James W Prall
Office: GB254D (new) . . . Campus phone: ext. 65760 . . .
Off campus dial (416) 946-5760 . . .
email: jim.prall (at) utoronto.ca . . .
for computer help: ecehelp (at) ece.utoronto.ca
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I list over 2100 authors on climate change, including all 619 members of working group 1 of the IPCC 4th Assessment Report, with links to their university or research lab home page. I also list signers of open letters or declarations for or against action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and compare the standing of the various signers.
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set up by my wife's 2008/09 grade 6 class at The York School. They set up a wiki, gave depositions at two hearings at City Council, and made a video of their project. They got their wish this June when Toronto implemented a mandatory 5 cent fee on plastic bags provided by retailers throughout the city. They were also nominated for the Toronto Green Awards, youth section, and received an Honourable Mention. Way to go, kids!
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Website for APS111 seminar group on 'responding to global warming' here. |
I am a system administrator and tech support contact for all research computing within ECE, along with our support group of Eugenia, Jay, Yong and Matthew.
All support requests should be addressed not to me directly, but to our common support email that connects to our "RT" support ticketing system:
ECEHELP@ECE (click, then fix the email address to end in .ca )
The following are the research groups I've had the most contact with, having started as their sole support person in prior years:
Some more kid stuff from the students at my wife's school.
This page has been validated to HTML 4.01 specifications.
January 2009: New worms spreading via laptops, USB keys,
network shares and over LANs
A new type of network worm is infecting Windows computers via a
vulnerability addressed by Microsoft in October 2008. Too many machines
don't have the updates provided by Microsoft. Keep the 'automatic updates'
feature enabled. Visit the Microsoft Update (or Windows Update) website
manually to re-check that all your updates are current. ALL Windows users
(both laptop and desktop PCs, at home and at ECE) need to review the vital
security precautions I've listed at:
Windows security advisory. In short: be sure every Windows computer you use has the current release of
Symantec Antivirus,
Windows Defender,
Spybot S&D,
and windows updates, specifically the one labelled KB958644.
To check: Start->Run and type cmd [ENTER]. At the command prompt,
type systeminfo [ENTER] - look near the end of the KB list to
verify that KB958644 is there. If not,
go to this Microsoft page, and get it now!
Use the link specific to your version of Windows.
Have strong passwords assigned to every windows login account.
Do all your web browsing and daily work in a standard (limited) user
account, never from an account with Administrator rights.
Use a router with firewall for your home connection (most wired and
wireless routers now include this.)
Consider running ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm for added security.
Disable or cancel the "autorun" feature when inserting USB keys.
If infected, try the F-Secure removal tool at:
F-Downadup
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| March 2007: Daylight Savings Time begins March 11 this year, earlier than the rule for prior years. Windows PCs need update
KB931836
in order to follow the new scheme corectly.
Users with Windows XP with Service Pack 2 should have received this already via Automatic Updates. You can check if this is present using the "Add or Remove Programs" control panel with "show updates" checked (be patient).
Windows 2000 has expired for automatic update support. Windows 2000 systems must be corrected manually. See the procedure at
KB914387. You should consider upgrading to Windows XP+SP2.
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| Laptop battery recalls: click HERE for a list of laptop models that have had safety recalls of their battery packs due to instances of FIRE. All laptop users should check this list! |
Sept. 27, 2006: CRITICAL: all Windows PCs must apply a new security update just released by Microsoft as MS06-055 / KB925486. You should receive this via Automatic Updates, or you can manually start Windows Update or Microsoft Update in your your Start menu. To check what patches are in place, open the "Add and Remove Programs" Control Panel; check "show updates" and scroll the list to see the Windows updated by 'KB' patch number.
MS06-055 bulletin - patches for all versions of Windows, and background info, or download directly from:
MS06-055 patch for XPsp2
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Aug. 9, 2006: CRITICAL: all Windows PCs must apply a new security update just released by Microsoft as MS06-040 / KB921883. You should receive this via Automatic Updates, or you can manually start Windows Update or Microsoft Update in your Start menu. To check what patches are in place, open the "Add and Remove Programs" Control Panel; check "show updates" and scroll the list to see the Windows updates by 'KB' patch number.
Here is a local copy of the patch for Windows XP:
KB921883 for XP
MS06-040 bulletin - patches for all versions of Windows, and background info
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Jan. 5, 2006: Critical: all Windows PCs must apply a new security update released today by Microsoft as MS06-001 / KB912919. You should receive this via Automatic Updates, or you can manually start Windows Update or Microsoft Update in your Start menu. To check what patches are in place, open the "Add and Remove Programs" Control Panel; check "show updates" and scroll the list to see the Windows updates by 'KB' patch number. Also confirm that your Symantec Antivirus has current definitions; click Live Update if the date is older than this week.
MS06-001 bulletin .
CERT page on WMF .
UofT CNS page on WMF
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KEY TOPICS
- Back up data from your PC - see my page on
BACKUPS Note that ECE backs up server accounts but not data stored locally on your desktop PC.
- Use SiteAdvisor to screen websites for malware content, both download links and scripted "push" content. They provide a plug-in for Internet Explorer and one for Firefox.
- Don't fall for "phishing" scams - false websites and email
claiming
to be from your bank, credit card, PayPal, etc. seeking your personal
info. See the Anti-Phishing
Working Group.
- Update to MS Internet Explorer 7, which has numerous security improvements, or use an alternative browser such as my top pick Firefox in place of Internet Explorer. Update older releases of Firefox to the latest from the mozilla.org website (v.2.0.0.4) They also offer a great free e-mail client
Thunderbird (v.2.0)
- Keep Windows systems current with security updates - You can use the new
Microsoft Update service which combines the functions of WindowsUpdate and OfficeUpdate. You should have Automatic Updates ON and allow updates to install on their own.
- Use the latest edition of Putty
and WinSCP
(updated periodically - check if yours is current) for security and compatibility. Replace your older editions of these immediately.
- Use virus protection - UofT has a license for Symantec AntiVirus for
all staff and students for both office and home use. No charge to you!
- Avoid Spyware - basic info at www.spywareinfo.com;
discussions at forums.spywareinfo.com.
See also PC
Privacy and Security checklists,
StopBadware and
spyware researcher Ben Edelman.
Our own Computer Engineering group includes research on internet security, such as this work by Prof. David Lie.
- Some spyware "removal" tools contain spyware!
details here
and here. Don't trust any product claiming to remove spyware unless you've checked out its bona fides, and NEVER accept a program that arrives as a pop-up reporting you are already infected and should "click here to remove." These
"Scare-ware" products are a scam. They just bring more infections. Certainly you should never pay for a program that invited itself in to tell you about spyware!
- My advice: use these two excellent, free scanners: SpyBot SD and
Windows Defender.
Microsoft bought out an excellent commercial package named Giant Antispyware, and they renamed it Microsoft Antispyware during beta testing, and in its final release, Windows Defender. It has automatic updating for its search patterns.
Another tool free for individual home use (there is a small fee for use at Universities) is
"Ad-Aware Personal" from Lavasoft.
- Network worms - can infect even without your opening email, or
any action by you! Windows XP SP2 closes many security holes which past worms exploited. Older releases of Windows absolutely must be patched to block internet worms. Use WindowsUpdate; also activate automatic updates in the control panel of that name.
- Beware of file transfers on messenging or "chat" software. Don't accept files unless you have discussed them in advance with someone you know.
- UofT does not support peer-to-peer file sharing software over the University network. At home, be wary of file sharing software. It is a major way for viruses to spread (often disguised with appealing filenames like "Brittney nude" or "Latest Photoshop cracked!" etc. A lot of P2P client installers have spyware embedded - see this list.
- MacOS X has strong security features and is resistant to most conventional Windows viruses, but still must be kept up-to-date against the threat of network hacking like any other OS. For self-managed MacOS systems, I recommend users subscribe to the Apple security-announce mailing list and apply all security patches released by Apple as soon as they are available.
- Virtual versions of Windows are just as vulnerable to viruses and worms. If you install Windows under an emulator in another OS, such as Apple's Parallels or Linux WINE, be sure to install anti-virus, Windows Defender, SpyBot SD, and allow automatic updates just as on a "real" install.
Note that in August, 2005, Microsoft has merged OfficeUpdate into their main update service, now named "Microsoft Update." As well, they are limiting access to the update website to users whose computer passes their "GenuineCheck" program testing for legitimate licenses for each Microsoft product. You must run GenuineCheck, copy the validation code it generates, and paste this code into their web dialogue in order to gain access. I've heard reports that all access may be blocked if any Microsoft products fail the test (so don't keep pirated software on your PC!) I've also heard that this limitation is only on website access, while the automatic update process does not impose this restriction.
Quick links
X11 server for Windows
Many of us use applications on Unix and Linux servers that use the
X11 "GUI" (graphical user interface), such as Matlab, Altera, etc.
Unix allows remote display of the X11 GUI on other X11 displays;
MS Windows does not use X11, but there are several products that
add an X11 display 'server' to MS Windows. (The machine where you
are sitting, looking and clicking is termed the display 'server'
in X11, while the remote machine sending GUI images is the 'client';
the terms are the reverse of what you may be used to where the
remote machine you log into is a "server" for many other tasks
like file storage, web server, etc.)
We've recently reviewed several X11 servers for MS Windows.
We had previously recommended X-Deep/32 from Pexus, but this is
no longer available as freeware. It may still be suitable as a
purchased commercial product for those willing to pay.
That leaves the one other free X11 option we know of,
Cygwin.
One drawback is the complexity of Cygwin's unix-like environment
(with its many package options and potentially many thousands of small
files on your windows disk.)
Firefox: New Choice for Web Browsing
Many of the security problems in Windows get in through the aging web
browser, Internet Explorer (the familiar 'blue e' icon).
There has long been a choice for Windows users to install
another web browser instead, such as
Netscape.
However, last year a new alternative has become available:
Firefox. Firefox
provides tabbed browsing, automatic pop-up blocking and lots of other
web security enhancements, and is extensible with many free plug-ins
for added features. In May 2005 the Mozilla team marked 50 Million
downloads of Firefox!
One major plus for Firefox is unlimited text zoom,
which I find immensely beneficial. Use CTL-[+] to enlarge and CTL-[-]
to reduce text size, or use CTL+[scroll wheel] to scroll through
multiple text sizes quickly. A nice break from squinting at small type!
Internet Explorer limits you to only 5 text sizes in total.
All users of Mozilla Firefox should update to the latest version
(Fall 2006, it's v.2.0):
download here.
One caution: Firefox is not covered by Microsoft's "automatic updates,"
so you need to watch for alerts to download each new release to get its
latest security updates. That's quite easy, though. Watch for a red
arrow circle at the upper-right of your Firefox window, alerting you
that a new version or update is available. Click it, download the
new version, close Firefox, and run the installer. It's small and
quick to download, and really fast installing - well under a minute.
FireFox supports a variety of
add-ons,
plug-ins and
extensions
to customize it.
One good choice for extra security is
NoScript
an add-on to prevent sites from running JavaScript until you add them to
your "white list" of trusted sites.
Another package from the Mozilla group is the browser + email suite Mozilla.
Choose any of these alternative browsers over Internet Explorer -- a
great way
to avoid all the network attacks focused on the seemingly endless
supply of security flaws in Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
- Mozilla is a suite including mail and newsreader, browser and
HTML editor.
- Firefox is a separate branch (though similar) with browser alone.
- Thunderbird is a mail client (only) similar to that in Mozilla.
I have been using Firefox for a couple of months now and I'm mostly
very impressed. A few pages that don't look right in Firefox
require me to go back to MSIE, but only for those.
Another alternate browser I have not tried but that some users
like a lot is
Opera which allows free downloads
of an advertisement-supported version, or you can pay to get it with
no ads.
Note that Microsoft requires use of MS Internet Explorer on their vital
WindowsUpdate and OfficeUpdate sites. Thus, you have to retain
MSIE even if you switch to another browser for all your daily web
access.
Also, Firefox has trouble displaying some specialized content such as
certain JavaScript animations. If you run into this problem in Firefox,
simply right-click anywhere in the page and choose "Open this page in
IE" at the end of the pop-up context menu. (Just get out of IE as soon
as you can afterward!)
WINDOWS USERS
Well, we survived the emergence of the Sasser worm with no infections
reported in our department, so far as I've heard. This is a good sign:
Windows PC are keeping updated with WindowsUpdate and Syamantec
LiveUpdate. Most machines have these set to run automatically, which I
strongly recommend. However, at the start of the Sasser worm outbreak I
ran a network scan and found a fair number of PCs which did not have
the patch applied. I had to come find these machines and remind their
users to get the update. With so many PCs to deal with, this is quite
burdensome. Please follow the recommendations below and ensure your PC
is not falling behind on these vital updates.
ANOTHER INTERNET WORM!
May, 2004: The Sasser worm is on the loose. It can spread by itself to
any unpatched PC with an internet connection active. This is now the
third such fast-spreading, self-propagating worm to attack Windows
systems in the past year (top of all the email viruses that rely on
users to open the virus attachement.) Check all PCs both at home and at
the office to ensure they are patched against this worm. Laptops
especially - don't bring the worm in on your laptop and infect all your
colleagues' PCs! See here for more details.
WORMS CAN INFECT NEWLY INSTALLED WINDOWS
Caution: when installing Windows on a new PC, or after reformatting, be
very careful not to get a worm infection during the installation and
patching process! Windows assumes you want to connect to the internet
with DHCP as soon as it is installed. While this is convenient, it adds
a new risk: if your internet connection has traffic carrying a worm, it
can infect your newly installed Windows just in the time it takes to go
and download all the patches and updates! Yikes! Most home "high-speed"
internet connections have DHCP, and may well have active worm traffic
just waiting for your PC to take itself online. If so, you may not be
able to complete "Windows Update" fast enough to avoid infection.
To avoid this risk, it is safest to UNPLUG your network connection
while (re)installing Windows, and use a CD to install Symantec
Antivirus, current virus definitions, and the service pack(s) and
critical updates you will need BEFORE ever going online. I can supply
these files on a CD on request, or you can burn them to CD from the
copies linked under Top Picks below. Keep the network physically
disconnected until these have all been installed locally off the CD,
and you have rebooted to allow them to take effect. Only then should
you connect to the internet to finish your setup. Always go first to
Windows Update to get the rest of the Critical Updates. I am only
supplying the three that protect from network "worms"; there are
several more that are still critical and must be applied promptly.
- A good write-up on how to do this safely is online here.
- Copies of the files I recommend for this are also linked below
under Top Picks. Burn copies of these to a CD before starting a
re-install (or use another PC to make the CD.)
KEEP YOUR DATA BACKED UP!
Click here for advice on backups for PC.
CHECK WINDOWS UPDATE
Please continue to check the
Windows Update site regularly (every week) as new security updates
are being released quite often by Microsoft. Although you can and
should set this to be automatic, it is still worth checking manually at
times just to confirm that the security updates are being applied. Such
updates often require that you restart your computer to complete their
installation, so save your work before starting an update.
There is a separate update website for Microsoft Office products. Go
to
Office Online
and click on "Check for Updates" there to get patches and updates to
your
MS Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, FrontPage, Visio).
Note that you must use MS Internet Explorer for this - alternate
browsers
will not be able to get updates (why not? Ask Microsoft...)
CHECK ANTIVIRUS DEFINITIONS ARE UPDATED
Internet viruses and worms can spread rapidly between PCs running
Microsoft Windows. ALL users of Windows must verify that their Symantec
AntiVirus (or Norton AntiVirus) definitions are up-to-date (no more
than one week old.)
Greater protection against one class of worms can be added simply by
disabling entirely two services which are generally not needed for most
users. Both of these fixes are included in XP SP2. Users of XP up to
SP1A and Windows 2000 should apply these two fixes:
- Disable DCOM
- Disable the "Messenger" service (different from MSN Messenger,
which is okay)
Here is the handy tool
DCOMbobulator which lets you disable DCOM on
its "DCOMbobulate me!" panel. This also requires restarting to take
effect. I highly recommend disabling DCOM.
To disable Messenger service, in Control Panels open "Administrative
Tools" and open the "Services" icon in that window. Scroll in the list
for the entry for Messenger, right click on it, and choose Properties.
In the Properties window, change Startup type from "Automatic" to
"Disabled", and click the STOP button.
Although I have tried to ensure all PCs in the groups I support are
patched, I really need each of you to keep up on these and other
patches without waiting for me to remind you. Remember, whenever you
install or re-install Windows, you need to apply the above patches (and
preferably disable DCOM with DCOMbob). Do all this BEFORE connecting to
the network. I've seen the Welchia worm infect a PC as soon as Windows
was re-installed, in just the time it took to download the patches! The
safest practice is to have the patches on disk or a CD, then unplug
your ethernet cable before starting with installing Windows, and don't
connect it again until the patches are all applied and you have done a
restart so the patches take effect. I have an instruction sheet and CDs
of the recommended patches and tools available to borrow.
If your PC catches a worm
If you are infected with the Blaster worm, you can prevent your PC from
rebooting by killing the process named "MSBLAST.EXE" before going on
with the patch and the FixBlast tool. Open the Task Manager by pressing
Control+ALT+DEL (once!); in the Processes tab, find the process named
MSBLAST.EXE, click on it, and click "End Process", then confirm that
you want to end it. This will allow you to keep working on your PC to
remove the worm and prevent it returning.
The more recent Welchia worm may not cause your PC to reboot, but
may cause it to be very slow. Open the Task Manager and look for a
process named DLLHOST.EXE. You may not be able to "End Process" on
this. Get the FixWelch tool, run it, and this will stop and remove the
Welchia worm. Then apply the MS03-026 patch (same patch as for Blaster
worm) and restart Windows.
If you run into any trouble applying the patch or getting up-to-date
antivirus definitions, get help from me or anyone you can.
Keep Up With The Latest Patches and Updates to Windows
Be sure to run Windows Update often. I recommend at least once a week.
You can configure Automatic Updates control panel (Win2000/XP) to
download needed updates automatically, then install on a set schedule
or alert you when they are ready for installation. These updates
sometimes require you to reboot, so save your files before installing.
Don't Open E-Mail Attachments
Even if it came from someone you know, unless you are certain the
sender really had a file to send you. If in doubt, phone the sender to
make sure. Many e-mail viruses are going around that falsify the
sender's address, so you can't really tell where they came from by
that. Also watch out for a recent email virus that claims your mail
could not be delivered (to someone you likely never really e-mailed at
all!) They claim the rejected message is the attachment, but instead
the attachment is the virus!
Microsoft NEVER e-mails any patches or updates to customers
Certain recent e-mail viruses use this claim to lure people into
running the attachment, but instead of a security patch, the attachment
is the virus! There is a stated policy from Microsoft that they never
send updates by email. You are always directed to Microsoft's website
for updates.
Conserve electric power: Click here
for instructions on setting
power save mode on your display under Windows.
Click here for instructions on
setting
power save mode on your display under linux.
TOP PICKS
Here are links for my "top picks" of free software that every Windows
user should have.
Most links are installers, which you can download, run, and then dump the downloaded copy. Windows 2000 may let you "run" directly from the link without saving.
If you have Download Accelerator, you can click "Run" in the dialog box
that comes up after it downloads the link.
The following are some more tools I often find useful.
For PuTTY.exe, right-click and "Save Target as..." to download a copy
of the program to keep on your desktop. (Or if you are a guest on
someone else's computer, in Windows 2000 you can even run PuTTY from this link without downloading.)
| FUNCTION |
LINK |
HOW TO USE |
| PuTTY SSH client: UPDATED! |
PuTTY
0.58 or Putty
home page |
Download new v. 0.58 - security fix! |
| WinSCP secure file transfer: UPDATED! |
WinSCP
home page |
Install the latest version if you have any older version! |
| SSH Tunnel Client v.3 installer: |
local
copy or original |
You can "Run" this installer from here. Example setup screen for UofT |
| Firefox browser |
local
copy of v.1.04
or Firefox website |
Visit their site to download latest installer. |
| Mozilla browser, mail reader, IRC & news |
Mozilla |
Visit their site to download latest installer. |
| CD Burner XP Pro - freeware CD/DVD writer for Windows |
CDB XP |
Visit their site to download latest installer. |
| Browser Plug-Ins |
FLASH,
ShockWave,
QuickTime
| Run these installers to let your browser support animated content. |
| Sun JAVA VM |
JRE 1.4.2 |
Microsoft's Java is flakey. Go with Sun who invented Java! Run this installer. |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader |
Reader v.7 install |
Run this installer. |
| WinZIP compression utility (up to W2000): |
WinZIP |
You can "Run" this installer from here. Not needed in XP. |
| Show all startups in the registry |
Autoruns |
Checks the registry for all startup entries, can turn them off. Much easier than REGEDIT! |
| Web JetAdmin - TCP printing to HP Lasers |
WJA
for Win2000 or WJA
for XP |
You can "Run" these installers from here. |
| SMC Barricade print server setup |
PDF
how-to |
print server in GB003 is 128.100.15.240 for Samsung QL5100A |
| Monitor your hard drive with HD Health: |
local
copy of 2.1beta or original
site |
System tray tool to monitor hard drive status and temperature. |
Photos from my vacation in Switzerland.
IMPORTANT NOTICES to ALL WINDOWS USERS:
All versions of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft applications are prone
to a growing array of viruses, worms, trojan horse programs, and hacker
tricks.
Every Windows PC connected to the network must take the security
measures described on this Windows
security page. It is vitally important to observe these
precautions. Please read this page and follow the recommendations.
Product information
Reviews and customer feedback sites:
C-Net
Ziff-Davis ZD Net (publishers of PC
Magazine)
NeoSeeker
Technical info:
Tom's Hardware pages
Motherboard Express
Disk
Checkup Small, stand-alone tool to check hard drive status and
temperature.
HD Health
System tray tool to monitor hard drive status and temperature.
Hard drive
diagnostic tools
Toshiba hard drive warranty check
Some local computer stores near us:
The Campus Computer Shop
upstairs from the UofT Bookstore in the Koffler Student Centre on St.
George St. Authorized distributors for HP, Apple, IBM, Sun, Sony, Acer,
Eurocom, Xerox and others. Academic discounts on many products. Use
their Departmental Ordering for best rates on Adobe products (even
lower than the boxed Academic editions they also stock.)
A list and map
of computer stores along College St. near Spadina - this blog entry includes some user comments on the stores. The former interactive map at gosee.ca has gone offline, sadly. Another static clone of the old map gives the full list of store website links, here
Sonnam on Spadina, east side just
north of college - just up from the 7-11. Store hours 11 to 7 (hmmm!)
Alpha Plus Computers
(tel. 416-323-0898; ask for Sam) on College St., south side west of
Spadina - They accept UofT purchase orders and can deliver on campus.
Competitive pricing. Preferred vendor of Energy Systems Group.
Honson on College, west of Spadina
on the south side. Helpful.
Canada Computers on
College at Augusta. Very competitive pricing; wide selection. Store
gets very busy.
Factory Direct College St.,
north side, west of Spadina - the one with the old movie marquee. Lots
of cheap deals, many refubished (used). Can get quite busy. Very
limited warranty on many items.
Canadian mail order sites:
These sites operate in Canadian dollars and ship from Canada (except
Dell).
Dell Canada
Direct Dial Wide
selection, low prices
Micro Warehouse
Compusmart
Misco (office equipment also)
Amazon.ca Canadian site has some
non-book lines
Pricewatch collects prices from
many US websites for all kinds of computer components - a useful
reference
Personal info
My father, Dr. Robert C. Prall, M.D. 1918 -
2002
My current courses
No courses for 2003/04 or 04/05 (just too busy!)
Recently completed courses
GGR203S (Spring 2003)Intro to Climatology
GGR499F (Fall 2002) Undergraduate research project on potential for
wind power in Canada. (See
The Canadian Wind Atlas for my primary source for estimated wind
data.
GGR314F (Summer 2002) Global Warming
PSL201Y (2001/02) Course
website
BIO260S (Spring 2002) Course
website - - Courseware on
developmental bio
A few interesting links:
Current reading
- Coal: A Human History by Barbara Freese [Eng.Sci. Library] 2003
- Sustainable Fossil Fuels by Mark Jaccard [Robarts Library] 2005
- The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change by Andrew Dressler [Gerstein Library] 2007
- Collapse: How Civilizations Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
- The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins
- It's the Crude, Dude by Linda McQuaig
Recently read
- Thin Ice: unlocking the secrets of climate in the world's highest mountains by Mark Bowen
- A Thousand Barrels a Second by Peter Tertzakian
- Twilight in the Desert, by Matthew Simmons [St. Mike's library]
- The Final Energy Crisis, McKillop & Newman, eds.
- Energy at the Crossroads by Vaclav Smil
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
- The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World by Paul Robberts [St. Mike's library]
- Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak by Kenneth S. Deffeyes [Engsci library]
- The Electric Universe by David Bodanis
- Murder on the Yukon Quest by Sue Henry
- Winner of the National Book Award by Jilcy Willett
- Happiness(TM) by Will Ferguson
- The Tapir's Morning Bath by Elizabeth Royte
- The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal - 1870-1914 by David McCullough
- The Darkest Jungle: the true story of the Darien Expedition and America's Ill-fated race to connect the seas by Todd Balf
- The Tailor of Panama by John LeCarre
- Maximum Sail Power by Brian Hancock
- Immunology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases by Steven
A. Frank
- Immunology: the Making of a Modern Science by R.B.
Gallagher et al.
- Falling Off the Map: Some Lonely Places of the World by
Pico Iyer
- Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
- The Discovery of Global Warming by Spencer R. Weart [2003]
In-depth content to supplement the above excellent book: The Discovery of
Global Warming - website
- In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
- Energy Storage for Power Systems by A. Ter-Gazarian
- In Trouble Again by Redmond O'Hanlon
- Congo Journey by Redmond O'Hanlon
- The Rules Book 2001-2004 by Eric Twiname [ISAF Racing
Rules of Sailing with interpretations]
- Fatal Climate by David Hood
- The Hydrogen Economy by Jeremy Rifkin
- Stranger in the Forest: On Foot Across Borneo by Eric
Hansen
- Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey by Alison Wearing
- Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of
a Continent by Eduardo Galeano
- Into the Amazon by Augusta Dwyer
- Waorani: the contexts of violence and war by Clayton and
Carole Robarchek
- Drama bajo el manto amazónico : el turismo y otros
problemas de los huaorani en la actualidad (Crisis under the Canopy :
tourism and other problems facing the present day Huaorani) by
Randy Smith
(We met Randy at Sacha Lodge
in the Ecuadorian Amazon during our Christmas 2002 holiday!)
- Savages by Joe Kane - account of travels with the Waorani
- Trekking through history: The Huaorani of Amazonian Ecuador
by Laura M. Rival
- The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekov
- The Triplet Genetic Code by Lynn Trainor (UT, Physics)
Top Picks of past reading
- Riddle of the Ice by Myron Harms
- After the Ice Age by E.C. Pielou
- Evolution and Natural Selection by George Williams
- Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck by David M. Raup
- An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan by Jason
Elliot
- Narrow Roads of Geneland by William Hamilton
- The Biology of Arctic Habitats by G. E. Fogg
- The Birds of Ecuador by Robert S. Ridgely et al.
- Viral Sex by Jaap Goudsmit
- At War Within: The Double-Edged Sword of Immunity by
William R. Clark
- One Renegade Cell by Robert Weinberg
- The Seven Daugthers of Eve by Bryan Sykes
- T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Alvarez
- Taking Darwin Seriously by Michael Ruse
- The Malaria Capers by Robert S. Desowitz
- Living with Our Genes by Dean Hamer
- Genome by Matt Ridley
- Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine by R.M. Nesse and George Williams, ISBN 0-679-74674-9
- Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
- The Red Queen by Matt Ridley
- The Touchstone of Life by Werner Loewenstein
- Deadly Feasts by Richard Rhodes
- The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World by Rob
DeSalle
- The Moral Animal by Robert Wright
- How Brains Think by William H. Calvin
- The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
- Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Chang
- Red China Blues by Jan Wong
- Birds of Tropical America by Steven Hilty
- The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond
- Tropical Gangsters by Robert Klitgaard
- Video Night in Kathmandu, and Other Reports from the
Not-so-Far East by Pico Iyer
- A Leg to Stand On by Oliver Sacks
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
- Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences
by John Allen Paulos
Book suggestions related to engineering:
These books are each lively and enjoyable reading, particularly
pertinent to engineers and systems people. If you want a break from
equations that's still relevant to your career, a look at the "big
picture", or a taste of what you could be getting yourself into
professionally, check out any or all of the following:
Normal Accidents : living with high-risk technologies by
Charles Perrow
[New York : Basic Books, c1984.]
-- 5 copies in UT Library system including 2 at Eng. Library.
An excellent survey of the many ways that systems fail and the
sometimes bizarre consequences. Memorable and a great source of
cautionary lines of thought. I have retold several of the disasters
recounted in this book at parties, to good effect.
To Engineer is Human : the role of failure in successful design
by Henry Petroski. [New York : Vintage Books, 1992.]
-- 4 copies in UTL including 2 at Eng. Library.
An enjoyable account of the engineering way of life. Reflections on
what it means to be an engineer. Highly readable.
Fatal Defect : chasing killer computer bugs by Ivars
Peterson. [New York : Times Books, c1995.]
-- One copy at Gerstein Library.
An engrossing look at the perils of software-based systems in control
of safety-critical applications. Inspired by the fascinating
discussions over recent years in the comp.risks newsgroup. A must-read
for anyone looking to work in a field where software plays a part in
systems control.
The Cuckoo's Egg: tracking a spy through the maze of computer
espionage by Cliff Stoll. [New York : Doubleday, 1989.] One of the
granddads of the internet as we know it, Stoll writes a truly engaging
and amusing account of his time as a "volunteer" unix admin during his
grad studies at Berkeley.
For ongoing reading, I can think of nothing more sobering,
eye-opening, and also amusing than the comp.risks newsgroup on
usenet.
