Book description
The quirky offspring of 'QI' and 'Freakonomics', 'Geekspeak' melds
ingenious statistical analysis with edifying trivia to explain away some
curious facts of life.
Curiosity is our human birthright, and destiny. As a species we are to
prone to think, ruminate, reflect, cogitate, deliberate and
philosophise. We do all these things, and why? To explain away the world
around us, to find solace in knowledge, to answer all those seeming
unanswerables: why are we here? Is there a God? Is there life after
death? How many slaves on treadmills does it take to power my kettle?
Yes, forget the Bible, 'Geekspeak' is the new oracle for 21st century
living. Graham Tattersall, a confirmed and superior geek, has rescued
maths from the prison of the classroom, imbued it with fresh new life,
and put it to use in novel and unexpected ways. His ingenious,
deceptively simple formula melds statistical analysis with personal
experience and enlightening trivia to explain away some curious and
oft-pondered mysteries of the world: how big is your vocabulary, how
heavy is your house, do the dead outnumber the living, how powerful is a
fly, how fast is a fart.
With its recipe of sophisticated mathematical techniques, witty
anecdotes and startling amount of learning, 'Geekspeak' is an essential
tool for impressing friends, sounding intelligent and better
understanding the fascinating world in which we live. Maths has a new
champion, and the Geeks a new King. 'It will give you the means of
finding out all sorts of information that you don't actually need to
know. Curiously, I found it all quite interesting. Does that mean that I
am a geek?' Church Review Dr Graham Tattersall is a freelance engineer
working on projects as diverse as computer aided shoe fitting, fault
analysis systems for trains, and enhancement of ultrasound images. He
enjoys building houses, boats and working on engines, and lives in
Suffolk with his (long suffering) wife.
