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This reminds me aesthetically of The Way Things Work [1] which was one of my favorite books as a kid. Having a similar wordly reference as an adult has been a g

This reminds me aesthetically of The Way Things Work [1] which was one of my favorite books as a kid. Having a similar wordly reference as an adult has been a goal for a while. [1] https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-way-things-work-newly-revised-edition-the-newly-revised-edition-from-levers-to-lasers-windmills-to-wi-fi-a-visual-guide-to-the-world-of-machines./9780544824386.html https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-way-things-work-newly-revise...

rkuykendall-com 1y ago
A cool recent one for large-scale infrastructure is "Engineering in Plain Sight": https://practical.engineering/book https://practical.engineering/book
- progbits 1y ago
  I was disappointed in that one unfortunately. Too much name dropping of random pieces without offering any insights why they are needed. You learn much more just skimming through a wiki article.
berelig 1y ago
I've been looking around for a book like this that has scientific/engineering topics presented in a bite-sized fashion so a teenager (or even adults) can discover which ones pique their interests and are worth a deeper dive. Would this book work or is it a bit too simple? Does anyone have another book to recommend?
- tenacious_tuna 1y ago
  it's been a couple decades since I've read it, but I'd buy it again as an adult. Like the peer comment says, "Engineering in Plain Sight" purports to be similar and I bought my dad a copy last christmas. Planning to spend some of my professionial development stipend on a copy this year.
  - kridsdale1 1y ago
    The Way Things Work is up to date. I loved it in the mid 90s and just bought a new copy for my kid this year. It has SSDs, OLEDs, Gravity Wave Detection, etc.
- kobenni 1y ago
  For mathematics, there are the Princeton Companion to Mathematics and the Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics.
Acrobatic_Road 1y ago
I had the same thought. I don't remember if it was exactly this book, but I remember reading a book that explained all kinds of engineering concepts for my kid brain. And I remember the latter part of the book had some computer science content like how compression works.
- vunderba 1y ago
  If it had an abundance of woolly mammoths then it was likely this book. Highly recommended - covers everything from reactors to pin tumbler locks.
MisterTea 1y ago
Amazing book for sure. David Macaulay has a few other books, four of which were turned into educational animated PBS specials. My mother got us the box set from PBS years ago.

rkuykendall-com 1y ago

A cool recent one for large-scale infrastructure is "Engineering in Plain Sight": https://practical.engineering/book https://practical.engineering/book

progbits 1y ago
I was disappointed in that one unfortunately. Too much name dropping of random pieces without offering any insights why they are needed. You learn much more just skimming through a wiki article.

berelig 1y ago

I've been looking around for a book like this that has scientific/engineering topics presented in a bite-sized fashion so a teenager (or even adults) can discover which ones pique their interests and are worth a deeper dive. Would this book work or is it a bit too simple? Does anyone have another book to recommend?

tenacious_tuna 1y ago
it's been a couple decades since I've read it, but I'd buy it again as an adult. Like the peer comment says, "Engineering in Plain Sight" purports to be similar and I bought my dad a copy last christmas. Planning to spend some of my professionial development stipend on a copy this year.
- kridsdale1 1y ago
  The Way Things Work is up to date. I loved it in the mid 90s and just bought a new copy for my kid this year. It has SSDs, OLEDs, Gravity Wave Detection, etc.
kobenni 1y ago
For mathematics, there are the Princeton Companion to Mathematics and the Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics.

Acrobatic_Road 1y ago

I had the same thought. I don't remember if it was exactly this book, but I remember reading a book that explained all kinds of engineering concepts for my kid brain. And I remember the latter part of the book had some computer science content like how compression works.

vunderba 1y ago
If it had an abundance of woolly mammoths then it was likely this book. Highly recommended - covers everything from reactors to pin tumbler locks.

MisterTea 1y ago

Amazing book for sure. David Macaulay has a few other books, four of which were turned into educational animated PBS specials. My mother got us the box set from PBS years ago.