
What If?
Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
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Narrated by:
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Wil Wheaton
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By:
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Randall Munroe
About this listen
From the creator of the wildly popular webcomic xkcd comes this hilarious and informative book of answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.
Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have a large and passionate following. Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent of the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there were a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last?
In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.
The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with updated and expanded versions of the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? will be required listening for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2014 Randall Munroe (P)2014 Blackstone Audiobook
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The millions of people around the world who loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. Planning to ride a fire pole from the Moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone’s freezer door at the same time? Maybe it’s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on an erupting geyser? Okay, if you insist.
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-
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-
Overall
-
Performance
-
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Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions: What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at ninety percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last? What if everyone only had one soulmate? What would happen if the moon went away? In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators.
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Overall
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Disappointing - not much physics
- By Rob Hahn on 07-15-17
What's fun about this book is how really crazy-sounding Randall Munroe's answers are—but what's great about it is how serious is the science. In a way, the entire book is a lesson in how to think scientifically without losing your sense of humor. Just the kind of thing that would have Richard Feynman falling out of his chair, laughing.
To be honest, this book is so completely zany you might want to take it in smaller bites, like I did. That said, bring it on. It's great entertainment for anyone with a wry sense of humor. Also ideal for a high school student who just needs a tiny nudge in a scientific direction, or—for that matter, any high school student.
Plus, Wil Wheaton is at the top of his form. His narration is absolutly perfect. He's energetic, lucid, and truly brilliant. And this book is the ideal showcase for his considerable talent. For fans of Wil, he's also fabulous narrating "Ready Player One," by Ernest Cline, and this narration is every bit as excellent.
A humorous lesson in how to think—Brilliantly read
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Great read(or listen)
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At its best, the book answers creative questions about combining unlikely or impossible creative scenarios. At other times, the questions are just matters of superlatives which can get stale. In all cases though, Munroe's answers and Wheaton's readings are entertaining, informative, and satisfying.
Mad science
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Just awesome!
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Entertaining book
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Perfect narrator
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Laugh Out Loud Funny
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What made the experience of listening to What If? the most enjoyable?
Learning what interesting facts can come from simple/foolish questions.Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
This material was tailor-made for Wil's dry wit and sense of humor. It brought out all the charm but all the detail.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes. Had to go out of my way NOT to do so.Any additional comments?
Overall a four only because of length.Wishing it was longer. Wil Wheaton excellent
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good science <br />not audio book material
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A true Phenom
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