On How To

I stumbled on this while looking for something fun and scientific to read. I recognized Munroe — I read his xkcd all through high school and always loved it; it had a formative effect on me, and I’d read the whole run start to finish as of about 2013 — and I was pleased to find the book carries the same energy and life as the comics. I learned a lot and laughed the whole way, and it made me see things I observe a little differently. Yesterday, for instance, I was on a swing. I’m 195 cm and about 105 kg, and I wondered what it would take to flip all the way over the top. I don’t have the answer, but Munroe helped me see the kind of work I’d need to do to find it, and how many other factors I could play with along the way. It’s a blast, and I couldn’t stop talking about it while I read.