What If?, Randall Munroe
What If?, Randall Munroe
31 Rating(s)
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What If?
Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

Bestseller

Author: Randall Munroe

Narrator: Wil Wheaton

Unabridged: 6 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/02/2014

Synopsis

From the creator of the wildly popular webcomic xkcd comes this hilarious and informative book of answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe’s iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have a large and passionate following. Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent of the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there were a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last?In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind—or at least a really big explosion.The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with updated and expanded versions of the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? is required listening for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical.

About Randall Munroe

Randall Munroe is the author of the popular webcomic xkcd and the science question-and-answer blog What If? Randall was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and grew up outside Richmond. After graduating with a degree in physics from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, he got a job building robots at NASA’s Langley Research Center. In 2006 he left NASA to draw comics on the Internet full time, supporting himself through the sale of xkcd t-shirts, prints, posters, and books. He likes candlelight dinners and long walks on the beach—very long walks. Lots of people say they like long walks on the beach, but then they get out on the beach, and after just an hour or two, they say they’re getting tired. Bring a tent. He lives in Massachusetts.

About Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton is an award–winning actor, voice artist, author, and audiobook narrator. Among his movie credits are Stand by Me and Toy Soldiers. His many television credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory, and Generator Rex. As a narrator of more than a dozen audiobooks, he has twice won the prestigious Audie Award, twice been a finalist for the Audie, and earned an Earphones Award from AudioFile magazine.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Steve on September 01, 2014

This is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. And I have read over 10 books.......more

Goodreads review by Manny on September 16, 2014

Q: What would happen if every geek in the world received a copy of What If tomorrow morning? A: Actually, less than you'd think. First, a little background about this book. If you're a geek, it's unputdownable, a word that, if you think carefully, means "cannot be put down". (You may not be aware of t......more

Goodreads review by Miranda on May 14, 2021

Trying to thoroughly answer a stupid question can take you to some pretty interesting places.Randall Munroe, ex-NASA employee and author of thewildly popular webcomic XKCD,decides to look at several, undoubtedly, absurd questions and find scientific answers to them. Nothing is too absurd for hi......more

Goodreads review by Felicia on December 19, 2016

AMAZING BOOK! I love love love it and frankly, there's no better book to read on the toilet. Off the toilet too, but I learned so much and the writing is so engaging and entertaining and just MARVELOUS. Of course in the style of xkcd, this and Atlas Obscura would be my go-to book gifts this year.......more

Goodreads review by Valerie on October 18, 2014

My evil plan of reading this book in small doses aloud to my students during math class has worked. Several of them have bought their own copies, and they are, I believe, planning to use their math skills for good, and not for world domination.......more

Quotes

“Who better than Wil Wheaton, formerly of Star Trek, to narrate this romp through the world of Randall Munroe…Wheaton’s ambitious performance meshes perfectly with the perspectives and humor of the author.” AudioFile

“Required reading across the world.” New York Times

“Munroe applies reason and research to hypothetical conundrums…It’s the rare combination of edifying and fun.” Amazon.com

Awards

  • #1 New York Times Bestseller
  • USA Today Bestseller
  • #1 NPR bestseller
  • Barnes & Noble Biggest Book
  • #1 Publishers Weekly bestseller
  • AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year
  • Amazon Best Book
  • Library Journal bestseller
  • Entertainment Weekly Best Book
  • YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
  • Audible Editors Top Pick
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