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The Gospel of Food - Barry Glassner
Call Number: GT2853.U5G53 2007
ISBN/ISSN: 0060501219
In his latest debunking project (after The Culture of Fear), sociologist Glassner argues that "everything you think you know about food is wrong." And Glassner really does take on almost everything, from Atkins to vegans, with particularly hard jabs at those who, in the name of nutrition, take the fun out of food. This includes some well-known food writers, the manufacturers of "fat-free" foods, as well as "natural" and "organic" offerings—but surprisingly, he stands up for irradiated "Frankenfoods" and for some processed fast food. Later, he tackles the American obesity "epidemic." Here, too, he finds conventional wisdom more mythic than real, with so much conflicting evidence (the book is formidably researched and footnoted) that he finds himself wondering if obesity really matters and concludes that it probably doesn't, much. Only two conventional bits of wisdom survive Glassner's skeptical approach: the rich really are thinner than the poor, and four-star restaurant cooking really is delicious. Glassner's myth-busting information is useful, but at times he takes jabs in too many directions, losing narrative focus.
A force of nature : the frontier genius of Ernest Rutherford - Reeves, Richard, 1936-
Call Number: QC16.R8R44 2008
ISBN/ISSN: 0393057508
In the latest installment of Norton's Great Discoveries science-history series, historian Reeves re-introduces Ernest Rutherford, one of the founding geniuses of nuclear physics. Although less well known today, Rutherford was as famous in his lifetime as Einstein became, and his work is equally important to atomic and particle physics. He and his students performed the experiments which resulted in the discovery of the nucleus and structure of the atom, and he counted Niels Bohr as one of his students. Born on the remote New Zealand frontier, Ernest's brilliance showed early, and scholarships led him to study with J. J. Thomson at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. He changed his focus from electromagnetism to the more mysterious field of radioactivity and, through a combination of brilliant insight and indefatigable effort, made fundamental discoveries that earned him a Nobel Prize in 1908 and a powerful influence over nuclear physics until his death in 1937. While short, this biography does an outstanding job of capturing the excitement and almost breathless pace of physics research in the 20th century's first four decades; for those who want to read more, Reeves provides ample endnotes for each chapter.
The evolution of media - A. Michael Noll
Call Number: P96.T42N65 2007
ISBN/ISSN: 0742554821
A concise introduction to the evolution of communication media, The Evolution of Media is unique in that it treats both mass media and interpersonal media. The first part of the book describes the history and development of media technology. The second and third parts develop a taxonomy for media and compare their technological requirements, applications, and other significant elements. The last section presents a simple methodology to help predict the success of new media products and services. This book is a useful supplement for foundational courses in mass communication and communication history, as well as a primer for anyone interested in the big picture of communication media.