Rating: 
Summary: Pleasing eclectic mix
Review: What sets Bill McLain's book apart from other miscellaneous sound bytes of knowledge books is (a) it's the latest (b) the Q & A's were inspired by actual questions and answers from McLain's website, and (c) the organization, which allows McLain to elaborate and provide website addresses for additional information.McLain's light-hearted, semi-corny style is also a plus, although the cutesy parenthetical asides after each question (e.g., "Where did the idea for underwear come from? (Not from Jockeys.)") sometimes miss the mark. There is also a Western bias in the text; for example the section on religion doesn't get east of Mecca, and even the section entitled "World" is almost exclusively concerned with sites Western. The information however, as far as I can tell, is textbook accurate with one puzzling exception. On page 219 McLain speculates about a planet revolving around Alpha Centauri. He writes: "Although the planet's terrain would probably be similar to earth's continents, islands, and oceans, the planet would be different in most other ways." He adds that "Temperatures would be much higher than those on earth and could be lethal to humans trying to live in the tropical regions. Life would prefer the cooler highlands." Amazing. How would or could he know this! More likely, if the descriptions of actual extra solar planets are to be believed, a planet revolving around Alpha Centauri (at least any one that we could become aware of) would be a gas giant like Jupiter or Saturn, and any talk of "tropical regions" or "cooler highlands" just so much terra-centered silliness. Some of my favorite bits of knowledge found here: the amount of gold in Fort Knox; a rather thorough answer to whether water drains clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on hemisphere; why Eskimos don't die of scurvy; and what's the world's faster roller coaster. This is a nice entertainment and an easy read.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasing eclectic mix
Review: What sets Bill McLain's book apart from other miscellaneous sound bytes of knowledge books is (a) it's the latest (b) the Q & A's were inspired by actual questions and answers from McLain's website, and (c) the organization, which allows McLain to elaborate and provide website addresses for additional information. McLain's light-hearted, semi-corny style is also a plus, although the cutesy parenthetical asides after each question (e.g., "Where did the idea for underwear come from? (Not from Jockeys.)") sometimes miss the mark. There is also a Western bias in the text; for example the section on religion doesn't get east of Mecca, and even the section entitled "World" is almost exclusively concerned with sites Western. The information however, as far as I can tell, is textbook accurate with one puzzling exception. On page 219 McLain speculates about a planet revolving around Alpha Centauri. He writes: "Although the planet's terrain would probably be similar to earth's continents, islands, and oceans, the planet would be different in most other ways." He adds that "Temperatures would be much higher than those on earth and could be lethal to humans trying to live in the tropical regions. Life would prefer the cooler highlands." Amazing. How would or could he know this! More likely, if the descriptions of actual extra solar planets are to be believed, a planet revolving around Alpha Centauri (at least any one that we could become aware of) would be a gas giant like Jupiter or Saturn, and any talk of "tropical regions" or "cooler highlands" just so much terra-centered silliness. Some of my favorite bits of knowledge found here: the amount of gold in Fort Knox; a rather thorough answer to whether water drains clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on hemisphere; why Eskimos don't die of scurvy; and what's the world's faster roller coaster. This is a nice entertainment and an easy read.
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