Customer Reviews

The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive

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This terrific book first came to my attention when its author politely asked whether it would be okay for him to mention it in the technical newsgroup forums my company hosts. I had known of John through his many years as an occasional contributor in our forums, though I knew nothing of his being an author. Little did I know.

Now I have a copy, and I love it. When I take it with me to coffee, other regulars who have seen it before, grab it if I'm reading something else. We all love it because it is SO accessible (and these are people who are not nearly as geeky as me). Opening the book to literally any page pulls you in immediately. Even if you're not a traveller (I'm definitely not) the book is a compendium of bite-size world-wide technical history of innovation and invention -- in gratifying detail. No single topic is more than four pages long, so you can read many before your coffee gets cold. And you may be ordering a second cup, because this book is difficult to put down. You can read by region, or scan the table of contents for anything that looks interesting; The Escher Museum in the Netherlands, the Experimental Breeder Reactor #1 in Idaho, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the Mendel Museum of Genetics in the Czech Republic, and 124 other notable places and times where something geeky and technologically important happened. I used to wonder how and where the speed of light was first measured. Now I know.

John has filled the pages not only with a discussion of interesting brief historical notes, but also with his own diagrams and explanations of every principle and discovery. He has a direct, straightforward, and clear writing style. And best of all for geeky readers like myself, he clearly knows what he's talking about. Unlike some authors who are disconcerting because you sense that they're not sure of their facts, you won't find any of that here. The technical content is precise and will satisfy the geekiest among us.

This book would be a bargain at twice Amazon's price of only $20. So think about getting two. Even if you are not a geek, you'll love this -- really. And I'll bet you know a geek who would value this just as much!

The Geek Atlas is a travel guide for locating the sites of significant math, technology, and science breakthroughs complete with little icons for each location indicating the availability of food, weather-suitability, and kid-friendliness. But "travel guide" barely begins to describe the wonder contained in the Geek Atlas. I prefer to think of this book as a geography-based survey of awesomely fascinating stuff no one ever told you, but that you'd love to know. Imagine having a smart uncle around to feed your brain tasty tidbits of knowledge. If you'd like to be that uncle, here's your guide. Open the book to any page and I guarantee you'll find a cool story or a neat technical explanation: the molecular structure of penicillin plus an explanation for how it works, the story of the first battery and the chemistry behind it, a thorough and detailed description of the structure and function of the lymphatic system, the temperature of space. Gobs of information about technology and science. I could live without this knowledge, but being a geek myself, I wouldn't want to!

Take, for example, the entry on the Eiffel Tower. From the Geek Atlas we learn that the Eiffel Tower was built with puddle iron "which has a higher carbon content than wrought iron and therefore more tensile strength. Puddle iron is made by mixing the pig iron from a blast furnace with iron oxide (rust) and puddling it (stirring the molten mixture)." The Eiffel Tower section continues with a description of Eiffel's engineering approach to the tower's wind resistance: "In 1885, Eiffel wrote a paper for the French Society of Civil Engineers in which he described the most significant part of the tower's design -- he had eliminated any diagonal bars by ensuring that stress from the wind was transmitted exclusively down the exterior of the tower. This design dictated a specific curving shape." As familiar as the Eiffel Tower seems, I knew none of this!

I love this book. Give it to a curious kid, a dad or mom with kids, or devour its pages on your own. If you're a geek, or a lover of science and tech, this book's for you.

A recent search on Amazon for travel guides returned over 30,000 results. Most of these are standard travel guides to popular tourist destinations which advise the reader to go to the typical tourist sites. The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive is a radically different travel guide. Rather than recommending the usual trite destinations, which are often glorified souvenir stores, the book takes the reader to places that make science real and exciting, and hopefully those who exit such places are more knowledgeable than when they went in.

Irrespective of its travel content, The Geek Atlas is a unique and fascinating read for the information and overview of its wide range of topics. If there is a fault in the book, it is with its title. When people see Geek Atlas, they might think that this is a book that takes the reader to boring and obscure places, which is the exact opposite of its intent.

Author John Graham-Cumming writes that you won't find tedious, third-rate museums, or a tacky plaque stuck to a wall stating that "Professor X slept here". Every place he recommends is meant to have real scientific, mathematical, or technological interest.

Each of the books 128 chapters is separated into 3 parts: a general introduction to the place with an emphasis on its scientific, mathematical or technological significance; a related technical subject covered in greater detail, and practical visiting information. So while you may not be able to make it to the Escher Museum (chapter 29) in The Hague, Netherlands; the information on how M.C. Escher used impossible shapes in which the chapter describes is a fascinating read on its own.

Graham-Cumming notes that a disappointing trend with science museums today is a tendency to emphasize the wow factor without really explaining the underlying science. He notes the following 3 attributes of such museums: a short name ending with an exclamation mark, a logo featuring pastel colors or a cuddle cartoon mascot, or an IMAX theater.

Why does the book specifically have 128 places listed? See chapter 58, for the National Museum of Computing in Bletchley, UK. Graham-Cumming notes that your average travel guide would have listed perhaps 100 or 125 places. 128 is a round binary number (10000000). Of course, those who are binary obsessed might wonder why this book is not titled 10000000 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive.

The 128 places listed are for the most part divided equally between sites in Europe and the USA, with a few in the Far East and Russia. A complete listing of the sites is mapped on the books web site. Africa for some reason seems to be left out and perhaps a follow-up volume will fill that void. Of course, one could argue that Africa has had a minimal contribution to the world of science, mathematics and technology. Nigeria for example is famous for its 419 advance-fee fraud, but not its overabundance of contributors to physics.

For the US locations, there are locations for 25 states, with California being the biggest with 7 suggested places to visit. With that, it is surprising that the book lists the HP Garage, given that it is not open to the public and only serves as a shack to be photographed. Other places such as the US Navy Submarine Force Museum and MIT Museum are indeed more visit worthy.

The tours of some of the sites, like the HP Garage will take less than an hour or so (chapter 42 -- Bunhill Fields Cemetery, London, UK), while others one can spend a half or full-day at the site.

While The Geek Atlas is touted as a travel guide, it is much more than that. Its 128 chapters are a wide-ranging overview of science and mathematics. Topics run the gamut from physics and pharmacology to transistors and optics. In fact, the book would make a superb syllabus for an introduction to science course. The plethora of subject covered, combined with its easy to read and absorbing style makes it a fantastic book for both those that are scientifically challenged, yet curious, and those that have a keen interest in the sciences.

The Geek Atlas is a fascinating and enjoyable read; in fact, it I found it hard to put down. Lets hope the author is working on a sequel with the next 256 additional places where science and technology come alive.

Good book, I like how each location is reviewed and their scientific or geeky break down of the significant role the location has in science. I have shown this book around to some friends who were interested in it. I'll definitely check into this book before I take any cross country trips to makes sure I dont miss something interesting on the way.

This book is chock full of factual (scientifically oriented) data. Being an engineer myself I am fascinated by factual information I've never before read.

I absolutely love this book! Not only does it provide useful information (e.g. what you will see at the location, whether a tour is provided in English, and websites containing more information on how and when to visit), but for each location it provides a section explaining some aspect of science and technology (e.g. how a diesel engine works, or an explanation of iron allotropes). I found it very enjoyable to read, which can't be said for most travel books (at least not the ones I've read). I highly recommend this book to anyone with a passion for science and technology!

I think that I spotted and acquired this book at the 3rd Makerfaire.

It's a nice book as a contrast to the world of Lonely Planet (not knocking) and Fodor's/Frommers (not generally recommending). The Atlas isn't bad, but it has its biases: as other reviews on Amazon note, it has a UK-US bias (and it even knocks one museum a little undeservedly; unnecessary bashing by the authors). It is a little somewhat dated, and one of the nice things is that the authors are allowed to maintain a web site c/o O'Reilly for reader comments and suggestions (perhaps for a later edition). Some of the science descriptions are good summaries if you have not had those in primary schooling.

I see that bias, because I'm a 3rd generation California who works in and with many of these sites. If you want the outside of a building to gaze, I would have put the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) of Xerox, but we hold professional society meetings in their auditorium (just wait until one happens, then get to know people who work there). We also hold society meetings at Apple (4 Infinite Loop).

The Atlas is unable to support your travel to visit many of these spots: no specific transport or lodging recommendations. They are the author's personal recommendations.

The web site requires a little more than the usual easy navigation. For instance, in the Cryptologic Museum (101), it would be better to visit on a weekday before 3 PM rather than later or say a Saturday, because not only is the gift shop open, their great Library is also open to historic old declassified documents (you can actually thumb through the 14 declassified boxes of Herbert Yardley's papers). The web site can make up for that little detail lacking in the Atlas.

Personally, I find a few of the recommendations strange which is largely due to the authors' bias. On the topic of submarines, other submarines are open to the public and their museums are just as interesting if not more interesting (e.g., Bangor, WA: they have the Trieste II in their parking lot). This is not a deep fault (other reviewers note: all you can do with the HP garage is "see it").

Other specialty travel guides exist. A half dozen Rail-Fan guides exist for train buffs (not on Amazon but can get on the web). Top Secret Tourism: Your Travel Guide to Germ Warfare Laboratories, Clandestine Aircraft Bases and Other Places in the United States You're Not Supposed to Know About is one of many books comparable to the Geek Atlas (both have the Nevada Test Site, I have taken the monthly DOE tour). I also like Robert Pelton's travel guides, but these aren't purely about science & technologyRobert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places: 5th Edition (Robert Young Pelton the World's Most Dangerous Places).

I am looking at visiting 06 sometime in the next few years, and I've stood before 121 a few years back. You go through the list and you can smile are some of the various places, but also think about other locations. Some fine universities are useful to add as places of education compared to the various government labs and research institutions. A good contrast to other more general works.

The Geek Atlas is a fun book which has brief but detailed and accessible information on locations around the world which have been instrumental in science and/or technology. Photos in the book are unfortunately black and white but are great for highlighting key principles or the place of interest. Great coffee table book. You can pick it up and start from anywhere in the book and you will be sure to find something new and entertaining. A great gift for anyone who loves science or technology.

What a treasure! This book is now number one on my favorite gifts to give list. Whether used as a travel planner, an overview of important discoveries or just to curl up with on the couch for a few minutes of relaxation, this book is a delight.

The Geek Atlas covers 128 places to visit that are science/math/technology related. Graham-Cumming's book focuses on sites where contributions are presented in a serious manner and skips places that portray science as fluffy entertainment based. This is both a good resource for travelers, geeks, and science buffs, as well as a great read. The chapters are an average of four pages long and packed with interesting, well organized information. They contain a description of the location, a related technical subject and visiting details. Links to associated websites are also included. Best of all, the science is explained in an easy to understand manner. We'll all be waiting impatiently for a second edition. Thank you, John Graham-Cumming!
The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive

I am a new father, and I bought this book with one thing in mind: to find new science-related places to take my son as he grows up. I imagined classic family vacations that might have been planned by Clark Griswold, with a little more emphasis on learning than is typical of a National Lampoon movie. I am happy to say I'm not disappointed. In fact, I got much more out of this book than I'd planned.

Within minutes of opening the book, I'd found three must-see locations that I could visit just on a trip back home to my family. The atlas includes the details you need to plan a satisfying trip. Its clear what locations are child friendly, which have food available, etc. But this only scratches the surface of the material. The inclusion of related information, anecdotes, and a real discussion of the scientific background of each site turns a travel guide into so much more.

If you've ever enjoyed watching a show on the discovery channel that delves into the curious stories and theories behind a famous person or place, you'll love the book. The author writes with an entertaining style that I enjoy, and I think will capture the attention of anyone with an interest in the sciences. As my son grows up, I plan to stimulate his interests by sharing the book with him. I have an older niece who is beginning to take a interest in such things, and I have similar plans for her. I recommend the same to any parent interested in sparking their kids' imaginations.

Finally, I wanted to mention some personal connections I have with the book. I was a physicist in college, and I was fortunate to participate in a number of programs during my time at university that took me to a few of the places mentioned in the book. I got a nostalgic thrill when I discovered that places from my past were in the book, and I appreciate my own experiences more after reading about them. The history behind the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia is a great example. I wish that I had an Atlas back then. I would have gotten even more out of my travels.

I highly recommend this wonderful book.