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Table of Contents
* Sailing at speed
* Steaming ahead
* Built to race
* Jet propelled
* Through the sound barrier
* Power on water
* Fast bikes
* Record-breakers
* Glossary
* Index ... Read more

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The focus of this publication is pollutants in the museum environment, their sources, how they can harm works of art, and what to do about it. ... Read more

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Thanks to the Internet, it has never been so easy to become the person of your wildest dreams. Immersive 3D worlds such as Second Life and THERE.com provide an escape route from the ordinary, into a virtual world where you have the power to mould your life in any way you please. Forget about walking, wheelchair users can fly. Pensioners wipe away the pains of age, discovering youthful exuberance and making young friends once more. No wonder it has become harder than ever to honestly answer the question: who am I?

In Being Virtual, Davey Winder looks at how an increasing number of us are living part-real, part-virtual lives, and how it affects who we are. He looks at the opportunities and dangers that a virtual identity offers us, how we juggle our real and online lives, and what happens when one spills over into the other… He uses his own personal experiences to bring the issues to life, and backs them up with the real-life stories of others and testimony from the experts.  Along the way, he looks at some fascinating questions such as:

• Are you a virtual liar?
• What happens when our virtual and real worlds collide?
• Why will you talk to anyone online, but nobody on the train to work?
• Why do so many middle-aged men transform into teenage girls online?
• Is it possible to have any secrets in such a connected world?

Being Virtual gives a glimpse into the future of human identity, and is a must-read for anyone who uses the Internet to enhance - or escape from - their 'ordinary' life.

About the author

Davey Winder has been a freelance journalist for 16 years, and is Contributing Editor of the best-selling IT magazine, PC Pro. He has picked up many awards including Technology Journalist of the Year and IT Security Journalist of the Year. A founder member of the Internet Society of England and author of more than 20 books, his blog can be found at:

http://happygeeknewmedia.blogspot.com/

  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Entirely Different Take on the Digital Environment
Davey Winder's book manages to do something that most books on the same subject as his do not: He's very personal. Even confessional. The title of Chapter One -- Identity Crisis - sums up not just the theme of the book, but what seems to have been a driving theme in the life of Winder. Having gone from a killer career Sports manager, to a home-bound, wheelchair bound web junkie, Winder's makes the strongest case for the credibility of a digital selfhood. The best part is that he introduces the disabilities factor, which is usually only allowed a footnote in most digital reporting. In fact, I would strongly recommend this book to any organization that works with the disabilities community that has a lending library program. Aside from Winder's own accounts, there are other anecdotal stories in here of disabled persons reinventing themselves or simply recreating themselves, as is -- wheelchair and all -- in the virtual landscape. The back-story of each anecdote is poignant and well told. All of them extremely personal.
Not all of the stories of are from persons with disabilities. The others are from self-seeking souls looking for the right vehicle for self expression, which they find online.

The personal touch of the book is well balanced with an informing narrative that qualifies the book as a primer for Second Life and other Virtual World platforms. The cover of the book speaks to this element and, unfortunately, only this element. If I were to judge the book by the cover, which I initially did, the autobiographical element was not something I expected to encounter within these pages. They appeared almost as easter-eggs that wanted to be found. In that sense, the book cover is the only liability.

I'm not sure what the mood is these days on Second Life. But Winder's presents the best argument so far that this is more than just mere novelty.

[...] ... Read more

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Grounded in the solid strengths of its first edition, this updated and revised second edition, collates recent and important articles that address the relationships of museums and galleries to their audiences.

The Educational Role of the Museum has been entirely restructured and new papers have been added which make this an up-to-date presentation of front-running theory and practice.

Covering broad themes relevant to providing for all museum visitors, and also focusing specifically on educational groups, the book is set in four sections which sequentially:

• chart the development of museum communication
• relate constructivist learning theory to specific audiences with different learning needs
• apply this learning theory to the development of museum exhibitions
• pose questions about the way museums conceptualize audiences.

For any student of museum studies, and for professionals too, this book fuses theory with practice in a way that can only serve to enhance their knowledge of the field.

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Museum Theory Book
Educational Role of the Museum, is a book filled with articles about museums theory.Each article is written by a different person and this variety of perspective is nice to have in one volume.Generally a good book, dry at times, but that is to be expected.I anticipate using this book for years to come, especially when I need to refresh myself on certain museum related topics. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

An interesting perspective on Victorian science
I have found one of the most interesting dimensions of Victorian intellectual history (of which there are many) is the development and distribution of new scientific information.After all, this is the period when Darwin in 1859 unloaded his "Origin of Species."But there was much more going on than evolution, both before and after Darwin's bombshell.This essay collection looks at how science was disseminated during the 19th century. It discusses this process under several general topics.For example, under "Orality," there are essays on the important role of public lecturing (something much scarcer today) as a device for reaching the general public with new concepts, such as "phrenology."A second major method was, of course, through print, including handbooks published to assist museum visitors as they reviewed exhibits. A third device was "display," involving exhibits at private homes, the amazing spectacle of the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, and of course the variety of museums throughout London. The co-editors are leading scholars in this field, as are the contributors. Each chapter has an excellent bibliography attached, and there are many helpful illustrations included. At 400 pages, this is a long book, but seldom does it drag and it opened up for me a number of concepts with which I had not previously had familiarity.An important addition to the available literature on this topic. ... Read more

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In 1979, Edward P. Alexander's Museums in Motion was hailed as a much-needed addition to the museum literature. In combining the history of museums since the eighteenth century with a detailed examination of the function of museums and museum workers in modern society, it served as an essential resource for those seeking to enter to the museum profession and for established professionals looking for an expanded understanding of their own discipline. Now, Mary Alexander has produced a newly revised edition of the classic text, bringing it the twenty-first century with coverage of emerging trends, resources, and challenges. ... Read more

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This exciting new series recognizes the tremendous potential of museum-based histories and the ways in which they can engage people with ideas about the past. People encounter and use museums on many different levels - personal, social and intellectual - ... Read more

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When it comes to computer games, the numbers are astounding: the world's top professional gamer has won over half a million dollars shooting virtual monsters on-screen; online games claim literally millions of subscribers; while worldwide spending on computer gaming will top £24 billion by 2011. From techno-toddlers to silver surfers, everyone's playing games on their PCs, Wiis, Xboxes and phones. How are we responding to this onslaught of brain-training, entertaining, potentially addicting, time-consuming, myth-spawning games?

In Powering Up, Rebecca Mileham looks at the facts behind the headlines to see what effect this epidemic of game-playing is really having on us and the society we live in. Is it making us obese, anti-social, violent and addicted… or just giving us different ways of getting cleverer, fitter and more skilled? She examines the evidence, from experts and gamers alike, and asks some controversial and thought-provoking questions:

• Are car-driving games turning us into boy racers?
• Could becoming a virtual bully help children solve classroom disputes?
• Should you feel remorse for killing pixel people?
• Does it matter if you cheat in a single-player game?
• Can games get ex-prisoners back to work?

If you're part of the gaming revolution yourself, or are just curious to know what's fact and what's fiction in the media coverage of this topic, then this is the book for you.

About the author

Rebecca Mileham has written for the Sunday Times, She magazine, and for museums all over the UK. In ten years at the Science Museum, London, she developed exhibitions on topics as diverse as Charles Babbage's Difference Engines, robotic submarines, face transplants and the male pill.

http://www.rebecca.mileham.net/
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A very informative and thorough scholarly work in a very attractive package.
Unlike other books in this field, "Powering Up" relies more on research than on anecdotal evidence to present a point.
This small volume is packed with very useful information and raises excellent questions.
The author did a great job gathering all this information. As an academic, the only thing I would have liked to have is a bibliography with the references the author used in her book, that makes going to the original research easier. (Maybe she can have those on her website?).
I wish more authors would produce concise to the point books like this.
Highly recommended.
... Read more

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Internationally acclaimed wine expert Jens Priewe has written the book for the contemporary wine consumer who drinks what he or she likes - one day a grand, awe-inspiring vintage; the next, an unknown wine from a country whose name has only recently appeared on the wine maps of the world. Priewe explains why some wines cost hundreds of dollars while others cost only ten. He provides a key to the complex language of wine and illuminates the science of wine making while honoring the art that creates great wines. About half of the book is devoted to the wine-making process itself, including everything from why wine grows best in poor soil to why a wine matures faster in a small barrel than in a large one. The other half examines the best wines of the world, country by country, and guides the reader to an understanding of the intricacies of wine tasting and appreciation. New topics covered in this edition include: "How Much Wine Goes in Each Glass;" "Drinking Temperature;" and "Wine as an Investment."Illustrated with more than 1,000 color images, including computer graphics that explain the invisible processes of wine making; satellite maps and aerial photos of the world's most important wine regions; and photographs of individual vineyards by the world's best wine photographers; and fully updated throughout, Wine will quench the thirst for knowledge that true wine lovers feel rising within them whenever they uncork a bottle of fine wine. ... Read more

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This important new work explores how evolutionary museums developed in the US, UK, and Australia in the late 19th century. ... Read more

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Celebrating the centenary of the world’s largest interactive science museum, this opulent volume offers a history of astonishing discoveries as it takes readers through the museum’s countless treasures.

Founded by German engineer Oskar von Miller in 1903, the Deutsches Museum in Munich was designed as a place of learning and entertainment. Today it continues to be a center of cutting-edge developments as it constantly modernizes to follow recent achievements in science and technology. With more than six hundred illustrations, this book shows the museum’s matchless collection, while documenting the building’s history and the collection’s dynamic evolution. Filled with information about the most exciting international discoveries in the fields of the physical and natural sciences, from acoustics to zeppelins, mining to hydraulics, this book is a visual delight for anyone interested in the history—and art—of science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great overview of a great museum
The book is beautiful with lots of pictures to give the reader a real sense of the enormity of the museum.A great coffee table book to have and excellent conversation starter. Many people don't realize how big this museum is. This book covers alot of areas we didn't get to see when we were there. However, nothing is as good as actually being there. ... Read more

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The hectic front of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science hides an unseen back of the museum that is also bustling. Less than 1 per cent of the museum's collections are on display at any given time, and the Department of Anthropology alone cares for more than 50,000 objects from every corner of the globe not normally available to the public. This lavishly illustrated book presents and celebrates the Denver Museum of Nature & Science's exceptional anthropology collections for the first time. The book presents 123 full-colour images to highlight the museum's cultural treasures. Selected for their individual beauty, historic value, and cultural meaning, these objects connect different places, times, and people. From the mammoth hunters of the Plains to the first American pioneer settlers to the flourishing Hispanic and Asian diasporas in downtown Denver, the Rocky Mountain region has been home to a breathtaking array of cultures. Many objects tell this story of the Rocky Mountains' fascinating and complex past, whereas others serve to bring enigmatic corners of the globe to modern-day Denver."Crossroads of Culture" serves as a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum's anthropology collections. All the royalties from this publication will benefit the collections of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science's Department of Anthropology. ... Read more

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There is much more to museums than the documenting, monumentalizing or theme-parking of identity, history and heritage. This anthology aims to make strange the very existence of museums and to plot a critical, historical and ethical understanding of their origins and history. A radical selection of key texts introduces the reader to the intense investigation of the modern European idea of the museum that has taken place since the 1950s. Texts first published in journals and books are brought together in one volume with up-to-the-minute and specially commissioned pieces by leading administrators, curators and art historians. The selections are organized by key themes that map the evolution of the debate and are introduced by Donald Preziosi and Claire Farago. ... Read more

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A definitive guide to best practice in museums, at a time in which all museums require ever more innovative solutions to processes of interpreting the world's cultural and scientific heritage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A solid read!
Handbook for Museums is an excellent source for both the inexperienced andthe veteran.The book covers a wide range of topics, from artifactconservation to ethics.I found the information contained to be of greathelp to my budding museum career.

The book is written simply andconcepts are easily grasped. As a bonus, each chapter includes a 'Questionsfrom the Field' section, in which FAQs about subjects relating to thechapter are answered.In short, Edson and Dean stick to facts and keep itsimple.

Due to large field of subjects covered, do not expect a technicaldissertation in each chapter.This may not bode well with some people,however I feel the information contained applies to all skill levels andpositions in the museum field.

'Handbook for Museums' is an excellentread; it's great for both classroom study or working reference.Definitelya 'Thumbs Up'! ... Read more

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This volume documents the growing trend for cities and towns throughout America to use museums and libraries as vehicles for economic development. Museums of all types and sizes, and libraries from main street behemoths to neighborhood branches, are being used to stimulate inner-city revitalization as well as neighborhood renewal programs. These public amenities draw citizens, tourists and new development to a city's venues, providing a public place for people to focus and gather. In short, the small public investment paid for these cultural centers is much less than the dollars returned to taxpayers from tourism and economic development.

This collection of essays presents case studies from Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Charleston, Christchurch, Cincinnati, Denver, Des Moines, Hartford, Germantown, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Lanark, Little Rock, Memphis, Minneapolis, Miramar, Pekin, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Prince Rupert, St. Louis, St. Paul, San Jose, Seattle, Tacoma, Tallahassee, Toronto, Valencia, and Wakefield. The case study topics include the role of museums and libraries in promoting urban renewal and downtown redevelopment, revitalizing urban centers, enhancing "smart communities," influencing eco-friendly municipal construction trends, and stimulating private development. The work includes several regional and national resource directories, a glossary, and an index to facilitate reference to particular communities and projects throughout the country. ... Read more

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Through a range of case- studies, including studies from the UK, North America and Australia, this book moves away from the idea that museums are always 'conservative' to suggest they have a long history of engaging with popular culture and addressing a variety of audiences. Andrea Whitcomb argues that museums are key mediators between high and popular culture and between government, media practitioners, cultural policy-makers and museums professionals. The book also analyses links between museums and the media, looks at the role of museums in cities and discusses the effects on museums of cultural policies. ... Read more

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Praise for Lee Bennett Hopkins

University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for “outstanding contributions to the field of children’s literature”

Parents Choice Gold Award winner

Christopher Award winner

“Hopkins . . . captures the wonder and exuberance of childhood.”—School Library Journal

Fourteen poems on the many dazzling collections featured in museums

The art, artifacts, and anthropological treasures found in museum collections are coupled with stunning poetry by acclaimed writers Lee Bennett Hopkins, Jane Yolen, Myra Cohn Livingston, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, and many more in this unique volume. Perfect for art, natural history, and children’s museums, this is also an ideal book for classroom teachers before they bring their students on a museum visit. The lively verse captures the wonder and amazement of the exhibition experience, from mummies to medieval relics, and from fine art to fossils.

Selected by children’s poetry luminary Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by award-winning artist Stacey Dressen-McQueen, Behind the Museum Door will allow young readers to bring the experience home with them to enjoy again and again, long after the museum doors are closed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Reveals the wonders of museums!
Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 9) for Reader Views (5/07)

Why do we have to go to the museum anyway? That sounds like a boring field trip! You have probably said it yourself. A museum isn't as much fun as going to a water park, stadium or a state park. What lies within the museum's walls have a history all their own. Lee Bennett Hopkins has selected a wide range of poems about museums in this collection. "Behind the Museum Door" talks about things like a suit of armor, mummies, Native Americans, forms of art and a whole bunch more.

Stacey Dressen-Mc Queen has brought every poem to life with her bright colors and children smiling and enjoying each part of the museum. "Behind the Museum Door" would be a great addition to primary-grade classrooms to help introduce the children to a museum experience before going on a field trip. This book is written for younger kids than this reviewer but it's an enjoyable book for young children.

You never know what exciting things can lie within the museum walls. Reading the book "Behind the Museum Door" is almost as much fun as discovering what lies behind the museum's door.

A hodgepodge of poems written by such diverse and lauded individuals
Behind the Museum Door: Poems to Celebrate the Wonders of Museums is a hodgepodge of poems written by such diverse and lauded individuals as Jane Yolen, Myra Cohn Livingston, and Rebecca Kai Dotlich, and illustrated with unforgettable acrylic and oil pastel artwork by award-winning artist Stacey Dessen-McQueen, all celebrating the treasury of knowledge, wisdom and wonder in museums. Each two-page spread features a different poem and theme, in this lovely read-aloud anthology that makes the perfect souvenir for a child's museum visit. "Stirring Art: Beauty / suspended in / suspense. // A breath of air / awakens / lifeless form - // See / it / dance."

Behind the Museum Door
Behind the museum door: poems to celebrate the wonders of museums
Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen.

Previously published and new poems by the likes of Myra Cohn Livingston, Lilian Moore, Jane Yolen, and J. Patrick Lewis celebrate the many treasures found in museums. Lee Bennett Hopkins starts with his poem, Behind the Museum Door that lists some of these treasures: "Ancient necklaces, African art, armor of knights, a peasant cart", and all these objects are vibrantly illustrated in a two-page spread.

Beverly McLoughland in her poem, Suit of Armor pens:

In its human shape
of molded steel,
It looks as though
There's someone real
Inside. You Knock:
"Hello in there,"
And hear a dull
Echo of air
As though a voice
Were drifting through
The lonely centuries
To you.

A girl stares wonderingly at the suit of armor and in the background a knight on a horse fights a dragon.

Another poem, Stirring Art shows multicultural children dancing underneath a mobile.

Beauty
suspended in
suspence.

A breath of air
Awakens
Lifeless form--

See
it
dance.





O Trilobite by Alice Schertle is an ode to these little microscopic creatures. She begins her poem with:

O trilobite, there are a few,
here in the Fossil Room, of you.
Once billions strong you ruled the sea,
A Cambrian Age majority.

Trilobites swim across a dark page surrounding the words that are set against a teal background. Multicultural children, although their facial expressions are not very distinctive from one another, reveal in posture their pleasure as they point excitedly to exhibits; some children hold hands or stand with their arms across the shoulders of their friends. These twelve poems encourage an appreciation for the wonders of museums. They can be read aloud, however; there often is a bit of clutter in the illustrations that requires closer examination.


Behind the museum door: poems to celebrate the wonders of museums
Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen.

Previously published and new poems by the likes of Myra Cohn Livingston, Lilian Moore, Jane Yolen, and J. Patrick Lewis celebrate the many treasures found in museums. Lee Bennett Hopkins starts with his poem, Behind the Museum Door that lists some of these treasures: "Ancient necklaces, African art, armor of knights, a peasant cart", and all these objects are vibrantly illustrated in a two-page spread.

Beverly McLoughland in her poem, Suit of Armor pens:

In its human shape
of molded steel,
It looks as though
There's someone real
Inside. You Knock:
"Hello in there,"
And hear a dull
Echo of air
As though a voice
Were drifting through
The lonely centuries
To you.

A girl stares wonderingly at the suit of armor and in the background a knight on a horse fights a dragon.

Another poem, Stirring Art shows multicultural children dancing underneath a mobile.

Beauty
suspended in
suspence.

A breath of air
Awakens
Lifeless form--

See
it
dance.





O Trilobite by Alice Schertle is an ode to these little microscopic creatures. She begins her poem with:

O trilobite, there are a few,
here in the Fossil Room, of you.
Once billions strong you ruled the sea,
A Cambrian Age majority.

Trilobites swim across a dark page surrounding the words that are set against a teal background. Multicultural children, although their facial expressions are not very distinctive from one another, reveal in posture their pleasure as they point excitedly to exhibits; some children hold hands or stand with their arms across the shoulders of their friends. These twelve poems encourage an appreciation for the wonders of museums. They can be read aloud, however; there often is a bit of clutter in the illustrations that requires closer examination.


Behind the museum door: poems to celebrate the wonders of museums
Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen.

Previously published and new poems by the likes of Myra Cohn Livingston, Lilian Moore, Jane Yolen, and J. Patrick Lewis celebrate the many treasures found in museums. Lee Bennett Hopkins starts with his poem, Behind the Museum Door that lists some of these treasures: "Ancient necklaces, African art, armor of knights, a peasant cart", and all these objects are vibrantly illustrated in a two-page spread.

Beverly McLoughland in her poem, Suit of Armor pens:

In its human shape
of molded steel,
It looks as though
There's someone real
Inside. You Knock:
"Hello in there,"
And hear a dull
Echo of air
As though a voice
Were drifting through
The lonely centuries
To you.

A girl stares wonderingly at the suit of armor and in the background a knight on a horse fights a dragon.

Another poem, Stirring Art shows multicultural children dancing underneath a mobile.

Beauty
suspended in
suspence.

A breath of air
Awakens
Lifeless form--

See
it
dance.





O Trilobite by Alice Schertle is an ode to these little microscopic creatures. She begins her poem with:

O trilobite, there are a few,
here in the Fossil Room, of you.
Once billions strong you ruled the sea,
A Cambrian Age majority.

Trilobites swim across a dark page surrounding the words that are set against a teal background. Multicultural children, although their facial expressions are not very distinctive from one another, reveal in posture their pleasure as they point excitedly to exhibits; some children hold hands or stand with their arms across the shoulders of their friends. These twelve poems encourage an appreciation for the wonders of museums. They can be read aloud, however; there often is a bit of clutter in the illustrations that requires closer examination.






















... Read more

Product Description
The relationship between science and the public is one of the great contemporary debates, involving questions of accountability, resource, the construction of knowledge and its legal implications. Mutual understanding between scientists and non-scientists is a key figure in the dialogue and here the interpretation of science in museums has a significant part to play. ... Read more