Dan Bone, Research Group
"Celestial Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry," Glen Van Brummelen
We live on a sphere (known as Earth). One might expect that we would all be taught spherical geometry. However, until the early 20th century, this subject was completely removed from the curriculum in high schools and colleges. As a result, we haven't learned how to answer basic questions like: if the latitude and longitude of two cities on Earth are known, what is the distance between them? This highly accessible book narrates the history of spherical geometry and elucidates the beautiful key concepts of this field in a very approachable manner. The chapter on the area of a spherical triangle is particularly fascinating.
Robert Hackett, Editor
"Elon Musk," Walter Isaacson
Read this if you want to gain a better understanding of how Musk transforms an inhuman tolerance for risk into "fuel." A person with weaker health might argue that certain risks are unnecessary (during one of his characteristic birthday celebrations, Musk had a blindfolded knife thrower hit a target positioned beneath his groin). Yet, it is this spirit to which America owes the revival of heavy industries, such as electric vehicle and spacecraft manufacturing. So let the blades rise into the air.