Joel Levy

All the most important and interesting bits of psychology, including what it really means to dream you are flying and exactly why Freud smoked that cigar Freudian Slips presents the essential facts and findings of psychology in an accessible and thoroughly enjoyable way, leaving no Freudian slip or phallic symbol unexamined. From Bobo dolls to invisible gorillas, Clever Hans to Little Albert, the halo effect to the Stockholm syndrome, the book charts a path through the subject's controversial history and along its most intriguing diversions. Discover how Pavlov made a dog neurotic and electroconvulsive therapy turned a man bisexual, why schizophrenics can tickle themselves, and how the U.S. military developed a pigeon-guided missile.

Psychology in Bite Sized Chunks

Can you really tell a criminal by the bumps on his head? What does a memory look like? Can a machine think? Why are some people shy? Is it better not to feel so much? These are some of the many questions that have troubled the minds of some of the greatest thinkers in human civilization and are discussed in this comprehensive yet accessible introduction to psychology.The complex workings of the mind have fascinated mankind for centuries, but the key theories of psychology are often so complicated that it is almost impossible for the casual reader to understand. In Why We Do the Things We Do, Joel Levy unlocks the important studies and theories in a series of simple questions and answers that shine new and uncomplicated light on the important aspects of psychology. This book will demystify the key questions by tracking their origins in the writings of some of the most prominent thinkers in various fields, showing how these ideas and concepts have developed over time.With each section broken down into the key concepts, issues and arguments, considering how these ideas influence the way we all go about our daily lives, Why We Do the Things We Do will illuminate this fascinating subject.

Psychology in a Nutshell

Why We Do the Things We Do

Psychology for Busy People

Prepare to be amazed and educated! A BEE IN A CATHEDRAL explains basic scientific truths and principles using the power of analogy. Using classic comparisons (including 'bee in the cathedral' which dramatically conveys the size of the atomic nucleus in relation to the atom as a whole) you will learn: How whirlpools and hurricanes help us understand the formation of galaxies; How DNA chains act just like a zipper; How much blood is produced by a body each day. Written in a plain, entertaining style A BEE IN A CATHEDRAL will appeal to anyone with a thirst for knowledge and an appreciation for science. The aim of the book is to convey basic principles of science in new and exciting ways, describing the unbelievably massive, the inconceivably tiny, and the unfathomably complex in terms that we can all understand, and comparing them to everyday objects and experiences with which we are much more familiar.

And 99 Other Scientific Analogies

A Bee in a Cathedral

The stories behind the invention and development of everyday objects in homes and offices.

the origins of everyday things

Really useful

Discover the secret history of poison and how it shapes our world. From Cleopatra to Mary Ann Cotton, from cone snails to cocaine, this lavishly illustrated book will take you on a fascinating journey through the mysterious world of potions, magical herbs, and psychoactive preparations substances at once alluring and terrifying. Poison captures them in all their complexity, describing the many roles they have played in history and culture, science and religion, medicine and murder. POISONOUS FACTS Ergot mold, which grows on rye and other grains, causes convulsions and hallucinations. Cited in the witchcraft panic of 1691 in Salem, Massachusetts, it is a precursor in the synthesis of LSD. Jane Stanford, cofounder of Stanford University, died of strychnine poisoning. The gas chamber was first used in Nevada in the 1924 execution of Gee Jon, a Chinese-American gangster. Lethal injection is now the world's most popular form of execution. Nicotine, the addictive ingredient in cigarettes, is also a highly potent alkaloid neurotoxin that was used widely as an insecticide. The botulinum toxin is the most potent known to science. A little more than one cup would be enough to kill every human on the planet."

An Illustrated History

Poison

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Looks at the history of such household and office items as coffee makers, Tupperware, toothpaste, neon lights, paperclips, matches, and vacuum cleaners.

The Origins of Everyday Things

Really Useful

A rich visual history of science fiction's impact on real-world technologies, this book is perfect for lovers of H. G. Wells, Star Trek, Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne, Aldous Huxley, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Have you ever wished for a personal jet pack or a robot butler? Do you wonder how you would fare as an interplanetary traveler? Are you eagerly awaiting driverless cars? Reality Ahead of Schedule explores how what we imagine about the future has influenced our ability to make those ideas into reality. There are many vital technologies that science fiction not only predicted, but also helped bring into being. Through lively narration and lavish illustrations, the book presents technological developments in the military, consumer, space exploration, medical, and communications fields. It explores the writers, futurists, and far-sighted inventors whose visions became realities, from the direct influence of H. G. Wells on the atomic bomb and the tank, to the ambitious prototypes created by inventors ahead of their time, such as Nikola Tesla's remote-controlled drone ship. The history and development of each technology is related in context, exploring the road from prescient fictional representation to real-life technology. Reality Ahead of Schedule offers readers the chance to meet and understand the impact of some of the greatest names and works in sci-fi, from Jules Verne and Aldous Huxley to Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov, Star Trek to the Bionic Man, alongside visionary inventors such as Tesla and Wernher von Braun.

How Science Fiction Inspires Science Fact

Reality Ahead of Schedule

Lahendamata mõistatused

Mistérios por Resolver

Psicologia para Pessoas com Pressa

Meltdowninvestigates and recreates the dramatic events behind the most notorious nuclear accidents in history, as well as those shrouded in secrecy. Combining human tragedy with intriguing science, each account reveals new aspects of humanity's complex relationship with nuclear power and the ongoing struggle to harness and control it. From the pioneers of Los Alamos who got up close and personal with the cores of atomic bombs, to the hapless engineers in Soviet fuel-processing plants who unwittingly mixed up a disaster in a bucket, and from the terrifying impact of a tsunami at Fukushima to the mystery of the recent Russian incident, Meltdownexplores the past and future of this extraordinary and potentially lethal source of infinite power.

Stories of Nuclear Disaster and the Human Cost of Going Critical

Meltdown

Explore the fascinating world of the human psyche with this accessible and concise guide to the fundamentals of psychology. Broken down by subject, from the psychology of ageing to the psychology of relationships, happiness to mental illness (and with everything in between), this book brings together all the major theorists and arguments you should know, ranging back in time to the ancient Greeks - who practiced a form of dream therapy 2,500 years before Freud and Jung - all the way up to the present day. Additionally, being organized by theory, it presents a potted overview of the development of the study of psychology and shows how theories from many years ago are still relevant to our lives today. Jam packed with all the important ideas but also highly accessible and informative, Psychology for Busy People is perfect for those who enjoy the study of the mind and human behaviour.

Discover the world of Crytozoology in this fabulous field guide to the denizens of the supernatural realm from gnomes, fairies, and elves to unicorns, dragons, and minotaurs. Featuring more than 600 color illustrations, this is a treasure trove of fun and fascination for the entire family.

Fabulous Creatures and Other Magical Beings

A clear, concise and fascinating guide to philosophical thought experiments and how they've shaped our understanding of the world. From Plato's Cave to Descartes' Demon, and from Zeno's paradoxes to Hilbert's Hotel, great thinkers have used thought experiments and paradoxes to try and work out complex ideas in the simplest way possible. Perhaps the most famous thought experiment is that of Zeno's Achilles and the tortoise. If both Achilles and the tortoise move at constant speed, why will Achilles never catch up with the tortoise when the tortoise starts ahead of him? Zeno argues that when Achilles reaches the point where the tortoise started the race, the tortoise will have already moved on. And as Achilles runs on to where the tortoise was last, when he reaches that point the tortoise has moved again. Therefore Achilles will never catch up with the tortoise as the distance he must run gets smaller and smaller and each time he has less and less time to run. Starting in Ancient Greece, Joel Levy guides us through the mind-bending world of thought experiments and their role in revealing the complexity of morality, exploring the limitations and the infinite possibilities of the human mind.

The Curious Thought Experiments of History's Great Thinkers

The Infinite Tortoise

Most science chronicles present a triumphant march through time, with revolutionary thinkers and their discoveries following in orderly progression. The truth, however, is somewhat different. Scientific Feuds is a collection of the most vicious battles among the greatest minds of our time. It features such contests as Huxley and Wilberforce's debate on Darwin's theory of evolution, Franklin and Wilkins' fight over the discovery of DNA, and the “War of Currents” between Tesla and Edison (which ended with Edison electrocuting dogs and horses in a vain attempt to discredit Tesla's work). From passionate competition to vindictive sniping, these rivalries prove that the world of science is far from cold and methodical.

From Galileo to the Human Genome Project

Scientific Feuds

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was conceived against the backdrop of rapid change in the scientific world. And the science that inspired it is almost as strange as the novel itself. Shelley grew up surrounded by several of Europe's prominent scientific thinkers and was familiar with experimentation into reanimation of corpses as well as the heated debate over "the elixir of life". She was a frequent visitor to St Bart's operating theatre, where spectators witnessed surgery performed without anaesthetic. Her monster was born in an era of bodysnatching, dissections and the philosophy of Vitalism. This book offers an engrossing insight into the world of science in late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-century Europe, through the prism of the seminal science fiction novel. Illustrated with line drawings and colour plates, it reveals how the monster was conceived, suggests the real-life basis for Victor Frankenstein and describes in vivid detail the experiments that might have led to the Creature's birth. It also looks at incarnations of the monster since the book was published and modern interpretations of the "mad scientist", as well as looking ahead to permanent bionic limbs, implants and other wonders.

Gothic Science

Presents the history, traditions, philosophies, skills, weaponry, and popularity in modern culture of ninjas, Japanese undercover assassins.

The Shadow Warrior

Ninja

A beautifully presented guide to 50 weapons and their historical impact on civilization. Fifty Weapons that Changed the Course of History is a fascinating guide to the arms and armaments that have had the greatest impact on the development of human civilization. Like the other titles in this series, the book organizes the weapons into brief illustrated chapters. Concise narratives describe the weapons, the "who, where, when, why and how" of their introduction and uses, and explain their influence in one or more of four categories -- Social, Political, Tactical, and Technological. The stories span human history, from our hunter-gatherer ancestors who devised the spear and the wheel, which brought about the war chariot, to gunpowder, which democratized warfare and has been the basis for almost every weapon used in war from that point on. Entries include: The longbow, which led an outnumbered English army to a famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 The Soviet T-34, the most effective and influential (in terms of design) tank to feature in World War II The Tomahawk cruise missile, which revolutionized tactics in modern warfare The Gatling Gun, the first rapid-repeating gun, which turned the tide in the Americans' favor during the Spanish-American War. The saga of human civilization has been formed and scarred by conflict. Defining episodes of violence -- sometimes long and simmering, at other times sudden and cataclysmic -- have produced new forms of weaponry. Some of these have been decisive, such as the terrifying war elephants deployed by Hannibal at the battle of Cannae in 216 B.C. Others have become iconic in our culture. Chief among these is the easily copied AK-47, at first the symbol of communism and now of terrorism, and the most widely found firearm in the world. Some weapons have been definitive in their simplicity, such as the bayonet; in other cases, such as the Tomahawk cruise missile, the sheer complexity is dazzling. Fifty Weapons That Changed the Course of History tells the story of the last 3,500 years through the arms and armaments that have shaped it. This is the story of the weapons that formed our world, and is sure to attract a wide readership.

Joel Levy

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