Why Sh*t Happens: The Science of a Really Bad Day

by Peter J. Bentley

Book Overview

Have you ever fallen victim to Murphy's law? Sometimes bad things just happen. In Why Sh*t Happens, esteemed British scientist Peter J. Bentley takes readers on an informative and amusing tour through... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594869561
• ISBN13: 9781594869563
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Rodale Books
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

A horrible day becomes a wonderful teaching example

Dr Bentley has crafted a light hearted, easy to read book that takes you through one of the worst days imaginable and then teaches you exactly what the science behind the event is. He details 39 bad events with great humor, which quickly draws you into the idea, and then he follows with a 5 to 10 page discourse on the science behind the event. Our protagonist, a business man who should have really never left the bed in the morning, Goes through a sequence of events; none of them particularly horrid, but all very annoying. Each event, whether its a bee sting or eating dirt and glass, is used as a launching point for a discussion on such topics as to why the bee stings, how the teeth work, how the digestive system protects you and so on. There are 39 chapters in the book, each contains a mini lesson. In general, the lessons are: 1) sleeping through the alarm 2) slipping on soap 3) cutting yourself shaving 4) toast on fire 5) exploding liquids 6) milk gone bad 7) wet mp3 player 8) bird droppings 9) forgotten bag 10) skidding on the road 11) diesel instead of gas 12) tripping on the curb 13) chewing gum in hair 14) rain soaked clothing 15) being lost 16) bee sting 17) sticking yourself with superglue 18) electromagnetic interference from phone 19) puncture 20) leaking pens 21) mistaken identity 22) torn clothing 23) opening an e-mail virus 24) jammed finger 25) computer hard disk failure 26) broken finger 27) dropping keys down the drain 28) pulled muscle 29) sparking microwave 30) broken glass 31) stains 32) chile pepper in the eye 33) food on the floor 34) lighning kills the tv 35) burns and blisters 36) scratched cd 37) broken tooth 38) stubbed toe 39) overflowing bath The chapters are fairly self contained, so reading out of order won't detract. A truly fun read.

Mostly science I already knew

This is a neat little book about a really sad dude who has the worst day ever. Each chapter starts with something awful happening to him and then goes into the science behind why or how that happened. Much of the science is something a person with any analytic background will already know. There is some new stuff, and I really liked the way it was presented. The overall tone of the book had me thinking of some kind of british special that John Cleese might narrate - like the science behind beauty thing he did with that Hurley woman. Overall, a very approachable book that explains the logic behind all the stuff that happens, and lets you explain way bad luck. (*)>

Fun and informative

Very, very interesting and entertaining! I would suggest it to anyone who is interested in the physics and history behind ordinary stuff that happen to us every day. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to read the book, either! Though you may end up feeling bad for the guy in the book for whom *NOTHING* goes right that day, the book will often bring a smile on your face all throughout!

Interesting little book

About: Bentley goes through a hypothetical very bad day in which the science behind 34 mishaps is explained. Oversleeping, shaving cuts, bad milk, bird poop, skipping CDs, skin burns and hard drive crashes are examples of what's covered (good thing this bad day is hypothetical!) Some Interesting Things I Learned: * To remove chewing gum, try peanut butter or mayonnaise (the oils in them help the molecules in the gum slide off whatever they are stuck too). You can also try icing the gum to freeze it, and then break the frozen mass. * NASA didn't spend millions of dollars to develop a "Space Pen," They bought them from Fisher. Most normal ballpoint pens will work in zero gravity anyway. * If you eat something very spicy and want to cool down your mouth, drink milk. It's thought that the mix of casein and fat will wash away the capsaicin molecules that give chilies their spice. Milk chocolate and several types of beans and nuts are thought to have a similar effect. * Cut yourself shaving? Don't dab the cut with a tissue, you'll just keep disrupting your platelets that are trying to heal the area. Instead, apply steady pressure. * Anti-lock brakes leave dotted skids that look like ======= . Non-anti-lock brakes leave solid line skids. Pros: Well-written with very interesting and varied topics. Short chapters make for easy pick-up reading. Cons: No cites, no full bibliography provided. No real sum up, book just sort of ends.