Best Hydrology
A key figure is William Mulholland, the self-taught engineer who created an unprecedented water system, allowing Los Angeles to become America's second-largest city, and who was also responsible for the design and construction of the St. Francis Dam. An Amazon Best Book of January 2016: How does a man-made disaster that killed 500 innocents near a burgeoning metropolis become a historical footnote? "Jon Wilkman retells the harrowing story of the St. Francis Dam break with ardent imagination and scholarly insight. His book is essential reading for anyone interested in the human consequences of the unrestrained quest for water and electricity in twentieth-century America." "Wilkman demonstrates a balanced perspective on Mulholland’s lifetime of labor, acknowledging both the good and the bad that the man’s actions wrought. Moreover, the author ties the events at the St. Francis Dam to the contemporary American experience -- with a high demand for water in a severe drought, combined with the aging and failing infrastructure of dams, waterworks, and energy grids, Wilkman convincingly argues that the United States is primed for another such disaster." "The St. Francis Dam failure was one of the pivotal events in U.S. history that forced policymakers to consider how public safety and environmental impacts would fit into national growth and the insatiable need for water. It is a fascinating technological detective story and a compelling human drama, including the impact of a powerful engineer’s overconfidence and the loss of hundreds of innocent lives."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Wilkman masterfully brings to life the now all-but-forgotten story of the St. Francis Dam, 50 miles north of Los Angeles, which suddenly collapsed one spring night in 1928, releasing more than 12 billion gallons of water that wrought death and destruction as it roared to the sea. Wilkman tells Mulholland’s story fairly and accurately, and he tells all of it—the St. Francis Dam and Mulholland—against the backdrop of the overarching story: Water in the West. In recounting the story of the St. Francis Dam and its failure, Wilkman splendidly puts all of the strands together and makes the dam disaster of long ago relevant to today."
"It’s just that I almost gave up on this book after a sluggish beginning, and wouldn’t want another reader to make the same mistake. While some of the early background material was slow, there was a lot of Los Angeles history I found interesting. Even back in 1928, when the population was just a few hundred thousand, city planners foresaw the need for water for both agriculture and its residents. Reading about the city’s efforts to acquire land and the additional steps needed to undertake such a massive engineering project bogged down the story in details that probably could have been left out. Fortunately, the very next chapter dealt with the dam break and subsequent flooding of the valley below. As it turns out, I had just watched the film San Andrea around the same time I started reading about the dam collapse. As dawn breaks, and the extent of the damage and loss of life is first realized, questions as to the cause of the collapse begins. The chief architect of the dam was William Mulholland, a respected director of the City’s Water Works department. I certainly was unaware of a series of dam collapses in China that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands."
"However, the rest of the country likely knows little. Often with this kind of history, a reader needs some background knowledge to understand the authors point. Not in this case: Wilkman gives enough background information that a reader will not only understand why the dam was built, and why it collapsed, but also understand the history of an important part of the country and the role water plays in that history."
At a time when the importance of water is being recognized as never before—considered by many experts to be the essential resource of the twenty-first century— Water to the Angels brings into focus the vigor of a fabled era, the might of a larger than life individual, and the scale of a priceless construction project, and sheds critical light on a past that offers insights for our future. “In this incredibly timely book, Les Standiford chronicles William Mulholland’s heroic drive to bring water to Los Angeles and thus to create the city we know today.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Framed as a biography of William Mulholland, who built and managed the Los Angeles Aqueduct that supplied L.A. with most of its water for decades, Water to the Angels can equally be seen as a history of the Aqueduct itself — the more than two-hundred-mile-long series of pipes and tunnels that drained the Owens Valley to feed the thirst of generations of Angelenos. For example, Standiford writes that it is “easy to argue that had William Mulholland not fought for and built the Los Angeles Aqueduct, Southern California as we now know it would not exist.” He also insists that “what he overcame to achieve a position of influence rivals any Horatio Alger-style narrative.” The author acknowledges the criticism of Mulholland by contemporaries and historians alike, but he dismisses most of it out of hand. Naturally, if you mention water and Los Angeles in the same sentence, you’re likely to conjure up memories of the film Chinatown, which paints a picture of Mulholland’s greatest creation as the product of unalloyed greed. The story of William Mulholland and the Los Angeles Aqueduct can be viewed as a tragedy on a classical scale. Though the Aqueduct itself had to be viewed as an unqualified success, Mulholland made a catastrophic error a decade after the Aqueduct began delivering water to Los Angeles in 1915: he shrugged off signs that one of the big dams in the 233-mile-long system of waterworks was threatening to collapse."
"Standiford's meticulous research and Mystery Writer's style make this history of the water umbilical to Los Angeles a true page turner."
"Mulholland's perseverance and ability to see what had to be done to make L.A. survive and thrive is fascinating, as is the opposition to his plans and the possibilities of corruption."
"This book contains a biography of Mulholland prior to and during the construction, a fairly detailed look at the construction, with a small amount of information on the controversies surrounding the aqueduct."
"After having arisen from modest beginnings, Mulholland began--with others--to think about bringing water to Los Angeles--from the far away Owens River. The book does a fine job outlining the decision by Los Angeles to proceed with the project, the details of how LA gained ownership of property in the Owens River area, how different actors tried to benefit from the project, the engineering challenges that had to be met, and so on."
In the early 1960s, thousands of construction workers and their families came to Oroville, in Northern California, to help build the largest earth-fill dam in the world. He is the author of many articles regarding California history.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I live about 60 miles south of the dam."
"This is a very good book, eerily accurate and the pictures brought back many memories for my mother.."
"Very interesting read."
"Anyone who lived through the building of the Oroville Dam will really enjoy this book."
"I expected to see more pictures of the dam instead of the railroad."
"Excellent account !"
"i lived near the area from the first blast to the filling of Lake Oroville."
Best Surveying & Photogrammetry
Vance spent over 40 hours in conversation with Musk and interviewed close to 300 people to tell the tumultuous stories of Musk's world-changing companies: PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity, and to characterize a man who has renewed American industry and sparked new levels of innovation while making plenty of enemies along the way. "Ashlee Vance's new book, 'Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future,' is a tremendous look into arguably the world's most important entrepreneur. Vance paints an unforgettable picture of Musk's unique personality, insatiable drive and ability to thrive through hardship." "Vance's lively book yields all manner of fascinating insights about Musk's companies, his vision, and his personal life." - Whitney Tilson Founder, Kase Capital Management There are few industrialists in history who could match Elon Musk's relentless drive and ingenious vision. A modern alloy of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, and Steve Jobs, Musk is the man behind PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX, and SolarCity, each of which has sent shock waves throughout American business and industry. More than any other executive today, Musk has dedicated his energies and his own vast fortune to inventing a future that is as rich and far-reaching as a science fiction fantasy. In this lively, investigative account, veteran technology journalist Ashlee Vance offers an unprecedented look into the remarkable life and times of Silicon Valley's most audacious businessman. Written with exclusive access to Musk, his family, and his friends, the book traces his journey from his difficult upbringing in South Africa to his ascent to the pinnacle of the global business world. In 1992, Elon Musk arrived in the United States as a ferociously driven immigrant bent on realizing his wildest dreams. After being forced out of PayPal, fending off a life-threatening case of malaria, and dealing with the death of his infant son, Musk abandoned Silicon Valley for Los Angeles. At a time when many American companies are more interested in chasing easy money than in taking bold risks on radical new technology, Musk stands out as the only businessman with enough dynamism and vision to tackle--and even revolutionize--three industries at once. Vance makes the case that Musk's success heralds a return to the original ambition and invention that made America an economic and intellectual powerhouse.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"2 pages in, I decided I was in this for the long haul and sat on the floor, right there in the middle of the store. Because as you experience the story, as you see the challenges Musk went through to reach the pinnacle he's at today, the question nags at you. Musk isn't soft-spoken, or easy on his employees, or a man who kicks his legs up on his desk and snoozes while his companies mill around him. Vance shows how Musk is both the CEO and an employee of his companies, simultaneously the teacher and student. Vance takes you deep into the details, from Musk's childhood and lineage in South Africa, all the way to Canada and the United States, where the bulk of the story unfolds. When Musk looks at big businesses, he sees unmovable behemoths that refuse to change their methodologies. So we follow Musk's journey from his small start-ups, Zip2 and X.com, and move into his larger, more permanent ventures, namely SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. Did you know SpaceX tested these rockets on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and would fix problems they encountered in a matter of days, as compared to months by standard companies? I'm going to reread this book in a few weeks (probably after the scheduled June 19th third Falcon 9 landing attempt, this time on solid ground, as opposed to a barge). Anyone who wants a ridiculously thorough insight into Elon Musk's life and companies should read this book. This is an incredibly inspiring book, a important look into a game-changing business strategy, and a valuable lesson to the world."
"I loved the insight into Musk and how he operates, and you get a very broad and complete picture of Musk as a driven visionary that is absolutely set on delivering some of the most aspirational goals of any human in history. You also get some great insight into the overall ecosystem around Musk - his companies (SpaceX and Tesla primarily), relationships with other companies and gov entities, as well as the important people around him."
"Solid, well researched book about Musk's early life, early companies (Zip2 and PayPal), and current companies (Tesla, SpaceX and SolarCity). Throughout the book, Vance doesn't just let a startling assertion or quote stand still, he researches events to give the reader a balanced view of what transpired."
Best Environmental Engineering
This bold, contrarian view, backed up by exhaustive research, introduces our near-term future, where exponentially growing technologies and three other powerful forces are conspiring to better the lives of billions. Examining human need by category—water, food, energy, healthcare, education, freedom—Diamandis and Kotler introduce dozens of innovators making great strides in each area: Larry Page, Steven Hawking, Dean Kamen, Daniel Kahneman, Elon Musk, Bill Joy, Stewart Brand, Jeff Skoll, Ray Kurzweil, Ratan Tata, Craig Venter, among many, many others. "This engaging book is a needed corrective, a whirlwind tour of the latest developments in health care, agriculture, energy, and other fields as well as an introduction to thinkers and innovators such as Daniel Kahneman, Ray Kurzweil, and Craig Ventor."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Abundance by Peter Diamandis revolves around the concept that our perception on life is based off of our own experiences, but collectively taken life has improved in many categories such as lifespan, economic wages, & number of conflicts in a given time period."
"It is an excellent place to start for anyone. interested in exponential technologies, the. future, artificial intelligence, global social. issues or business."
"A must read for all generations, I couldn't put the book down...."
"If you read nothing else this year, next year, the year after - read Peter Diamandis Abundance."
"We think the world today is worst than ever, this book will tell you how we are wrong, how we are better now and how Technologies are shaping our future, a future of abundance."
"The authors rightly point out that if you study any period of human existence on planet Earth, you will see both incredible advancements and terrible tragedies. Diamandis and Kotler define abundance as having a life of possibilities where the day is spent dreaming and doing as opposed to scrapping and scraping just to get by. The bulk of the book describes how science and technology will be used to address each of the challenges identified in the tiers of the abundance pyramid. Its contents leave the reader full of hope that science and technology will solve our problems and better life on the planet."
Best Construction Engineering
Simply put, you won’t find a more complete and up-to-date book on home wiring: from basic skills—including an overview of electricity and wiring safety; wire, cable, and conduits; boxes and panels; switches; and receptacles—to foolproof circuit maps for 30 common wiring set-ups and step-by-step walkthroughs of every essential home wiring and electrical repair project, this book teaches you everything you need to know. For a remodel, mark the mirror location, run cable, and position boxes before drywall installation. You can also retrofit by installing new boxes and drawing power from the existing fixture. The size of your mirror and its location on the wall may affect how far apart you can place the sconces, but 36" to 40" apart is a good guideline. Drywall saw, drill, combination tool, circuit tester, screwdrivers, hammer, electrical boxes and braces, vanity light fixtures, NM cable, wire connectors, eye protection. Make the opening large enough that you have room to route cable from the existing fixture to the boxes. Install the boxes about 66" above the floor and 18" to 20" from the centerline of the mirror (the mounting base of some fixtures is above or below the bulb, so adjust the height of the bracing accordingly).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I wanted to know how three-way switches do their magic (it's the traveler wire), and I wanted to know tricks of the trade about how to put a switch in the middle of a "run" of lighting wires or at the end, and how would I properly tie into existing circuits."
"This book is PERFECT!"
"With this book I have learn so much about wiring my house have already done socket, wall switch, and run new wiring."
"great for a home owner, but always remember to get county to inspected."
"Great book for the basics, has helped me with a few home projects."
"Good book with pictures for basic remodel and initial installation."
"It is a great book with good quality pictures in detail."
"Makes it much easier than I anticipated."