Rating: 
Summary: Was this edited?
Review: A collection of things I already knew in easy to use, bathroom-ready form. More than any book since Mick Foley's first, this one could really use an editor. The references section was usefull, however.
Rating: 
Summary: Hillarious (and true!) flipside to history as we know it.
Review: All science teacher's should be like Steve! In a search to find the most interesting and obscure facts in history, this book is the champion. Many people find urban legends an irresistible read, and at first glance you would expect as much from Steve Silverman. The most amazing thing about it is these are, in fact, all true! From the secret of America's first subway to the near disaster of the Citicorp Tower, these stories are guaranteed to keep you reading on. Who would of thought that the screen siren Hedy Lamarr was actually a genius inventor that gave us the idea behind the cordless phones we all use today, and also brought about one of the biggest advances in our nations military technology? Or the fascinating The Lake Peigneur Disaster, where one false move by an oil rig made an entire lake disappear! This in one book I highly recommend. If you're looking for serious literary work, go buy Chaucer. If your looking for some good, light hearted humorous reading along the lines of Larry Gonick from "A Cartoon History Of The Universe", this one is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Einstein Would Be Proud
Review: Books can often be divided into two categories: those that are well researched and informative, and those that are entertaining. "Einstein's Refrigerator" manages to be both. As a teacher I appreciate the time and effort Steve Silverman has put into verifying the authenticity of each of his bizarre tales,something missing from other books in this genre. His wry tone and informal style will attract the interest of even the most reluctant readers. I'm sure Einstein would be proud to be associated with Mr. Silverman's amusing collection of stories.
Rating: 
Summary: The Flip Side of Urban Legends
Review: Everyone has heard of urban legends, those absolutly true accounts of apocryphal events which are truer with every telling. Usually, they represent an exaggeration, a fabrication or an outright hoax. In Einstein's Refrigerator, author Silverman serves up a host of stories collected from his Useless Information web site that sound much like urban legens, but aren't; each is absolutely true and substantiated. Ever hear the one about the guy who attached helium balloons to a lawn chair, then used a rifle to pop the balloons one by one to descend? Really happened! Or the one about the salvage company that raised a sunken ship by filling it with millions of ping-pong balls, inspired by a Donald Duck comic book? Also happened! The volume suffers though from a lack of cohesion; it is less a book than a collection of anecdotes. As a collection of conversation-starters or bet-settlers the book is at least as good as the compilations of urban legends from Thomas J. Craughwell and others and a pleasant diversion for those odd moments of down time.
Rating:
Summary: Funny Read!
Review: Great book for rainy days, or even for sunny days in the sun! Some of the stories I found incredible and even unbelievable - - it forces me to wonder if humans will remain the master race for much longer. I'd guess it would be a good book to read to a kid, while keeping the reader entertained....
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Silver is the very much best teacher ever.
Review: I am exchange student, and I have mr silverman as my teacher of science in the 11th grade. He taght me that quarks come from a mommy and daddy, and that einstein liked to cook stuff and keep it cold. This book helped me learn to read better, with mr. silverman by my side the whole of the way.Mr. silverman is also single and looking, ladies.
Rating:
Summary: Round Up the Usual Oddities: Useful for the Novice
Review: my brother passed this book on to me when he left for college, and i carelessly threw it on a shelf. then one day i picked it up and i was fascinated! it has so many interesting and true stories. i couldnt believe that i had let it sit on a shlef for so many months. just to give you a bit of the flavor of the book, heres some of the articles names (and they are as interesting as they sound!!) - the great boston molasses tragedy, mike the headless chicken, bat bombs, the baby derby - just to name a few! since reading it, i have lent it out to many of my friends, and they all agree that it is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: a great book with interesting short stories
Review: my brother passed this book on to me when he left for college, and i carelessly threw it on a shelf. then one day i picked it up and i was fascinated! it has so many interesting and true stories. i couldnt believe that i had let it sit on a shlef for so many months. just to give you a bit of the flavor of the book, heres some of the articles names (and they are as interesting as they sound!!) - the great boston molasses tragedy, mike the headless chicken, bat bombs, the baby derby - just to name a few! since reading it, i have lent it out to many of my friends, and they all agree that it is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: A little less is more....
Review: Steve Silverman's "Einstein's Refrigerator" is a lot better in blurb-form than up close and personal. While the content of the tales themselves is often fascinating, the 'transcribed-from-lecture" tone of the writings is noisome. Having taught at all levels of both ability and grade, I think more than a few in the main target audience will be put off by the "hip" one-liners and asides Silverman has peppered liberally throughout. I think he would have served himself, his students, and his content better had be edited his strained informality a bit more. Nonetheless, he has dug up some interesting and surprising details "from the flip side of history."
Rating:
Summary: Good bathroom reading
Review: This book is a series of pleasant little surprises in an easy to read style. Unfortunately, the conversational style doesn't really translate to the written page, and some of the stories, such as how Heddy Lamar invented spread spectrum communications, are pretty well known. Because of this, I recommend reading it, but only "while otherwise occupied."
|
