Flight Maps: Adventures with Nature in Modern America

Average customer rating:

The Nature Company Conflict

Explains our reactions to nature as a commodity

Worth every bit!

it manages to be both thought-provoking and fun to read

Flight Maps: Adventures with Nature in Modern America
Jennifer Price
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0465024866
Release Date: 2000-04-04

Amazon.com

In Flight Maps, essayist Jennifer Price methodically accounts for the fall of the passenger pigeon, the rise of the pink lawn flamingo, the propagation of nature-themed mall stores, and what all this has to do with modern humanity's relationship to nature. The book began as an award-winning doctoral dissertation at Yale, now repackaged for the mainstream reader. Primarily a smart meditation for baby boomers on why a Volvo can't save your soul and why the name "Nature Company" should seem ironic, Flight Maps is a long, scholarly riff on how nature has evolved into a place apart. We fumble to revisit and recapture it, with everything from Toyota 4Runners to Rainforest Crunch candy.

Price's observations center around how our actions, our beliefs, and--especially--our purchases betray an idealized but conflicted view of nature: it's an undiluted source of "realness," but also a remote and abstract ideal, often mangled by our embrace. Flight Maps traces these attitudes back to 19th-century America, recounting the extinction of passenger pigeons and the faltering first steps of early conservation groups. The book's second and best half, though, covers the present, finding nature's place in the mall. Price's lightly jaded sense of humor, combined with her academic rigor, perfectly skewers the likes of Northern Exposure's $5,000-a-day moose and stress-relief products from the Nature Company's catalog, such as "Pachelbel Canon in D Blended with the Eternal Sound of the Sea--Creates a tranquil atmosphere for quiet meditation.... CD $16.98"). --Paul Hughes

Book Description

"I had never planned to become a Thoreau of the mall," says Jennifer Price. Yet that is exactly what she has done in this brilliant debut book

Flight Maps charts the ways in which Americans have historically made-and missed-connections with nature.

Rather than lighting out for the wild places, Price examines the ways in which we have brought nature into our homes and suburban communities. What place does nature occupy in our hearts and minds? To answer that deceptively simple question, Price sifts through "landscapes" and artifacts as diverse as eighteenth-century cookbooks, dinner menus, the Mall of America, and John Waters movies and ruminates on everything from the extreme popularity of The Nature Company and "Northern Exposure" to the plastic pink flamingo, simultaneously the totem of artifice and kitsch and a potent symbol of our problematic vision of nature.

Witty and whimsical, Flight Maps is a sophisticated meditative archaeology of Americans' desire to make nature meaningful in their lives.

Customer Reviews:

The Nature Company Conflict.......2004-12-17

Price's book (also her dissertation) starts strong, with a formidably researched essay on the extinction of the passenger pigeon that does none of the usual things: it doesn't dwell on man's brutality, it doesn't eulogize the pigeon. Instead, she very thoughtfully considers the ways in which people USE nature, and why, and explores the mystery (it remains a mystery) of exactly why the passenger pigeons disappeared.

Human uses of (and, maybe more importantly, imitations of) nature are the focus of the book. The plastic pink flamingo becomes Price's symbol for our strangely consumerist attitude toward nature. WHY do we have plastic pink flamingos? To Price, they're the most obvious example of "artificial" nature, and they've gone through an amazing range of cultural significance -- from bourgeois lawn ornament to embarrassingly loud "low-income" decoration to hipster accessory.

Price dwells on the symbolism of the flamingo more than is strictly necessary. The themes are a little worn by the time we get to her analysis of the the "nature store" phenomenon, all the Natural Wonders and Nature Companies that sprang up in the nineties. Very interesting, but again, her questions have been asked and answered so thoroughly by this time that I, for one, was TOO aware, by the time I finished, that this was a doctoral dissertation and not a book.

Explains our reactions to nature as a commodity.......2003-06-10

If you think The Nature Company is an oxymoron, Price articulates exactly why that is. If you feel a sense of discomfort in today's society, yet feel vaguely guilty about that discomfort, Price explains that as well. This truly is a fabulous book that will have you thinking (and perhaps even shopping) differently immediately.

Worth every bit!.......2002-10-22

I found this book on a closeout table at a local bookstore. When I went back to buy more copies for friends, they were all gone! It's really great...Look at some of the chapter headings:"When Women were Women, Men Were Men, and Birds Were Hats", "A Brief Natural History of the Pink Flamingo". "Roadrunners Can't Read". Scoff this up ASAP or you'll regret it! P.Smith, Texas.

it manages to be both thought-provoking and fun to read.......1999-05-12

It's not often that a book can challenge some ideas you hold near and dear while at the same time leaving you in stiches. A friend of mine insisted I read "Flight Maps"--I'm a confirmed environmentalist/tree-hugger etc., but Price has held up an ideological mirror to me and exposed some of my most treasured assumptions about "pristine nature" along with the contradiction of my consumerist lifestyle (yes, I own an SUV--to drive to the mountains!) coupled with my ecological sensibility. Maybe all that humor made it easier to swallow. In any event, I'm glad I read it. One of those books that really changes your perspective on life.

Book Description

From the source of Belgian brew to the redwood forest of California, from a castle in Brittany to Pad Thai in the heart of Asia...When you're young and on the go, here's the information you need to know! Is off-the-beaten-path your ultimate destination? Before you sling that backpack over your shoulder and head on your merry way, better find out the best routes, the required vaccinations, the hotels that won't bust a budget, the really hot clubs, and whether you'll get in on some special, don't-miss events. Here's just what you need--great ideas and insider info, all tested by a team of young voyagers who understand exactly what the under-25 set wants. They won't stick only to the tried and true, mince words about whether the owners are pleasant, or forget to say if you'll have to trade a bit of comfort for a lot of savings. There are even camping sites! Complete with maps, useful numbers in case of an emergency, and a little fascinating history of each region.

Book Description

When Tucker Woolf needs to find a new home for his cat he only gets one call.

It's from Dinky Hacker, the strongest girl he has ever met. She doesn't shoot smack, but she sure could tell you a lot about kids who do. And once the cat moves in with Dinky, visiting it means visiting the Hocker home, which turns out to be more than Tucker ever bargained for...

Best of the Best Books (YA) 1970 - 1983 (ALA)
Notable Children's Books of 1972 (ALA)
Best Books of 1972 (SLJ)
Children's Books of 1972 (Library of Congress)

Customer Reviews:

a very very very very very good read.......2006-09-23

this is a very charming tale of this mean girl who adopts this boys cat when his dad develops an allergy.he misses the cat so much he goes over to thier house all the time.one day dinky hockers[WHAT A NAME!]cousin same over and the boy and her fall in love.her name is natalia line.shes a schizophrennic who rhymes all her sentences and words when under stress.its a wonderful story that has a "to kill a mockingbird" like charm to it.not the bad stuff but the parts where the kids are just bein g kids.i fell in love with this story right away.it will always have a place in my heart.

Will touch your soul.......2006-05-26

I read this book when I was in junior high school. That was over 30 years ago and I still remember it and how well I could relate to the struggles of teen life. If you are a teenager considering this book or a parent considering buying it for your child, do not hesitate. After all, though I am a pretty smart and well educated person, this is the only book (I'm serious here) that left a lasting impression on me from the K-12 years. It's gotta be special.

Best of the best.......2005-03-01

It has been seven years since I was assigned to read this book for my eighth grade class and I stll think about it to this day. The book has a way of drawing you in to their everyday routine. I am sure I still have the book somewhere in my room, but I just can't find it.

One of the best little known teen books in the world.......2004-01-10

Books written by adults for adults that talk about politics usually want you to pigeonhole them. Once you understand the gist of the bookýs take on life and liberty you can decide whether or not its politics are the same as yours, thereby allowing you to instantly love it or hate it without even reading it. Books written by adults for children or teens that talk about politics also usually want you to pigeonhole them. So went my thinking until I read "Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!". Ladies and gentlemen, I have just changed my worldview on politics in childrenýs books. And itýs all thanks to this little number.

A plot synopsis. This is a story about Tucker Woolf, his family, his friends, and his friendsý families. In New York city, Tucker is fifteen years old and for the first time in his life heýs seriously interested in a girl. This interest isnýt without its complications. The girl, Natalia, attends a school for the mentally imbalanced. And her cousin, Dinky Hocker, has issues of her own. Dinky is overweight, an unsurprising fact when you consider her negligent, often cruel, parents. From this unlikely set of characters comes a story about dealing with the problems of others, as well as yourself. Kerr could have easily taken the easy route with this book. How simple it would be to turn this plot into an After School Special, complete with everyone a little older and wiser at the end. Instead, the author meets such ooey-gooey sentiments head on, challenging the hypocrisy people exhibit every day. Along the way, other issues are brought up as well. Originally conceived and published in 1972, the book deals with politics. Everyoneýs parent is a liberal of the 60s, though how they display this political leaning differs per person. When we meet the radical P. John, Dinkyýs brief beau, the reader is suddenly shown a human being that doesnýt fit neatly into any real category. P. John is conservative, racist, intolerant, and honest. To read his character is to question everything the book is saying about the political climate of this country. But if you really read this book, really examine whatýs itýs saying, itýs clear as crystal that there is no single political stance taken in this story. People are not all one thing or another. Not all liberals are whining wimps waiting for a handout. Not all conservatives remain unchanging and unsympathetic. I can see how people would love this book and how people would hate this book. All I ask of you is that you find yourself intrigued by this review and decide to actually read this book. Draw your own conclusions. Decide Iým insanely wrong or absolutely correct. The point is, this book should never be forgotten. It is so well written, so interesting and full of great points that I canýt even give you a glimpse of what it really means. Youýll just have to find out for yourself.

Social Aquarium.......2003-08-24

This book starts out as being the story of Tucker Woolf, self-apointed expert on libraries, and cronicler of strange existences. But it soon turns out that it is actually the story of four young teenagers, and, on a broader scale, their parents and their entire society.
Tucker has to deal with having a faher who cares too much about apearances, and drills Tucker into only revealing parts of the truth when dealing with strangers. Tucker is feels somewhat out of place wherever he is, and when he finds a stray cat he imediately bonds with it. When his dad turns out to be allergic, he has to give the cat away. It is this cat who, directly and inderectly, brings him into contact with the other characters. It is adopted by Dinky Hocker, a tragically overweight girl, whose parents completely ignore their daughters problems, in favour of helping drug-addicts and othe worthy causes. Her cousin Natalie, and a boy who shares Dinkys rather enormous problem, together form the core of the story.

The book is funny, the characters quirky and the situations somwhat absurd, but the real fascination of this book comes from seeing how the parents of these children forget them in favour of either their own problems or the problems of strangers. The thing that struck me most is that Dinkys charity-mom is actually one of the most selfish people in the world. I would recomend this book to anyone, even though it is technically a YA-novel. Its a good read, all the same.

Average customer rating:
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!
M. E. Kerr
Manufacturer: Dell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L1ZJ8G

Average customer rating:
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack
M. E. Kerr
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000V966SU

Average customer rating:
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack
M. E. Kerr
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NP89P0

Average customer rating:
Dinky hocker Shoots Smack

Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GQXZMI

Average customer rating:
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!

Manufacturer: Laurel Book Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GSL3XY

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Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!
M. E. ; Packer, Vin ; James, Mary ; Meaker, Marijane Kerr
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NW9WZO

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Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!

Manufacturer: Laurel-Leaf Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HTDCCC

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DINKY HOCKER SHOOTS SMACK!
M.E. KERR
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GTBU6I

Average customer rating:
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!
M. E. Kerr
Manufacturer: Harper Keypoint Books/Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000ILKKBA

Book Description

Adaptivity and learning have in recent decades become a common concern of scientific disciplines. These issues have arisen in mathematics, physics, biology, informatics, economics, and other fields more or less simultaneously. The aim of this publication is the interdisciplinary discourse on the phenomenon of learning and adaptivity. Different perspectives are presented and compared to find fruitful concepts for the disciplines involved. The authors select problems showing representative traits concerning the frame up, the methods and the achievements rather than to present extended overviews.

Amazon.com

There is an ill-concealed skeleton in the closet of physics: "As they are currently formulated, general relativity and quantum mechanics cannot both be right." Each is exceedingly accurate in its field: general relativity explains the behavior of the universe at large scales, while quantum mechanics describes the behavior of subatomic particles. Yet the theories collide horribly under extreme conditions such as black holes or times close to the big bang. Brian Greene, a specialist in quantum field theory, believes that the two pillars of physics can be reconciled in superstring theory, a theory of everything.

Superstring theory has been called "a part of 21st-century physics that fell by chance into the 20th century." In other words, it isn't all worked out yet. Despite the uncertainties--"string theorists work to find approximate solutions to approximate equations"--Greene gives a tour of string theory solid enough to satisfy the scientifically literate.

Though Ed Witten of the Institute for Advanced Study is in many ways the human hero of The Elegant Universe, it is not a human-side-of-physics story. Greene's focus throughout is the science, and he gives the nonspecialist at least an illusion of understanding--or the sense of knowing what it is that you don't know. And that is traditionally the first step on the road to knowledge. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

"[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat." --George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.

Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.

Customer Reviews:

Anyone who is curious about the horizons of theoretical physics will enjoy this book.......2007-08-30

In this brilliantty articulated and refreshingly clear book, Greene, a leading string theorist, relates the scientific story and the human struggle behind the search for the ultimate theory. String theory, as the author vividly and easily describes, reveals a vision of the universe that is sending shock waves through the world of physics. Thrilling and revolutionary ideas such as new dimensions hidden within the fabric of space, black holes transmuting into elementary particles, rips and puncutures in the space time continuum, gigantic universes interchangealbe with minusclule ones, and a wealth of others are playing a pivotal role as physicists use string theory to grapple with some of the deepest questions of the ages.

Almost 5 Stars.......2007-07-19

Although I felt this book was excellent and covered all the bases there were a few areas that lacked for me and I couldn't quite give it 5 stars. The book started out phenomenally and the section on quantum mechanics was the best that I've read. The analogies that Mr. Greene used made the concepts clear and comprehendable but there were a few chapters in the middle where he used no analogies and I found myself completely lost even after re-reading the chapters. I might be too much of a layman for this book and that would certainly not be Mr. Greene's fault. There were additional parts of the book where I found myself easily destracted and those chapters were almost a chore to finish. Over all I think parts of this book are great for readers who are just begining to study this subject but other whole chapters are definately not.

First half zipped along with insight after insight........2007-07-19

First half zipped along with insight after insight. Second half got a bit heavy and bogged down. Overall I'm glad I made it through.

science or science fiction? .......2007-07-08

"Theoretical physicist is the one whose experiments don't work".
So says my friend, an engineer by profession, and The Elegant Universe fully confirms this view - more, since we learn that the theories of modern physics are beyond our technological ability to test them experimentally.
The theories themselves are indeed very elegant, composed with great care for estetics and symmetry, and well illustrated by pictures. Nonetheless, we are left with an impression that most of it is the stuff of phantasy, and just as one calculation will "prove" some idea, another set of equations will "disprove" it with identical claim to "scientific truth". I've put all this terms in quotes because the maybe factor of all proofs is too strong to take the presented theories seriously. The author admits that all the calculations are based on approximations and numerous assumptions, raising from still more approximations and probabilities. And when the result is absurd, the theorists quickly solve the problem by inventing one more spatial dimention, not accessible to our perceptions because it never expanded from its initial state.
Actually, the whole string theory deals with aspects of reality not accessible to our perceptions, and not provable by any experiments. Is it still reality or already a fiction? We don't know, and chances are will never know.
With all this, it is indeed an extremely elegant text, beautifully written and holding our attention all the way to the end. I just wish the author did not say all of the time that string theory had been "discovered", since for all we know theories are not material reality, such as a continent of America or a rare species of a butterfly, and so they cannot be discovered, theories can only be conceived, invented, or created. This lexical misuse is eye-catching due to the prevalence of hypotheses over the facts so stronly visible in string theory.

Crackling and sizzling ! - This one requires some attention and tenacity though........2007-06-27

A good book which covers the below topics

1) Requirement of single physical law which brings together all the four fundamental forces: Electromagnetic, Strong nuclear, weak nuclear and gravity.
2) Disparity between theory of relatively (the world of the big) with quantum mechanics (world of the very small)
2) The need of a higher theory to explain the standard model (Explanation for the disparate mass and charges of the subatomic particles)
3) The concept of 11 dimensional space; Mass and charge of the numerous particles found in atom smashers being a result of frequency of vibrations of strings (closed or open) in different dimensions. Meaning a string vibrating with a certain frequency along one of the hidden 7 pinched up spatial dimensions (also termed calabi Yau spaces) will represent a subatomic particle
4) Membrane theory (2 branes, 3 branes etc)
5) M theory unifying the 5 known strings theories (by the addition of another spatial dimension)
6) Thus everything in this universe including the keyboard you are right now typing on is made up of tiny vibrating strings and below this level there is nothing. A string would be the last divisible entity beyond which it is not possible to divide anymore.

Basically everthing stripped down to strings. This is a book for the reader who doesn't know anything about string theory but wants to learn something. As a general reader, you are not in a position to take a stand for or against string theory, because the person picking up this book will be layman and hence rightly there are no equations, so you have to accept things at face value. If you were more deeply interested you would be a physicist doing his PHD and hence will read more dense and technical books as college courses.

But as a layman, you will also appreciate the paucity of physical evidence to support string theory. Particle physicists consider it the right theory because of its mathematical elegance in it's equations. As a layman, you and I are not able to see this elgance as we dont read equations. So I cant form a real opinion about this but I can say that this book will provide the uninitiated a quick cursory primer on string theory with the help of analogies. But this book wont make you believe or disbelieve string theory but you will become more aquainted with what this hype is all about.

regards, Vikram

The Elegant Universe - Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

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The Elegant Universe - Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
Brian Greene
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JV9ZYW

Book Description

A collection that explores the human spirit through a series of fantasy vignettes, including "The Machine Stops," "The Point of It," "Mr. Andrews," "Co-ordination," "The Story of the Siren," and the title story.

Customer Reviews:

E. M. Forster's religious fantasy stories.......2005-03-12

This book contains six of E. M. Forster's short stories. Nearly all of the stories are religious fantasy or science fiction. Some are apocalyptic, some are comical, some are frightening and others are baffling. But there is something in each of these stories to which the soul responds.

Forster's vision of heaven in "Mr. Andrews" is truly sublime and ranks with C. S. Lewis's "Great Divorce" in how well it holds together and appeals to the reader's spirit, imagination and reason. It is the finest, most touching short story concerning faith and God that I've come across. Every time I read this particular story, it carries new meaning. Forster's vision of hell and redemption in "The Point of It" is also worth reading.

In the title story, a middle-aged woman struggles to come to terms with how a single moment in her youth has shaped her life and affected an entire community. There is much irony and an entire spectrum of emotions to be plumbed in this story.

Forster wrote a second collection of religious-themed short fiction entitled, "The Celestial Omnibus and Other Stories". I highly recommend both books.

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THE ETERNAL MOMENT AND OTHER STORIES

Manufacturer: Universal Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GPXKEM

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The Eternal Moment and Other Stories
Forster E.M.
Manufacturer: Sidgwick & Jackson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UD7ORE

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The Eternal Moment and Other Stories
E.M. Forster
Manufacturer: Grosset and Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NYOMVG

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The Eternal Moment and Other Stories.
E M Forster
Manufacturer: NY: Harcourt 1956.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L6APK8

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The ETERNAL MOMENT And Other Stories.
E. M. Forster
Manufacturer: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd.,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NYHDXK

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