It's by the guy who runs / draws xkcd.com web comics, and gives serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions. For example: Is it possible to build a jetpack using downward firing machine guns?

Questions are weird like that, but the science is real, so an interesting read. Specially if you are a fan of xkcd.

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?

For details on the c/Books bingo challenge that just restarted for the year, you can checkout the initial Book Bingo, and its Recommendation Post. Links are also present in our community sidebar.

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[–] Okokimup@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Just finished Never the Wind by Francesco Dimitri

1996 - Luca Saracino is thirteen and has been completely blind for eight months when his parents move to a Southern Italian farmhouse they dream of turning into a hotel. With his brother dropping out of university and the family reeling from Luca’s diagnosis, they are chasing dreams of rebirth and reinvention. As Luca tells his story without sight - experiencing the world solely through hearing, smell, taste and touch - he meets the dauntless Ada Guadalupi, who takes him out to explore the rocky fields and empty beaches. But Luca and Ada find they can’t escape the grudges that have lasted between their families for generations, or the gossiping of the town. And Luca is preyed upon by the feral Wanderer, who walks the vineyards of his home. As Luca's family starts to crack at the seams, Luca and Ada have to navigate new lands and old rivalries to uncover the truths spoken as whispers on the wind.

Very much enjoyed this story. Luca has real depth and emotional intelligence. The setting is unique. The magical realism could have been a little better fleshed out.

Currently reading How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barret. It's interesting stuff like about how we interpret internal signals (e.g. rapid heartbeat) as emotions, rather than those signals being the result of emotions. Or how we think we can read other people's emotions via well-known facial cues, but those cues are inaccurate and culturally dependant. But the book could use more editing to cut down some of the repetition and unnecessary length.