Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Word of advice, NEVER tell someone their singing is worse than Vogon poetry...

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

For all the budding rocket scientists (and those already fully flowered!) out there, one of my favorite books of all time is Orbit by John Nance.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Fun read on the plane ride with friends is Stephen Colbert's I Am America (And So Can You!). Fun stuff, but he's no comparison to Jon Stewart's humor. ;)

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I've been meaning to buy that! It sounds amazing.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene

It's a non-fiction read that explains the concepts behind M-theory and lots of other particle physics. It's hard to wrap your head around at points but you will learn a lot about the universe and it is a good introductory point to a very exciting major.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

On physics-books-written-for-the-layman, I recommend the following:

The Search for Schroedinger's Cat by John Gribbin
Schroedinger's Kittens by John Gribbin
QED by Richard Feynmann
Three Roads to Quantum Gravity by Lee Smolin
The Trouble with Physics by Lee Smolin

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Richard Feynmann - a great read, anything he did.

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynmann!
What Do You Care What Other People Think?

All of these (and any others) are marvelously enjoyable reads.

And then there are volumes 1 through 3... :-)

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I've also been writing a lot of these down for future reading, so thanks to everyone for posting what they are enjoying.
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I am on a travel book kick, and having enjoyed "Long Way Round" [documentary and book] by Ewan McGregor (yes, the actor) and his friend Charley Boorman about their 2004 round the world motorcycle trip from London to NYC "going east"; I have picked up Charley's book "Race to Dakar" about his attempt at the 2006 Dakar Rally. I enjoy the way Charley writes, and have been having trouble putting it down to actually get ready for Atlanta.

I do have a back-up if I finish it before Wednesday though... my copy of "Long Way Down" about Ewan and Charley's 2007 Motorcycle trip from the Northern-most point in Scotland to the Southern-most point in Africa arrived yesterday from Half.com

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

An great nonfiction book is The Creature from Jekyll Island but don't let the name fool you. Its about a history of money up to the present day and the inner workings of the Federal Reserve. Its very eye-opening.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Mostly I plan to be watching movies, but when I need a break, I'll be reading through the manual again, as I see to be the only person on my team who cares to do so. (I want an RTFM sticker or button badly, but it wouldn't be Graciously Professional.)

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

First, read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
Then pick up Ender in Exile.
Then read the Ender's Shadow series.
Then, if you have more time, read the rest of the Ender's Game series (Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, etc...)
Great books. :D

And you can't leave out Isaac Asimov's Foundation series (it's not just a trilogy, I found out recently)
Hopefully your bus ride/flight isn't any longer than that, or maybe you're just a superbly fast reader.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Excellent read. I would suggest Dawkin's recent book, The Greatest Show on Earth as a companion to The Origin of Species. His second chapter take a holistic view of the historical rise and acceptance of Darwin's ideas, as well as his shortcomings and mistakes. It's by far his most solid book, and makes the rest of his works look somewhat absent minded due to an impeccable focus and driving writing style.

My suggestion would be to pick a book from someone with an opposing world view to your own. Understanding those who disagree with you is crucial to self development. For example, if you are religion, grab an atheist book. Vis verse as well. If Democrat, read a Glenn Beck book. If Republic, go grab Obama's book. Reading from the other side is a fantastic way to understand more, as the two sides are sometimes in agreement more than one would think.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

CollegeBoard SAT Review book..... :)

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic by Alfred Lansing is the best book I've ever read. It's one of those books that you just cannot put down. It seems as if there is no current edition, but it is available for the kindle and I'm quite sure your local library will have it.

If you haven't heard the story, the Endurance is crushed by the ice pack. Her crew spend the next seven months on the ice pack (where you have two choices, warm and soaking wet, or cold and dry) or in the two rescue boats they brought along with them, culminating in an 800 mile journey across the worst seas in the world in a 22 foot boat trying to land on a small island. The crew who journeyed across the island remain the only people to have crossed South Georgia Island unassisted. Not a single man died. One guy lost his feet because he wouldn't wear the right boots, but no one died. Which is more than most successful Antarctic adventures could say!


TL;DR Read this book. You will like it. :)