41 records matched your query       

Author:

Carlsen, Spike, 1952- author.

Title:

A walk around the block : stoplight secrets, mischievous squirrels, manhole mysteries & other stuff you see every day (and know nothing about) / Spike Carlsen.

Edition:

First edition.

Publisher:

HarperOne,

Copyright Date:

2020

Description:

328 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Subject:

Curiosities and wonders.
Material culture--Miscellanea.
Recreation--Miscellanea.
Inventions--Miscellanea.
Questions and answers.
Trivia and miscellanea.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [307]-328).

Contents:

Introduction -- Part 1. Incoming -- Part 2. Outgoing -- Part 3. Surfaces -- Part 4. Nature -- Part 5. Sign, lines & lights.

Summary:

"On his regular walk one morning, Spike Carlsen realized there was an entire world outside his front door that he knew nothing about. How does that fire hydrant work, he wondered? Why are street lights shining more brightly than ever before? And, on a more personal level, why does an easy stroll around the neighborhood always leave him feeling more creative and spry, better able to take on the day? A simple walk around the block set Carlsen off on an investigative journey to discover everything he could about every thing we take for granted in our everyday life, from manhole covers and recycling bins to pedestrian crossings and bike lanes. Leading readers on a spirited adventure through his hometown, and other environs, Carlsen explains with wit and erudition the engineering marvels, unheralded utilities, and secret economic and health benefits hiding in plain sight. Like how the addition of a front porch reduces crime and increases property value. And how planting a $10 boulevard tree cuts air-conditioning costs by 20 percent, while generating approximately $30,000 worth of oxygen and $31,000 worth of erosion control. Or how a simple walk, in addition to reduce your chances of a stroke (20 percent), cardiovascular disease (30 percent), and broken bones (40 percent), can increase creativity by 60 percent. Engaging, entertaining, and informative, A Walk Around the Block is a narrative celebration of all the seemingly random stuff we encounter at any given moment"-- Provided by publisher.

ISBN:

0062954768
9780062954763
006295475X
9780062954756

OCLC:

(OCoLC)1158503902

LCCN:

2020025829

Locations:

USUX851 -- Iowa State University - Parks Library (Ames)

GBPF771 -- Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library (Ankeny)

KSPG296 -- Burlington Public Library (Burlington)

SAPG074 -- Cedar Falls Public Library (Cedar Falls)

NJPD993 -- Clarion Public Library (Clarion)

CDPF771 -- Clive Public Library (Clive)

VOPB384 -- Conrad Public Library (Conrad)

XXPH787 -- Council Bluffs Public Library (Council Bluffs)

BAPH771 -- Des Moines Public Library (Des Moines)

FXPH314 -- Carnegie-Stout Public Library (Dubuque)

SIPD314 -- James Kennedy Public Library (Dyersville)

VFPB334 -- Elgin Public Library (Elgin)

ALPE516 -- Fairfield Public Library (Fairfield)

ZYPE837 -- Harlan Community Library (Harlan)

AQPC277 -- Lamoni Public Library (Lamoni)

JMPC081 -- Madrid Public Library (Madrid)

GOPG641 -- Marshalltown Public Library (Marshalltown)

WWPC305 -- Milford Memorial Library (Milford)

XAPE737 -- Shenandoah Public Library (Shenandoah)

LAPH975 -- Sioux City Public Library (Sioux City)

GDPF771 -- Urbandale Public Library (Urbandale)

TRPE062 -- Vinton Public Library (Vinton)

GEPG771 -- West Des Moines Public Library (West Des Moines)

KLPC566 -- West Point Public Library (West Point)