April 2016 - Stuff Matters

[Betsy, co-mod]

For April 2016 we will be reading Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World.

Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

[Avs]

Nice talk on some interesting materials

https://www.ted.com/talks/toys_from_t....

[David]

I finished the book, and it is fascinating. I highly recommend it. Here is my review.

[Avs]

Thats a very good review,thank you for that.
I am so pumped up about graphene. I think it is going to revolutionize the way silicon did it in recent times.

[Mochajunkie]

I read this last year and found it fascinating: stainless steel, 6 types of chocolate crystals, aerogel, concrete, paper, etc. The molecular level is amazing!

[Marc]

I did not finish Stuff Matters. Possibly because I am a chemist and we tend to be more critical of material written in our fields. I never had the urge to pick it up and read more.

[Ankit]

I have begun with it and i must say the writing has me hooked from the beginning . The best part is how he brings the cultural and human angle into the "stuff" around us ..... e.g. in the very beginning , he provides materials with an almost human quality "Along the way, we find that, as with people, the real differences between materials are deep below the surface, a world that is shut off from most "

[Ankit]

Mark continues to endear himself by animating his materials and making them almost like our living companions . Eg.
"They (currency paper ) are also the most sophisticated pieces of paper that have ever been made, which they need to be because they are a literal, material manifestation of the trust we all have in the whole economic system."

Here, i would like to know everyone's views on the following :

How far is the value of a product ( or material , as here ) embedded in its specifications ? How far does its almost human emotional connect with us contribute to its value to us ?

[Ankit]

Great read ! Thoroughly enjoyed !

[Mochajunkie]

Marc wrote: "I did not finish Stuff Matters. Possibly because I am a chemist and we tend to be more critical of material written in our fields. I never had the urge to pick it up and read more."

Marc, what is it you didn't like?

As I am not a chemist, I found it fascinating. I think books like this are important for people outside the field. Would you say this has a place for laypeople?

[Elentarri]

I also didn't finish the book. I got as far as the end of the chapter on paper. I found that there were too many biographical stories and not enough of the actual science (physics and chemistry etc) involved in the functioning and make-up of the materials discussed in the book. If I want to read a biography, I will select a biography. When I pick up a science book, I expect at least 80% of the book to be science, not random anecdotes and fluffy stories. I learned more about iron, concrete and paper in some random history books I read many years ago.

BTW - if someone is looking for more chemistry, may I suggest Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History? Ignore the silly title. This book actually puts in the chemical formulae of the different substances the authors discuss.

[Elentarri]

@Mochajunkie

Books like this are important for people outside the field, but I at least would appreciate it if the authors didn't assume all their readers had the mental capacity of an 8 year old, require vast quantities of fluffy filler stories, and have the attention span of a gnat. I would like details... and proper references so I can find more information if that particular topic interests me.

[Mochajunkie]

Ellentarri, thanks for the other recommendation!

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I also find myself wondering about the stuff I use every day - how it was made, how miraculous it actually is despite it being commonplace. I take it all for granted. (I am a layperson)

[Ankit]

Ellentarri , thanks for the rec. Yes the book does dwell on the verge of being too simplistic , but i think the author did actually intend it to be a quick ligjt read , to sort of generate interest among the ininitiated . But yes , i agree with you , a bit more mature approach would have made it even better .

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I am enjoying this writer and this book. I like it. Miodownik is sometimes lyrical, which appeals to me.

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

My review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[David]

The author's name is misspelled on the book page. It should be Mlodownik.

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

David wrote: "The author's name is misspelled on the book page. It should be Mlodownik."

: D

Unfortunate name! He must not of suspected what a hash fonts make of the letter L! Or myopic fans!

[Betsy, co-mod]

David wrote: "The author's name is misspelled on the book page. It should be Mlodownik."

Are you sure about that? On the author's website, it's spelled with the i. http://www.markmiodownik.net/

[David]

Betsy, you are right. It is Miodownik. I have seen it spelled both ways but I guess that thosr including an L. is in error.

[Lemar]

Everybody likes to know what's going on. This fussy Brit wants to know what's going on in the material around him right down to the atomic level. His curiosity is in Infectious and his open nature makes this a fun and fascinating read. This is not a book that seeks to thoroughly explain the chemical composition of the materials we use every day, but rather to extend our understanding of these materials so that we can better appreciate the significance in our lives.