The increased popularity of self-publishing and the ease of print-on-demand services now make it possible for niche books and obscure topics to find an audience. It also gives us fodder for wacky polls and the craziest book titles we never thought we’d see. Retired physics professor Richard Kiehn took top honors as his book was voted “least likely to become a hot summer read” in a recent Zogby poll sponsored by print-on-demand service lulu.com. So maybe no one will be lounging by the pool with Non Equilibrium Systems and Irreversible Processes: Adventures in Applied Topology (Vol. 3) this summer. Then again, I’m still trying to figure out why Ten Crochet Dude Dishcloths is less likely to become a hit than Seven Crochet Dude Afghan Squares. I’m sure it has something to do with the metric system.