How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems - Randall Munroe


Published by John Murray (Publishers): Great Britain, 2019.

Randall Munroe is the creator of xkcd, a webcomic with all kinds of physics and maths based jokes starring stick figures. Being one of only two webcomics I currently follow regularly (the other being buttersafe), I suppose I am an easy sell for this book.

In How To, Munroe takes straight-forward tasks such as "Crossing a River", "Charging Your Phone" or "Skiing" and then proceeds to discuss ridiculous ways of achieving them, using physics to calculate the feasibility (or not) of each method. In the chapter on river crossing, for example, Munroe begins with simply swimming across the river, then moves on to jumping, jumping via a bicycle or car, crossing the surface of the water, freezing the river, boiling the river (to walk under the steam) and flying across by kite. The chapters are littered with Munroe's trademark stick figures who provide added humour by commenting on, or acting out the methods being described.

I greatly enjoyed this book. Munroe has developed his style over an number of years running xkcd, and although not every chapter is as witty or funny as the next, the over-all collection of quirky ideas is one I could see myself revisiting, and sharing with others.

Completed December 28, 2019

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