Post by John on Jun 20, 2011 22:54:47 GMT -5
I wanted to know more about the writer who has finished Michael Crichton’s MICRO. Starting at his web site, I had great fun reading About Richard Preston richardpreston.net/about-richard-preston. [It’s been edited since I first read it. And, some childhood details, like plastic soldier sandbox battles that involved cherry bombs seem to be gone now.]
The Hot Zone is a frightening non-fiction account of viruses that cause horrifying bloody deaths of people and monkeys. It begins with a man who becomes ill after visiting Kitum Cave in Kenya. At Fort Detrick in Maryland, we meet people who don pressurized protective suits to study these viruses in Leval 4 Biohazard laboratories. They end up dealing with the breakout of Ebola virus at a monkey housing facility in Reston, Virginia. The Hot Zone closes with the author’s visit to Kitum Cave.
I was a bit put off by some introductory pages leading into the book that struck me as hokey and contrived. The badge readers I have encountered for limited access areas generally don’t have instructions like “To open this door, place ID card on sensor.” [It seems to be presumed that authorized personnel are trained how to badge-in and such instructions are only useful to those who are not authorized to enter.] I don’t buy that there would be an indicator labeled “Space-suit status” or a “DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT WEARING SPACE SUIT” sign. [“Space suit” seems like a slang reference that would not be used on signs.]
The Hot Zone is an extraordinary book! At times, it was very hard to put down. ‘It also inspired the movie “Outbreak,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Renee Russo.’
I also read Panic in Level 4.
I feel like I know James Elrod and Jim Murphy. These men are afflicted with a genetic disorder that compels them to chew off their fingertips. It was fascinating to get to know them and go with them on an adventure. “The Self-Cannibals” is the last section of Panic in Level 4. Richard Preston tells us about Lesh-Nyhan syndrome. When Preston says “I can’t imagine what it’s like to have Lesh-Nylan,” Dr. Nyhan replies “You could ask someone who has it.” Preston recounts meeting James and Jim and tells us about their off-roading adventure.
Panic in Level 4’s introduction recounts Richard Preston’s visit to a Level 4 Biohazard laboratory. As he tells of going through each level, I am reminded of Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain. But, Preston’s book is non-fiction. And, Preston’s pressurized biohazard suit ruptures in the presence of deadly virus.
“The Mountains of Pi” is about a mathematician and his brother who build a supercomputer from mail-order parts in his apartment. “A Death in the Forest” tells of an asian insect destroying giant trees in a North American rain forest. “The Search for Ebola” includes the outcome for a courageous doctor who gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a bloody newborn while treating patients with deadly contagious blood-borne Ebola virus. “The Human Kabbalah” tells of the public-private competition to map the human genome. “The Last Unicorn” tells about stitching together digital images of huge beautiful priceless tapestries.
The Hot Zone is a frightening non-fiction account of viruses that cause horrifying bloody deaths of people and monkeys. It begins with a man who becomes ill after visiting Kitum Cave in Kenya. At Fort Detrick in Maryland, we meet people who don pressurized protective suits to study these viruses in Leval 4 Biohazard laboratories. They end up dealing with the breakout of Ebola virus at a monkey housing facility in Reston, Virginia. The Hot Zone closes with the author’s visit to Kitum Cave.
I was a bit put off by some introductory pages leading into the book that struck me as hokey and contrived. The badge readers I have encountered for limited access areas generally don’t have instructions like “To open this door, place ID card on sensor.” [It seems to be presumed that authorized personnel are trained how to badge-in and such instructions are only useful to those who are not authorized to enter.] I don’t buy that there would be an indicator labeled “Space-suit status” or a “DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT WEARING SPACE SUIT” sign. [“Space suit” seems like a slang reference that would not be used on signs.]
The Hot Zone is an extraordinary book! At times, it was very hard to put down. ‘It also inspired the movie “Outbreak,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Renee Russo.’
I also read Panic in Level 4.
I feel like I know James Elrod and Jim Murphy. These men are afflicted with a genetic disorder that compels them to chew off their fingertips. It was fascinating to get to know them and go with them on an adventure. “The Self-Cannibals” is the last section of Panic in Level 4. Richard Preston tells us about Lesh-Nyhan syndrome. When Preston says “I can’t imagine what it’s like to have Lesh-Nylan,” Dr. Nyhan replies “You could ask someone who has it.” Preston recounts meeting James and Jim and tells us about their off-roading adventure.
Panic in Level 4’s introduction recounts Richard Preston’s visit to a Level 4 Biohazard laboratory. As he tells of going through each level, I am reminded of Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain. But, Preston’s book is non-fiction. And, Preston’s pressurized biohazard suit ruptures in the presence of deadly virus.
“The Mountains of Pi” is about a mathematician and his brother who build a supercomputer from mail-order parts in his apartment. “A Death in the Forest” tells of an asian insect destroying giant trees in a North American rain forest. “The Search for Ebola” includes the outcome for a courageous doctor who gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a bloody newborn while treating patients with deadly contagious blood-borne Ebola virus. “The Human Kabbalah” tells of the public-private competition to map the human genome. “The Last Unicorn” tells about stitching together digital images of huge beautiful priceless tapestries.