Man vs. Weather: Be Your Own Weatherman - Softcover

Diclaudio, Dennis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143113631 ISBN 13: 9780143113638

Publisher: Penguin Books, 2008

Synopsis

A humorous and practical guide to the history and science of understanding the weather, including how to build your own barometer!

For as long as man has walked upon this earth, he has been forced to survive under the cruel tyranny of weather. Let's face it: there is no escape. Now, in Man vs. Weather, humorist Dennis DiClaudio offers up the knowledge to beat weather at its own game. Rooting through conventional wisdom, discovered gadgetry, and the advances of science, this book presents the geothermal mechanisms behind weather-related phenomena, the history of humanity's relationship with the climate, as well as the truth surrounding atmospheric aphorisms. Have no fear: By the time you make your way through this book, you will be able to read, understand, and defend yourself against the elements!

Is "Red sky at night, sailor's delight" a helpful saying or just the ramblings of idiotic drunkards who like to rhyme?

What are these Santa Ana winds that blow out warmly from the desert, and who is the seductress for which they are named?

What is this Gulf Stream that flows out from Mexico before crossing the Atlantic toward Africa and Europe, and how can a stream cut through the ocean anyway?

About this title

About the Author

Dennis DiClaudio is a humor and fiction writer and an improvisational and sketch comedian. He has had several plays produced, is an online writer for Comedy Central, and spent years in the editorial department of Elsevier, one of the world's largest medical publishing companies. He is the author of The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide and The Paranoid's Pocket Guide. He lives in Philadelphia.

Reviews

Now here’s something you don’t see every day: a science book written by a humorist. This is a serious exploration of weather and weather prediction, but it’s written in a light,  breezy, sometimes laugh-out-loud manner. You have to love a guy who calls the hydrological cycle “the weather’s circuitous dance of terror,” or who explains the amount of the sun’s radiation that reaches the earth’s surface in terms of commemorative Elvis candles. There is a ton of information in the book, about everything from fog to humidity to weather-measuring instruments to catastrophic weather events, and it’s all presented in a user-friendly style that entertains as it informs. DiClaudio writes like that teacher you had in high school—the one who used jokes and stories to teach you about stuff you’d otherwise ignore. Great fun. --David Pitt

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0143113631
• ISBN 13: 9780143113638
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240