24th August 2005

The Explainer

posted in Nonfiction |


The Explainer is a compilation of some the best articles of the column ‘Explainer’ in the Microsoft funded on-line magazine Slate. On the Slate magazine’s web site, readers get answers to their questions. The questions are often funny, off-beat, unconventional and tough. The readers e-mail their questions to the Slate magazine and the one of the Slate editors who is chosen as the day’s “Explainer” will have to find the answer and post in with a couple of hours—a very tough task and the Slate’s explainers are up to the task and do an exemplary job. The questions as well as the answers are interesting and makes very interesting read.

The book is divided into the following sections: Bad Ideas, The Criminal Mind, Death, Forces of Nature, Flight, History Lessons, High Tech, Guns and Ammo, Conspiracy Theories, Foreigners, Where Things Come From, Where Things Go, War, Know Your Rights, Medicine, Strange Careers, The Mideast, What’s the Difference, The Perks of Power, Awkward Questions, Say What, Lawyering, Dining Out, While in Washington, Going Ahead, Federal Jobs, Scribes and Moving On. Each section contains the best of Explainer questions and their answers. Some of the questions include:

  1. Can ice cubes cool your pool?
  2. What’s the difference between a spree killer and a serial killer?
  3. Are dead bodies dangerous?
  4. How do you stop a lava flow?
  5. Could ejection seats have saved the Colombia astronauts?
  6. How can cell phones reveal your location?
  7. How do you destroy a missile?
  8. Who runs Antarctica?
  9. Why do surrendering soldiers wave white flags?
  10. What’s the difference between top secret and confidential?
  11. Can the Nobel peace prize be revoked?
  12. Can the pope retire?

The Explainer is a good book for light reading. The added benefit is that one gets to know a lot of interesting tidbits. Don’t forget to check out the Slate web site.

Book Details:

  • Editor: Bryan Curtis
  • Publisher: Anchor
  • Edition & Year: First, 2004
  • ISBN: 1400034264
  • Cover & Page Count: Paperback, 249 Pages

Amazon.comYou can order online at Amazon.

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