"If you ever wondered what happened to MacGyver, he lives in Minneapolis under the name of Bill Gurstelle." —Lee Zlotoff, creator, MacGyver
"If you can imagine Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes all grown up, this supercharged guide for amateur thrill-seekers would probably replace Hobbes as his constant companion." —Publishers Weekly
"When it comes to the theory and practice of making your own noisy, mildly dangerous fun in the backyard, America has a new poet laureate. His name is William Gurstelle." —New York Times
"The book is a sure-fire hit for people who want to get in touch with their inner MacGyver (to borrow a chapter title from the book) and for fans of television shows like MythBusters, which often involves building things that shoot or explode." —Booklist Online
"Scintillating." —MAKE Magazine Blog
"Learning to engage in acceptable levels of risk will result in sharpended critical thinking skills and an inner strength you didn't know you had. Just don't crack your new bullwhip indoors." —Twin Cities Metro
"Guys who consider "MythBusters" to be appointment TV might warm to this oddball piece of nonfiction, which aims to put a smile on science, if a rather mischievous one." —The Oklahoma Gazette
"Learning to engage in acceptable levels of risk will result in sharpended critical thinking skills and an inner strength you didn't know you had. Just don't crack your new bullwhip indoors." —Geek Monthly
"I like the philosophy behind this book: a little danger can be good for you, people who take risks in life succeed in life." —The Real Absinthe Blog
"If you need to gently reintroduce some risk factor into your life—you might want to give this a read." —FullyBonded Blog
"Gurstelle has produced a surprisingly engaging manual for adult-sized kids who really do want to make their own powder, fuses, rockets and smoke bombs." —The Sunday Star
"In short, [Gurstelle] tells us how to have all kinds of dangerous fun and the science and ballistics behind this delinquency. " —Creative Loafing
"The projects are well thought-out, well-engineered and engaging . . . the read will do you good." —Mansfield Gazette
"Necessary for anyone wanting to live their life on the edge. Just be warned, just because this book tells you how to do it, doesn't mean it's smart or safe. So don't blame us or them when you no longer have any eyebrows." —necessarycool.com
Written for reasonable risk takers and suburban dads who want to add more excitement to their lives, this daring combination of science, history, and DIY projects explains why danger is good for you and details the art of living dangerously. All of the projects—from throwing knives, drinking absinthe, and eating fugu to cracking a bull whip, learning baritsu, and building a flamethrower—have short learning curves; are human-focused, as opposed to technology-centric; are affordable; and demonstrate true but reasonable risk. The guide maintains that risk takers are more successful, more interesting individuals who lead more fulfilling lives. What would the world be like if Thomas Edison retired after 30 years working for the railroad, it asks, instead of getting fired for blowing up a rail car with one of his experiments? Though the manual doesn’t advocate getting fired, it does reveal that making black powder is pure excitement. Unlike watching an action movie or playing a video game, real, edgy life experience changes a person. Each potentially life-altering project includes step-by-step directions and illustrations along with sidebar tips from experts in the field.
William Gurstelle is a professional engineer who has been researching and building model catapults and ballistic devices for more than 30 years. He is the author of The Art of the Catapult; the bestselling Backyard Ballistics; Building Bots, Whoosh, Boom, Splat; and Notes from the Technology Underground. He is a contributing editor at Make magazine and writes frequently for The Rake, Wired, and several other national magazines.
Science
224 pages, Trade Paper, 6 x 9
18 B/W Photos, 26 B/W Illustrations, 8 Charts, 6 Graphs
Distribution Rights: WOR
$16.95 (CAN $18.95)
9781556528224 (1556528221) Pub Date: June 2009
Chicago Review Press