Everything All at Once: How to unleash your inner nerd, tap into radical curiosity, and solve any problem

by Bill Nye

  With that in mind, we can turn back to the process. We draw on the data and on our personal successes and setbacks to inspire ideas for dealing with the global challenges. If one idea doesn’t work out, we keep testing, adjusting, rethinking. We stay aware of those 30,000 days but hold on to our broader perspective of the earlier generations who got us here, and the later ones who are depending on us. We remember the smallness and fragility of our planet, and we relish the opportunity to nurture it. Because of the unforgiving nature of the second law of thermodynamics, we can’t know exactly what the future will hold for our descendants. But, we can do our best today to make their future a bright one.

  I am at the age now when I know I have more days behind me than ahead. No, no, I’m okay. Strange to say, that doesn’t bother me (much). The real gift is being alive here and now, armed with knowledge, free will, and a whole community of like minds. I’m glad you’ve read this far and come on this journey with me. We inhabit this same moment and have access to all the same tools. All of us, step by step, one by one, working together, can . . . dare I say it . . . change the world.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’d like to thank the academy . . . wait, that’s not what I meant. I mean, thank you Corey Powell! He believed in this book and in me. He convinced me that I really do have something to say that may be of value. Without Corey’s continual encouragement, there’d be no Everything, let alone All at Once. The same goes for Leah Miller, our editor at Rodale, who kept us on track, straightening and rearranging what often started out as tangled ideas. Speaking (or writing) of people who helped form my character and my point of view, we can start with my parents. They raised me in a home with a tradition of academic achievement. They nurtured my love of science with my organic chemist grandfather’s glassware, a workbench, a fish tank, various hand tools, and a soldering iron. Susan and Darby, my sister and brother, taught me a lot and pretty much kept me in line. (They’re older, and they will always be older.) I couldn’t have done much of what I’ve done over the last few years without the help of my amazing assistant, Christine Sposari, and my patient agent, Nick Pampenella.

  I happened to be finishing this book as I was starting a new video show, Bill Nye Saves the World. In that writers’ room, I worked with some brilliant men and women. Thank you to Mike Drucker, Flora Lichtman, Phil Plait, Abby Plante, CeCe Pleasants, Sanden Toten, Prashanth Venkat, Teagan Wall, and especially Michael Naidus, the show runner and my new good friend. You all brought big ideas and terrific insights.

  Finally, I have to thank Jack, John, Gene, Uncle Bob, Uncle Bud, Jeff, and especially George. As you read, you’ll meet each of them. They gave me insight and imbued me with my purpose. Now, I want to change the world because I think I can, and because I watched them work. Finally, to the countless fans who have written and spoken to me over the last 30 years and encouraged me to keep at it, thanks to all of you.

  Bill Nye, New York, New York

  (The town so nice, they named it twice)

  My first meeting with Bill Nye took place in a sleepy Brooklyn restaurant, where I asked him why he wanted to write the book that became Undeniable. His answer was as heartfelt as it was inevitable: “Because I want to change the world.” At that moment, I knew I’d found an ally who shared my optimistic vision of the future. I want to thank Bill for staying true to that vision all the way through to the end of this, our third collaboration. What I appreciate most about him is that he’s exactly the same in private as he is in public: smart, curious, funny, and—yes—optimistic, even during the most soul-sucking moments of the writing process.

  Looking back, I owe a deep debt to the late Alan Hall, my news editor at Scientific American, and to Patti Adcroft, my editorial director at Discover, who helped open my eyes to the persuasive power of great writing. And, looking forward, I am grateful to my daughters Eliza and Ava for their daily reminders that a sense of wonder and a sense of social responsibility go hand-in-hand. The goal of this book is to make a better world . . . for them, for all of today’s youth, and for all of the generations to come.

  Corey S. Powell

  Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

  Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

  © 2017 by Bill Nye

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

  Book design by Ariana Abud

  Illustrations by Bill Nye

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 978–1–62336–791–6 hardcover

  ISBN-13: 978–1–62336–792–3 e-book

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