Maps, like all framed images, mold our perceptions of reality. Take a look at what a new perspective can do for your world view. Understand the subtle politics of cartography.
This incredible device magnifies without a lens. The image is virtually lifted from the source and can be viewed from any angle. It needs to be seen in person to be believed!
Sure you can buy these at any gift store, but think about shipping them UPS. Your recipient receives an enormous box that feels completely empty. People are sure to gather 'round. When they open it, the balloon pops out with your message in tow. I love it!
This idea has been around a long time and has aged well. Buy a kit and build your own. I did!
I made one of these myself almost ten years ago and put it on my desk at work. Aside from being soothing and cool, I was continually amused by people who thought it was a screensaver. I know it sounds crazy but it's true. Nothing funnier than "feeding" the "fake" fish and watching their moment of realization.
In this day and age it is important to realize that a little moth can do what no motors and batteries could: jump around for weeks and weeks making everybody startle and laugh!
Unbelievably strong magnets have only started to become mainstream. These are amazing and worth the price.
These are the heaviest remnants of the supernova which formed our solar system. And some look like Kryptonite!
Everyone loves them and they are easy enough to make (Did you know the post office will give you free rubber bands if you ask at the counter?). Too lazy? Try this. Or, use it as a starting point for your own mega ball.
Ok, I'm a little biased on this one but after 5 years I still can't put my own piece down. Bounce it, Stretch it, Tear it!
Ok, so they are illegal inside the US, but Great Britian thinks they're bollocks. Try eBay and take your chances if you're on the other side of the pond.Walter Mattau, Henry Fonda, Larry Hagman: Fail Safe
This film details an accidental attack on Moscow by a wing of American strategic bombers. Both sides scramble to avert World War III, as the bombers streak inexorably towards their target. Everything looks incredibly authentic and the effect of reality is nearly total.
(*****)
Godfrey Reggio: Koyaanisqatsi
Timeless beauty and universal theme keep it watchable twenty years on. Its influence on movies and television in that time is striking. Try to imagine a world without this 'Way of Seeing' (*****)
Ben Kingsley: Gandhi
Epic movies on this scale often become dull and lifeless as they retell the iconic moments of the subject's life. Not so, here. Beautifully shot, expertly acted, and superly written. Don't miss it. (*****)
Robert De Niro, Robin Williams: Awakenings
Oliver Sack's most powerful work brought to life on the screen by Robert De Niro in a transformation that defies understanding. As with Ben Kingsley's Gandhi, the actor shows us a human transformation that no makeup or special effects could ever offer. (*****)
Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Ackroyd: Sneakers
Fun, campy, watchable and suprisingly relevant ten years later. It's rare to see movies about 'computers' that are enjoyed by people who know about computers. This film features an all-star cast. (****)
Clint Eastwood: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Eastwood famously described himself, "I'm not so good at talking. I'm real good at staring." This film created its own genre and inspired a generation of filmmakers. A spaghetti western set during the Civil War, the director looks at evil in the human soul. (****)
Sylvester Stallone: Rocky
Great writing, direction, and acting combined with a heroic ending that no studio head would ever approve. This movie broke the mold enough to stand out but no so much as to be unavailable to the masses. A real American movie! (*****)
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Darrell Huff: How to Lie With Statistics
Written in 1954, this entertaining, easy read has lost none of its relevance. Go ahead and strengthen your personal baloney detector. As Benjamin Disraeli once opined, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." (*****)
Robert Young Pelton: The World's Most Dangerous Places
A tome that's easy to pick up and put down. Learn about the world from a very different perspective than a typical travel guide. Witty prose, great pictures, and black humor will keep you reading from country to country. (****)
Robert Harris: Fatherland
An excellent murder mystery set inside Nazi Germany twenty years after they were victorious in the Second World War. A sharp sense of historical "what if" built on top of real Nazi plans for the years following their conquest. (****)
Lewis Carroll: The Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner
Read Alice in Wonderland and actually understand it. This is an easy to read children's book with sidebars to elucidate 19th century Victorian references and take you inside Carroll's puzzling mind.
Douglas R. Hofstadter: Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
It appears on many shelves but is not so often read. I experienced more than a handful of jaw dropping moments of awe reading this one. A rare opportunity to brush against genius. (*****)
E. O. Wilson: Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration
After publishing The Ants a landmark, but inaccessible monograph, this sequel lets us laymen in on the secrets. (****)
James Burke: Connections
A brilliant look at the ideas, inventions, and coincidences which have culminated in our technological society. (*****)
