I posted that I was going to be tackling all my books that have accumulated on my nightstand before I begin to grab new ones off my bookshelves. This is one of those books. I had started reading it last year when I purchased it then put it down as I added more new books to my nightstand. Last night, in order to take a break from the dense narrative of Neal Stephenson, I opened one of the drawers and this book was sitting on top of the pile. So I picked it up and noticed that I wasn’t that far from finishing it. So I opened to my book mark and started reading.
Have you ever wanted to know what the funniest joke in the world is? Or maybe who violates the 10 Items or Less guidelines of the express lane. Or maybe you were really concerned with who your birthday affects your outlook on life?
Quirkology takes a look at those eternal questions along with several other off the beaten path questions that include how low frequency sound can make people feel like locations are haunted, how to detect a fake smile or a liar, and several other off the wall statistical and psychological analysis.
I purchased this book based on an excerpt in a recent issue of Skeptic: Vol. 13 No. 4 Quirkology.
I was not disappointed. Wiseman has a whimsical writing style that fits the subject. He writes with equal passion about his work as well as the work of others.
Some of the studies and subjects seem beyond the attention of the serious scientist but Wiseman makes it apparent that science is not just searching for grand theories, cures for deadly diseases, or grand exploration but that science is really the quest for knowledge. It is evident that most of the work written about in this book does not advance our standard of living but it does enhance our knowledge. And that is what science does. It asks a question and will not accept “I don’t know” as an answer.
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