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Nature and Science April 2019
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| Europe: A Natural History by Tim FlanneryWelcome to: Europe, the tropical archipelago that formed 100 million years ago and, following floods, ice ages, and other events, transformed into the geographically and biologically diverse region we know today.
Look for: the "hell pigs" of the Oligocene period, the two-foot long proto-hedgehog Deinogalerix, and Europe's first hominids -- the human-Neanderthal hybrids that colonized the continent 38,000 years ago.
What's next? Confronting the existential threats of climate change, according to Australian author and paleontologist Tim Flannery. |
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| No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, The Deadliest Animal... by Dane HuckelbridgeWhat it's about: the notorious Champawat Tiger, which killed more than 400 people in Nepal in the early 1900s -- and the intrepid hunter that tracked her down and killed her.
Read it for: a suspenseful account of the hunt, evocative descriptions of the tiger's territory, and reflections on environmental issues.
For fans of: John Vaillant's The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival. |
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Focus on: Artificial Intelligence
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Possible Minds : Twenty-Five Ways of Looking at AI
by John Brockman
"Science world luminary John Brockman assembles twenty-five of the most important scientific minds, people who have been thinking about the field artificial intelligence for most of their careers, for an unparalleled round-table examination about mind, thinking, intelligence and what it means to be human"
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| Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max TegmarkWhat it is: an MIT professor's largely optimistic take on the future of AI -- and the ultimate fate of humans.
What sets it apart: In conversational style, Life 3.0 presents an overview of the field of artificial intelligence, while addressing some of the social and ethical issues that accompany it.
Supplementary materials: flowcharts, diagrams, and explanatory sidebars. |
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Robots : A New Age of Bionics, Drones & Artificial Intelligence
by Daniel H. Wilson
Collected from robotic coverage featured in Popular Mechanics provides a detailed overview of a wide every variety of the machines from ones that can perform facial recognition and drive our cars to ones that serve as medical diagnosticians.
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Needle Arts League
Thursdays, 5:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
The Needle Arts League of Michigan City promotes all forms of needle arts. Membership is open to anyone interested in needle arts such as crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, crewel, tatting, and other hand stitching. All skill levels and ages are welcome. An exchange of skills and materials is encouraged. For information, call 219-873-3049.
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Great Decisions
Monday, April 22, 6:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
The foreign policy discussion program Great Decisions returns to the library for its 21st season. The discussion this session is Made in China. For more information, call 873-3049.
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Collector's Corner Breakfast Benefitting the Friends of the Library
Saturday, April 27, 9:00 am
Full Gospel Church, 2700 Ohio Street, Michigan City, IN
The annual Collector’s Corner Breakfast will be held on Saturday, April 27 at Full Gospel Church. Tickets are $25, and each ticket holder can bring one item for appraisal by Martin Papke of Kathy’s Antiques. Appraisals are intended for entertainment purposes only. No weapons will be appraised. Breakfast will be catered by Portofino’s. Tickets are available for purchase at the library Circulation Desk or from Friends of the Library board members. No tickets will be sold at the door. Ticket sales are limited to just 75. For more information, please call 219-873-3049.
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Author William Hazelgrove: Wright Brothers, Wrong Story
Sunday, April 28, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
How could two misanthropic brothers who never left home, were high-school dropouts, and made a living as bicycle mechanics have figured out the secret of manned flight? This history of the Wright brothers’ monumental accomplishment focuses on their early years at Kitty Hawk and Orville Wright’s epic fight with the Smithsonian and Glenn Curtis. Hazelgrove makes a convincing case that it was Wilbur who designed the first successful airplane, not Orville. He shows that, while Orville’s role was important, he generally followed his brother’s lead and assisted with the mechanical details to make Wilbur’s vision a reality.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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