Book Description

The technology underground is a thriving, humming, and often literally scintillating subculture of amateur inventors and scientific envelope-pushers who dream up, design, and build machines that whoosh, rumble, fly—and occasionally hurl pumpkins across enormous distances. In the process they astonish us with what is possible when human imagination and ingenuity meet nature’s forces and materials. William Gurstelle spent two years exploring the most fascinating outposts of this world of wonders: meeting and talking to the men and women who care far more for the laws of physics than they do for mundane matters like government regulations and their own personal safety.

Adventures from the Technology Underground is Gurstelle’s lively and weirdly compelling report of his travels. In these pages we meet Frank Kosdon and others who draw the scrutiny of the FAA, ATF, and other federal agencies in their pursuit of high-power amateur rocketry, which they demonstrate to impressive—and sometimes explosive—effect at the annual LDRS gathering held in various remote and unpopulated areas (a necessary consideration since that acronym stands for Large Dangerous Rocket Ships). Here also are the underground technologists who turn up at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada high desert, including Lucy Hosking, “the engineer from Hell” and the creator of Satan’s Calliope, aka the World’s Loudest Thing, a pipe organ made from jet engines. Also at Burning Man is Austin “Dr. MegaVolt” Richard, who braves the arcing, sputtering, six-digit voltages of a giant Tesla coil in his protective metal suit. Add in a trip to see medieval-style catapults, air cannons, and supersized slingshots in action at the World Championship Punkin Chunkin competition in Sussex County, Delaware, and forays to the postapocalyptic enclaves of the flamethrower builders and the future-noir pits of the fighting robots, and you have proof positive that the age of invention is still going strong.

In the world of science and engineering, despite its buttoned-down image, there’s plenty of fun, humor, and sheer wonder to be found at the fringes. Adventures from the Technology Underground takes you there.


• Launch homemade high-power rockets.

• Catapult pumpkins the better part of a mile.

• Watch robot gladiators saw, flip, and pound one another into high-tech junk heaps.

• Dazzle the eye with electrical discharges measured in the hundreds of thousands of volts.

• Play with flamethrowers, potato guns, and other decidedly unsafe toys . . .


If this is your idea of fun, you’ll have a major good time on this wild ride through today’s Technology Underground.

From the Burning Man festival in Nevada’s high desert to the latest gathering of Large Dangerous Rocket Ship builders to Delaware’s annual Punkin Chunkin competition (a celebration of “science, radical self-expression, and beer”), you’ll meet the inspired, government-unregulated, and corporately unfettered men and women who operate at the furthest fringes of science, engineering, and wild-eyed arc welding, building the catapults, ultra-high-voltage electrical devices, incendiary artworks, fighting robots, and other machines that demonstrate what’s possible when physics meets human ingenuity.


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Great Intro to Alternative Science Projects!.......2007-09-18

Bill Gurtelle's latest book is a great intro to several fringe science & engineering contests & hobbies. It's a good read, without getting into too much technical detail (the Further Reading section @ the end leads you to sources for more details on the topics you liked reading about). Pick it up if you're a tinkerer, a hacker, or want to find something non-frumpy to do with your engineering degree! :]

Misleading web page.......2007-07-27

I must admit I was disappointed with one aspect of the book: the web page from which I ordered it showed a number of color photos of items that I expected to be in the book - leading me to believe these photos were excerpted from the book: but the book had no photos - only a few drawings. A large part of my motivation for purchasing the book was to see pictures of some of the items discussed.

The book was fairly interesting, but there are no photos in it.

A RATHER DISAPPOINTING PUBLICATION........2007-05-13

Nothing technical in this book. More about the development and use of different items made by others. Lacking pictures, plans, etc.
Okay reading but not much to be learned about tinkering or making your own projects come to life.

Adventures from the Techno;ogy Underground: Catapults, Pulsejets, Rail Guns, Flamethrowers,Tesla Coils, Air Cannons, and the Gar.......2007-03-08

I did not like this book at all. It just was not what I expected. I found it very "Verbose" and way to boring. I wished I had not bought it.

A little mad scientist in all of us..........2007-01-16

Did you ever get the urge to go pick up some scrap metal and bang together a fighting combat robot, flamethrower or a gigantic pumpkin-chucker? This book is full of tales of backyard builders and basement scientists who have built just these machines and more. The builders are motivated by a desire to compete against other builders and the satisfaction of making something unique rather than any monetary reward. The competition gets fierce when pride is on the like at the World Championships of pumpkin chucking in Delaware where massive air cannons battle middle-ages catapults to see who can hurl a pumpkin the farthest. Homemade combat robots battle to the mechanical deaths in improvised arenas carved out of scrap metal yards. Wild performance artists use flamethrowers and mega-volt electrical generators to create wild spectacles for the audiences at the Burning Man alternative culture festival. Part Mad Max, part mad scientist, this book proves that the only limit to our creations is our imagination.

Average customer rating: Awesome Amazing book that can change your marriage Great marriage advice One of the Best & Most Balanced Books on Marriage Excellent Book

Marriage On The Rock: God's Design For Your Dream Marriage Jimmy Evans Manufacturer: Majestic Media ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Marriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books General | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books Marriage | Relationships | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books Similar Items: Marriage On The Rock: Couple's Discussion Guide Marriage On The Rock Small Group, Workbook with Leader's Notes The Keys to Sexual Fulfillment in Marriage Marriage On The Rock Resolving Stress in Your Marriage: How to Identify and Solve the Twelve Most Common Problems That Produce Stress and Hinder Intimacy in Marriage ASIN: 0964743507

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2007-02-24

This book is an excellent resource for creating a marriage pleasing to God. I would recommend this to newly engaged or married couples as well as those married for several years.

Amazing book that can change your marriage.......2007-01-04

My wife and I used this book for a small group we did at our church and it was amazing. The principles that are used in this book relate to the reasons why we have trouble in marriage. The author is very insightful into how to have a successful marriage and how we can achieve the marriage that we have always wanted. I would recommend this book to anyone and being a pastor at my church I will continue to use it to improve my marriage as well as others.

Great marriage advice.......2006-11-10

This book has really been helpful - coming from a couple who has experienced heartache in marriage, they offer practical tips for growing your marriage. The focus on God as the center of your marriage and on changing your own attitudes and behavior is key. Great investment in your marriage!

One of the Best & Most Balanced Books on Marriage.......2004-03-13

This is one of the best and most balanced Christian books I have ever read on marriage. So many books on Christian marriage are trite - Christian claptrap - with silly, insipid advice. This book actually includes practical suggestions for dealing with the real problems of marriage. Even more refreshing is the author's frankness about the terrible effects on our society of fatherless families and the need for fathers to pay attention to their wives and children without dominating the family. Wow, finally someone willing to speak the truth.

Also, few Christian books address single parenting or marriages in which one person is doing all the work - this one does AND offers practical advice on how to deal with these very common situations. It addresses what happens when a husband puts his job first, cheats, or simply won't work on the marriage. It also addresses what happens when a woman is demanding, cold or critical. The discussion on sex is better than most Christian books if a litle bit dated (definitely written from the older male's perspective).

My one critique: this book, while better than most Christian books when it comes to explaining the Christian wife, does not address the prevalance of working wives and the effects on the family when MOM cheats, is working too much, or no longer wants to work on the marriage. It's time for contemporary Christians to wake up and realize that it's no longer just Dad who's not keeping the home fires burning. Few Christian books seem to want to deal with this particular issue even though it is increasingly prevalent.

Even with this minor critique, though, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is much better than "The Power of a Praying Wife" or similar nonsense books that give endless examples from the author's own (relatively easy) marriage and very little solid advice. "Marriage on the Rock" includes behavioral solutions that address serious marital problems, while of course incorporating prayer. Plus, Dr. Evans clearly has done enough counseling that he knows a lot about what he writes and can provide real-world examples. His presentation is not sugary or pie-in-the-sky and he doesn't pretend that all marriages will work...but his advice on making them better is excellent.

Excellent Book.......2004-01-25

This is one of those books you read because you don't want to stop reading it. To the point, Mr. Evans provides a lot of "meat" without extra fluff. It helped me to communicate my needs and understand my future husband's needs.

The book was so good that when a non-christian man I barely knew told me his wife left him, I offered to lend him the book. The reasons his wife left him were straight out of the book. (She had asked him to go to counceling a year earlier but he refused because he didn't think there was anything wrong.) He also really enjoyed the book and said that it opened his eyes to see the error of his ways. His wife noticed the change in him. He explained about me and he lent her the book. At first she asked him if I was a weak woman allowing myself to "submit". He explained that I am an outspoken, career woman so she finished reading it. His wife saw the error of her own ways and how her reactions to his bad behavior was also damaging their realationship.

The book has changed the way all three of us, christian and non-christian, understand marriage. The great news was that you can work at and get those good feelings back again with your spouse. This book is fair and two sided. It doesn't blame the wife or the husband. I would highly recommend this book.

Average customer rating: Fun Approach Teaching Art with books kids love Great Excellent Resource for Educators! Teaching art

Teaching Art With Books Kids Love: Teaching Art Appreciation, Elements of Art, and Principles of Design With Award-Winning Children's Books Darcie Frohardt Manufacturer: Fulcrum Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Sculpture | Art | Arts & Music | Children's Books | Subjects | Books Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books General | Elementary School | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books Humanities | Specific Skills | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books Similar Items: Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters (Kohl, Mary Ann F. Bright Ideas for Learning.) A Survival Kit for the Elementary/Middle School Art Teacher (J-B Ed:Survival Guides) How to Teach Art to Children Let's Meet Famous Artists The Art Teacher's Book of Lists Accessories: philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer ASIN: 1555914063

Book Description

Using more than 100 illustrations from 20 Caldecott Medal or Honor books, this delightful resource provides teachers with all the tools necessary for teaching art. Classroom teachers will find that the explanations of artistic elements and principles of design, as well as examples and project directions, provide everything a busy teacher needs. Complete with bibliographies and lists of related fine art, this curriculum also relates the projects to the Core Knowledge Sequence Content Guidelines for Grades K-5. Teaching Art with Books Kids Love is an invaluable resource for teachers required to teach art and art instructors looking for fresh ideas.

Customer Reviews:

Fun Approach.......2007-09-20

This book is a fun approach in communicating the elements of art, fun for teacher and student. And what could be better than getting kids to take an interest in reading and art. Can you say future children's book Illustrator? This book will open many more books. I would highly recommend it for the elementary art teacher or home schooler.

Teaching Art with books kids love.......2006-11-11

This is an excellent book.It helps children visualize ideas from their favorite books and to apply them to a visual art experience.

Great.......2006-11-10

This book has a lot of ideas for lesson planning in the art room. It is divided into sections so that lessons are easy to find and also offers many great children's books to base lessons off of. GREAT!

Excellent Resource for Educators!.......2006-09-09

I would recommend this book for elementary classroom teachers. It provides outstanding projects and ideas for integrating Art into Language Arts. The author does and excellent job of teaching the elements of art and principles of design in the art projects! I am an Art Teacher and have taught many of the projects in the book. All projects were successful!

Teaching art.......2006-03-10

This is a book full of ideas for teaching art classes to young children.

Books:

1. My Descent into Death: And the Message of Love Which Brought Me Back
2. My First Five Husbands..And the Ones Who Got Away
3. Navy Brides: Navy Wife\Navy Blues\Navy Brat
4. NO STRINGS ATTACHED - WWW.GIRL-GEAR (Blaze, 32)
5. O'Hurley's Return: Skin Deep\Without A Trace
6. On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz: 25 Years of Pre-Dawn Car Trips, Mind-Blowing Encounters, and Inspiring Conversations with a Man of Wisdom
7. Once an Angel
8. One Special Summer
9. Paula Pryke's Flower School: Mastering the Art of Floral Design
10. Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman: What Men Know About Success that Women Need to Learn

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