100 Things to Do Before You Die

by Patrick Moore (Contributor), Susan A. Greenfield (Contributor), Karl Kruszelnicki (Contributor)

Bored with the daily routine? Want to do something adventurous but don't know where to start? 100 Things To Do Before You Die has the answers! It is a completely original compendium of intriguing, funny and somewhat bizarre ways to make your life richer and more fulfilling. The editors of New Scientist, one of the worlds leading science and technology magazines have picked what they would most like to do during their lifetime. You'll learn how to: make ice cream using liquid nitrogen, swim in bioluminescent bay, walk in a dinosaur's footprints, see Saturn's rings, listen to an iceberg being born, measure the speed of light using a chocolate bar and a microwave, write your name in atoms, extract your own DNA and taste the world's weirdest food. Susan Greenfield, Patrick Moore, James Dyson, Paul Davies and other famous scientists also reveal what they dream of doing before they die. Based on real science, these activities will engage your brain as well as your body. After you've found the first evidence for life, delivered a baby animal and seen the earth's curve from space, you'll never be able to look at the world or the universe - in the same way again. And if you think life is too short, how about becoming a diamond or nailing a murderer after you die?

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Popular Science

92 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name.

Sir Alfred Patrick Caldwell-Moore, CBE, Hon FRS, FRAS, known as Patrick Moore, was an English amateur astronomer, who is the most well known English promoter of astronomy. Moore wrote numerous books on the subject, as well as make public, television and radio appearances, over the course of his long life. He is credited as having done more than any other to raise the profile of astronomy among the British general public.

Reviews

[Gregory Eakins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking to fill out your bucket list? This quick read will help you find some interesting things to do with your life (and your corpse after you're done using it).

The ideas included range from trivial (inhale helium), to great ideas (swim with sharks, watch a rocket launch), to impossible (achieve immortality, discover a comet). Some are just downright silly.

The ideas submitted to the compilation are from some of the big thinkers in the world, so as you would expect, most of the ideas are merely things to think about related to the special fields of those people. Even so, the length is so short you could easily digest it in one sitting.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the title, this isn't really a checklist of potential activies. At least, not unless the authors genuinely expect the average reader to be able to decipher the Voynich manuscript or travel through time. Rather, it is a collection of 100 vaguely interesting topics, with a generally scientific theme. Which is fine, except that they are all covered far too briefly (a few paragraphs each) to really convey any of the interest or wonder that lies beneath. This is the literary equivalent of speed-dating: spend a minute with each idea, move on, never think of it again. Emminently forgettable.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A witty and irreverent look at the 100 activities a person must do before they die (and even a few for after death too) as compiled and chosen by the New Scientist team.
As interesting and hilarious as the other books in the series.
From mimicking a Gecko to extracting your own DNA this book has it all.
A very funny read.