. It is a breakthrough handbook for surviving—and prospering— in our complex and ever-shifting world.

A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife

A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife
Author: Daniel Quinn
Publisher: Bantam
Total Pages: 138
Release: 2009-12-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307428699
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The guide of choice for anyone who plans to die someday--are YOU ready for the AFTERLIFE? To find out, take this simple quiz: 1. Like Earth, the Afterlife has celebrities, outcasts, deadheads, losers, and busybodies. True False 2. Is there an Afterlife after the Afterlife? Yes No 3. When you first arrive on "the Other Side," you will be given: a) a set of wings b) a toaster c) a copy of A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife Don't worry if you're not sure how to respond. A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife has answers to these questions and more--and if you're lucky, some of them may turn out to be right! An irreverent, one-of-a-kind compendium from the award-winning author of Ishmael, A Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife can be read as a parable, an allegory, a work of fiction--or exactly what it claims to be: a helpful handbook for the recently deceased. It is filled with uncommon wisdom, bizarre imaginings, uncanny perceptions, and unexpected humor. Is it fantastic escapism or a seminal event in human history? Read it and find out.... Face it. The Afterlife is the ultimate test. You might as well study.

Happier at Home

Happier at Home
Author: Gretchen Rubin
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2012-09-04
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0385670834
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Tolstoy wrote, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This is the statement that inspired bestselling author Gretchen Rubin to wonder whether she could foster an even greater happiness in her home. During The Happiness Project, the same questions kept tugging at her. How can I raise happy children? How can I maintain a tender, romantic relationship with my spouse--after fifteen years of marriage? How do I keep my Blackberry from taking over my private life? How can I foster a well-ordered, light-hearted atmosphere in my house, when no one else will lift a finger to cooperate? This book is Gretchen's account of her second journey in pursuit of happiness. Prescriptive, easy-to-follow, and anecdotal, Happier at Home offers readers a way of thinking and being that is positive and life-affirming. With specific examples following the calendar year, an intimate voice, and drawing from science and pop culture, this book will resonate with anyone looking to strengthen the bonds of family.

L'Appart

L'Appart
Author: David Lebovitz
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2018-11-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0804188408
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Bestselling author and world-renowned chef David Lebovitz continues to mine the rich subject of his evolving ex-Pat life in Paris, using his perplexing experiences in apartment renovation as a launching point for stories about French culture, food, and what it means to revamp one's life. Includes dozens of new recipes. When David Lebovitz began the project of updating his apartment in his adopted home city, he never imagined he would encounter so much inexplicable red tape while contending with perplexing work ethic and hours. Lebovitz maintains his distinctive sense of humor with the help of his partner Romain, peppering this renovation story with recipes from his Paris kitchen. In the midst of it all, he reveals the adventure that accompanies carving out a place for yourself in a foreign country—under baffling conditions—while never losing sight of the magic that inspired him to move to the City of Light many years ago, and to truly make his home there.