The Disappearing Spoon
- Aug, 04 2010
- By anthropod
- Books, Geeking Out, Science
- No comments
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the Elements. Whew, that’s a mouthful. The Disappearing Spoon is a new book by Sam Kean, that details interesting, little known, and funny tales and facts about how the elements have played roles in art, war, literature and more. The title refers to a trick chemists sometimes play on unsuspecting persons, wherein a spoon made of gallium is given to the victim to stir their tea with. And since gallium melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit, the spoon would melt and disappear in right before their eyes.
Amazon Says:
“Official bio: Sam Kean spent years collecting mercury from broken thermometers as a kid, and now he’s a writer in in Washington, DC, for Science. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, Smithsonian’s Air & Space, and New Scientist. In 2009 he was a runner-up for the National Association of Science Writers’ Award for best young science writer.
Find periodic table maps, games, and more at … http://www.samkean.com
(un)Official bio: Sam Kean gets called Sean once a month. He grew up in South Dakota, which means more to him than it probably should. He’s a fast reader but a very slow eater. He went to college in Minnesota and studied physics and English. He taught for a few years at an experimental charter school in St. Paul, where the kids showed up at night. After that, he tried to move to Spain (it didn’t take) and ended up in Washington, D.C. He has a master’s degree in library science he will probably never use. He wishes he had a sports team he was passionate about, but doesn’t, though he does love track & field.”
Source, Boing Boing | Buy from Amazon