Electric Universe
How Electricity Switched on the Modern World
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Narrated by:
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Del Roy
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By:
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David Bodanis
About this listen
The best-selling author of E=mc2 weaves tales of romance, divine inspiration, and fraud through an account of the invisible force that permeates our universe—electricity—and introduces us to the virtuoso scientists who plumbed its secrets.
For centuries, electricity was seen as little more than a curious property of certain substances that sparked when rubbed. Then, in the 1790s, Alessandro Volta began the scientific investigation that ignited an explosion of knowledge and invention. The force that once seemed inconsequential was revealed to be responsible for everything from the structure of the atom to the functioning of our brains. In harnessing its power, we have created a world of wonders—complete with roller coasters and radar, computer networks and psychopharmaceuticals.
In Electric Universe, the great discoverers come to life in all their brilliance and idiosyncrasy, including the visionary Michael Faraday, who struggled against the prejudices of the British class system, and Samuel Morse, a painter who, before inventing the telegraph, ran for mayor of New York City on a platform of persecuting Catholics. Here too is Alan Turing, whose dream of a marvelous thinking machine—what we know as the computer—was met with indifference, and who ended his life in despair after British authorities forced him to undergo experimental treatments to “cure” his homosexuality.
From the frigid waters of the Atlantic to the streets of Hamburg during a World War II firestorm to the interior of the human body, Electric Universe is a mesmerizing journey of discovery.
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Critic reviews
2006, New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age: Winner
"Hugely impressive. No one makes complex science more fascinating and accessible—and indeed more pleasurable—than David Bodanis.” —Bill Bryson, author of A Short History of Nearly Everything and A Walk in the Woods
“Bodanis wears his immense knowledge lightly. His crystal-clear explanations of everything from force fields under the Atlantic to GPS satellites combine with a flair for narrative and an eagle eye for obscure facts (where else can you learn that antidepressants turn into liquid electricity when swallowed?) to provide an intriguing account of how the wonders of electricity have transformed our world.” —Ross King, author of Brunelleschi’s Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling
“Electric Universe is a technological odyssey complete with heroes and villains, triumph and tragedy—a true scientific adventure.” —Simon Singh, author of Fermat’s Enigma and Big Bang
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The least helpful review of Space Chronicles.
- By Joshua Kring on 06-17-15
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The Disappearing Spoon
- And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
- By: Sam Kean
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Reporter Sam Kean reveals the periodic table as it’s never been seen before. Not only is it one of man's crowning scientific achievements, it's also a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The infectious tales and astounding details in The Disappearing Spoon follow carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.
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Great Book, Great Narration, But...
- By Henny Button on 09-18-10
By: Sam Kean
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Sync
- How Order Emerges from Chaos in the Universe, Nature, and Daily Life
- By: Steven Strogatz
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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At once elegant and riveting, Sync tells the story of the dawn of a new science. Steven Strogatz, a leading mathematician in the fields of chaos and complexity theory, explains how enormous systems can synchronize themselves, from the electrons in a superconductor to the pacemaker cells in our hearts. He shows that although these phenomena might seem unrelated on the surface, at a deeper level there is a connection, forged by the unifying power of mathematics.
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Engaging, but maybe better suited for non-audio
- By Ryan on 05-26-12
By: Steven Strogatz
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Chasing Heisenberg
- The Race for the Atom Bomb
- By: Michael Joseloff
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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After a devastating run of German victories, Allied troops are beginning to halt Hitler’s advance. But far from the battlefields, Allied scientists are struggling. Intelligence reports put them a distant second behind the Germans in a competition that could determine the outcome of the war: the race to build the world’s first nuclear weapon. For the Allies’ top scientists, the race is deeply personal. J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Samuel Goudsmit have known Hitler’s chief atomic scientist, Werner Heisenberg, for years.
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A Good Overview/Introduction to the Bomb Race
- By Ashlyn on 08-05-20
By: Michael Joseloff
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Confessions of an Alien Hunter
- A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
- By: Seth Shostak
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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This engaging memoir reveals the true story of the Search for ExtraterrestrialIntelligence (SETI), and discloses what we may very soon discover. Chronicling the program’s history with insight and humor, SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak assures us that if there is sentient life in the universe, we are within decades of picking up its signal.
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Somewhat Disappointed...
- By Tim on 11-12-10
By: Seth Shostak
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Tesla vs Edison
- A Captivating Guide to the War of the Currents and the Life of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Human history has seen many surprising and profound turning points. The ways that humans learned to use raw materials to create activity and resources set the stage for the most compelling and life-altering phase of the modern era, the Industrial Revolution. Born during this time on different continents but connected by similar interests, two men indelibly marked their generation and those that followed with their genius and foresight. This audiobook covers the war of currents and the individual lives of Tesla and Edison.
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Arduous
- By Hasbro on 10-22-18
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The Electric War
- Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Light the World
- By: Mike Winchell
- Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In the mid- to late-19th century, a burgeoning science called electricity promised to shine new light on a rousing nation. Inventive and ambitious minds were hard at work. Soon that spark was fanned, and a war was under way to be the first to light - and run - the world with electricity. Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of direct current (DC), engaged in a brutal battle with Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, the inventors of alternating current (AC). There would be no ties in this race - only a winner and a loser - and the prize was a nationwide monopoly in electric current.
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Very well written!
- By Amanda McCoy on 07-17-19
By: Mike Winchell
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A Short History of Nearly Everything
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Bill Bryson has been an enormously popular author both for his travel books and for his books on the English language. Now, this beloved comic genius turns his attention to science. Although he doesn't know anything about the subject (at first), he is eager to learn, and takes information that he gets from the world's leading experts and explains it to us in a way that makes it exciting and relevant.
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The Only Book I reread imediatley after reading
- By Andrew on 11-09-09
By: Bill Bryson
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Headstrong
- 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World
- By: Rachel Swaby
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise three children.” It wasn’t until the second paragraph that readers discovered why the Times had devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion system to keep communications satellites in orbit, and had recently been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
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Role models for young women
- By mtsuda90 on 06-25-16
By: Rachel Swaby
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The Skylark of Space
- Skylark Series #1
- By: E. E. "Doc" Smith
- Narrated by: Reed McColm
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Brilliant government scientist Richard Seaton discovers a remarkable faster-than-light fuel that will power his interstellar spaceship, The Skylark. His ruthless rival, Marc DuQuesne, and the sinister World Steel Corporation will do anything to get their hands on the fuel. They kidnap Seaton's fiancée and friends, unleashing a furious pursuit and igniting a burning desire for revenge that will propel The Skylark across the galaxy and back.
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Space Operas - Good Story telling!
- By Madge on 01-27-10
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Sun in a Bottle
- The Strange History of Fusion and the Science of Wishful Thinking
- By: Charles Seife
- Narrated by: Bill Weideman
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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For the past 50 years, governments and research teams have tried to bottle the sun with lasers, magnets, sound waves, and particle beams, struggling to harness the power of fusion. Again and again, they have failed, disgracing generations of scientists. Throughout this fascinating journey, Charles Seife introduces us to the daring geniuses, villains, and victims of fusion science.
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Focused on the Lone Wolves
- By Robert Goldston on 11-14-08
By: Charles Seife
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Interesting but not what I expected
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Amazing narration of an incredibly well told story
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What listeners say about Electric Universe
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Nelson Alexander
- 09-18-10
Go Ahead, Plug In
Given the number of medium to bad reviews here, I thought I'd throw in my "plug." Since I never use audiobooks for scholarly reference, I am not as concerned about accuracy as I might be reviewing a printed text. While the points on accuracy or oversimplification made by some of the reviewers here are well taken, they didn't affect my pleasure in the work, which I thought an excellent audiobook. The writing is quite good and intelligent, at a good pace for audio, so even the author's digressive flights of fancy on the social effects of the transistor, for example, are enjoyable, imaginative riffs. The history of electricity presented here is periodic and a bit quirky, not at all comprehensive. Each episode centers on one or two historical figures and their advancement of electrical knowledge, from Volta to Turing, from telegraph and radar, up to microchips and synapses. The stories are well-told and I actually appreciate the "oversimplified," Dickensian manner in which the author paints his characters in moral hues as villains (Morse, Shockley, etc.) or heroes (Faraday, Turing, etc.) I knew nothing about the topic, so learned much, listened to most chapters twice, and was inspired (or perhaps embarrassed) into learning a bit more about electricity, which is, after all, the deity underlying our modern social structure. Overall, very good audiobook. The reader is good--pleasantly, gruffly avuncular. If you don't know much about electricity I believe you'll like it and learn.
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Overall
- Justin
- 06-15-09
easy to digest
I just finished this book in 2 days i was hooked. Its amazing to think about how immersed we are electricity and how new it is to us. I highly recommend to anyone interested in how things work
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1 person found this helpful
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- Bruce
- 12-12-11
Good broad review of the history of electricity
Good overall review of the history of electricity. However, I agree with another reviewer here. The total and absolute omission of the contributions of Nikola Tesla is like writing a history of astronomy and leaving out discussion of Galileo. The author Bodanis obviously has such a prejudice and bias against Tesla, that the omission is like an elephant in the room that he doesn't want to talk about. It makes me leery of the author's other assertions, such as:
1) the assertion that Samuel Morse stole the idea of the telegraph from Joseph Henry, a professor at Princeton
2) the assertion that Edison was a villain without a conscience who was hired by Western Union as a 'patent-breaker' in order to crush Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patents;
3) the claim that Marconi invented radio all by himself, leaving out discussion of Tesla; and the Supreme Court rulings that revoked Marconi's patents in favor of Tesla's
4) the claim that Shockley stole the idea of semi-conductors from his assistants;
According to Bodanis, the whole history of electricity is full of back-stabbers, cheaters, patent-villains, liars, and thieves. While this may be true, the author should have given a more neutral presentation. I enjoy hearing both sides of a story.
But overall, Bodanis does explain with vivid imagery how electricity and radio waves work, so simply put that even a layman can understand it. Just be aware of the author's personal and blatant biases in this work. This book will lead me to double-check the history facts presented by Bodanis.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-12-24
The story-like experience of the book
There wasn’t much to dislike I’m um um um um um um um um um um um
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Overall
- Felicity
- 04-11-07
marginally worth the listen
A little too much froth. The narrator's voice got annoying very quickly: he sounds like humpty dumpty looks.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Aaron
- 09-16-16
Decent
Liked just about all I heard. Except for the loud white noise about 3 minutes from the end of the book.
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- Mattsaxe
- 01-06-19
electrifying
I was hoping for a overview of discoveries through time, wasn't expecting history lesson and such background depth.
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- MacFarland
- 03-19-16
excellent!!!
what a great book. super educational and interesting all the while. I went back for a second listen later and ended up going through the whole book again.
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- Babaluau11
- 09-17-22
Underwhelming!
Falls way short of its title's claim, it is not about the "universe" of electricity or any cosmological view at all. It is an accounting for the local, earthly, recent, history and discoveries of the nature and usage of the electro-magnetic force. If you're looking for the propositions and discoveries based on the universal laws of the electric universe cosmology, go to the best source The Thunderbolts Project, proponents of the electric universe cosmological model.
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Overall
- M. Sweeney
- 02-27-05
Electric Electricity
This was arguably one of the most enjoyable books I've listened to in a long while. While my own background is Electrical Engineering, there were concepts and ideas presented in such a simplified manner that this book should be required reading for all students. The history of how our version of electricty came to be was interesting not so much for how the various discoveries came about but the from the human side. There were many interesting stories that I had not heard before or fully understood the personalities involved. The narration is very well done which adds to the enjoyment.
An example is the authors discription of how RADAR really works, not how people thinks it works and how something devised to protect England was taken from the creator and used to firebomb a German city to the absolute distress of the creator. You get the full impact from the joy of discovery to the total dispair as women and children were incinerated.
You feel the joy of Alexendar Graham Bell working to help the deaf while bringing us the Telephone which revolutionized the world.
And while the all widgets are cool, the author goes into how electricty makes us humans work. I learned more from this book than I did in two semesters on biology. Maybe I paid more attention this time but I dont think so, I think it was the excellent presentation of what could be very complex material.
All in all, this is must-listen to audiobook.
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81 people found this helpful