The Element in the Room: Science-y Stuff Staring You in the Face

The Element In The Room contains a fair bit of interesting scientific fact, presented in the sort of breezy and self-consciously clever manner that is typical of much of contemporary popular science these days. One gets the impression that the authors are apologizing in advance- yes, it’s science, but we’re not really taking it seriously. And there are no tests. Everyone gets an A!Once you get past the style there’s a fair bit of interesting scientific fact, although the authors sometimes dumb the presentation down so much that you wonder who they thought their audience would be. Consider this summary of entropy:- Energy is only useful when it’s clumped together- When you use that energy to do something useful it spreads out- Once it’s spread out, you can’t use it anymore.That strikes me as insufficient an explanation for elementary school students, and yet this book is aimed at adults. There are also several errors that should have been caught before publication. For instance, most menthol is made from peppermint oil, not turpentine. On page 47 we learn that 15th Century Peruvians freeze dried their crops in the mountains. What they dried was potatoes, to remove the solanine, and they still do it to this day. On page 116 we learn that “while the mercury in thermometers has been replaced with colored alcohol, there’s no alternative for energy saving bulbs” while might have been true a decade ago, but by the time this book was published CFLs were obsolete, replaced by energy saving, lead free LEDs.What really ruins this book for me is the horrible, amateurish, quality of the illustrations, most of which appear to be hand drawn or traced by someone who is not a particularly skilled artist. In many instances the illustrations are so bad that they don’t even convey the point the text is making. On page 75 there’s an illustration of the classic “Shepard’s table” illusion, in which two tables rotated 90 degrees from each other appear to be different sizes, but when measured are shown to be identical. In this instance, however, measurement reveals that the crudely drawn tables are obviously grossly different from one another. In fact, with just one exception, none of the optical illusions in this chapter show the effect described, thanks to the poor reproduction.While I wanted to like this book, it’s sloppy, poorly presented, and amateurishly illustrated. Not recommended.

I like science. I tend to like Science-y books. I am conflicted about this one. There are some very interesting factoids in this book, especially about the universe and the elements. The illustrations are in black and white and rather bland but I got past those easily. What I did not enjoy was the writing style. The authors are attempting to show science in a nerdy comical way but it just fell flat for me. For instance, there is a personality "quiz" which has nothing to do with personality and everything to do with being a page filler that did not contribute anything very scientific and wasn't very funny. Some of the experiments were complicated like buying a super neodymium magnet which can cut you and cause blisters just to be able to see the iron fortification in your food blended unappetizing Lucky Charms.Many times the authors digress from their science-y stuff into tangents that I skipped over like the voices in one of the author's heads. There are times the writing lapses into snarkiness like the sex section. The authors let us know that, yes, "Nerds do IT." And they let the reader know a paragraph later they mean "SEX! SEX! SEEEEEXX!!!" This is a straight quote from the book.This book is not without merit though. As I stated, the elements chapter is truly fascinating and the examples are very well researched and incredibly interesting. The illustrations look like doodles but that did not take away from the truly amazing information. I just wish more of the book had been dedicated to these intriguing everyday science-y things around us instead of some of the experiments that were not that interesting, like making static electricity.

A book the explains everyday science staring in your face. Researches different types of light , 2d-3d and molecular perception, touches upon Rorschach, phrenology, common brain myths, optical illusions, electricity, periodic tables and investigating elements of the periodic table you wouldn't expect to find in your house from the mercury in your light bulb, the americium in your smoke detector, the potassium in your fruit bowl and the cesium in clocks. Has little homemade experiments you can do yourself and test out, also has other sections such as 'science cocktails' and where technology is taking us from self-driving cars to cryonics.The book is kind of quirky and geeky, not bad in a bad way per se but has stuff to ponder such as if you took all the elements inside a human body and laid them on the kitchen table what would they look like?Writer admits he's a nerd, has a degree in physics and says 'We nerds aren't very selective about our shindigs and even the opening of an envelope can become an experimental happening that results in a special glow under the covers. We'll also show you how to enhance the mood lighting with spinning fire and rings of smoke and accurately measure the buzz in the room with a randomized controlled trial. But, first let's party like it's 1799, with sparks and shocks, just like the Georgians did.' - This basically sums up the sense of humor and personality of the book, so if you like this kind of thing i'd recommend you this book. Also, if you have an interest in science. Book has funny little illustrations and nerd/geek humor.

I've had this book for less than 24 hours and it's already really annoyed my wife - laughing out loud so often and having uncontrollable giggles while she's trying to sleep..! It's fantastic. (Not sure what it'll do for your relationship, but it is rather brilliant..!) It's actually really fascinating too and packed with loads of experiments to try (or not to try) as well. The perfect gift for one's inner-nerd..! Who'd'a'thought there's so many great sciencey things to do and see all around us - and I love the writing style too. (I'll never look at bees the same way again.) Thanks guys! Well, that's got my Christmas Presents sorted, hasn't it..?! Enjoy!

I love going to the Festival of the Spoken Nerd live shows, but do sometimes find myself getting a little left-behind by explanations of the experiments I witness. Self-guided experimentation by way of The Element In The Room is therefore perfect for me. I can reread the scientific whys and hows enough times that the information actually lodges in my brain rather than skimming off into the distance!The Element In The Room includes much of what is most fun about FotSN live shows - the humour, the tangential leaps of subject, and there's even a song. It is geared towards the home though and I have been enjoying trying out experiments in our caravan. I hadn't previously considered what a good laboratory it makes, but we have turmeric and noodles and I can cook up a curry. Making a grill pan chime like Big Ben is particularly impressive in such a small room. On the downside, poor Dave has had to listen to me recounting Quite Interesting facts and misremembered theories for the best part of a week. He's now reading The Element In The Room for himself and looking forward to extracting DNA from strawberries sometime soon.If you're fascinated by the world around us and like your science based in practical experimentation, this could be the perfect book for you too.

I'm not entirely sure I'm the right audience for this, but I still enjoyed it.I've not seen the Spoken Nerd, but it's been mentioned a few times to me, esp given my love of the Infinite Monkey Cage podcast.This is of a similar vein, but the science is a lot more simplified, being more concerned with every day things, rather than the more rarefied cosmology. It doesn't read like a science book though, it's loaded with jokes, digessions, and little comments, that make the entire book a joy. Also included are lots of little experiments you can try out at home. Some of which would be more than suitable for kids, a couple more adult orientated, however there is a warning saying the experiments should not be carried out by unsupervised children or irresponsible adults.I'm not sure if I'd give this to a kid, but any adult with a sense of humour and an interest in science should enjoy it.

I read the sampler on my holiday... And it was so entertaining. I loved the illustrations too, and the punny title (Noice). Being a journo, and a wannabe nerd, all of this stuff appealed to me no end.Having been 'sci-curious' since leaving school (and no longer being bored s***less by uninspiring curriculums and teachers) – I found this book to be a delight. Irreverent and funny, and full of the life I would want to be injected into what is a fascinating subject all things considered. The little snippets remind me of the bits in text books that WERE interesting. The fascinating factoids that injected life into the dour schoolings of old. But what's different here is that the interesting bits ARE the main appeal. I'll definitely be ordering the full book. And I will be sharing it with my nieces, (when they are slightly older and I have taught them a few more expletives :D)Helen's writing style is personable, friendly and hilariously funny. I expect she could tell me things about the (reveals age) phone book and make it engaging and interesting. How I LOLed at the silly asides, as I inadvertently absorbed facts against my will. This is how teaching should be. And if all learning about stuff was this much fun, we'd all be better educated.If sci-curious, this book is an absolute must. And I am already planning which planet to move to, based on the recommendations within this brilliant tome, for when Trump and North Korea blow this one up... And I am already more pissed off that my mini can't drive itself yet than I can tell you.Brilliant. I love it. Buy it.

Tickled pink to get my grubby* mitts on an advance copy of this book, courtesy Festival of the Spoken Nerd, "You Can't Polish a Nerd", Bristol. :-DI've loved sciencey mathsy nerdy stuff from as far back as I can remember. Three particular influences on childhood-nerd me were PBS's mathematics-flavoured show "Square One" and Vicki Cobb's books "Science Experiments You Can Eat" and "How To Really Fool Yourself". The Element in the Room is the adult manifestation of these beloved things. Arney and Mould capture the playful, creative curiosity that drives science exploration and present solid, scientific results in a hilariously well-written style. (If all "scholarly" science papers were written like this, everyone would be a scientist.)*thoroughly washed in hot soapy water