The De-Textbook: The Stuff You Didn't Know About the Stuff You Thought You Knew - Cracked.com

 
You are an idiot.

Don't get defensive! It's not your fault. For decades your teachers, authority figures and textbooks have been lying to you. You do not have five senses. Your tongue doesn't have neatly segregated taste-bud zones. You don't know what the pyramids really looked like. You're even pooping wrong - Jesus, you're a wreck!

AsapSCIENCE: Answers to the World's Weirdest Questions, Most Persistent Rumors, and Unexplained Phenomena

 From the creators of the wildly popular and seriously scientific YouTube channel, AsapSCIENCE, comes entertaining, irreverent, and totally accessible answers to the questions you never got to ask in science class.

“From hiccup cures to the 5 second rule, this book put a bemused smile on my face and answered the oddball questions of life. An irreverent stroll through the arcane and taboo, guided by the science behind it.” (Chris Hadfield, author of "An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth" and "You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes")

"Science is big fun. The ASAP guys get that, and they'll show you— they'll even draw you a diagram." (Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” CEO, The Planetary Society and author of "Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation")

"From concise examinations of tiny topics like the science of love and aging, to answers to questions you actually care about--should you use the snooze button?--this book has something for everyone who is curious about the world around them. (That is to say: everyone.) This is science at its most fun, accessible, and well-illustrated." (David Epstein, author of the New York Times bestseller "The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance")

"Entertaining...valuable...particularly for the young and curious." (Publishers Weekly)

Download [PDF]:

https://userscloud.com/n0b0g0etpt72

How to Write a Thesis - Umberto Eco

 

The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh

People love secrets, and ever since the first word was written, humans have written coded messages to each other. In The Code Book, Simon Singh, author of the bestselling Fermat's Enigma, offers a peek into the world of cryptography and codes, from ancient texts through computer encryption. Singh's compelling history is woven through with stories of how codes and ciphers have played a vital role in warfare, politics, and royal intrigue. The major theme of The Code Book is what Singh calls "the ongoing evolutionary battle between codemakers and codebreakers," never more clear than in the chapters devoted to World War II. Cryptography came of age during that conflict, as secret communications became critical to either side's success.

 Confronted with the prospect of defeat, the Allied cryptanalysts had worked night and day to penetrate German ciphers. It would appear that fear was the main driving force, and that adversity is one of the foundations of successful codebreaking.

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris

The most irreverent and helpful book on language since the #1 New York Times bestseller Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

Mary Norris has spent more than three decades in The New Yorker's copy department, maintaining its celebrated high standards. Now she brings her vast experience, good cheer, and finely sharpened pencils to help the rest of us in a boisterous language book as full of life as it is of practical advice.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition

The "Publication Manual" is the style manual of choice for writers, editors, students, and educators. Although it is specifically designed to help writers in the behavioral sciences and social sciences, anyone who writes non-fiction prose can benefit from its guidance. The newly-revised Sixth Edition has not only been rewritten. It has also been thoroughly rethought and reorganized, making it the most user-friendly "Publication Manual" the APA has ever produced. You will be able to find answers to your questions faster than ever before. When you need advice on how to present information, including text, data, and graphics, for publication in any type of format--such as college and university papers, professional journals, presentations for colleagues, and online publication--you will find the advice you're looking for in the "Publication Manual." 

 

Download [retail PDF]:  http://goo.gl/FA7qPk

Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler

An unusual and authoritative 'natural history of languages' that narrates the ways in which one language has superseded or outlasted another at different times in history.

The story of the world in the last five thousand years is above all the story of its languages. Some shared language is what binds any community together, and makes possible both the living of a common history and the telling of it.

Yet the history of the world’s great languages has rarely been examined. ‘Empires of the Word’ is the first to bring together the tales in all their glorious variety: the amazing innovations – in education, culture and diplomacy – devised by speakers in the Middle East; the uncanny resilience of Chinese throughout twenty centuries of invasions; the progress of Sanskrit from north India to Java and Japan; the struggle that gave birth to the languages of modern Europe; and the global spread of English.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my  brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy.  Just take it bird by bird.'"

 

Download [EPUB + MOBI]: http://goo.gl/xea3wy

 

How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren

How to Read a Book, originally published in 1940, has become a rare phenomenon, a living classic. It is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. And now it has been completely rewritten and updated.

You are told about the various levels of reading and how to achieve them – from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading, you learn how to pigeonhole a book, X-ray it, extract the author's message, criticize. You are taught the different reading techniques for reading practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science.

Finally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests whereby you can measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension and speed.


Download [EPUB, MOBI, AZW]: http://sh.st/abAdk

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction - William Zinsser

On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet.

Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sold, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.

A World of Art (7th Edition) by Henry M. Sayre

P rovide your students with an introduction to art that is inclusive and emphasizes critical thinking!

Henry Sayre’s art appreciation text, The World of Art, is an amazing introduction to the world of art. Students with little background in the arts routinely reach out to Henry to share how the text has influenced their lives. This is so meaningful because Henry’s inspiration for A World of Art was his own students. His students wanted to see themselves reflected in their textbook. Henry decided to write an art appreciation textbook that represented all artists, not just the Western canon found at that time in the other texts. He also created a text that fostered critical thinking through looking at, talking about, and questioning works of art for his students.

The result was A World of Art and the new seventh edition continues to build on those two themes- coverage of contemporary global art and a strong critical thinking framework throughout the text. This edition includes new ways for students to experience art with the new MyArtsLab, which includes ART 21 videos, Discovering Art simulations, Closer Look tours, and an eText of Writing about Art, also by Henry Sayre.

Pogue's Basics: Essential Tips and Shortcuts (That No One Bothers to Tell You) for Simplifying the Technology in Your Life

Did you know that can you scroll a Web page just by tapping the space bar? How do you recover photos you’ve deleted by accident? What can you do if your cell phone’s battery is dead by dinnertime each day?

When it comes to technology, there’s no driver’s ed class or government-issued pamphlet covering the essentials. Somehow, you’re just supposed to know how to use your phone, tablet, computer, camera, Web browser, e-mail, and social networks. Luckily, award-winning tech expert David Pogue comes to the rescue with Pogue’s Basics, a book that will change your relationship with all of the technology in your life. With wit and authority, Pogue’s Basics collects every essential technique for making your gadgets seem easier, faster, and less of a hassle. Crystal-clear illustrations accompany these 225 easy-to-follow tips.Tips include:Make the type bigger on your screen · Bring a wet phone back from the dead · The fastest way to charge an iPad · The 10 best apps to put on your phone · How to type symbols · Bypass annoyingly long voice mail instructions · Use map apps on your phone without an Internet connection · Sign a contract electronically ·

A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science by Barbara Oakley

 Whether you are a student struggling to fulfill a math or science requirement, or you are embarking on a career change that requires a higher level of math competency, A Mind for Numbers offers the tools you need to get a better grasp of that intimidating but inescapable field. Engineering professor Barbara Oakley knows firsthand how it feels to struggle with math. She flunked her way through high school math and science courses, before enlisting in the army immediately after graduation. When she saw how her lack of mathematical and technical savvy severely limited her options—both to rise in the military and to explore other careers—she returned to school with a newfound determination to re-tool her brain to master the very subjects that had given her so much trouble throughout her entire life.

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker

A short and entertaining book on the modern art of writing well by New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker

Why is so much writing so bad, and how can we make it better? Is the English language being corrupted by texting and social media? Do the kids today even care about good writing? Why should any of us care?

In The Sense of Style, the bestselling linguist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker answers these questions and more. Rethinking the usage guide for the twenty-first century, Pinker doesn’t carp about the decline of language or recycle pet peeves from the rulebooks of a century ago. Instead, he applies insights from the sciences of language and mind to the challenge of crafting clear, coherent, and stylish prose.

Word Smart, 5th Edition (Princeton Review)

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Let your vocabulary speak for itself.

Knowing which words to use and how to use them is key to communicating accurately and effectively. That’s why more than one million people have used Word Smart to improve their vocabularies! This updated 5th edition defines and explains more than 1,400 need-to-know vocabulary words.

To create this book, the Princeton Review analyzed newspapers from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal, magazines from Time to Scientific American, and books from current bestsellers to classics. We also combed through the SAT and other standardized tests to determine which words are tested most frequently. We sifted out the words that most people know, and focused on words that most people misunderstand or misuse.

Bushcraft: 101 A Field Guide to by Dave Canterbury

The ultimate resource for experiencing the backcountry!

Written by survivalist expert Dave Canterbury, Bushcraft 101 gets you ready for your next backcountry trip with advice on making the most of your time outdoors. Based on the 5Cs of Survivability--cutting tools, covering, combustion devices, containers, and cordages--this valuable guide offers only the most important survival skills to help you craft resources from your surroundings and truly experience the beauty and thrill of the wilderness. Inside, you'll also discover detailed information on:

SAS Survival Handbook [Third Edition] - John ’Lofty’ Wiseman

The ultimate guide to surviving anywhere, now updated with more than 100 pages of additional material

Revised to reflect the latest in survival knowledge and technology, and covering new topics such as urban survival and terrorism, the internationally bestselling SAS Survival Handbook is the definitive resource for all campers, hikers, and outdoor adventurers. From basic campcraft and navigation to fear management and strategies for coping with any type of disaster, this complete course includes:
Being prepared: Understanding basic survival skills, like reading the weather, and preparation essentials, such as a pocket survival kit.

Making camp: Finding the best location, constructing the appropriate shelter, organizing camp, staying warm, and creating tools.