-
What’s It Like to be Chased by a Cassowary? Fascinating Answers to Perplexing Questions
- The Most Informative and Entertaining Explainers from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald
- Narrated by: Sam Smith, Caz Prescott
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
What’s It Like to be Chased by a Cassowary? Fascinating Answers to Perplexing Questions
Buy for $20.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Starry Messenger
- Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,626
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,201
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,174
In a time when our political and cultural views feel more polarized than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin chariots of enlightenment—a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. After thinking deeply about how science sees the world and about Earth as a planet, the human brain has the capacity to reset and recalibrates life’s priorities, shaping the actions we might take in response. No outlook on culture, society, or civilization remains untouched.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Optimistic
- By Anonymous on 09-23-22
-
The Fifth Risk
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,572
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,498
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,467
What happens when the President of the United States governs one Tweet at a time? When the elected leader of the free world may not have a firm grasp on the names of government agencies, much less an understanding of their intricate inner-workings? In the days following the 2016 inauguration, government personnel searched for answers that didn’t exist, while White House staff scoured halls for employees who would never be appointed.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Awkward and Disappointing
- By Amit M on 10-04-18
By: Michael Lewis
-
Upstream
- The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
- By: Dan Heath
- Narrated by: Dan Heath
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,490
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,251
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,243
New York Times best-selling author Dan Heath examines how to prevent problems before they happen, drawing on insights from his innovative behavior research, as well as hundreds of new interviews with unconventional problem solvers. Most of us spend our days handling a deluge of pressing issues. We’re so accustomed to managing emergencies as they strike that we often don’t stop to think about how we could prevent crises before they happen. Why stop at treating the symptoms when you could develop a cure?
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mixed review
- By Aaron on 12-09-20
By: Dan Heath
-
The Future Is Faster Than You Think
- How Converging Technologies Are Disrupting Business, Industries, and Our Lives
- By: Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Peter H. Diamandis
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,177
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,843
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,828
In their book Abundance, best-selling authors and futurists Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler tackled grand global challenges, such as poverty, hunger, and energy. Then, in Bold, they chronicled the use of exponential technologies that allowed the emergence of powerful new entrepreneurs. Now the best-selling authors are back with The Future Is Faster Than You Think, a blueprint for how our world will change in response to the next 10 years of rapid technological disruption.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Totally Mixed on This One
- By D. Sooley on 02-03-20
By: Peter H. Diamandis, and others
-
The Uninhabitable Earth
- Life After Warming
- By: David Wallace-Wells
- Narrated by: David Wallace-Wells
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,553
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,231
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,218
An "epoch-defining book" (The Guardian) and "this generation’s Silent Spring" (The Washington Post), The Uninhabitable Earth is both a travelogue of the near future and a meditation on how that future will look to those living through it - the ways that warming promises to transform global politics, the meaning of technology and nature in the modern world, the sustainability of capitalism and the trajectory of human progress. The Uninhabitable Earth is also an impassioned call to action.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Don’t read if you have depressive tendencies.
- By Ricky on 03-17-19
-
This Changes Everything
- Capitalism vs. the Climate
- By: Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,583
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,373
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,363
In This Changes Everything Naomi Klein argues that climate change isn’t just another issue to be neatly filed between taxes and health care. It’s an alarm that calls us to fix an economic system that is already failing us in many ways. Klein meticulously builds the case for how massively reducing our greenhouse emissions is our best chance to simultaneously reduce gaping inequalities, re-imagine our broken democracies, and rebuild our gutted local economies.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Didactic and preachy... and I agree with her
- By plau on 09-25-16
By: Naomi Klein
-
Starry Messenger
- Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,626
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,201
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,174
In a time when our political and cultural views feel more polarized than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin chariots of enlightenment—a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. After thinking deeply about how science sees the world and about Earth as a planet, the human brain has the capacity to reset and recalibrates life’s priorities, shaping the actions we might take in response. No outlook on culture, society, or civilization remains untouched.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Optimistic
- By Anonymous on 09-23-22
-
The Fifth Risk
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,572
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,498
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,467
What happens when the President of the United States governs one Tweet at a time? When the elected leader of the free world may not have a firm grasp on the names of government agencies, much less an understanding of their intricate inner-workings? In the days following the 2016 inauguration, government personnel searched for answers that didn’t exist, while White House staff scoured halls for employees who would never be appointed.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Awkward and Disappointing
- By Amit M on 10-04-18
By: Michael Lewis
-
Upstream
- The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
- By: Dan Heath
- Narrated by: Dan Heath
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,490
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,251
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,243
New York Times best-selling author Dan Heath examines how to prevent problems before they happen, drawing on insights from his innovative behavior research, as well as hundreds of new interviews with unconventional problem solvers. Most of us spend our days handling a deluge of pressing issues. We’re so accustomed to managing emergencies as they strike that we often don’t stop to think about how we could prevent crises before they happen. Why stop at treating the symptoms when you could develop a cure?
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mixed review
- By Aaron on 12-09-20
By: Dan Heath
-
The Future Is Faster Than You Think
- How Converging Technologies Are Disrupting Business, Industries, and Our Lives
- By: Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Peter H. Diamandis
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,177
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,843
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,828
In their book Abundance, best-selling authors and futurists Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler tackled grand global challenges, such as poverty, hunger, and energy. Then, in Bold, they chronicled the use of exponential technologies that allowed the emergence of powerful new entrepreneurs. Now the best-selling authors are back with The Future Is Faster Than You Think, a blueprint for how our world will change in response to the next 10 years of rapid technological disruption.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Totally Mixed on This One
- By D. Sooley on 02-03-20
By: Peter H. Diamandis, and others
-
The Uninhabitable Earth
- Life After Warming
- By: David Wallace-Wells
- Narrated by: David Wallace-Wells
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,553
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,231
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,218
An "epoch-defining book" (The Guardian) and "this generation’s Silent Spring" (The Washington Post), The Uninhabitable Earth is both a travelogue of the near future and a meditation on how that future will look to those living through it - the ways that warming promises to transform global politics, the meaning of technology and nature in the modern world, the sustainability of capitalism and the trajectory of human progress. The Uninhabitable Earth is also an impassioned call to action.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Don’t read if you have depressive tendencies.
- By Ricky on 03-17-19
-
This Changes Everything
- Capitalism vs. the Climate
- By: Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,583
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,373
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,363
In This Changes Everything Naomi Klein argues that climate change isn’t just another issue to be neatly filed between taxes and health care. It’s an alarm that calls us to fix an economic system that is already failing us in many ways. Klein meticulously builds the case for how massively reducing our greenhouse emissions is our best chance to simultaneously reduce gaping inequalities, re-imagine our broken democracies, and rebuild our gutted local economies.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Didactic and preachy... and I agree with her
- By plau on 09-25-16
By: Naomi Klein
-
The Great Reset
- And the War for the World
- By: Alex Jones
- Narrated by: Joe Kredjetti
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 670
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 597
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 594
If you really want to know what’s happening in the world, this is the one book you must hear now. Alex Jones is the most censored man on the planet and you should ask yourself why that is. There is a powerful authoritarian takeover in process that is seeking to capture the entire human system and turn it into an artificial factory farm controlled system. We are in a war for the future of the world. In this book, you will hear from the world’s elites, from their own mouths, what they are planning for you and your families and you will learn what you can do to fight it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Content - Narrator Not Alex
- By Peter J. Merrick on 10-18-22
By: Alex Jones
-
SuperFreakonomics
- By: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,026
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,939
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,945
SuperFreakonomics challenges the way we think all over again, exploring the hidden side of everything with such questions as: How is a street prostitute like a department-store Santa? What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common? Can eating kangaroo save the planet? Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling like no one else.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Just ok. Not sure if I believe it all though.
- By Duane Touchet on 10-31-09
By: Steven D. Levitt, and others
-
Billions & Billions
- Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium
- By: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Ann Druyan
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 594
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 519
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 519
In the final book of his astonishing career, Carl Sagan brilliantly examines the burning questions of our lives, our world, and the universe around us. These luminous, entertaining essays travel both the vastness of the cosmos and the intimacy of the human mind, posing such fascinating questions as how did the universe originate and how will it end, and how can we meld science and compassion to meet the challenges of the coming century?
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
To The Stars
- By Judy on 12-31-19
By: Carl Sagan
-
The Science of Fear
- Why We Fear the Things We Should Not - and Put Ourselves in Great Danger
- By: Daniel Gardner
- Narrated by: Scott Peterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,013
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 671
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 675
From terror attacks to the War on Terror, bursting real-estate bubbles to crystal meth epidemics, sexual predators to poisonous toys from China, our list of fears seems to be exploding. And yet, we are the safest and healthiest humans in history. Irrational fear is running amok, and often with tragic results. In the months after 9/11, when people decided to drive instead of fly - believing they were avoiding risk - road deaths rose by 1,595. Those lives were lost to fear.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A rational assessment of the world we live in
- By Kristopher on 08-29-09
By: Daniel Gardner
-
How Innovation Works
- And Why It Flourishes in Freedom
- By: Matt Ridley
- Narrated by: Matt Ridley
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 775
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 642
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 638
Innovation is the main event of the modern age, the reason we experience both dramatic improvements in our living standards and unsettling changes in our society. Forget short-term symptoms like Donald Trump and Brexit, it is innovation itself that explains them and that will itself shape the 21st century for good and ill. Yet innovation remains a mysterious process, poorly understood by policy makers and businessmen, hard to summon into existence to order, yet inevitable and inexorable when it does happen.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Bad scholarship and bias that overwhelms his facts
- By RickyF on 07-01-20
By: Matt Ridley
-
Stuff You Should Know
- An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things
- By: Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant
- Narrated by: Chuck Bryant, Josh Clark
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 486
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 421
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 417
From the duo behind the massively successful and award-winning podcast Stuff You Should Know comes an unexpected look at things you thought you knew. Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant started the podcast Stuff You Should Know back in 2008 because they were curious - curious about the world around them, curious about what they might have missed in their formal educations, and curious to dig deeper on stuff they thought they understood.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Fails as an audio book.
- By Sarah H on 12-10-20
By: Josh Clark, and others
-
All We Can Save
- Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis
- By: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Katharine K. Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Katharine K. Wilkinson, Cristela Alonzo, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 267
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 222
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 222
All We Can Save illuminates the expertise and insights of dozens of diverse women leading on climate in the United States - scientists, journalists, farmers, lawyers, teachers, activists, innovators, wonks, and designers, across generations, geographies, and race - and aims to advance a more representative, nuanced, and solution-oriented public conversation on the climate crisis. These women offer a spectrum of ideas and insights for how we can rapidly, radically reshape society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Saved My Life
- By Taylor Seamount on 11-07-21
By: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and others
-
We Are the Weather
- By: Jonathan Safran Foer
- Narrated by: Jonathan Safran Foer
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 414
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 361
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 360
In We Are the Weather, Jonathan Safran Foer explores the central global dilemma of our time in a surprising, deeply personal, and urgent new way. Some people reject the fact, overwhelmingly supported by scientists, that our planet is warming because of human activity. But do those of us who accept the reality of human-caused climate change truly believe it? If we did, surely we would be roused to act on what we know.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing
- By Max Dennison on 12-09-19
-
The Rules of Contagion
- Why Things Spread - and Why They Stop
- By: Adam Kucharski
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 102
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 88
These days, whenever anything spreads, whether it's a YouTube fad or a political rumor, we say it went viral. But how does virality actually work? In The Rules of Contagion, epidemiologist Adam Kucharski explores topics including gun violence, online manipulation, and, of course, outbreaks of disease to show how much we get wrong about contagion, and how astonishing the real science is. Why did the president retweet a Mussolini quote as his own? Why do financial bubbles take off so quickly?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant and so relavent
- By touristth on 12-15-20
By: Adam Kucharski
-
Disposable City
- Miami's Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe
- By: Mario Alejandro Ariza
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Miami, Florida, is likely to be entirely underwater by the end of this century. Residents are already starting to see the effects of sea level rise today. From sunny day flooding caused by higher tides to a sewer system on the brink of total collapse, the city undeniably lives in a climate changed world. In Disposable City, Miami resident Mario Alejandro Ariza shows us not only what climate change looks like on the ground today, but also what Miami will look like 100 years from now, and how that future has been shaped by the city's racist past and present.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Significantly Insightful
- By wil arguedas on 11-13-22
-
Saving Us
- A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
- By: Katharine Hayhoe
- Narrated by: Katharine Hayhoe
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 241
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 206
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 204
Called “one of the nation's most effective communicators on climate change” by The New York Times, Katharine Hayhoe knows how to navigate all sides of the conversation on our changing planet. A Canadian climate scientist living in Texas, she negotiates distrust of data, indifference to imminent threats, and resistance to proposed solutions with ease. Over the past 15 years, Hayhoe has found that the most important thing we can do to address climate change is talk about it - and she wants to teach you how.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Saving ME!
- By Wendy on 10-02-21
By: Katharine Hayhoe
-
Doom
- The Politics of Catastrophe
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Niall Ferguson
- Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 471
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 392
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 389
Disasters are inherently hard to predict. Pandemics, like earthquakes, wildfires, financial crises. and wars, are not normally distributed; there is no cycle of history to help us anticipate the next catastrophe. But when disaster strikes, we ought to be better prepared than the Romans were when Vesuvius erupted, or medieval Italians when the Black Death struck. We have science on our side, after all.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Get through the first chapters
- By David on 05-23-21
By: Niall Ferguson
Publisher's summary
Ever wondered what happens to us as we die? Or how the Esky became an Aussie cultural icon? Or why we have leap years? Then look no further - and even if you haven't wondered, you'll want to find out.
This anthology is a diverse collection of explainers by some of the finest writers from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. It tackles quintessentially Australian topics (where does the term 'mate' come from?) as well as questions being grappled with around the world (what will our homes be powered by in the future?).
Inquisitive readers love the explainer columns for their strong and surprising storytelling, deeply researched reporting and inventive illustrations. They have become some of the most popular content articles in The Age and Herald, and reader requests have inspired explainers about exploring everything from think tanks to tennis racquets, from quantitative easing to why cicadas sing at dusk.
Explainers offer a rich understanding of how and why - rather than just who, what, when and where. Within this audiobook you will find an absorbing and illuminating selection of some of the most popular explainers, as well as never before published pieces specially written for this book.
There are surprising facts about all aspects of life and information about all kinds of investigations from throughout history and around the world. Prepare to be enlightened, enthralled and educated - you'll never ponder how to evade that rampaging cassowary again!
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
More from the same
Author
Related to this topic
-
End Times
- A Brief Guide to the End of the World
- By: Bryan Walsh
- Narrated by: Bryan Walsh, Corey Carthew
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 65
End Times is a compelling work of skilled reportage that peels back the layers of complexity around the unthinkable - and inevitable - end of humankind. From asteroids and artificial intelligence to volcanic supereruption to nuclear war, veteran science reporter and TIME editor Bryan Walsh provides a stunning panoramic view of the most catastrophic threats to the human race.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Important topic ruined by needless political blather
- By J. Gordon on 08-29-19
By: Bryan Walsh
-
Tomorrowland
- Our Journey From Science Fiction to Science Fact
- By: Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 428
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 363
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 363
New York Times, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, Discover bestselling author Steven Kotler has written extensively about those pivotal moments when science fiction became science fact...and fundamentally reshaped the world. Now he gathers the best of his best, updated and expanded upon, to guide listeners on a mind-bending tour of the far frontier, and how these advances are radically transforming our lives.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Covers a lot of different topics in many industries
- By ErnieA on 06-27-15
By: Steven Kotler
-
Until Proven Safe
- The History and Future of Quarantine
- By: Nicola Twilley, Geoff Manaugh
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Quarantine is our most powerful response to uncertainty: it means waiting to see if something hidden inside us will be revealed. It is also one of our most dangerous, operating through an assumption of guilt. In quarantine, we are considered infectious until proven safe. Until Proven Safe tracks the history and future of quarantine around the globe, chasing the story of emergency isolation through time and space - from the crumbling lazarettos of the Mediterranean, built to contain the Black Death, to an experimental Ebola unit in London, and from the hallways of the CDC.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent writing, timely and informative
- By MSE on 07-24-21
By: Nicola Twilley, and others
-
The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated
- The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late
- By: Thom Hartmann, Neale Donald Walsch - associate editor
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 77
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 78
While everything appears to be collapsing around us - ecodamage, genetic engineering, virulent diseases, water shortages, global famine, wars - we can still do something about it and create a world that will work for us and for our children's children. The inspiration for Leonardo DiCaprio's feature documentary movie The 11th Hour, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight details what is happening to our planet, the reasons for our culture's blind behavior, and how we can fix the problem.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the Most Important Books of our Time
- By Jana on 04-24-20
By: Thom Hartmann, and others
-
Age of Discovery
- Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Our New Renaissance
- By: Ian Goldin, Chris Kutarna
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 45
Age of Discovery explores a world on the brink of a new Renaissance and asks: how do we share more widely the benefits of unprecedented progress? How do we endure the inevitable tumult generated by accelerating change? How do we each thrive through this tangled, uncertain time? From gains in health, education, wealth and technology to crises of conflict, disease and mass migration, the similarities between today's world and that of the 15th century are both striking and prophetic: we have been here before.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
A monotonous text disguised as casual reading.
- By Rob on 07-29-16
By: Ian Goldin, and others
-
Imaginable
- How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything - Even Things That Seem Impossible Today
- By: Jane McGonigal
- Narrated by: Jane McGonigal
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 79
The COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly frequent climate disasters, a new war—events we might have called “unimaginable” or “unthinkable” in the past are now reality. Today it feels more challenging than ever to feel unafraid, hopeful, and equipped to face the future with optimism. How do we map out our lives when it seems impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or next decade? What we need now are strategies to help us recover our confidence and creativity in facing uncertain futures.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Fabulous content, INSUFFERABLE narration!
- By Kelly on 05-24-22
By: Jane McGonigal
-
End Times
- A Brief Guide to the End of the World
- By: Bryan Walsh
- Narrated by: Bryan Walsh, Corey Carthew
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 65
End Times is a compelling work of skilled reportage that peels back the layers of complexity around the unthinkable - and inevitable - end of humankind. From asteroids and artificial intelligence to volcanic supereruption to nuclear war, veteran science reporter and TIME editor Bryan Walsh provides a stunning panoramic view of the most catastrophic threats to the human race.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Important topic ruined by needless political blather
- By J. Gordon on 08-29-19
By: Bryan Walsh
-
Tomorrowland
- Our Journey From Science Fiction to Science Fact
- By: Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 428
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 363
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 363
New York Times, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, Discover bestselling author Steven Kotler has written extensively about those pivotal moments when science fiction became science fact...and fundamentally reshaped the world. Now he gathers the best of his best, updated and expanded upon, to guide listeners on a mind-bending tour of the far frontier, and how these advances are radically transforming our lives.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Covers a lot of different topics in many industries
- By ErnieA on 06-27-15
By: Steven Kotler
-
Until Proven Safe
- The History and Future of Quarantine
- By: Nicola Twilley, Geoff Manaugh
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Quarantine is our most powerful response to uncertainty: it means waiting to see if something hidden inside us will be revealed. It is also one of our most dangerous, operating through an assumption of guilt. In quarantine, we are considered infectious until proven safe. Until Proven Safe tracks the history and future of quarantine around the globe, chasing the story of emergency isolation through time and space - from the crumbling lazarettos of the Mediterranean, built to contain the Black Death, to an experimental Ebola unit in London, and from the hallways of the CDC.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent writing, timely and informative
- By MSE on 07-24-21
By: Nicola Twilley, and others
-
The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated
- The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late
- By: Thom Hartmann, Neale Donald Walsch - associate editor
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 77
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 78
While everything appears to be collapsing around us - ecodamage, genetic engineering, virulent diseases, water shortages, global famine, wars - we can still do something about it and create a world that will work for us and for our children's children. The inspiration for Leonardo DiCaprio's feature documentary movie The 11th Hour, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight details what is happening to our planet, the reasons for our culture's blind behavior, and how we can fix the problem.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the Most Important Books of our Time
- By Jana on 04-24-20
By: Thom Hartmann, and others
-
Age of Discovery
- Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Our New Renaissance
- By: Ian Goldin, Chris Kutarna
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 45
Age of Discovery explores a world on the brink of a new Renaissance and asks: how do we share more widely the benefits of unprecedented progress? How do we endure the inevitable tumult generated by accelerating change? How do we each thrive through this tangled, uncertain time? From gains in health, education, wealth and technology to crises of conflict, disease and mass migration, the similarities between today's world and that of the 15th century are both striking and prophetic: we have been here before.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
A monotonous text disguised as casual reading.
- By Rob on 07-29-16
By: Ian Goldin, and others
-
Imaginable
- How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything - Even Things That Seem Impossible Today
- By: Jane McGonigal
- Narrated by: Jane McGonigal
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 79
The COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly frequent climate disasters, a new war—events we might have called “unimaginable” or “unthinkable” in the past are now reality. Today it feels more challenging than ever to feel unafraid, hopeful, and equipped to face the future with optimism. How do we map out our lives when it seems impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or next decade? What we need now are strategies to help us recover our confidence and creativity in facing uncertain futures.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Fabulous content, INSUFFERABLE narration!
- By Kelly on 05-24-22
By: Jane McGonigal
-
Pandora's Seed
- The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization
- By: Spencer Wells
- Narrated by: Spencer Wells
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 167
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 67
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 68
This new book by Spencer Wells, the internationally known geneticist, anthropologist, author, and director of the Genographic Project, focuses on the seminal event in human history: mankind's decision to become farmers rather than hunter-gatherers.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Short and unfocused, but often quite interesting.
- By Alan on 06-23-10
By: Spencer Wells
-
The Science of Fear
- Why We Fear the Things We Should Not - and Put Ourselves in Great Danger
- By: Daniel Gardner
- Narrated by: Scott Peterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,013
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 671
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 675
From terror attacks to the War on Terror, bursting real-estate bubbles to crystal meth epidemics, sexual predators to poisonous toys from China, our list of fears seems to be exploding. And yet, we are the safest and healthiest humans in history. Irrational fear is running amok, and often with tragic results. In the months after 9/11, when people decided to drive instead of fly - believing they were avoiding risk - road deaths rose by 1,595. Those lives were lost to fear.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A rational assessment of the world we live in
- By Kristopher on 08-29-09
By: Daniel Gardner
-
Resilience
- Why Things Bounce Back
- By: Andrew Zolli, Ann Marie Healy
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 85
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 73
Katrina. Haiti. BP. Fukushima. The Great Recession. Those are just a few of the catastrophic disruptions the world has endured in recent years. As we try to respond to such crises, key questions arise: What causes one system to break under great stress and another to rebound? How much change can a complex system absorb while still retaining its purpose and function? What characteristics make it adaptive to change? Provocative and eye-opening, Resilience sheds light on the nature of change.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Totally Misleading Title
- By Doug on 07-18-12
By: Andrew Zolli, and others
-
Abundance
- The Future Is Better Than You Think
- By: Steven Kotler, Peter H. Diamandis
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 179
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 141
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 140
Space entrepreneur turned innovation pioneer Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler document how progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, digital manufacturing synthetic biology, and other exponentially growing technologies will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than we have in the previous 200 years.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Perhaps multiply his time estimates by 10
- By Rick on 11-06-21
By: Steven Kotler, and others
-
Adapt
- Why Success Always Starts with Failure
- By: Tim Harford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 273
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 219
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 218
In this groundbreaking work, Tim Harford shows us a new and inspiring approach to solving the most pressing problems in our lives. Harford argues that today’s challenges simply cannot be tackled with ready-made solutions and expert opinions; the world has become far too unpredictable and profoundly complex. Instead, we must adapt. Deftly weaving together psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, physics, and economics, along with compelling stories of hard-won lessons learned in the field, Harford makes a passionate case for the importance of adaptive trial-and-error....
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Hidden Agenda
- By Lawrence on 05-20-13
By: Tim Harford
-
Drinking Water
- A History
- By: James Salzman
- Narrated by: Lee Hahn
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 491
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 433
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 435
When you turn on the tap or twist the cap, you might not give a second thought to where your drinking water comes from. But how it gets from the ground to your glass is far more complex than you might think. Is it safe to drink tap water? Should you feel guilty buying bottled water? Is your water vulnerable to terrorist attacks? With springs running dry and reservoirs emptying, where is your water going to come from in the future? In Drinking Water, Duke professor James Salzman shows how drinking water highlights the most pressing issues of our time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Hard not to be affected by this book
- By Neuron on 11-16-13
By: James Salzman
-
The Second Book of General Ignorance
- Everything You Think You Know Is (Still) Wrong
- By: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 107
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 81
Just when you thought that it was safe to start showing off again, John Lloyd and John Mitchinson are back with another busload of mistakes and misunderstandings. Here is a new collection of simple, perfectly obvious questions you'll be quite certain you know the answers to. Whether it's history, science, sports, geography, literature, language, medicine, the classics, or common wisdom, you'll be astonished to discover that everything you thought you knew is still hopelessly wrong.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
It's all stuff from QI
- By Bonnie Kennedy on 04-07-21
By: John Lloyd, and others
-
The Ghost Map
- By: Steven Johnson
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,361
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 976
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 971
This is a thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
It was okay until the end
- By Matthew Groom on 12-04-08
By: Steven Johnson
-
Apocalypse Never
- Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All
- By: Michael Shellenberger
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,967
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,553
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,543
Michael Shellenberger has been fighting for a greener planet for decades. He helped save the world’s last unprotected redwoods. He co-created the predecessor to today’s Green New Deal. And he led a successful effort by climate scientists and activists to keep nuclear plants operating, preventing a spike of emissions. But in 2019, as some claimed "billions of people are going to die", contributing to rising anxiety, including among adolescents, Shellenberger decided that he needed to speak out to separate science from fiction.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Environmentalist with integrity!
- By Wayne on 07-01-20
-
Now I Know
- The Revealing Stories Behind the World's Most Interesting Facts
- By: Dan Lewis
- Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 810
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 717
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 713
Did you know that there are actually 27 letters in the alphabet, or that the U.S. had a plan to invade Canada? And what actually happened to the flags left on the moon? Even if you think you have a handle on all things trivia, you're guaranteed a big surprise with Now I Know. From uncovering what happens to lost luggage to New York City's plan to crack down on crime by banning pinball, this book will challenge your knowledge of the fascinating stories behind the world's greatest facts.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Scientifically inaccurate
- By Sara on 12-04-20
By: Dan Lewis
-
Warnings
- Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes
- By: Richard A. Clarke, R.P. Eddy
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 83
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 81
Warnings is the story of the future of national security, threatening technologies, the US economy, and possibly the fate of civilization. In Greek mythology Cassandra foresaw calamities, but was cursed by the gods to be ignored. Modern-day Cassandras clearly predicted the disasters of Katrina, Fukushima, the Great Recession, the rise of ISIS, and many more. Like the mythological Cassandra, they were ignored. There are others right now warning of impending disasters, but how do we know which warnings are likely to be right?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
On prediction, catastrophe and mitigation
- By S. Yates on 02-28-18
By: Richard A. Clarke, and others
-
Climate Shock
- The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet
- By: Gernot Wagner, Martin L. Weitzman
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 53
Wagner and Martin Weitzman explore in lively, clear terms the likely repercussions of a hotter planet, drawing on and expanding from work previously unavailable to general audiences. They show that the longer we wait to act, the more likely an extreme event will happen. A city might go underwater.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Nuance, balance, risk management.
- By John Christens on 11-23-23
By: Gernot Wagner, and others