Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Choice and Change 1 1 Making Apple Pie from Scratch 9 2 One in a Quadrillion 22 3 The Efficiency Paradox 36 4 The Emerald City 52 5 A Box Full of Lightning 67 6 Good and Good Enough 84 7 The View from Merriam's Peak 102 8 The Take-Charge Challenge 121 9 The Olive Green Revolution 135 10 The Default Option 150 11 Home Fires 173 12 Bigger Little 186 13 Good Citizens of the Grid 211 Notes 226 Index 279

About the Author

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net, one of the ten most popular blogs and the number one science blog in the world. A former editor for Mental-Floss, she has contributed articles to Scientific American, Discover, and other magazines. She is the coauthor of the Mental-Floss book Be Amazing.