Scott Huler

Scott Huler recounts the story of his trip around the Mediterranean, following the route of Odysseus. Well, more or less the route of Odysseus, anyway, since nobody can agree on exactly where to locate most of his adventures on a map, or even to what extent it's reasonable to try. But that's all right; geographical accuracy isn't really the point, anyway.

It's a very low-key sort of book. Huler's wanderings are much less full of shipwrecks and man-eating giants than Odysseus', and he doesn't show more try to exaggerate his experiences to make for a more lively story, but instead realistically portrays the mundanities of 21st century travel, with all its annoyances and disappointments and unexpected little moments of complete happiness. Through it all he is quietly, unpretentiously thoughtful as he contemplates travel, life experiences, and the lessons and insights of the Odyssey. I started off hoping, perhaps, for a somewhat more exciting travel memoir, but in the end was quite satisfied by the journey I was taken on instead. show less

In 1806, while waiting in port to leave for South America, Sir Francis Beaufort jotted down a brief scale into his journals so that he could quickly record future weather reports. It started at 0 for no breeze and went to 12 for hurricane conditions. It was a simple scale, used by other sailors and natural philosophers for the last 250 years, but he made it his own, and encouraged others to do the same. Scott Huler tells the story of the wind scale from Tycho Brahe through the men who still show more work on authentic sailing vessels today. The journey is as poetic as the scale itself and warrants a read by anyone from amateur meteorologists to nostalgic seamen. A very good book.

http://lifelongdewey.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/551-defining-the-wind-by-scott-hul... show less

How meta: an odyssey exploring Homer's The Odyssey. Scott Huler has a baby on the way and one last adventure in his soul. Picking up a copy of the epic poem, he connects with it in a way that he didn't when he first read it decades earlier.

He sets off, travelling lightly and cheaply, to visit each of the main stops on Odysseus's troubled journey home. Or at least the places that most closely resemble the mythological places.

Huler sums up the lessons of The Odyssey: the perils of ambition, show more the emptiness of glory, the value of love, the failure of self-glory, and the importance of family. He learns to fully appreciate the central theme: the greatest adventures of all are the ones that bring us home to those we love.

The book is part travelogue and part critical reading of The Odyssey, with a mix of personal self-realization thrown. To me, the key signal of my enjoyment of this book is that it made we want to blow the dust off the edition of The Odyssey from my college days and really read it this time. show less

Scott Huler takes a common wind scale, that we all relearn each year during hurricane season, and weaves an intriguing history about the development of modern meteorology from the necessities of 19th century sailing.Scott tells the story of Francis Beaufort, a fastidious observer and note-taker, who over the course of his 84 year life, goes to sea, teaches himself navigation and cartography, develops a distinctive style or cartography that is still used today, and creates the Beaufort Wind show more Scale that is a common feature in the nightly weather reports during hurricane season. Along the way, Beaufort gets shipwrecked, shot in battle, becomes Hydrographer to the Admiralty, and an Admiral.

Scott uses Francis Beaufort, who today might be diagnosed as having a mild case of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), as a vehicle to explore the evolution of naval cartography and meteorology. It is a fascinating story with surprising links to Charles Darwin.

If the book has any weakness, it is the over emphasis on the language of the Beaufort Wind Scale. Scott, a technical writer, knows the importance and beauty of clarity, information delivered in a sparse yet unambiguous style, and he provides insight into why the Beaufort Scale both a scientific and literary gem. Unfortunately, I think that he spends too much time on the topic and it occasionally slows down the otherwise well paced narrative.

I recommend this book to anyone who sails, is interested in weather, or is fascinated with the evolution of modern science.

Defining the Wind has a permanent place in my library. show less