Biography & Autobiography : Science & Technology

A brain scientist’s journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its possibilities. On the morning of December 10, 1996 Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain – the rational, grounded, detail and time-oriented side – swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely. In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th. Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter. A fascinating journey into the mecha more...

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Learn more about 100 Most Influential People of all times - from. Buddha and Hammurabi to Thomas Edison and Brothers Wright. Their lifes, views,. and careers illustrated with drawings, photographs, and maps. Features.:.; Fully illustrated with drawings, photographs, and maps.; Navigate from Table of Contents or search for the words or phrases.; Written in clear and concise English.; Designed for optimal navigation on PDA, Smartphone, Tablet, and desktop devices.; Formatted to display on all electronic devices including Smartphones and Mobile Devices with a small display. Table of Contents.:.; Kings, Emperors and Politicians.; Religious Leaders.; Humanitarians.; Thinkers and Philosophers.; Scientists.; Inventors.; Explorers and Pioneers.; Musicians and Composers.; Writers.; Painters, Sculptors and Architects.; Stage, Screen and Photography. Kings, Emperors and Politicians. Menes (ca. 3100-3000 BC) - united Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. Hammurabi (c.1792-1750 BC) - first king of the Babylonian Empire. Cyrus the Great (ca.576-530 BC) - founder of the Persian Empire. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) - king of Macedon; he conquered most of the. world known to the ancient Greeks, never losing a battle. Asoka (304-232 BC) - emperor of India who converted to and spread Buddhism. Qin Shi Huang (260-210 BC) - Chinese Emperor; unified China, initiated construction. of the Great Wall of China. Hannibal (247-183 BC) Carthaginian military commander and politician. Julius Caesar (c.100-44 BC) - Roman military and political leader; key role. in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. ... Religious Leaders. Zoroaster (c.1200 BC) - ancient Iranian prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism. Buddha (c.563-c.483 BC) - founder of Buddhism. Jesus Christ (c.6 BC-c.30 AD) - founder of Christianity. St. Paul (b. c. 10-d. c. 67 AD) - proselytizer of Christianity. Muhammad (c.570-632 AD) - Prophet of Islam; conqueror of Arabia. Martin Luther (1483-1546) - a ch more...

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"I had never planned to become a savanna baboon when I grew up; instead, I had always assumed I would become a mountain gorilla," writes Robert Sapolsky in this witty and riveting chronicle of a scientist's coming-of-age in remote Africa. An exhilarating account of Sapolsky's twenty-one-year study of a troop of rambunctious baboons in Kenya, A Primate's Memoir interweaves serious scientific observations with wry commentary about the challenges and pleasures of living in the wilds of the Serengeti -- for man and beast alike. Over two decades, Sapolsky survives culinary atrocities, gunpoint encounters, and a surreal kidnapping, while witnessing the encroachment of the tourist mentality on the farthest vestiges of unspoiled Africa. As he conducts unprecedented physiological research on wild primates, he becomes evermore enamored of his subjects -- unique and compelling characters in their own right -- and he returns to them summer after summer, until tragedy finally prevents him. By turns hilarious and poignant, A Primate's Memoir is a magnum opus from one of our foremost science writers. more...

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Learn more about 100 Richest People in the World - Top 100 Billionaires of. 2007. Illustrated history of their life and wealth. Features.:.; Illustrated with photographs.; Navigate from Table of Contents or search for the words or phrases.; Written in clear and concise English.; Designed for optimal navigation on PDA, Smartphone, Tablet, and desktop devices.; Formatted to display on all electronic devices including Smartphones and Mobile Devices with a small display. Top 100 Billionaires of 2007. 1. Bill Gates $56 billion, US (Microsoft). 2. Warren Buffett $52 billion, US (Berkshire Hathaway). 3. Carlos Slim Helú $49 billion, Mexico, Lebanon (Telmex, Telcel, América. Móvil). 4. Ingvar Kamprad $33 billion, Sweden (IKEA). 5. Lakshmi Mittal $32 billion, UK, India (Mittal Steel Company). 6. Sheldon Adelson $26.5 billion, US (Las Vegas Sands). 7. Bernard Arnault $26 billion, France (Louis Vuitton). 8. Amancio Ortega $24 billion, Spain (Inditex Group). 9. Li Ka-shing $23 billion, Hong Kong (Cheung Kong Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa). 10. David Thomson & family $22 billion, Canada (Thomson Corporation). 11. Lawrence Ellison $21.5 billion, US (Oracle Corporation). 12. Liliane Bettencourt $20.7 billion, France (L'Oréal). 13. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud $20.3 billion, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon (Kingdom. Holding Company). 14. Mukesh Ambani $20.1 billion, India (Reliance Industries). 15. Karl Albrecht $20 billion, Germany (ALDI). 16. Roman Abramovich $18.7 billion, Russia (Millhouse Capital). 17. Stefan Persson $18.4 billion, Sweden (Hennes & Mauritz). 18. Anil Ambani $18.2 billion, India (Reliance Communications). 19. Paul Allen $18 billion, US (Microsoft). 20. Theo Albrecht $17.5 billion, Germany (ALDI). 21. Azim Premji $17.1 billion, India (Wipro Technologies). 22. Lee Shau Kee $17 billion, Hong Kong (Henderson Land Development). 23. Jim Walton $16.8 billion, US (Wal-Mart). 24. Christy Walton & family $16.7 billion, US (Wal-Mart). 24. S. Robson Walton $16.7 billion, US (Wal-M more...

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She was a Jewish girl growing up in World War I-torn Poland. At age seven, she and her family immigrated to America with dreams of a brighter future. But Frances Slanger could not lay her past to rest, and she vowed to help make the world a better place -- by joining the military and becoming a nurse. Frances, one of the 350,000 American women in uniform during World War II, was among the first nurses to arrive at Normandy beach in June 1944. She and the other nurses of the 45th Field Hospital would soon experience the hardships of combat from a storm-whipped tent amid the anguish of wounded men and the thud of artillery shells. Months later, a letter that Frances wrote to the Stars and Stripes newspaper won her heartfelt praise from war-weary GIs touched by her tribute to them. But she never got to read the scores of soldiers' letters that poured in. She was killed by German troops the very next day. American Nightingale is the unforgettable, first-ever full-length account of the woman whose brave life stands as a testament to the American spirit. more...

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