Average customer rating:
- An excellent and worthwhile analysis
- Rational attack on unreasoned silliness
- A tremendous scientific response to the anti-nuclear view.
- An accurate analysis of all forms of power generation.
- A must read if you think Nuclear Energy dangerous
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Health Hazards of Not Going Nuclear
Peter Beckmann
Manufacturer: Ace
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ASIN: 044131970X |
Customer Reviews:
An excellent and worthwhile analysis.......2001-01-28
The book is an in-depth technical treatment of the subject, but it is very readable for the layman. Beckmann deals with the arguments against nuclear power in a clear and decisive fashion. There is an interesting analysis of the reasons for the controversy as well. The only major problem I have with this book is the fact that it is rather outdated at 20+ years old.
Rational attack on unreasoned silliness.......1999-09-21
A thoughtful examination of the energy issue, as well as environmental safety concerns associated with it. Accurate, reliable well researched, I strongly recommend this book for anyone concerned with the future of society or the environment.
A tremendous scientific response to the anti-nuclear view........1999-03-14
Petr Beckmann stands up and answers the anti-nuclear attacks. He is very scientific in his answers. This book was written in a way that those without nuclear scientific know-how could understand. Most enjoyable was the voice and attitude Petr Beckmann used. He was tired of the stupid reasons used against nuclear power, and he explains why these reason were stupid.
An accurate analysis of all forms of power generation........1998-11-05
In an objective, technically researched book, Dr. Beckman presents a great deal of thought=provoking material that should give us pause to reconsider many of media=promulgated myths of nuclear power generation. In addition, he provides many facts pertaining to so=called "conventional" methods of generating power that will surprise and disturb you. A "must" read for anyone who is the least bit concerned and curious about the subject. This is not a book you read from cover=to=cover==a few pages at a time, anywhere in the book, will always prove worthwhile!
A must read if you think Nuclear Energy dangerous.......1998-06-07
I am a student attending the University of Phoenix Online University. In one of my classes this question was posed:
In what ways can a company be legally but not socially responsible? What are examples of this?
I used the opportunity to quote from The Health Hazards of NOT Going Nuclear by Dr. Petr Beckmann.
The paper requirements were fairly informal and we are encouraged to chose subjects that stimulate discussion so I wrote the following: (hopefully I didn't corrupt the intent of Dr. Beckmann's work)
Typically legally imposed responsibilities represent the minimum, socially acceptable standard. (In my opinion, laws are the social/cultural norms that have been legislated into law.) Always taking the minimum route, while possibly more profitable, does not translate into socially responsible.
One example that comes to mind is the activities of the press/media. Often, the media's quest for ratings and to "inform the people" ahead of one of their competitors, results in releasing information about a crime in such a way that the defendant cannot be assured a fair trial. This can lead to a couple of possibilities. The first being that the guilty party gets away. The other extreme, of course, is an innocent party gets convicted because of public pressure rather than evidence. Is it legal? Yes. Is it even close to being socially responsible? Absolutely not.
Now, what if a company/industry, in light of unquestionable scientific evidence, chose a technology for production of its product that was less subject to government regulations and had popular appeal with media? And this course of action ultimately reduced the stockholder's return on investment and took a much higher toll in human lives and damage to the environment? The actions of this industry brings with it an incredible social cost in terms of higher government expenditures. Would you say this company was socially irresponsible? Naturally, there is no question. Right?
Well this is exactly what ! happens every time a power generating company chooses not to use nuclear power. (Assuming they could start up a plant in this ridiculously over regulated industry.) I won't labor the issue but here are some undisputable facts listed in the 1985 book, The Health Hazards of NOT going Nuclear, by Dr. Petr Beckmann. It is important to note that Dr. Beckmann's thesis is not that nuclear power generation is safe. On the contrary, he simply points out that all methods of converting energy are inherently dangerous. Nuclear is simply the least dangerous, most efficient method of doing so. This is just one example of socially irresponsible management responding to criticisms of the biased and uninformed media.
First of all Dr. Beckmann dispels the myth of a nuclear explosion. The technology used to convert energy via nuclear fission is entirely different from that used to create nuclear bombs and an explosion is impossible.
However, an oil fired power plant with a of capacity 1000 MW capacity usually stores 6 weeks worth of fuel or roughly 2 Million barrels of oil. What happens if the fuel catches on fire? In December 1952 3,900 human lives were lost due to such an accident and the ensuing black cloud that engulfed London. 24 years later another similar accident happened in Brooklyn NY when a 90,000 barrel oil storage complex caught fire. The fire could not be brought under control and burned for 4 days. Had the weather not been favorable, thousands of lives would have been lost (Beckmann, pp.88-89.) Now, think about the fact that there is a place (undisclosed) on the east cost that stores 151 million gallons of oil literally on top of a town of 37,000 people (Beckmann p.92).
The potential energy of a 200,000 ton oil tanker is roughly equivalent to that of a two megaton hydrogen bomb. Naturally if one caught fire and exploded it would not release all the energy at once so you can sleep well knowing the resultant blast would probably not exceed that of a couple of nuclear bombs like the ones d! ropped on Hiroshima (Beckmann p. 93).
Another example. Liquid natural gas (LNG) is far more dangerous than oil. In Cleveland, in October 1944 a LNG tank exploded taking 133 lives. The quantity of LNG stored in highly populated areas is 20 times that of the tank that exploded in Cleveland. An empty tank exploded in February 73, but since it was empty, it only took 33 lives. Minor accidents with natural gas claim about 100 lives/year. Not hypothetical lives of a computer simulation but actual lives counted by coroners. (Beckmann, p. 93).
[ "Professor Richard Wilson of Harvard University has made an interesting comparison on the money spent to save human life from LNG tank explosions versus the money spent to save a human life from the radioactive emissions of nuclear power plants. [13] When in 1973, the maximum possible radiation dose at the property line of a nuclear power plant was reduced from 170 mrems/ year to 10 mrems/year, the effect was to reduce the incidence of cancer from 4 to 1 per year (out of a total of 300,000 cancers in the US). The cost of this step was $800,000,000 per saved life.
On the other hand, there are 75 LNG tanks located in US cities. The cost of moving these tanks out of the cities (calculated in the same way as the example above) would amount to only $1,000 per saved life; but this cost has not been paid and the LNG tanks remain in the cities.
Now who is it (and here we are no longer quoting Prof. Wilson) that decides to pay $800,000,000 for saving a human life from one danger, but refuses to pay $1,000 to save it from another?" [13]R. Wilson, paper given at Energy Conference, Center for Technology and Political Thought, Denver, Colo., June 1974. . . ] (Beckmann pp. 93-94,183)
I submit this is a powerful example of an industry or company staying well within the letter of the law and ! being completely, socially irresponsible.
Works Cited Beckmann, Petr. The Health Hazards of Not Going Nuclear. Rev. ed. Boulder, CO: The Golem P, 1985.
Book Description
Based on 25 years of research and Olympic coaching, High Performance Sailing reinvents the strategies of sailboat racing. It presents revolutionary explanations of wind prediction and boat design, a fundamental rethinking of how to sail a boat fast--literally faster than the wind. Bethwaite's theories boosted the average speed of the highest-performance sailboats from two-thirds the windspeed to windspeed or faster. Bethwaite is Australia's most successful Olympic coach, and his family includes three Olympic sailing champions and three world champions. This book will have a revolutionary impact on racing sailboats and the way they are sailed.
"Essential for any serious racing sailor."--Gary Jobson
"It represents a breakthrough in the way that it relates the theoretical aspects of wind, seastate and rig shape to the way a crew would sail and handle a boat during a race. It has the potential to be a standard reference work on the subject and will not quickly date. It is a book that my Olympic squad will benefit from."--Rod Carr, British Olympic Sailing Team Manager
"Frank's book is a treasure chest, full of brilliant insights into the ways of air and water as they flow around our sailing boats. Best of all, he tells us what to do when we go sailing."--Alan Payne, Designer of America's Cup challengers Gretal I and II
"Allowed only one 'if only' in yacht racing . . . it would have been to have read Frank Bethwaite's High Performance Sailing years ago and to have it available for constant reference. Taking all the advice which he offers from his wide experience would have made championship winning a great deal easier."--Bob Fisher, Journalist, broadcaster and winner of many national and international sailing championships
"The most significant scientific thinking about sailboat racing to come along in three decades. A brilliant and important book for serious racing sailors."--Ed Adams, US Sailing Team Coach; national, North American, and world champion sailor
"Bethwaite's grasp of the entire spectrum of sailing speed is unique and formidable."--Gerry Hoyt, Yacht designer, sailing speed innovator
Customer Reviews:
Overbearing in victory, surly in defeat.......2007-07-28
Just what is going on in a sailboat race (perhaps a regatta where everyone is sailing their 505 dinghies, and wearing t-shirts with comments on them such as the one in the title of my review)?
This book tells us plenty about what is going on.
The first part is about wind. And at once we're told about the various surface wind patterns, how they arise, and how often they repeat. The light air patterns are called "steady, unsteady, oscillating, and ribboning," while the breeze patterns are "steady, wandering, pulsing, convergent/divergent, channeling, and harsh." There's an enormous amount of specific advice about how to spot what is happening and how to react to each of these cases. We also see a discussion of the "stability index," which incorporates a number of factors that control predictability.
There's also some general race preparation advice. If your boat can match the speed of all the other boats in all conditions and you know what you are doing, that makes you the favorite, and you ought to sail conservatively. You pick three or four other boats that might win, ignore the others, and if those boats (roughly speaking) stay together, you stay in touch with them. "If you don't sail away from them, they cannot sail away from you." You beat them one by one by using the wind patterns, but only by enough to gain "the tactical advantage you need to be ahead of or inside of the selected boats at the next mark." Similarly, if you can't figure out a pattern, you can guess that a few others (perhaps with better "local knowledge") may know what they are doing better than you do. In that case, you should sail defensively, staying with the top boats. Those top boats will beat you, as will a few of the "gamblers," but you will beat most of the rest of the gamblers.
The second (and shortest) section is about water. That means a discussion of the types of waves, and the implications for proper boat handling, as well as currents and tidal streams, which affect navigation and tactics.
The third section deals with the specifics of the boat. Non-planing boats win according to wind speed in light and moderate winds, and according to wind direction in stronger winds. Boats which can plane, but not to windward, will win with wind direction upwind and with wind speed downwind. Boats that can plane to windward will win with wind speed, not wind direction.
This section comprehensively discusses sails, rigs, foils, and hulls.
The final section is on handling, to windward, crosswind, and downwind. That includes a discussion of downwind sailing in light airs, where it is of prime importance for the crew of the boat to stay as still as possible. That means moving as smoothly as possible to set up the jib on a whisker pole or set the spinnaker.
This section also includes a chapter on "kinetics," which is the co-ordinated movement of sails, steering, and body weight. When sailing to windward, the only useful variety of this is "surging," which means slowly and smoothly rolling to leeward a little bit to increase forward thrust. In other wind conditions, there are several other techniques, including impulses, energy-recovery, and pumping (overtrimming).
Sailors of all abilities can learn plenty from this book. I recommend it.
This book is a MASTERPIECE written by a GENIUS !!!.......2004-06-30
I love this book, it is incredibly deep and detailed with excellent illustrations. Teaching sailing is my job and I study this to improve my own racing performance and I will be passing the gems from this book to my more advanced students.
It is very technical, which I think is a good thing, in that it gives you an understanding of a lot of the detailed science inherent in wind, currents, tuning, handling etc. Mind you, there is a lot of information here... so expect to spend a season reading it and digesting it all. Some of it is so complex I still don't quite grasp it... but I will return to it and work through it when I get time.
If one could somehow 'brain dump' all the information in this book into a medium-level sailor's mind... he would be well on track for an olympic campaign.
I love this book and it will always be on my shelf as a guide, reference work and an interesting read in its own right. I give it the highest possible recommendation and I would love to have the depth of knowlege, penetrating insight and breadth of intelligence to have written this masterpiece.
how I got back into dinghy sailing.......2001-10-18
I was a hot shot dinghy sailor from the 1960's, read most of the books at the time. Reintroduced to this by my sons and the recent purchaser of a 29'er (Julian Bethwaite design) and as a somewhat hapless and occasional 50+ year old skipper of the same boat I decided to read up on the skills necessary for this skiff. Sometimes you are born too early. I could have used this information 30 years ago (but so could most of us if it had been known and available). Better late than never. The book covers slow (traditional keel, old style dinghys) boats, medium speed (high performance, laser 2's) boats and fast boats(skiffs). It is well written in a conversational tone. As in most scientific works you may need to reread some of the more analytical parts depending on your prior educational training. There are some interesting experiments that you can perform simply in your sink, bath tub, hot tub or pool to demonstrate the hydro/aero dynamic principles. I've got 30 or 40 sailing books in my library but this encompasses the most information on how to sail fast of the whole lot.
The best book ever on sailing or building faster boats.......2000-10-19
I thought I knew about meteorology, waves, boatbuilding and sailing. I have a first class Cambridge degree in physics, have sailed and raced various boats (dinghies and sailboards) for 30 years and designed one fast dinghy. I thought I was one smart dude. Words begin to fail me. Wow! I wish I had known this lot 30 years ago. It turns out that I was pig ignorant. The book is the best I have ever seen on what the wind does. It's the best ever on how to handle it. It's extremely good on rigs and how to adjust them. It's not just the best ever, it's streets ahead. Don't expect to read it quickly. There is a vast amount to take in. If you really know your stuff you might get through it in a few weeks. Better to plan on a whole winter.
Splendid reading for a sailing scientist.......2000-06-06
It's a great book, although I don't think it's something for the average sailer. A vast knowledge of science will help you understanding this book much better. The book is devided into four parts, of which I especially found the first two parts, named wind and water, very usefull. Wind is not just the story about high and low pressures, it's also translated to the effects you see on the water and the action that needs to be taken for maximum benefit. The water part is a good explanation about wave paterns and how to sail it. Parts three and four, called The Boat and Handeling, I found less usefull. It's better to buy a book who's specific on your type of yacht than reading a general story about this.
Book Description
Ski Faster
Learn to ski as expert racers do, even if you never plan to enter a starting gate.
You don't need nerves of steel and a passion for flying down slopes at 85 mph to benefit from the competitive-level advice and insider anecdotes in this book. In fact, even if moving at 15 mph on the intermediate slope makes you nervous, Ski Faster is for you . . . if you want to ski better . . . have more fun on the slopes . . . and learn how to carve those new shaped skis like a pro.
"The best skiers are ski racers," writes Densmore, pointing out the technical impact of champions such as Jean Claude Killy, Stein Ericksen, and Ingemar Stenmark. In this book, Densmore shows all skiers how to apply champion racing techniques not only to gain speed but to improve skill. Ski Faster shows you how to
- Prepare for and enjoy any kind of alpine race, no matter what your present skill level
- Tell a slalom course from a Giant slalom or Super G
- Get more fun out of skiing by mastering better technique
- Ski professionally with improved form and better-carved turns
- Understand how the new shaped skis improve your carving and racing potential
With pro-level guidance on training and conditioning . . . on-snow and dry-land drills . . . waxing tricks . . . faster starts . . . course tactics . . . mental preparation, including conquering fear of speed . . . tips from top racers . . . and over a hundred illustrations that make it all easier to understand, Ski Faster is the finest race-preparation manual available.
"A must-have in any Alpine master's ski library." --Bill Skinner, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Masters Coordinator and Park City Resort Masters Coach
"The most complete ski racing book written! It's an encyclopedia that reads like a personal diary of a ski racer. Whatever your interest or ability, this book will help you ski better and Ski Faster!" --Dave Merriam, Director of the Stowe Ski and Snowboard School and Head Coach of the PSIA Demonstration Team
"Lisa Feinberg Densmore has compiled a comprehensive digest of pertinent concepts, details, and personal accounts to form an improvement road map for recreational skiers, beginning-to-seasoned racers, instructors, coaches, parents, and fans. I'll recommend this book to many people." --David Ojala, Program Director, Mammoth Mountain Ski and Snowboard Team
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book.......2006-12-09
Fantastic and comprehensive. I just began Masters racing last year, and this book was incredibly helpful for pointing me in the right direction. I look forward to the Second Edition (hopefully coming soon).
An essential primer.......2006-02-24
Having made the decision (later than most!) to retire my 195cm straight sided GS skis, I needed to better understand how to adapt my technique to the new shaped slalom 165cm skis I bought. Lisa Densmore's book is a really good primer on the essentials of technique and how this has changed in relation to the various 'downhill' disciplines. There is the bonus reading on pre-season training and how methods have evolved plus a section on ski preparation that is easy to follow and practical. The clarity and authority of the writing invites reading this book time and again. Do bear in mind that things have continued to evolve over the five years since the book was published. Ski lengths have gone down further and additional techniques like the short reaching turn have emerged. However, the core of this book is solid, competitively priced and well presented.
Excellent for good skiers trying to get better.......2005-06-06
I was skiing on NASTAR courses and consistently getting Bronze medals; I was a pretty good skier and I could get down any slope but I could not break out of the Novice NASTAR category.
Technique, not aggressiveness, is everything in improving your racing times. This book will help.
Following this book's advice, I am now in the Expert NASTAR category consistently getting Silver medals and often getting Gold.
THE one-stop resource for racing instruction.......2003-10-24
I was in an REI store in Baltimore a few years ago when I stumbled on this book and promptly bought it. I had read a few other similar guides but I was still having difficulty grasping the concept of a proper Giant Slalom turn. Lisa Feinberg Densmore's SKI FASTER clearly and succinctly got the message across. Helpful photos of the "wrong" way as well as the "right" way really gave me an understanding of what I should be striving for. Although I have a long way to go, this nifty tome has helped me shave significant seconds off my recreational race league times. I have only one request. Lisa, when are you going to put it all on video? I've searched the web looking for an instructional video for recreational GS racers and none exist! With your broadcast background, you'd be a natural to produce one. As my club's racing captain, I an assure you there is a market out there!
Pat Moore
Race Captain
Mt. Laurel Skiers
www.mtlski.com
New Britain, CT
Great book for new racers.......2003-01-08
As a ski instructor for a few years I was recruited to coach a group of kids for ski racing. I new almost nothing about the techniques and tactics for ski racing and found this book to be a big help. It does contain a bit more information than I needed on downhill and super G racing. A great book for anyone interested in racing.
Book Description
New boats - New courses - New challenges - New problems - New solutions.
The new asymmetric boats and the new short courses demand new skills, techniques and strategies to win. Nobody has adapted better than John Merricks and Ian Walker. In this book they pass on the knowledge and secrets that have helped them achieve such outstanding results in the traditional classes (such as the 470) and the new flying machines. Their clear thinking will enable you, too, to master your boat...and the competition.
- Preparation (boat, foils, mast, sails, body and mind)
- Boathandling
- Boatspeed
- Racing strategies
- Planning for success
Customer Reviews:
How to sail a modern dinghy.......2001-07-24
Short kept advices for modern boats with asymmetric spinnakers. Does not explain the underlying physics but provides a handy HowTo covering rigg and sails, trimming and handling in different conditions, race preparation and tactics. Boats used for demonstration: 470, Laser 4/5000, 49er.
Carefully layouted, easy to use as a reference because you find again what you read.
Customer Reviews:
A great and useful book on high speed sailboat design.......2006-11-24
This book was published in 1979 and since that time high speed sailing technology has exploded with new materials, designs and equipment.
Still this is still one of the best technical primers on the physics of high speed sailboat design. Get it if you can.
Average customer rating:
- It's a Must for single-hander racers
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Single-Handed Racing: High Performance Sailing Techniques
Derrick Fries
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Contemporary
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0809251191 |
Customer Reviews:
It's a Must for single-hander racers.......2005-03-23
Although the printing is crude-ish, the concepts are invaluable for any racer of Force 5s, Lasers, Sunfish, etc.
Derrick has proven that he knows his stuff !
Book Description
A professional journalist shows students how to write hard-hitting news stories and attention-getting feature articles for newspapers and magazines.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Introduction.......2007-03-21
Though this is hardly a definitive source for article writing, HOW TO WRITE ARTICLES FOR NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES by Dawn Sova is certainly a worthy introduction to the craft. IN less than 100 pages, Sova presents a fast paced guide taking the reader from start to finish. Along the way, the perspective writer will find such information as a sample query letter, constructing an effective lead and even grammatical advice.
This brief introduction is well written and easy to understand. It contains practical advice that will surely help aspiring writers. Short on depth, but that is to be expected from such a small introduction. The back cover states the book is "perfect for amateurs and seasoned professionals" but I believe seasoned professionals might find it a bit too basic.
Great Book for Beginners.......2007-03-01
I just finished reading this book about a week ago. It's a fast read packed with a lot of helpful info for any freelance writer who wants to write for magazines or newspapers. I buy a lot of books on freelance writing, and this one is one of the better ones I've read.
Another book with inflated amazon.com reviews.......2004-03-20
This book isn't terrible, but it's hardly authoritative. It's a straight rehashing of the basics of newswriting, no doubt taken mostly from journalism textbooks. The advice isn't bad, but it's given with little flair, and the writing examples (from the author's own clips) are dull and uninspiring.
It's like an extended high school report -- the author is obviously not an expert on the subject, and she pieced together information from better books to make this one. But even on those terms, the book doesn't succeed, because the advice is spotty and unconvincing.
Write, Edit, Revise and Rewrite..........2004-01-29
...The golden rule of writing. This book is short, sweet and to the point, easily read and digested. The title explains exactly what you get. If you're an aspiring magazine writer, get it.
A little powerhouse full of great instruction for writers!.......2001-07-12
I picked this little (113 page book) up at the library and thought it might be of passing interest. I never thought such a little book could be packed with so much great information! I started out reading this book with a little post-it note pad next to me, figuring I would put a couple little notes on a few interesting pages, make some notes, then be done with the book. Well, now the book has a million little post-it notes in it and I think it's time to buy my own copy! Here are few chapter headings: Getting started (generating ideas & focusing on the subject), gathering information (fact vs. opinion, observation, interview, etc.), writing the effective article lead ...there are 10 useful chapters in all. They are written clearly and to the point -- no fluff here to fill in pages. One truly useful item in the book is a sample query letter (for an article). This is a great little book! Now I think I'll buy my own copy -- maybe you should too!
Customer Reviews:
Useless rambling.......2007-02-19
Not much more than a collection of anecdotes. Don't expect to learn much here. The section on interviewing, for instance, gives a couple of stories, then a brief guideline, with such original gems as "ask intelligent questions". Nothing on how to find the people to interview, how to connect with them, whether and what you should expect to pay, or how to actually conduct the interview.
A Collections Of Articles. That's It. Nothing Else........2006-11-30
The title should have been "How Your Articles Should Look" The book is a good read... It will get the "creative" juices flowing. Through article examples, the book shows you different methods on how your articles should look. If you're searching for a book that goes into the mechanics of article writing, this book is not it.
Not quite sure.......2004-01-29
Maybe I just didn't "get it." More likely my expectations were different than what the author intended. I was expecting "hundreds of ideas to spark my creativity" but got the same number of examples from Harpers, New Yorker, WSJ, Time and just about every other publication known to man, or so it seems. Yes I read some good, actually great, writing examples, but it never came together nor did I get the points being made. Perhaps I'll let it sit on the shelf a while and try again another day. For now, my recommendation is to pick up "How to Write Articles for Newspapers and Magazines" - more information in half the number of pages.
Peter Jacobi knows his stuff!.......2002-02-21
I'm halfway through this book and already have found ways to improve my writing. Copious examples that detail the text. I particulairly found the topic of story structure interesting - something which I had no previous knowledge.
What a disappointment!.......2001-05-30
This book was totally the opposite of what I was expecting - namely, practical down-to-earth steps in preparing a magazine article. Instead, it was filled with samples that could be called "motivational" but not the practical tips I seeking. I found the "Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing" by Jean Frederette to be much more of the nuts and bolts that I was looking for. Perhaps a more experienced writer would appreciate the powerful examples in this book; however, as a novice I need to know more tecnique than theory. My book will be shoved to the back of the bookcase for now.
Book Description
A systematic and user-friendly approach to journalistic feature story writing for journalism students, professionals, freelancers, and beginners is provided in this guide. Writers will learn to move beyond conventional news stories and embrace their creativity to create compelling features. Generating fresh ideas, gathering factual information, sifting through raw material, choosing the best angle, and working with editors are all explored. Discussion questions and exercises reinforce the ideas presented in each chapter. Pop culture examples and recently published articles are used to make concepts memorable and easily accessible.
Average customer rating:
- Pseudoscience not science fiction
- Thrilling From the Beginning to the End
- Dark story!
- Classic
- If you only watched the movie as a kid, you must read the novel as an adult.
|
Jurassic Park: Intermediate Level (Extended Read) (Guided Reader)
Michael Crichton , and
F.H. Cornish
Manufacturer: Delta Systems
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0435273485 |
Amazon.com
Unless your species evolved sometime after 1993 when Jurassic Park hit theaters, you're no doubt familiar with this dinosaur-bites-man disaster tale set on an island theme park gone terribly wrong. But if Speilberg's amped-up CGI creation left you longing for more scientific background and ... well, character development, check out the original Michael Crichton novel. Although not his best book (get ahold of sci-fi classic The Andromeda Strain for that), Jurassic Park fills out the film version's kinetic story line with additional scenes, dialogue, and explanations while still maintaining Crichton's trademark thrills-'n'-chills pacing. As ever, the book really is better than the movie. --Paul Hughes
Book Description
An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Creatures once extinct now roam Jurassic Park, soon-to-be opened as a theme park. Until something goes wrong...and science proves a dangerous toy....
"Wonderful...Powerful."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Customer Reviews:
Pseudoscience not science fiction.......2007-09-16
I have a great many issues with the writing of Michael Crichton; and I will spend this particular review articulating many of my critiques that also apply to Crichton's other works.
One will notice that I have tagged most of Crichton's books as pseudoscience and not science fiction. As a man of science myself, I take an issue with how the various pieces of science fiction are presented by Crichton and not so much the various pieces of fiction themselves. In short, I think Crichton is a leading propagator of pseudoscience in today's society.
When reading a piece of science fiction, I am normally happy to suspend disbelief in regards to various pieces of fictional technology as long as that technology serves a purpose higher than that of a superficial plot device. What I find disturbing about Crichton's work is that he specifically writes his stories so that they HEAVILY depend not on a piece of fictional technology itself but instead the implementation of that technology. Essentially, his stories centre heavily around the implementation of technologies and not so much on the technology itself. Normally, this doesn't work in science fiction as it makes a story centre too much around a purely fictional idea; i.e. there isn't enough for the reader to connect to. In other works of science fiction, fictional technologies are present but the story still ultimately centres around characters and more-or-less traditional struggles they face which are readily analogized to real life. Crichton makes putting focus on the implementation of technology work by essentially making people believe the technologies to implement his pieces of fiction are already here or just around the corner. Instead of merely mentioning that genetics has enabled the recreation of dinosaurs, he spends pages upon pages explaining how this technology works. Essentially, he tries to convince the reader that what he's writing isn't mere possibility but inevitability. He uses pseudoscience to convince people that his fiction is real.
The fact is, Crichton glances over any scientific complications that would prevent the implementation of his fiction. Unfortunately, these subtleties are where the science normally gets very very interesting; but since it doesn't fit nicely into Crichton's fantasy, they are left out.
Crichton's pseudoscience would not be so bad if he didn't use it as a crutch for his crappy writing. Case-in-point, Crichton can't write a decent ending to save his life (i.e. when the pseudoscience's ability to sustain the story is exhausted). Crichton's characters in this book are so cliche that it's really infuriating. As a mathematician I abhorred Malcom's character in this story; he was obviously a character who loved the idea of being a 'chaotician' and cared little for any actual mathematical sustenance. There wasn't anything in this story that indicated he was really a mathematician of any type besides the way he introduced himself. The other scientific characters weren't as obnoxious, but they were done in a very stereotypical way. The plot itself was asinine. You have all this genetic ability at your finger tips, and all you can do is make a theme park out of it. If you are going to raise dinosaurs to study theme; putting them in a theme park makes no sense scientifically nor economically. I know the one funding Jurassic park is eccentric; but you don't become rich by making idiotic financial decisions. Oh and this is the EXACT same plot as Timeline: extremely rich zealots wants to build a theme park using a new technology but something goes terribly wrong. The fact is every Crichton novel I've read has a plot that is either contrived, asinine, or a copy of another plot he's already written. His endings aren't even good; as they often lack proper resolution and read like he simply ran out of ideas and decided to end the novel.
I believe Crichton's success in popular fiction has done much to hurt the public's perception of what science is and how it works. Crichton writes such a deceptively convincing expositions into pseudoscience; the lay person believes that he is more speaking of the inevitable future rather than a piece of creative fiction. This is what really gets to me. After reading Jurassic park, enough people think they know something about genetics when they have read ideas that actually lead them to totally incorrect conclusions about the subject. I.e. using frog DNA to rebuild damaged dinosaur DNA will most likely get you a cell dying right after being fertilized. It's like crossing my DNA with that of a Rabbit; you think those cells with that DNA are going to survive?! Think again. This is one example of many; but now, many people think that's how genetics works. So now you have the general populous not only misunderstanding various aspects of science but even going so far as to criticize current scientist to make Crichton's fiction a reality. Ignorance is hard enough to deal with; but having a general public who now is getting a falsified image of science is something I believe to be worse than them simply not knowing about it.
In the end, I only gave this book 2 stars as it was somewhat original when it first came out. You will notice I give many of Crichton's other novels a 1 star rating. Eventually, I gave up on him as an author after I had read enough of his pseudoscientific expositions.
My final thought is that I believe Crichton's work wouldn't have been popular at all if on the cover of each one of his books was a disclaimer saying that all the information within is fictional and/or taken out of scientific context and that what is portrayed may very well never happen.
Thrilling From the Beginning to the End.......2007-09-05
A great thriller from beginning to end (as I wrote in my title), this Jurassic Park tells the tale that's too gruesome, too complicated, for Hollywood. With so much more in technological revolution and the attempt of studying the true potential mankind, and their limits, Crichton explores the vastness of science and its limitations in this brave novel.
Right from the beginning Crichton keeps his readers glued to the book until they rush through. With a nice easy flow, this book is sure to get any readers interest, especially for those who are beloved fans of the film.
A definite must-read.
Dark story!.......2007-08-24
The story is bloody darker than in the film. I love it! MC writes well and have lots of interesting stuff for those who like biology or science in general. I have learnt a lot from this book and reccomend to all of you who would like a darker story than the film.
Classic.......2007-07-27
I am a huge fan of the JP series. I have watched the movies countless times. I went in reverse order by reading the book afterwards. No matter. The book was fantastic and, having already seen the movies, it was easier to imagine the scenery and the characters. The end left questions...... Not necessarily in a bad way though. It just now makes me want to get the Lost World, even though I didn't think the movie was as good as it could have been. Everyone knows about this book by now. Even if you've seen the movie, this is definately still worth the read!
If you only watched the movie as a kid, you must read the novel as an adult........2007-07-06
I read Jurassic Park for the first time in 1992, right after the paperback edition was published. I had never read science fiction before JP. I just devoured it during a flight from New York to Costa Rica. Destiny! I was captivated by the smart extrapolation of science, particularly the clever use of biotechnology for breeding extinct animals, the warnings about uncontrolled uses of new technologies (Crichton's recurring theme), all the new and updated information about how dinosaurs really were, and by Crichton's trademark in his earlier works, a storyline full of verisimilitude, imagination and originality. What a great SF novel this is!
The enchantment didn't end here. Thereafter I read all available Crichton novels, beginning with "Andromeda Strain", still my favorite, and more recently "State of Fear" and "Next". Despite the polemical reaction from environmentalists, I really enjoyed Crichton scientific skepticism in "State of Fear", regardless of the poor quality of the plot (the message though is clear, with enough scientific evidence at least to make you wonder if global warming has been exaggerated).
This sudden interest in SF let me get to know the works of the masters, I. Asimov, R. Heinlein, A. Clarke, and from there all the way to K.S. Robinson, G. Benford, R. J. Brown and R. C. Wilson. This is how I became a fan of hard science fiction. I also discovered the joy of reading, not only during long flights. From here I wanted to understand the science behind the plots, the philosophical dilemmas, science versus religion, and ended up reading Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Richard Feynman, Paul Davies, Richard Dawkins and the like.
And then, in 1993 my disappointment was as high as my expectations were for the movie, except for the new computer-generated (CGI) special effects, the dinosaurs looked very realistic (this technology was a revolution in cinema we are benefiting from up to these days). The movie it's a deception, as the previous reviewers exhaustively mentioned below, and it's also misleading to judge Crichton's work. Spielberg made a typical kids movie out of the original plot. Unfortunately, for the sequel, Crichton wrote a PG-13 action movie script instead of a good SF novel, which Spielberg changed again, and the resulting JP II ("The Lost World") was even worse.
For those of you who were kids or teenagers in 1993, when you watched the JP the movie, I highly recommend you to read the book. You're not going to regret it, and maybe, you might become fans of science fiction, as I did. The original plot was writing to captivate adults with a story centered on dinosaurs, at the time, usually a theme for kids only.
PD: Isla Nublar really exists in Costa Rica, only that the real name is "Isla del Coco", several hundred miles away from Puntarenas, in the Pacific. It is a National Park, but sorry, no dinosaurs there!
Books:
- Heavy Metals In The Environment: Using Wetlands for Their Removal
- Human Landscapes in Classical Antiquity: Environment and Culture (Leicester-Nottingham Studies in Ancient Society ; V. 6)
- Hunting Whitetails by the Moon
- Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America
- Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (The Mcgraw-Hill Series in Civil and Environmental Engineering)
- Introduction to Quantitative Ecology (Population Biology)
- JOHN MUIR: APOSTLE OF NATURE (The Oklahoma Western Biographies , Vol 8)
- John Ray: Naturalist: His Life and Works (Cambridge Science Classics)
- Ktaadn
- Leaves of the tulip tree: Autobiography
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