Brain Pickings

Posts Tagged ‘how-to’

03 FEBRUARY, 2011

How to Read: Simon Critchley’s Guide to the Great Texts of Humanity

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Last week marked the release of How to Write a Sentence — the much-buzzed-about modern rival of the iconic The Elements of Style. And it reminded us of a fantastic series of books by editor Simon Critchley that addresses the other end of the equation: How to Read.

Each of the books tackles one of humanity’s great texts of literature, philosophy, science and religion, from Shakespeare to Freud to Darwin to the Bible, and enlists a leading scholar in that subject to break down the classic in a way that facilitates, deepens and enriches your understanding of it.

The collection includes the following titles, each a treasure trove of intellectual stimulation and contextual fascination:

Bonus points for the beautifully designed paperback covers.

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28 DECEMBER, 2010

How To Pick The Shortest Line

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How queueing theory and early 20th-century Dutch mathematics can help cut your wait time.

Do you ever feel like you have a special talent for picking the slowest-moving line at the store or at airport security despite your most calculated efforts to pick the speediest one? Relax, there’s no mystical curse at work. Let Bill Hammack, a.k.a. Engineer Guy, explain why it only seems like you’re destined for slowness and show you how to navigate the mechanisms of line efficiency like a pro, using queueing theory and the work of early 20th-century Danish mathematician Agner Erlang.

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04 NOVEMBER, 2010

How to Fold a Newspaper Sheet Hat

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Newspapers may be dying, but we might as well have some fun with our funeral attire. Because one must know: How to fold a newspaper sheet pressman’s hat.

via Coudal

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