This one is for Martin Tangora: this weekend I read "The New Science of 
Strong Materials, or Why You Don't Fall through the Floor" by J. E. 
Gordon. It can be read in a weekend.

I really enjoyed this book a whole lot and I can see why Martin 
recommended it to the BP audience. I particularly enjoyed reading about 
resorcinal glue... it took me back to my past. Likewise for Casein. Some 
neat stuff in this book. The sections about problems w/ aircraft made of 
wood during the World Wars I also liked a whole lot. I learned stuff 
about biplanes and gliders... like why plants grow inside of their 
tails. I never knew that early steam engines had wood boilers, or that 
the biggest technical step forward w/ the development of trains was in 
the production of steel rails. There is a little bit of math, not too 
much of it and it is not overwhelming once you get past the Angstroms. A 
whole lot about looking at very very small things with electron 
microscopes. I have always loved Brownian movement (or I mean, since I 
first encountered it, no, I mean since I first heard of it I have had a 
particular fondness for Brownian movement, not to be confused with Brown 
Spots). Gordon had a nice sense of humor and I marked about two dozen 
potential Gab & Eti type quotes.

Cheers,
][<en

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