Ian Baker – författare

See the funny side of ageing with this collection of amusing observations, silly suggestions and humorous illustrations - the perfect gift for any birthday girl or boy with more than a few candles on their cakeSo you're a little bit older. So what? Just because you're getting on a bit doesn't mean you have to start acting ancient. The universe is over 13 billion years old, and you're probably nowhere near that yet - well, not quite anyway.Frankly, it's never too early to start enjoying your second childhood, to stop taking life so seriously and to start acting a bit silly again. This book will be your go-to guide for inspiration and merriment while clocking up birthdays like they're going out of fashion.Across these pages, you'll find all kinds of wild recommendations and questionable advice, including:- Things it's never too late to do- Grown-up and less grown-up ways to behave at work- How to keep up with modern technology- Ways you can blend in with younger people- Things you can have tantrums about as you get olderSo forget the creaking joints or fleeing follicles and embrace the opportunities for mischief and mirth - after all, growing old doesn't mean growing up!

The legend of Shangri-La emerged from the Tibetan Buddhist belief in beyul, or hidden lands. Tibetan prophecies proclaim that the greatest of these mythical sanctuaries lies at the eastern edge of the Himalayas, veiled by a colossal waterfall at the heart of the forbidding Tsangpo gorge. After years of research and investigation, Buddhist scholar and world-class climber Ian Baker and his team made worldwide news by reaching the bottom of the Tsangpo gorge and finding a magnificent 108-foot-high waterfall – the legendary grail of both Western explorers and Tibetan seekers. The Heart of the World recounts one of the most captivating stories of exploration and discovery in recent memory – an extraordinary journey into one of the wildest and most inaccessible places on earth, a meditation on our place in nature, and a pilgrimage to the heart of Tibetan Buddhism.

The myth of Shangri-la originates in Tibetan Buddhist beliefs in beyul, or hidden lands, sacred sanctuaries that reveal themselves to devout pilgrims and in times of crisis. The more remote and inaccessible the beyul, the vaster its reputed qualities. Ancient Tibetan prophecies declare that the greatest of all hidden lands lies at the heart of the forbidding Tsangpo Gorge, deep in the Himalayas and veiled by a colossal waterfall. Nineteenth-century accounts of this fabled waterfall inspired a series of ill-fated European expeditions that ended prematurely in 1925 when the intrepid British plant collector Frank Kingdon-Ward penetrated all but a five-mile section of the Tsangpo’s innermost gorge and declared that the falls were no more than a “religious myth” and a “romance of geography.”The heart of the Tsangpo Gorge remained a blank spot on the map of world exploration until world-class climber and Buddhist scholar Ian Baker delved into the legends. Whatever cryptic Tibetan scrolls or past explorers had said about the Tsangpo’s innermost gorge, Baker determined, could be verified only by exploring the uncharted five-mile gap. After several years of encountering sheer cliffs, maelstroms of impassable white water, and dense leech-infested jungles, on the last of a series of extraordinary expeditions, Baker and his National Geographic–sponsored team reached the depths of the Tsangpo Gorge. They made news worldwide by finding there a 108-foot-high waterfall, the legendary grail of Western explorers and Tibetan seekers alike.The Heart of the World is one of the most captivating stories of exploration and discovery in recent memory—an extraordinary journey to one of the wildest and most inaccessible places on earth and a pilgrimage to the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist faith.

Symposium JJ on 'Intermetallic-Based Alloys: Science, Technology and Applications', held from November 26-28 at the 2012 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, was the fifteenth in a series of symposia on intermetallic phases held every two years at the MRS Fall Meetings. It encompassed six oral sessions and one poster session, and attracted about 150 participants from all over the world, making it one of the best attended regular meetings on intermetallic phases. This symposium focused on new understanding and developments within the realm of microstructure, processing, and properties of intermetallic compounds and multiphase alloys where intermetallic compounds are the major constituents. This volume gives a representative overview of the current state of research on intermetallic phases, providing an insight into the current state of development of individual intermetallic alloy systems and identifying areas for future research.

What is the Kama Sutra? Is it a spiritual text written by a visionary man of wisdom in India almost two millennia ago? Or is it the world's first mucky book? Well, it's the former - it's a spiritual text written by a visionary man of wisdom in India almost two millennia ago. Though shocking for its time, the Kama Sutra has gone on to become the world's most respected guide book on all matters sexual, and is now on top of the wardrobes or under the beds of over sixty percent of the world's teenage boys.It is a common and misconceived belief among the younger generations that sex is something not only void in the minds of our senior citizens, but is most likely physically impossible for those who are at or beyond retirement age. The glorious truth may come as a bit of a shock to the youth of today - it may even conjure up images in their minds best left 'till after lunch! The world's oldies are sexually active. New and exciting research has uncovered startling new evidence that oldies are still 'at it', and still 'do it' whenever they don't have a bad back. Can it be true? Are our most senior citizens getting their wrinkly legs over? If you are an older person, take heart - there's a lot of dusty action out there. Sex in the twilight years, though similar in mechanics to the couplings of youth, is in fact vastly different. This book exposes the secret world of grey love and covers every aspect of senior congress - from geriatric anatomy and attraction, through to mating rituals, sex positions, post-sex heart condition medication and proper service and care of pace makers.

'The publishers are to be congratulated for their exemplary production' - Curtis's Botanical Magazine'...this will go down as one of the greats of plant exploration literature...' - Roy Lancaster 'The appeal of the book lies as much in Ward's prose as in the thrilling story of exploration and discovery. He was a fine writer and it is a cause for celebration that one of his best books is now again available after a gap of 70 years' - Ursula Buchan, The Independent 'There's no doubt that such an elegant and exciting book new book richly deserves a new readership... the story behind its reissue is no less gripping than Kingdon Ward's own narrative'- Ambra Edwards, Gardening Which?Little explored and virtually inaccessible, the Tsangpo Gorge in south-east Tibet is the world's deepest gorge. Through it twists the Yarlong Tsangpo, Tibet's great river, emerging from below on the plains of India. This is the story of its exploration and the rich plant and animal life found there. Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges, first published in 1926, is the fascinating account of plant-hunter and explorer Frank Kingdon Ward's most important expedition. Kenneth Cox, Kenneth Storm, Jr. and Ian Baker spent over ten years retracing the route of the 1924-25 expedition and managed to reach further into this magical and only partly explored land. The book contains the original Kingdon Ward text and extensive additional material, including a history of the exploration, geography and religious significance of the area and more than 250 colour photographs with detailed captions on the plants of the area, most of which are described by Kingdon Ward in the original text. There are first person accounts of expeditions to the area by Kenneth Cox and Kenneth Storm. Jr. and a photographic essay documents, for the first time in a book, the new Hidden Falls located in the portion of the gorge left unexplored by Frank Kingdon Ward and Lord Cawdor in 1924.

This book introduces materials and how advances in materials result in advances in technology and our daily lives. Each chapter covers a particular material, how the material was discovered or invented, when it was first used, how this material has impacted the world, what makes the material important, how it is used today, and future applications. The list of materials covered in this book includes stone, wood, natural fibers, metals, clay, lead, iron, steel, silicon, glass, rubber, composites, polyethylene, rare earth magnet, and alloys.

This book introduces materials and how advances in materials result in advances in technology and our daily lives. Each chapter covers a particular material, how the material was discovered or invented, when it was first used, how this material has impacted the world, what makes the material important, how it is used today, and future applications. The list of materials covered in this book includes stone, wood, natural fibers, metals, clay, lead, iron, steel, silicon, glass, rubber, composites, polyethylene, rare earth magnet, and alloys.