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Books: Science, Technology, & Engineering

How to Tell Real Skepticism from Lunacy
Skeptics make sure their beliefs are well-supported. That means embracing doubt instead of claiming to be without out.
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Christopher Gerlacher
Are You a Bittersweet Person? How to Know If You See the World This Way
Susan Cain's book, Bittersweet, explores a sensitive personality type that finds great beauty in deep sadness.
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Christopher Gerlacher
The Subconscious Mind Doesn't Take Control From You
Misunderstandings about how the subconscious mind really works have empowered a new generation of hacks and conmen.
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Christopher Gerlacher
How Spiders Fly Like Rockets and Other Mysteries
The ways spiders' bodies work and minds think reveal a secret world known to only a select group of scientists.
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Christopher Gerlacher
How Genes Reach into the Real World
Genes don't just affect our bodies. They also affect the world outside of it through genetic influence on individual behaviors.
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Christopher Gerlacher
How to Trick Ourselves into Acting More Reasonably
Even if we're perfectly logical in our minds, we can behave irrationally. Some of our unreasonable behaviors can be predicted and exploited.
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Christopher Gerlacher
Particles Aren’t Particles and Other Surprises
Quantum theory is difficult to understand, but Art Hobson's book is an unusually clear take on the subject for people outside the quantum physics field.
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Christopher Gerlacher
How Evolution and the Scientific Process Work
The most interesting thing about evolution is how simple beginnings and time are all that's necessary for complicated and diverse creatures.
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Christopher Gerlacher
Rationality is More Than a Buzzword
Anyone can invoke rationality to justify their beliefs. Practicing it is another matter, and it's a moral act as much as an intellectual one.
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Christopher Gerlacher
Two Futures for Blockchain Technology
The best case scenario is that blockchain gives us creative ways to sell spare data storage. The worst case is those potential liberations are taken…
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Christopher Gerlacher
What Blockchain is Really Used For
Blockchain got a lot of attention for being the foundation of cryptocurrencies, but it's practical outside of experimental finance, too.
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Christopher Gerlacher
How To See Through Fraudsters
Not everyone can run a controlled experiment to bust a fraudster. Instead, there are a few ways that anyone can see through a con out in the wild.
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Christopher Gerlacher
© 2025 Christopher Gerlacher
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