With an upbeat tone and a spirited pace, Greg Tremblay narrates this scientific adventure, which takes an appreciative look at a much-maligned topic—the weather forecast. Inspired by the accuracy of the prognosticators of 2012's Superstorm Sandy, Andrew Blum explores what he calls the “weather machine”—an expansive infrastructure of technology that has moved weather forecasting from best guess to routine reliability through data collection and analysis. Blum's investigation blends research and interviews across international borders, and Tremblay does a terrific job navigating between scientific explanations and the voices of the scientists themselves. He is especially nimble with the pronunciation of myriad personal and place names, including the ubiquitous acronyms at the heart of any cooperative endeavor. A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast
Narrated by Greg Tremblay
Andrew BlumUnabridged — 4 hours, 50 minutes
The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast
Narrated by Greg Tremblay
Andrew BlumUnabridged — 4 hours, 50 minutes
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Overview
From the acclaimed author of Tubes, a lively and surprising tour of the infrastructure behind the weather forecast, the people who built it, and what it reveals about our climate and our planet
The weather is the foundation of our daily lives. It's a staple of small talk, the app on our smartphones, and often the first thing we check each morning. Yet behind these quotidian interactions is one of the most expansive machines human beings have ever constructed-a triumph of science, technology and global cooperation. But what is this `weather machine' and who created it?
In The Weather Machine, Andrew Blum takes readers on a fascinating journey through an everyday miracle. In a quest to understand how the forecast works, he visits old weather stations and watches new satellites blast off. He follows the dogged efforts of scientists to create a supercomputer model of the atmosphere and traces the surprising history of the algorithms that power their work. He discovers that we have quietly entered a golden age of meteorology-our tools allow us to predict weather more accurately than ever, and yet we haven't learned to trust them, nor can we guarantee the fragile international alliances that allow our modern weather machine to exist.
Written with the sharp wit and infectious curiosity Andrew Blum is known for, The Weather Machine pulls back the curtain on a universal part of our everyday lives, illuminating our relationships with technology, the planet, and the global community.
The Weather Machine would make a great gift for science enthusiasts, engineers, and anyone interested in the technology behind meteorology and weather forecasting.
HarperCollins 2024
Editorial Reviews
06/10/2019
Meteorology is “a wonder we treat as a banality,” argues journalist Blum (Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet) in his deep dive into the field’s evolution. While humanity had long struggled to predict weather with some degree of accuracy, it wasn’t possible until the telegraph’s mid-19th-century arrival. The ability to recognize and share timely information led to a better understanding of weather patterns, first on a continent-wide and eventually on a global scale. This, along with a few happy accidents and some really tough math, led to the development and refinement of the systems which people know and complain about today. Excursions to forecasting labs and weather stations around the world, along with interviews with behind-the-scenes scientists, fill in the blanks, while asides on the political ramifications of weather satellites and global forecasting and on Thomas Jefferson’s early forays into forecasting add depth and intrigue. Thanks to Blum’s immersive research, readers will come away with a greater appreciation for the hard work that goes into something often taken for granted. (June)
[A] vivid account of the history and evolution of the modern daily forecast . . . [Blum] is a sharp analyst and engaging guide, adept at translating difficult concepts in meteorology and computer science for the uninitiated.” — The Economist
“Andrew Blum’s new book, The Weather Machine, asks us to pause and marvel at the globe-spanning networks of collaboration required to turn the weather from something we experience to something we can predict.” — The New Yorker
“[Blum] takes a dive into the forecasts of today and how they’ve advanced from a dream espoused nearly 180 years ago ... Totally fascinating to anyone with even a passing interest in weather or technology, and it lays the groundwork for really appreciating just how good we have it today.” — Gizmodo
“Blum’s study of what goes into predicting the weather is all the more interesting because it goes beyond the science to remind us that forecasts are the impressive result of painstaking international co-operation.” — Monocle.com
“Impeccably researched.” — The Times (London)
“Blum does an excellent job of describing how meteorological theory and observation were first stitched together, and why even today their relationship is a stormy one ... [he] fancies his chances at explaining human-built hyperobjects in solid, clear language, without recourse to metaphor and poesy ... Impressive.” — Telegraph (UK)
“With infectious curiosity and spirit, The Weather Machine is an engaging foray into the ingenuity that built the modern science of weather prediction.” — Shelf Awareness
“This fascinating book reveals the existence and origins of surely one of our species’ greatest creations, and Andrew Blum is the perfect writer to share both the remarkable human stories and the astonishing technical wizardry behind it all.” — Mark Vanhoenacker, bestselling author of Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot
“Andrew Blum is a master of revealing the hidden systems behind technologies we take for granted. In the “The Weather Machine,” he takes on the daily forecast, and the result is deeply researched, tightly written, compulsively readable, and totally fascinating.” — Seth Fletcher, author of Einstein’s Shadow: A Black Hole, a Band of Astronomers, and the Quest to See the Unseeable
“Exhilarating … A hurricane-force tour of one of the most astonishing but under-appreciated facets of the modern world” — Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins
“Sharp, stylish and often surprising. In this absorbing book Andrew Blum tracks the development, from wild dream to astonishing reality, of the quietly revolutionary technology that shapes our everyday lives.” — Peter Moore, author of The Weather Experiment
“Clear and entertaining ... A highly readable and accessible entry into the world of meteorology; of interest to everyone who is affected by weather.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Thanks to Blum’s immersive research, readers will come away with a greater appreciation for the hard work that goes into something often taken for granted.” — Publishers Weekly
“A bright look at weather forecasting ... A solid popular account with plenty of quirky detail about this ‘new way of seeing into the future.’” — Kirkus Reviews
“A lucid and approachable guide to the satellites, scientists, and supercomputers that make up the forecasting system we so often take for granted.” — Booklist
This fascinating book reveals the existence and origins of surely one of our species’ greatest creations, and Andrew Blum is the perfect writer to share both the remarkable human stories and the astonishing technical wizardry behind it all.
Exhilarating … A hurricane-force tour of one of the most astonishing but under-appreciated facets of the modern world
Blum’s study of what goes into predicting the weather is all the more interesting because it goes beyond the science to remind us that forecasts are the impressive result of painstaking international co-operation.”
[Blum] takes a dive into the forecasts of today and how they’ve advanced from a dream espoused nearly 180 years ago ... Totally fascinating to anyone with even a passing interest in weather or technology, and it lays the groundwork for really appreciating just how good we have it today.
Andrew Blum is a master of revealing the hidden systems behind technologies we take for granted. In the “The Weather Machine,” he takes on the daily forecast, and the result is deeply researched, tightly written, compulsively readable, and totally fascinating.
Impeccably researched.
[A] vivid account of the history and evolution of the modern daily forecast . . . [Blum] is a sharp analyst and engaging guide, adept at translating difficult concepts in meteorology and computer science for the uninitiated.
Blum does an excellent job of describing how meteorological theory and observation were first stitched together, and why even today their relationship is a stormy one ... [he] fancies his chances at explaining human-built hyperobjects in solid, clear language, without recourse to metaphor and poesy ... Impressive.
With infectious curiosity and spirit, The Weather Machine is an engaging foray into the ingenuity that built the modern science of weather prediction.
Andrew Blum’s new book, The Weather Machine, asks us to pause and marvel at the globe-spanning networks of collaboration required to turn the weather from something we experience to something we can predict.
Andrew Blum’s new book, The Weather Machine, asks us to pause and marvel at the globe-spanning networks of collaboration required to turn the weather from something we experience to something we can predict.
Sharp, stylish and often surprising. In this absorbing book Andrew Blum tracks the development, from wild dream to astonishing reality, of the quietly revolutionary technology that shapes our everyday lives.
A lucid and approachable guide to the satellites, scientists, and supercomputers that make up the forecasting system we so often take for granted.
A lucid and approachable guide to the satellites, scientists, and supercomputers that make up the forecasting system we so often take for granted.
A lucid and approachable guide to the satellites, scientists, and supercomputers that make up the forecasting system we so often take for granted.
Impeccably researched.
Blum’s study of what goes into predicting the weather is all the more interesting because it goes beyond the science to remind us that forecasts are the impressive result of painstaking international co-operation.”
Blum does an excellent job of describing how meteorological theory and observation were first stitched together, and why even today their relationship is a stormy one ... [he] fancies his chances at explaining human-built hyperobjects in solid, clear language, without recourse to metaphor and poesy ... Impressive.
With infectious curiosity and spirit, The Weather Machine is an engaging foray into the ingenuity that built the modern science of weather prediction.
Andrew Blum’s new book, The Weather Machine, asks us to pause and marvel at the globe-spanning networks of collaboration required to turn the weather from something we experience to something we can predict.
[A] vivid account of the history and evolution of the modern daily forecast . . . [Blum] is a sharp analyst and engaging guide, adept at translating difficult concepts in meteorology and computer science for the uninitiated.
[Blum] takes a dive into the forecasts of today and how they’ve advanced from a dream espoused nearly 180 years ago ... Totally fascinating to anyone with even a passing interest in weather or technology, and it lays the groundwork for really appreciating just how good we have it today.
With an upbeat tone and a spirited pace, Greg Tremblay narrates this scientific adventure, which takes an appreciative look at a much-maligned topic—the weather forecast. Inspired by the accuracy of the prognosticators of 2012's Superstorm Sandy, Andrew Blum explores what he calls the “weather machine”—an expansive infrastructure of technology that has moved weather forecasting from best guess to routine reliability through data collection and analysis. Blum's investigation blends research and interviews across international borders, and Tremblay does a terrific job navigating between scientific explanations and the voices of the scientists themselves. He is especially nimble with the pronunciation of myriad personal and place names, including the ubiquitous acronyms at the heart of any cooperative endeavor. A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170154371 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 06/25/2019 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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