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Danny Dunn
The subject of the Danny Dunn books came up earlier on Midgard. They are a series of fairly cheesy (but much beloved!) 50s, 60s and 70s boy-genius books. The science in them at least attempts to be decent. I first got into them when my mom grabbed a copy of Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint for me when I had chickenpox. They filled much the same psychological niche as Heinlein juveniles did, by providing impossibly high coolness standards to live up to. I can't find much information about them on the web; only the most popular have plot summaries available. After making a note to track down physical and/or etext copies, I realized with a bit of a shock that my life (both personally and the world around me) has lived up to the series pretty well. I like thinking that the 10 year old me would be proud of what we've become. It isn't always possible, of course, but it seems polite to my former self to try to honor their goals.
Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint
After the professor discovers a liquid with anti-gravity properties, Danny accidentally launches the prototype spaceship with all of them on board. They face slow starvation and/or strangulation because they can't turn the ship around. After a rather conveniently photogenic tour of the solar system they manage to flip the polarity switch and come back safely.
Okay, I haven't actually been in space. Sigh. But I have been in freefall! I'll note that it took me far too many years to see the fatal flaw in the switch-flipping solution they came up with. (Now that I think about it, the similarities between their problem and the failed deployment of Galileo's high gain antenna amuse me.) Ignoring the impossibility of the solution, it's reasonably clever, and I still carry a violin bridge in my calculator pouch because of it.
Danny Dunn on a Desert Island
After being marooned on a deserted island, the gang must survive as best as possible. This involves building lots of devices from the materials on hand and dealing with potentially hostile natives.
I've never been stranded on a deserted island. But this book probably had a great influence on my fascination (and obsession) with post-collapse scenarios and the bootstrapping of technology. How does one get from sticks and stones to lasers and milling machines? Mmmmmmm.
Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine
The professor gets a remarkably compact computer (only the size of a small room!) and Danny and Joe set about using it to get out of doing homework. They end up learning that programming is often more work than the task it replaces.
Oh yeah, I am all over this book. I am this book. The best example of this is my Kana Quiz App which took far, far longer to write than just making a set of flashcards.
Danny Dunn and the Weather Machine
I don't remember the plot, but I know I read it. No weather machines in my life. But I can look at near-realtime satellite images and receive aurora alerts on my cellphone.
Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor
I don't think I read this one. Hopefully I'll get SCUBA certified soon.
Danny Dunn and the Fossil Cave
Danny and friends get lost spelunking and discover a treasure trove of fossils
Haven't done as much spelunking as I would like. This book left me with an irrational desire to own a geiger counter.
Danny Dunn and the Heat Ray
Something to do with lasers
I've played with lasers, but only for stupid stuff. Someday I want to do a moon-bounce.
Danny Dunn, Time Traveler
Danny and company end up in revolutionary times and meet Franklin.
I could definitely use more time traveling in my life.
Danny Dunn and the Automatic House
Danny and friends get caught in a demonstration automated house after the voice-recognition system fails.
I've tended towards a much more computerized, less mechanized approach, but I am all over home automation. Also, a useful lesson on why voice-rec is evil.
Danny Dunn and the Voice from Space
I only have the vaguest recollections of this book. I'm not even sure the 'voice from space' ends up being from space, so I can't comment on the lack of ETs in my life.
Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine
The gang gets shrunk, possibly to escape gangsters or something like that.
Uber-cheesy, but lots of fun. And at least the device doesn't just shrink, it constructs miniature replacements, thus getting around the conservation of mass problem that Honey, I Shrunk the Kids never addressed. Moore might be shrinking all my devices, but I remain (mostly) static myself. Too bad, it sounds like a lot of fun.
Danny Dunn and the Swamp Monster
It involved superconducting cables and a giant electric eel.
We've never even done the superconducting magnet trick at LN2 parties, much less created a superconducting eel. We suck.
Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy
Doing some classified research, the professor invents a remote control dragonfly with (what we would now call) a VR interface.
VR, wow, what a bust that has turned out to be. 10 years ago I was certain there'd be all kinds of VR in use today. Introduced me to the privacy issues inherent in where technology is taking us. Transparent Society, rah rah rah!
Danny Dunn, Scientific Detective
Something about an electronic sniffer (chemo-receptor). One of the applications was bank vault access, I think.
Biometrics still suck, for the most part.
Danny Dunn and the Universal Glue
Don't think I read this one.
Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint
After the professor discovers a liquid with anti-gravity properties, Danny accidentally launches the prototype spaceship with all of them on board. They face slow starvation and/or strangulation because they can't turn the ship around. After a rather conveniently photogenic tour of the solar system they manage to flip the polarity switch and come back safely.
Okay, I haven't actually been in space. Sigh. But I have been in freefall! I'll note that it took me far too many years to see the fatal flaw in the switch-flipping solution they came up with. (Now that I think about it, the similarities between their problem and the failed deployment of Galileo's high gain antenna amuse me.) Ignoring the impossibility of the solution, it's reasonably clever, and I still carry a violin bridge in my calculator pouch because of it.
Danny Dunn on a Desert Island
After being marooned on a deserted island, the gang must survive as best as possible. This involves building lots of devices from the materials on hand and dealing with potentially hostile natives.
I've never been stranded on a deserted island. But this book probably had a great influence on my fascination (and obsession) with post-collapse scenarios and the bootstrapping of technology. How does one get from sticks and stones to lasers and milling machines? Mmmmmmm.
Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine
The professor gets a remarkably compact computer (only the size of a small room!) and Danny and Joe set about using it to get out of doing homework. They end up learning that programming is often more work than the task it replaces.
Oh yeah, I am all over this book. I am this book. The best example of this is my Kana Quiz App which took far, far longer to write than just making a set of flashcards.
Danny Dunn and the Weather Machine
I don't remember the plot, but I know I read it. No weather machines in my life. But I can look at near-realtime satellite images and receive aurora alerts on my cellphone.
Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor
I don't think I read this one. Hopefully I'll get SCUBA certified soon.
Danny Dunn and the Fossil Cave
Danny and friends get lost spelunking and discover a treasure trove of fossils
Haven't done as much spelunking as I would like. This book left me with an irrational desire to own a geiger counter.
Danny Dunn and the Heat Ray
Something to do with lasers
I've played with lasers, but only for stupid stuff. Someday I want to do a moon-bounce.
Danny Dunn, Time Traveler
Danny and company end up in revolutionary times and meet Franklin.
I could definitely use more time traveling in my life.
Danny Dunn and the Automatic House
Danny and friends get caught in a demonstration automated house after the voice-recognition system fails.
I've tended towards a much more computerized, less mechanized approach, but I am all over home automation. Also, a useful lesson on why voice-rec is evil.
Danny Dunn and the Voice from Space
I only have the vaguest recollections of this book. I'm not even sure the 'voice from space' ends up being from space, so I can't comment on the lack of ETs in my life.
Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine
The gang gets shrunk, possibly to escape gangsters or something like that.
Uber-cheesy, but lots of fun. And at least the device doesn't just shrink, it constructs miniature replacements, thus getting around the conservation of mass problem that Honey, I Shrunk the Kids never addressed. Moore might be shrinking all my devices, but I remain (mostly) static myself. Too bad, it sounds like a lot of fun.
Danny Dunn and the Swamp Monster
It involved superconducting cables and a giant electric eel.
We've never even done the superconducting magnet trick at LN2 parties, much less created a superconducting eel. We suck.
Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy
Doing some classified research, the professor invents a remote control dragonfly with (what we would now call) a VR interface.
VR, wow, what a bust that has turned out to be. 10 years ago I was certain there'd be all kinds of VR in use today. Introduced me to the privacy issues inherent in where technology is taking us. Transparent Society, rah rah rah!
Danny Dunn, Scientific Detective
Something about an electronic sniffer (chemo-receptor). One of the applications was bank vault access, I think.
Biometrics still suck, for the most part.
Danny Dunn and the Universal Glue
Don't think I read this one.
I loved! these books!
I read those!
But Invisible Boy was my favorite. The bit where the bug caught on FIRE was disturbing, and sticks in my brain.