In clear-eyed prose, Carl Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space. Featuring full-color illustrations, Cosmos retraces the fourteen billion years of cosmic evolution that have transformed matter into consciousness, exploring such topics as the origin of life, the human brain, Egyptian hieroglyphics, spacecraft missions, the death of the Sun, the evolution of galaxies, and the forces and individuals who helped shape modern science.  Get it today for only $1.99.

Need more Sagan?  Future generations will look back on our epoch as the time when the human race finally broke into a radically new frontier—space. In Pale Blue Dot, Sagan traces the spellbinding history of our launch into the cosmos and assesses the future that looms before us as we move out into our own solar system and on to distant galaxies beyond.  This sequel to Cosmos is $4.99 today as a Kindle download.

Lots more on the Sagan page.

Whether you’re a ramen fiend or just love to cook with such a versatile noodle, or have a student heading off to college in a few weeks, Amazon has lots of cheap choices today.  I bought a couple of these years ago and, at that time, paid a really good price, but now you can get them for so much less!  Yeah, the sodium is through the roof, but you don’t need to use even a fraction of the seasoning packet – use your own imagination.  A range of cheap flavors are listed, too, although I’ve just linked to the Roast Chicken flavor.  Most have 15% discounts when you sign up for Subscribe & Save, another nice benefit.

If you’re the kind who prefers cup-style, here’s a Maruchan Souper six-pack of noodles; it also comes in the larger size packs.