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Virtual Author Talk

Randall Munroe - "What If? 2"

2023-01-31 14:00:00 2023-01-31 15:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk Join us online for a fun-filled chat with Randall Munroe about his new book What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Streamed live. Westlake Porter Public Library -

Tuesday, January 31
2:00pm - 3:00pm

Add to Calendar 2023-01-31 14:00:00 2023-01-31 15:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk Join us online for a fun-filled chat with Randall Munroe about his new book What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Streamed live. Westlake Porter Public Library -

Join us online for a fun-filled chat with Randall Munroe about his new book What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Streamed live.

The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. Planning to ride a fire pole from the moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone’s freezer door at the same time? Maybe it’s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-story building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist. 

Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. Unfazed by absurdity, Randall consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airplane-catapult design to clearly and concisely answer his readers’ questions. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.

Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall’s signature stick-figure comics, What if? 2 provides his best answers yet to the weirdest questions you never thought to ask.

Randall Munroe is the creator of the webcomic xkcd and author of What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words, How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real World Problems, and What if? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Randall was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and grew up outside Richmond, Virginia. After studying physics at Christopher Newport University, he got a job building robots at NASA Langley Research Center. In 2006 he left NASA to draw comics on the internet full time and has since been nominated for a Hugo Award three times. In 2013, the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid after him: asteroid 4942 Munroe is big enough to cause mass extinction if it ever hits a planet like Earth.


Brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit our site to see all events, register and explore recordings of past events.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Books and Authors |

TAGS: | LSC |

Westlake Porter Public Library

Phone: (440) 871-2600
Fax: (440) 871-6969

Hours
Mon, May 05 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, May 06 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, May 07 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, May 08 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, May 09 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, May 10 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, May 11 1:00PM to 5:00PM
Mon, May 05 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, May 06 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, May 07 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, May 08 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, May 09 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, May 10 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, May 11 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Westlake Porter Public Library is an independent public library serving the residents of the city of Westlake, western Cuyahoga County and eastern Lorain County. The library is located at 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake, Ohio. Anyone who lives, works, owns property, or goes to school in Ohio can register for a free library card.

Upcoming events

Sun, May 11, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Makerspace

Sun, May 11, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Storytime Room

Mon, May 12, 9:00am - 9:00pm

Mon, May 12, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Craft Room,Teen Lounge

Mon, May 12, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Thomas A. Fox Board Room

Mon, May 12, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Porter Room

Tue, May 13, 10:00am - 11:00am
Dover Room

Tue, May 13, 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Dover Room

Tue, May 13, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Teen Lounge

Tue, May 13, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Thomas A. Fox Board Room
Registration is now closed

Tue, May 13, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Porter Room,Zoom Programming 2

Wed, May 14, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Craft Room,Teen Lounge

Wed, May 14, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Dover Room

Thu, May 15, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Porter Room

Sat, May 17, 10:30am - 11:00am
Storytime Room

Sat, May 17, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Friends Pavilion

Sun, May 18, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Storytime Room

Mon, May 19, 9:00am - 9:00pm

Mon, May 19, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Porter Room

Mon, May 19, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Dover Room

Mon, May 19, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Craft Room,Teen Lounge

Mon, May 19, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Technology Training Lab

Tue, May 20, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Zoom Programming 2
Registration opens Tuesday, May 13 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, May 20, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Craft Room

Wed, May 21, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Craft Room,Teen Lounge

Wed, May 21, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Thomas A. Fox Board Room

Wed, May 21, 7:00pm - 7:30pm
Storytime Room

Thu, May 22, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Technology Training Lab
Registration opens Thursday, May 15 2025 at 9:00am

Thu, May 22, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Porter Room

Sat, May 24, 10:30am - 11:00am
Storytime Room

Sat, May 24, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Makerspace

Sat, May 24, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Storytime Room

Mon, May 26, 9:15am - 11:45am

Tue, May 27, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Teen Lounge

Tue, May 27, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Makerspace
Registration opens Tuesday, May 13 2025 at 9:00am

Cancelled
Wed, May 28, 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Wed, May 28, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Dover Room

Thu, May 29, 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Storytime Room
Registration opens Thursday, May 22 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, May 31, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Craft Room
Registration opens Saturday, May 24 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, May 31, 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Sat, May 31, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Porter Room

Sat, May 31, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Craft Room
Registration opens Saturday, May 24 2025 at 9:00am

Sun, Jun 01, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Craft Room
Registration opens Sunday, May 25 2025 at 9:00am

Mon, Jun 02, 9:00am - 9:00pm
Registration opens Saturday, May 24 2025 at 9:00am

Mon, Jun 02, 10:00am - 10:30am
Storytime Room

Mon, Jun 02, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Dover Room
Registration opens Monday, May 19 2025 at 9:00am

Mon, Jun 02, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Thomas A. Fox Board Room

Tue, Jun 03, 9:30am - 10:00am
Storytime Room

Tue, Jun 03, 10:15am - 10:45am
Storytime Room

Tue, Jun 03, 10:30am - 11:30am
Registration opens Tuesday, May 27 2025 at 9:00am

Cancelled
Tue, Jun 03, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Tue, Jun 03, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Makerspace
Registration opens Tuesday, May 27 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Jun 03, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Porter Room

Wed, Jun 04, 1:00pm - 1:30pm
Storytime Room

Wed, Jun 04, 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Registration opens Wednesday, May 28 2025 at 9:00am

Wed, Jun 04, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Storytime Room

Wed, Jun 04, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Dover Room

Wed, Jun 04, 7:00pm - 7:30pm
Storytime Room

Thu, Jun 05, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Porter Room

Fri, Jun 06, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Storytime Room

Sat, Jun 07, 10:30am - 11:00am
Storytime Room

Sat, Jun 07, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Dover Room
Registration opens Saturday, May 24 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, Jun 07, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Reading Garden
Registration opens Saturday, May 31 2025 at 9:00am

Sun, Jun 08, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Storytime Room

Sun, Jun 08, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Porter Room

Mon, Jun 09, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Technology Training Lab

Tue, Jun 10, 9:30am - 10:00am
Storytime Room

Rescheduled
Tue, Jun 10, 10:00am - 11:30am
New date Thursday, June 12, 10:00am - 11:30am

Tue, Jun 10, 10:15am - 10:45am
Storytime Room

Tue, Jun 10, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Porter Room,Zoom Programming 2
Registration opens Tuesday, May 13 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Jun 10, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Craft Room
Registration opens Monday, May 12 2025 at 9:00am