How to Clone the Perfect Blonde: Using Science to Make Your Wildest Dreams Come True

by Sue Nelson

Clones of Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz. A robotic housekeeper who makes your bed every morning. A permanent size 6 figure. These are all just fantasies . . . or are they ? How much do you really know about gene therapy, artificial intelligence, and bionic modification?
In How to Clone the Perfect Blonde , award-winning journalists Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham show how cutting-edge science will eventually make your wildest dreams come true. With amazing anecdotes and breezy humor, they describe the latest discoveries in biotechnology, quantum mechanics, cryogenics, nanotechnology, wormholes, and much more -- complete with ironic "instructions" on How to Build a Robotic Servant, How to Live Forever, How to Turn Back Time, and more. You'll be amazed to learn how many of these "fantasies" are already well within our reach.
In the tradition of bestselling pop-science books such as The Physics of Star Trek and How to Build a Time Machine , this entertaining read explores the science of science fiction -- and proves that anything is possible!

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[StarMan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The clone stuff is just one chapter, but as the title suggests there is other geek stuff here: "Using Science to Make Your Wildest Dreams Come True" I did not feel deceived, because I read the available synopsis.

Of course, none of the methods of cloning, time travel, memory enhancement, etc. mentioned are available to Joe Citizen -- nor exactly practical. YET. [insert evil laughter]

Published ~2004 (before first iPhone in 2007, and some recent astronomical discoveries*), so some content is slightly dated. Expect talk of PDAs and such, but it's still pretty good.

* Proof (?) of black holes, detection of gravity waves, modern smartphones, etc.

Remember PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)?
[click image for Wikipedia article]



2019 image of black hole (sort of):

[click image to go to the NASA page]

At the time of this book's 2004 publication, about 100 exoplanets (mainly gas giants) had been detected. Currently (2019) it's closer to 3,800 (per NASA), including some possible Earth-like worlds (i.e., in the goldilocks zone). This gives you an idea of how slightly behind some of the content is here.

Overall it was interesting, but most of the content was not new to me. For those who have NOT read books such as A Brief History of Time or The Physics of Star Trek, this will likely be a 3+ star read -- if you're into talk of clones, life extension, black holes, cyborgs and such.

VERDICT: 2.5 stars, mainly due to some dated (but still decent) content. Would've been 3.5 if I'd read it in 2004. Nice print layout, but would have benefited greatly from photos, charts, and illustrations.

[Gary Healy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read if you're into science, you don't need a degree to understand some the finer details it offers, sadly I still haven't cloned the blonde who bought it for me!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally sat down and took the time to read this properly.
Fascinating. Some parts are a little out of date now of course and some predictions have come to pass.
Not sure that we need any more oddities in a world where they have a "Frozen Dead Guy Festival" or where you can win a Nobel Prize for lobotomising people. Of course we humans love the bizarre and seem to keep inventing more of it.
Cleaning robots do sound like a plan. Not sure I would want to live 100 years plus though. It is hard enough watching everyone you love die with a normal life span and my super would certainly not cover 35 years. Staying at work until I'm 90 just doesn't appeal in the slightest and the state certainly couldn't fund everyone living that long. Perhaps if we didn't start work till we were 25 or 30 and had the good years of our life in training of some sort or Uni lasted longer? At least then our brains would be fully developed before we started work and we would be more likely to pick a career we would actually like enough to stick with.
Frozen Dead Guy Festival has been added to the bucket list. Too strange not to.

[Steve Odenthal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great refresher/primer on physics theory - despite the cute title. I enjoy tongue-in-cheek humor mixed in with basic scientific information. If, as I did, you need a refresher on general concepts, this might be an enjoyable read. It helped to hatch some interesting concepts for stories I would like to write. No, you won't wind up with a blonde, brunette or anything that will stun the nation, but I really enjoyed this book. It really is a text book as opposed to a story, but it was a fun read for me. The only draw back to it was that I realized that my cutting-edge knowledge (cough, cough) from college days is now a bit obsoleted by theories and discoveries that marched on as I stood still.

[Jim Good · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lighthearted look at the current status of scientific development. The authors cover cloning, robotics, time travel, genetics, black holes and artificial intelligence with humor using the pretext of how current knowledge can aid your life. The humor is hit or miss and the science lacks depth. The book is good for a quick overview of the subjects. The authors also do a good job of taking some technical subjects and making them accessible. I’d recommend the book to anyone who wants a general overview of where scientific development currently stands (as of 2004).

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far one of my favorite books. It containes a wide variety of subjects, though most somehow pertain to physics. I especially enjoyed the random little facts scattered throught the text and appreciated the humorous content included. In some ways, the book even gave insight to a few chemistry questions I had and allowed me to settle my curiosity and excell in school. I would highly recommend this book for anyone beginning to study chemistry and physics or who is just plain interested in the quantum world.

[Spencer]

note to Goodreads friends, i'm interested in this not for the wish fulfillment future-porn aspect but because i'm fascinated by the tendency of scientists who proclaim "let your imagination run wild!" being ignorantly, obliviously beholden to arbitrary, historically oppressive cultural constraints (e.g. women as property, white beauty in the title alone). I KNOW THIS LOOKS SOCIALLY IRRESPONSIBLE, don't worry.

[Big H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny & intelligent, the authors present and teach subject matter such as black holes, cryogenics, and quantum theory in a way that anyone with a basic knowledge of science can understand. A little out of date, though--it mentions the Hadron Collider as a wave-of-the-future kind of project, to be out in 2007, or something to that effect...

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book for lay people interested in learning about basic (and some not-so-basic) science concepts through the prism of solving common modern problems and nuisances. I thought the concepts that were shared were explained well, particularly the part about the fourth dimension, although I have to admit that I still haven't the faintest clue what quantum physics are all about.

[Sayoa · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're seeking a trendy fun science book, this one is kinda outdated. Science is constantly changing but it was a curious and funny read for all the basics. Though, I wouldn't take it too seriously.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great introductory resource for the average person who is not that familiar with current scientific discoveries and how close we are to realizing concepts of science fiction. The author throws in some humor to keep it entertaining.

[Tori]

How to Clone the Perfect Blonde: Using Science to Make Your Wildest Dreams Come TrueQuirk Books by Sue Nelson (2004)

[Jhonemoore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book.

[Todd Apley]

Fun science book!

[Martin Willoughby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in parts, a science book that's easy to read for the generalist.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very very basic popular science book. Very very bad popular science book.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting science read. =)