Absinthe & Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously
A Selection of the Scientific American Book Club Want to add more excitement to your life? This daring combination of science, history, and DIY projects will show you how. Written for smart risk takers, it explores why danger is good for you and details the art of living dangerously. Risk takers are more successful, more interesting individuals who lead more fulfilling lives. Unlike watching an action movie or playing a video game, real-life experience changes a person, and...
Search in google:
A Selection of the Scientific American Book Club Want to add more excitement to your life? This daring combination of science, history, and DIY projects will show you how. Written for smart risk takers, it explores why danger is good for you and details the art of living dangerously. Risk takers are more successful, more interesting individuals who lead more fulfilling lives. Unlike watching an action movie or playing a video game, real-life experience changes a person, and Gurstelle will help you discover the true thrill of making black powder along with dozens of other edgy activities. All of the projects—from throwing knives, drinking absinthe, and eating fugu to cracking a bull whip, learning bartitsu, and building a flamethrower—have short learning curves, are hands-on and affordable, and demonstrate true but reasonable risk. With a strong emphasis on safety, each potentially life-altering project includes step-by-step directions, photographs, and illustrations along with troubleshooting tips from experts in the field. The New York Times - Dwight Garner …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…Absinthe & Flamethrowers…explores the significance of moderate risk taking to our happiness, well-being and career advancement…It's also a book that contains meticulous directions for making a real, live, beastly flamethrower in your garage
Acknowledgments vPrologue xiPart I Why Live Dangerously?1 Big-T People, Little-T People 32 What is Edgework? 133 Where the Action Is 174 Why Live Dangerously? 25Part II How to Live Dangerously5 The Most Important Chapter in the Book 336 Obtainium 377 The Thundring Voice 498 Playing with Fire 699 The Inner MacGyver 8710 The Minor Vices 11111 The Physical Arts 13912 Thrill Eating 15913 Flamethrowers 17514 The Strange Music Starts 191Notes 197Index 203
\ Dwight Garner…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…Absinthe & Flamethrowers…explores the significance of moderate risk taking to our happiness, well-being and career advancement…It's also a book that contains meticulous directions for making a real, live, beastly flamethrower in your garage\ —The New York Times\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyIf 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. Ostensibly in order to encourage the notion that "to a point, the ability to wage risk is a useful and worthwhile attribute," professional engineer Gurstelle (The Art of the Catapult) lays out detailed instructions for making "black powder" (gunpowder), rockets, flamethrowers and other devices that will endanger your digits and eyebrows. To the author's credit, he is equally detailed in his prescriptions of safety gear and precautions. He also details more hedonistic thrills, such as absinthe, cigarette smoking and "thrill eating" à la the Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern-"in small amounts," he says, "they add bite and depth to the flavor of life." Most of the recipes and blueprints that Gurstelle shares with fellow "Big-T" (thrill-seeking) personalities, can be found all over the Internet, but this antidote to the usual cautious self-help guides is written well if occasionally in overheated prose, and, more important, is presented responsibly. Illus. (June)\ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\ \ \ Creative LoafingIn short, [Gurstelle] tells us how to have all kinds of dangerous fun and the science and ballistics behind this delinquency. Absinthe and Flamethrowers is a guidebook to all sorts of mischievous projects you can do yourself.\ \ \ \ \ FullyBonded BlogIf you need to gently reintroduce some risk factor into your life—you might want to give this a read.\ \ \ \ \ Geek MonthlyLearning 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.\ \ \ \ \ Mansfield GazetteThe projects are well thought-out, well-engineered and engaging...the read will do you good.\ \ \ \ \ necessarycool.comNecessary 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.\ \ \ \ \ New York TimesWhen it comes to the theory and practice of making your own noisy, mildly dangerous fun in the backyard, America has a new poet laureate.\ \ \ \ \ Oklahoma GazetteGuys 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.\ \ \ \ \ Real Absinthe BlogI like the philosophy behind this book: a little danger can be good for you, people who take risks in life succeed in life.\ \ \ \ \ Sunday StarGurstelle 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 New York TimesWhen 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.\ \ \ \ \ \ Twin Cities MetroLearning 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.\ \
