Natural phenomena and ordinary, everyday things often contain surprises and puzzles when we attempt to understand them in terms of basic physical principles. Trying to explain what we see around us can even help us to understand physical principles more fully. Written by two well-known popularizers of science, Riddles in Your Teacup, Second Edition focuses on many puzzles, both simple and advanced, that relate to these phenomena. Revised and enlarged, this fascinating second edition contains challenging questions about everyday scientific mysteries. It presents an amusing and entertaining collection of puzzles and solutions, including some riddles that have continued to defy explanation.

How any business leader can create an atmosphere of competitiveness for exceptional growth When Ray Davis took over the local 40-person South Umpqua Bank in 1994, many people in the industry poked fun at his insistence that employees answer the phone with a cheery "World's Greatest Bank." Eleven years, $7 billion in assets, and 128 branches (or " bank stores" in Umpqua lingo) later, the moniker seems quite apt. Other banks scratched their heads when Davis sent his tellers to Ritz-Carlton to learn customer service and were intrigued when he hired a cutting-edge design firm to completely re-think retail layout. Now, with a top design award under their belt, a name change (there never was a North Umpqua bank), and a completely new definition of the banking business, Umpqua has become the darling of the entrepreneurial press and a growth powerhouse. The New York Times calls Umpqua "Starbucks with tellers." Ray Davis (Portland, OR), named by U.S. Banker as one of the 25 most influential people in the financial industry in 2005, is President and CEO of Umpqua Holdings Corporation. Alan Shrader (Moraga, CA) is an experienced writer and editor of business books.

Selected writings share the late scientist's views on chemistry, education, the structure of matter, proteins, nuclear politics, fallout, and nutritional medicine

In Nature Loves to Hide, physicist Shimon Malin takes readers on a fascinating tour of quantum theory--one that turns to Western philosophical thought to clarify this strange yet inescapable description of the nature of reality. Malin translates quantum mechanics into plain English, explaining its origins and workings against the backdrop of the famous debate between Niels Bohr and the skeptical Albert Einstein. Then he moves on to build a philosophical framework that can account for the quantum nature of reality. He draws out the linkage between the concepts of Neoplatonism and the more recent process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. Writing with broad humanistic insight and deep knowledge of science, and using delightful conversation with fictional astronauts Peter and Julie to explain more difficult concepts, Shimon Malin offers a profound new understanding of the nature of reality--one that shows a deep continuity with aspects of our Western philosophical tradition going back 2,500 years, and that feels more deeply satisfying, and truer, than the clockwork universe of Newton.

Analyses new gaming technology to introduce the interactive toys that will influence an entire generation of young users.

Looks at the theory that large groups have more collective intelligence than a smaller number of experts, drawing on a wide range of disciplines to offer insight into such topics as politics, business, and the environment.

Journalist Peter Asmus presents the fascinating and convoluted history of commercial wind power in the United States. Beginning with the early pioneers, he offers an animated narrative that profiles the colorful cast of characters involved with the development of the American wind power industry.

'Throw out your old atlas. The new version is here' Walter Kirn, author of Up in the Air From Dubai to Amsterdam, Memphis to South Korea, a new phenomenon is reshaping the way we live and transforming the way we do business: the aerotropolis. A combination of giant airport, planned city and business hub, the aerotropolis will be at the heart of the next phase of globalization. Drawing on a decade's worth of cutting-edge research, John Kasarda and Greg Lindsay offer a visionary look at how the metropolis of the future will bring us together - and how to make the most of this opportunity.

A scientist answers questions that baffle the average person, such as "Why can't we tickle ourselves?," "Do you get wetter if you walk or run in the rain?," and "Why does multiplying two negative numbers give a positive result?"

Describes the new rules and commercial models used by companies like Amazon, Netflix and Apple for managing the information around people, organizations, processes and products in the digital age to dominate the field in revenue growth and value creation.

The School Years provides a challenging and lively collection of essays on key issues affecting young people in the school setting. It is an essential book for all those concerned with adolescence and education. Since the first edition in 1979, major social changes such as unemployment, AIDS, issues of race and gender, and increasing divorce rates have had a direct impact on education and young people. With these dramatice changes in mind, the contributors take an entirely new and up-to-date approach to current controversial issues such as the relationship of home and school, gender roles, morality, delinquency, and peer groups. Contributors include: John Coleman, Trust for the Study of Adolescence; T. Honess, School of Psychology, University of Wales; Peter Kutnick, Department of Education, University of Sussex; Sally Archer, Trenton State College, USA; Philida Salmon, Institute of Education, University of London; Maurice Chazan; David P. Farrington, Institute of Criminology, Cambridge.

Analyse van de veranderingen die het gevolg zijn van internet en die mogelijk zullen leiden tot een nieuwe netwerksamenleving.

The ever tighter linking of our food, water, and energy systems in the context of a changing climate is leading to increasing turbulence in the world. As a consequence, it becomes ever more crucial to develop cities, regions, and economies with resilience in mind. Because of multinational corporations’ global reach, substantial resources, and information-driven leadership structures, these entities can play a major, constructive role in improving our understanding and design of resilient systems. This volume is the product of the Resilience Action Initiative, a collaboration among Dow, DuPont, IBM, McKinsey, Shell, Siemens, Swiss Re, Unilever, and Yara designed to explore possible corporate contributions to global resilience, especially at the nexus of water, food, and energy. Aggressively forward-thinking and consistent with an enlightened self-interest, the ideas considered here represent a corporate perspective on the broad collaborations required for a more resilient world.

Most of the contributions in this volume originated as papers for two workshops of the Anniversary Conference of Tilburg University that was held in Tilburg, the Netherlands , on 26-28 March 2003. The Conference was entitled ""Sustainable Ties in the Information Society."" One of the workshops was on ""The Information Society and Its Discontents: The Search for ‘New' Recipes and Reform""; the other one was on ""Social Cohesion, Information Society and Education."" In light of obvious overlap of themes and content, after the Conference it was decided to join the efforts of the two work­ shops, and to strive for an integrated publication.