History of engineering and technology Books

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Book SynopsisWhat the f*ck is 5G, and how does it even work?The world loves 4G phones, tablets and other gizmos and we take the tech for granted...but when that 4 grew up into the next-gen 5, it seems everyone perked up and started caring about phone networking tech. Journalists journaled, politicians, er, politicked, and tin-foil hat wearers reached for the extra-thick reinforced foil. Why all this fuss? Believe it or not, 5G could change the way you live. Because though it seems like smartphones are only good for tiktok and texting, 5G has the power to revolutionise how we interact with public spaces - from concerts and gigs to coffee shops, paving the way for foundational tech like virtual and augmented reality. This book will explain this missing radio link that will propel us into the future of self-driving cars and VR. Oh, and along the way we'll explore why 5G and coronavirus are very definitely and completely, utterly, not the same thing

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Breathing Race into the Machine brilliantly tracks the remarkable story—lasting to the present—of how ‘correcting for race’ in measures of lung capacity became unremarkable scientific practice. This eye-opening account demonstrates that precision technologies and statistical techniques that supposedly measure biological differences accurately can mask racial myths and wreak devastating consequences for black people’s health and legal rights. Essential reading for everyone concerned about the impact of race on science and technology."—Dorothy Roberts, University of Pennsylvania, author of Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century"Lundy Braun illuminates how the development of a new machine to measure lung capacity could begin with a benign purpose to assess the impact of working conditions in the coal mines in the early 19th century, but would later ‘morph’ into a justification for the putative relationship between difference and hierarchy that has remained intact for nearly two centuries. Braun documents how the social, economic and political fabric of each period is interwoven into the science of measurement—a theme that deftly carries throughout the book, and will establish Breathing Race into the Machine as a landmark contribution to the social studies of science."—Troy Duster, author of Backdoor to Eugenics"In Breathing Race into the Machine, Lundy Braun powerfully reinvigorates our understanding of how racial formation happens. An incisive, considered study of a seemingly conventional physiology instrument, this book reveals science as a foundational feature of the social construction of race. We create our own difference engines, but Braun’s astute book reminds us that we do not have to remain captive to them."—Alondra Nelson, author of Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight against Medical Discrimination"A fascinating read."—Choice"Ultimately, Breathing Race into the Machine disrupts ideas about technology’s objectivity to show the pernicious persistence of racial bias."—African American Review"Great value to those with an interest in the history of science and technology, occupational health and disease, and the construction of whiteness and blackness."—Social History of Medicine"Intellectually provocative, original, and extensively researched."—American Historical Review"This book reminds us that tools have a history and that their history matters."—Journal of American History"Lundy Braun provides her readers with the most meticulously detailed, and I should add sophisticated, historical analysis. . . her account of the career of the technical device of the spirometer offers surprising and valuable insights."—Science as Culture"Breathing Race into the Machine is theoretically informed, well researched, and well written. Its compelling account contributes to the scholarship of racialization in science and medicine."—ISISTable of ContentsContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Measuring Vital Capacity1. “Inventing” the Spirometer: Working-Class Bodies in Victorian England2. Black Lungs and White Lungs: The Science of White Supremacy in the Nineteenth-Century United States3. Filling the Lungs with Air: The Rise of Physical Culture in America4. Progress and Race: Vitality in Turn-of-the-Century Britain5. Globalizing Spirometry: The “Racial Factor” in Scientific Medicine6. Adjudicating Disability in the Industrial Worker7. Diagnosing Silicosis: Physiological Testing in South African Gold MinesEpilogue: How Race Takes RootNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThis volume brings together a selection of key papers by this soil mechanics pioneer. The papers have been selected on the basis of their importance in the development of soil mechanics and to highlight the nature and range of subjects that Bishop investigated during the thirty-seven years of his career. Bishop's most influential paper was presented at an ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) conference in Boulder, Colorado, in 1960, and while it made a big impression at the time, it is now in danger of disappearing from sight. In addition, two of Bishop's very significant papers were published in the late 1970s in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, not normal reading for the soil mechanics fraternity, and thus became known to only a few people. That has remained the case to this day, and the fact that these two papers have not been republished was the initial motivation for creating this volume. In addition, it is nearly 40 years since Bishop retired from his professorial position at Imperial College and a fitting time to remember Bishop with both a biography, The Bishop Method, and this volume of his papers. In addition to the Bishop papers, there is a paper by Laurie Wesley and Richard Pugh reflecting their research with Bishop. Separate papers were to have been written after the completion of their PhDs, with Bishop as the lead author, but because of his illness this didn't happen. The opportunity has now been taken to present the comprehensive research in these papers, as a tribute to their supervisor and mentor.Trade Review'...This is a valuable collection bringing together in one place documentation of a number of significant steps in the development of soil mechanics'. NZ GeomaticsTable of ContentsA new sampling tool for use in cohesionless sands below the ground water level (1946); Some factors involved in the design of a large earth dam in the Thames valley (1948); Undrained triaxial tests on saturated sands and their significance in the general theory of shear strength (1950); The use of the slip circle in the stability analysis of slopes (1954); The principle of effective stress (1954); The relevance of the triaxial test to the solution of stability problems (1960); Selset Reservoir: design and performance of the embankment (1962); The strength of soils as engineering materials. 6th Rankine Lecture (1966); Progressive failure with special reference to the mechanism causing it (1967); The influence of pore-water tension on the strength of clay (1975); The influence of high pore-water pressure on the strength of cohesionless soils (1977); Thirty-five years of soil testing (1981); The behaviour of a soft alluvial clay revealed by laboratory tests and trial embankments, Wesley, L.D & R.S Pugh (2019).

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Book Synopsis''An utterly dazzling book, the best piece of history I have read for a long time'' Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps''Not merely an horologist''s delight, but an ingenious meditation on the nature and symbolism of time-keeping itself'' Richard HolmesThe measurement of time has always been essential to human civilization, from early Roman sundials to the advent of GPS. But while we have one eye on the time every day, are we aware of the power clocks have given governments, military leaders and business owners, and how they have shaped our lives and our world?In this spectacularly far-reaching book, David Rooney narrates a history of timekeeping and civilization in twelve concise chapters. Over their course, we meet the most epochal inventions in horological history, from medieval water clocks to Renaissance hourglasses, and from stock-exchange timestamps to satellites in Earth''s orbit. We discover how clocks have helped people navigate the globe and build empires, but also, on occasion, taken us to the brink of destruction.This is the story of time, and the story of time is the story of us.Trade Review'About Time is an utterly dazzling book, the best piece of history I have read for a long time. From sundials in ancient Rome to astronomical, water-driven, mechanical and atomic timepieces used throughout history and across cultures, Rooney has written the definitive book on these remarkable objects that give order to everyday life. It is a moving and beautifully written book that even takes us 5,000 years into the future with plutonium clocks ticking away beneath our feet. There will be many puns about this as a timely book; in fact, it is timeless' -- Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps'Not merely an horologist's delight, but an ingenious meditation on the nature and symbolism of time-keeping itself. From the medieval hourglass to the Doomsday Clock, from Jaipur to Jodrell Bank, from GMT to GPS, Rooney ticks off time in a highly entertaining series of historical tales and parables which also give pause for thought and sometimes alarming reflections. I will never hear the pips, or ask 'what's the time?' in quite the same way again. A striking success' -- Richard Holmes'Fascinating... it's to Rooney's credit that although he clearly knows a colossal amount about clocks, he wears his learning very lightly' -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *People say time is money, but David Rooney knows better. In this information-packed swoop through history and into the future, he exposes time's many identities along with the hidden agendas of clocks. Time is knowledge. Time is power. Time is faith. Time is destiny -- Dava Sobel, author of Longitude'Abundantly clever ... [Rooney's] notion is that time-noting instruments of one kind or another have been central to human endeavor, and he illustrates the power of such influence by scores of well-curated examples ... lovely and engaging, with myriad fascinations on every page' -- Simon Winchester * New York Times *'Enthralling and important, About Time takes us deep into the past and far into the future. With David Rooney as personable guide, we peer inside clocks from Kyoto to Cape Town, discovering what they meant to the diverse people who made them, used them, whose lives were ruled by them. . . . This is a gripping and revealing account of time, and humanity's changing relationship with it' -- Seb Falk, author of The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science'A fascinating volume on what clocks say both to us and about us ... full of riches ... a valuable intellectual journey at a moment ripe for contemplation' * Wall Street Journal *'David Rooney's passionate enthusiasm for everything clock-related leaps off every page. The vivid writing, engaging stories and autobiographical details combine to offer a rich and generous picture of the history of clocks, from China and Japan to Central Europe, the Middle East and outer space. In clear, pacey and evocative prose, Rooney's volume takes in ancient wonders and modern marvels, leaving us at once enlightened and moved' -- Ludmilla Jordanova, author of History in PracticeThe measurement of time is a convenience, a jailor, a tyrannical device. David Rooney's delightful and discursive work anatomises that tyranny. Page after page offers up instances of time's ubiquity and its mercurial power to get into the interstices of the everyday -- Jonathan Meades'About Time is startlingly original. Rooney is immensely knowledgeable and passionate about his subject. His engaging style should make this book, which carries valuable warnings about the future of humanity, a popular-science classic' -- Patricia Fara * Literary Review *'A fascinating and sometimes frightening story. Rooney weaves a convincing tale of the evil uses to which clocks have been put' * Daily Express *'Captivating ... a diverting way to spend a few hours of precious time' * The Economist *'About Time provides a fascinating look at timekeeping devices throughout history and the societal roles they've filled. A quick but thoughtful read ensuring you will never look at your alarm clock or smartphone the same way again' * Booklist *'Fascinating ... exposes the tyranny of clocks ... with [Rooney's] book in hand, and an eye on the world that sustains us, we might just save ourselves' * Forbes *'I've spent a lot of my life trying to reconnect with my experience of time before I learned to read a clock's three hands. Clock-time has always oppressed me, and Rooney's explorations of its use as a tool of power affirmed my unease about it in a spectacular fashion. His book is a great read, full of fascinating stories, histories and agendas' -- Jem Finer'The author knows his subject intimately ... a fascinating story about how clocks have not only kept the time for us but also defined the times we've lived in' * Washington Examiner *'Takes readers on a fascinating journey into the past and the future of time-keeping methods and technology ... [Rooney] reminds readers that clocks are not just critical to the progress of civilization but also in the waging of warfare' * Telegraph India *

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating story charts the career of Max Hoffman, the US car dealer who represented Jaguar, Porsche, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Fiat, Lancia, BMW, and many other European car brands during the decades following WWII. He pushed for distinguished now-classics like the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, Porsche Speedster, BMW 507, and Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider. Hoffman built a reputation as an effective middleman, but as the car companies he represented became more successful under his watch, the less they needed their go-between. When it was inevitably time to say goodbye to Maxie, he showed his teeth with everything from lawsuits against his suppliers, to threatening executives with a mob hit. However, Hoffman also had a very good reason to be defensive. He understood the American market, and he pushed manufacturers specifically for cars that would strike a chord and make everybody involved richer. Sometimes the hero, sometimes the villain, but more often than not, Max Hoffman was the unseen puppet master behind some of today’s best classics.Table of Contents1. Early life, start in cars, and WWII 2. An expensive address (this describes his first showroom in Manhattan and the marques he sold, including Aston Martin, Dalahaye, and Jowett. 3.Jaguar. 4.Volkswagen 5. Mercedes 6. Porsche 7. The Italians (Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo) 8. BMW 9. Frank Lloyd Wright and other architecture 10. How significant Hoffman’s cars are today and a lasting legacy

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisAn international community of specialists reinvented the propeller during the Aeronautical Revolution, a vibrant period of innovation in North America and Europe from World War I to the end of World War II. They experienced both success and failure as they created competing designs that enabled increasingly sophisticated and 'modern' commercial and military aircraft to climb quicker and cruise faster using less power. Reinventing the Propeller nimbly moves from the minds of these inventors to their drawing boards, workshops, research and development facilities, and factories, and then shows us how their work performed in the air, both commercially and militarily. Reinventing the Propeller documents this story of a forgotten technology to reveal new perspectives on engineering, research and development, design, and the multi-layered social, cultural, financial, commercial, industrial, and military infrastructure of aviation.Trade Review'Jeremy R. Kinney's masterful study of the evolution of the aircraft propeller not only represents an important contribution to the history of flight technology, it is also that rare specialist account that illuminates broader questions in the development of complex technical systems.' Tom D. Crouch, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution'Jeremy R. Kinney illuminates the long-neglected mechanisms which propelled crafts of the air through the early 20th century and the Second World War. In this replete and comprehensive book, Dr. Kinney at last has supplied the missing pieces to the puzzle of powered flight.' C. Evan Davies, Institute of Historical Survey, New Mexico'Thanks to Jeremy R. Kinney we now have the first comprehensive treatment of the aircraft propeller as a component of the international technical and cultural revolution that transformed the airplane more than three-quarters of a century ago. Anyone seeking new insight into the history of heavier-than-air flight and the complexity of technological change will want to read this important book.' William F. Trimble, Auburn University, Alabama'Thoroughly researched and remarkably well written, Reinventing the Propeller provides the first truly contextualized history of this crucial piece of aeronautical technology as well as the international community that developed it. It is a must-read for historians of technology and airplane aficionados alike.' Alan Meyer, Auburn University, Alabama'It is written from an American viewpoint but covers developments in Britain and Germany in some detail. This is fair, because the United States led the development of propellers between the two World Wars. … The book provides an excellent and detailed account of the development of propellers from the start of powered flight to the 1960s, when turbojet propulsion became dominant. … it is a book well worth reading.' C. G. B. Mitchell, Afterburner'… the book is well-researched, well-informed, and richly detailed. It is likely to remain the last word on this subject for years to come.' Alex Roland, Technology and CultureTable of Contents1. Introduction. The propeller and the modern airplane; 2. 'The best propeller for starting is not the best for flying'; 3. 'Engineering of a pioneer character'; 4. A 'new type adjustable-pitch propeller'; 5. 'The propeller that took Lindbergh across'; 6. 'The ultimate solution of our propeller problem'; 7. No. 1 propeller company; 8. A gear shift for the airplane; 9. Constant-speed; 10. 'The Spitfire now 'is an aeroplane''; 11. A propeller for the air age; 12. Conclusion. The triumph and decline of the propeller; Essay on sources; Index.

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Book SynopsisSocial and economic history of science and technology has emerged as a major theme of interdisciplinary research in South Asian history since the late 1990s. This book studies the correlation between technological knowledge and industrial performance, with the focus on electricity, an emerging technology during 1880 and 1945. The arrival of electricity necessitated the introduction of new institutional facilities, and with the growth of technological system, a new business culture grew - there was demand for trained manpower to handle machines and better educational facilities. Taking a broad view of the subject, the narrative of this book is built around the historical experiences of the local Bengali-speaking population. Adopting the social constructionist model, Let There Be Light presents an amalgamation of archival and Indian language source materials to delineate the diverse nature of the appropriation of technological ideas into Indian culture.Table of ContentsList of abbreviations; List of figures; Preface; Introduction; 1. Technical knowledge and its institutes; 2. Entrepreneurship, industry and technology; 3. Electrification: the shaping of a technology; 4. Domesticating electricity; 5. Assimilation of technological ideas; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisMore than any other technology, cars have transformed our culture. Cars have created vast wealth as well as novel dreams of freedom and mobility. They have transformed our sense of distance and made the world infinitely more available to our eyes and our imaginations. They have inspired cinema, music and literature; they have, by their need for roads, bridges, filling stations, huge factories and global supply chains, re-engineered the world. Almost everything we now need, want, imagine or aspire to assumes the existence of cars in all their limitless power and their complex systems of meanings.This book celebrates the immense drama and beauty of the car, of the genius embodied in the Ford Model T, of the glory of the brilliant-red Mercedes Benz S-Class made by workers for Nelson Mandela on his release from prison, of Kanye West''s ''chopped'' Maybach, of the salvation of the Volkswagen Beetle by Major Ivan Hirst, of Elvis Presley''s 100 Cadillacs, of the Rolls-Royce Silver

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Book SynopsisA rich resource for investigating the history of a short-lived but influential British carmaker. The Allard Motor Company archives are a particularly rich resource for those investigating the history and influence on the British motor industry of this short-lived but significant carmaker. The production records included in this comprehensive book cover the years of operation 1946-1958 and sit alongside many previously unseen official photographs, documents, and correspondence. Supported by an easy-to-use reference spreadsheet, Allard owners are invited to open to the pages where their car is featured, and casual observers can also learn about the indelible impact this small British car manufacturer made on motoring history. Author Gavin Allard—the grandson of Sydney Allard, who led the company into post-war Britain and beyond—details the people that built the cars, the dealerships that sold them, and the drivers who took them to the roads.

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Book SynopsisWhen viewed through a political lens, the act of defining terms in natural language arguably transforms knowledge into values. This unique volume explores how corporate, military, academic, and professional values shaped efforts to define computer terminology and establish an information engineering profession as a precursor to what would become computer science. As the Cold War heated up, U.S. federal agencies increasingly funded university researchers and labs to develop technologies, like the computer, that would ensure that the U.S. maintained economic prosperity and military dominance over the Soviet Union. At the same time, private corporations saw opportunities for partnering with university labs and military agencies to generate profits as they strengthened their business positions in civilian sectors. They needed a common vocabulary and principles of streamlined communication to underpin the technology development that would ensure national prosperity and military dominance. investigates how language standardization contributed to the professionalization of computer science as separate from mathematics, electrical engineering, and physics examines traditions of language standardization in earlier eras of rapid technology development around electricity and radio highlights the importance of the analogy of “the computer is like a human” to early explanations of computer design and logic traces design and development of electronic computers within political and economic contexts foregrounds the importance of human relationships in decisions about computer design This in-depth humanistic study argues for the importance of natural language in shaping what people come to think of as possible and impossible relationships between computers and humans. The work is a key reference in the history of technology and serves as a source textbook on the human-level history of computing. In addition, it addresses those with interests in sociolinguistic questions around technology studies, as well as technology development at the nexus of politics, business, and human relations.Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 From Hot War to Cold PeaceChapter 3 Who Will Control Atomic PowerChapter 4 Sharing Information (or Not) for Computer DevelopmentChapter 5 Defining Relationships among Computers, People, and InformationChapter 6 Technology Development Strains Standardization of Human Communication Chapter 7 Defining Terms and Establishing PrioritiesChapter 8 Establishing the Field of Computer Science

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Book SynopsisThis book is about how electricity has profoundly changed the way we live, work, and play. Some twenty topics are covered, with an abundance of graphs and images to build a comprehensive picture. Each looks at the developments, and the people who initiated them, together with how one led to the next and their subsequent impact on society. Topics include electric supply, lighting through X-rays, and all those appliances that make our homes so comfortable.Most homes at the end of the twentieth century were full of electrical equipment, much of which was regarded as essential. It ran from lights, washing machines, fridges, freezers, kettles, telephones and so on, to the more subtle things such as wipers and starter motors on cars. In 1900, in all but a tiny minority of houses, there were none of these things. It is very difficult for us now to imagine a world without electrical equipment everywhere, and yet it has only taken a century. The Electric Century examines how we got from then to now. The nineteenth is often described as the century of steam from the impact it had on employment and transport, and The Electric Century makes a similar claim as the description of the twentieth. Electricity and the equipment using it are so pervasive that they have affected every corner of modern life.Trade Review“Williams is very thorough, and as with the electronics book, he or she is at his or her best when giving us historical statistics and nuggets of information about, for example, the early fragmented electricity generation companies, or Marconi's work or the development of batteries. … if you'd like to fill in some gaps in the history of technology, it's worth taking on.” (Brian Clegg, Popular Science, popsciencebooks.blogspot.com, January, 2018)“There is a good table of contents, a detailed bibliography, and a good index. This is an interesting treatise on the impact of electricity on our world. Williams’ book differs from others on this subject in the diversity of aspects covered and by also considering their social impacts on our society. A very enjoyable book.” (David B. Henderson, Computing Reviews, March, 2018)Table of Contents

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Book SynopsisThis book, based on wide-ranging research on water, views the world through the rippling, complex lens of water. It looks at the emergence of civilizations and their decay, delves into creation myths, ponders the place of water in the human psyche as expressed in art and poetry and folklore, considers its role as a factor of production, a source of energy, a conduit of transportation, and a consumer good, examines changing concepts of physical and spiritual cleanliness, and notes the magical powers of springs and wishing wells and rainmakers. It reveals how this colorless, tasteless, and odorless substance has made such an impact on our bodies and our souls. Like water itself, it meanders far and wide, and it may, just possibly, restore our sense of wonder at this elixir of life. Nina Selbst's pellucid and friendly style of writing and her overflowing enthusiasm for her subject assure the reader not only an enlightening experience but also a pleasurable one.

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Book SynopsisThis book shares Chinese scholars’ philosophical views on artificial intelligence. The discussions range from the foundations of AI—the Turing test and creation of machine intelligence—to recent applications of AI, including decisions in games, natural languages, pattern recognition, prediction in economic contexts, autonomous behaviors, and collaborative intelligence, with the examples of AlphaGo, Microsoft’s Xiao Bing, medical robots, etc. The book’s closing chapter focuses on Chinese machines and explores questions on the cultural background of artificial intelligence. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for all members of the general public who are interested in the future development of artificial intelligence, especially from the perspective of respected Chinese scholars. Table of Contents1. Does the Turing test work?2. How does machine intelligence emerge?3. By wining at Go, can machines really surpass human beings?4. What makes Robot Xiaobing's works poetic?5. Will diagnosing Robot Make Real Doctors Out of Work?6. Will the Robot’s Dominance of the Stock Market Disrupt the Market Order?7. How Can AI and Robots Go Hand in Hand?8. Is There Ethical Relationships among Robots?9. When will China-made intelligent robots become Chinese intelligent robot?10. Conclusion: When will the Era of "Quantum Supremacy" in Artificial Intelligence Come?

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Trade Review"Mr. Freeberg's broad research adds up to a vivid social history with parallels for today's technology innovators and for those who wish to increase their number. It underscores the point that the work of Edison and other pioneers of light took place in an unusual setting, a period in which American invention was remarkably active and fertile... The Age of Edison comes at a fitting time, the close of the era of the incandescent light. When the old stocks of incandescents run out, it may be the end of pleasant illumination at a cheap price—that is, until another Thomas Edison finds a way."—The Wall Street Journal“Freeberg takes us on a captivating intellectual adventure that offers long-forgotten stories of the birth pangs of the electrical age that are amusing, surprising and tragic.”—Washington Post"One of the many pleasures of Age of Edison, Ernest Freeberg's engaging history of the spread of electricity throughout the United States, is that he captures the excitement and wonder of those early days, when 'a machine that could create enough cheap and powerful light to hold the night at bay' promised 'liberation from one of the primordial limits imposed by nature on the human will'... Freeberg's thoughtful and thought-provoking book quietly suggests that, to properly distribute and control such a powerful force, commercial initiative and a sense of civic responsibility were equally essential."—Los Angeles Times"A dynamo of a book powered by an infectious enthusiasm for the can-do spirit of Edison and rival geniuses racing to turn night into day. Freeberg writes with verve and uncommon clarity, all the while deeply enriching our understanding of an age raring to embrace modernity."—A. Roger Ekirch, author of At Day's Close: Night in Times Past"Ernest Freeberg's fascinating account of the arrival and impact of electric lighting in America fills an important gap in the history of this subject. This well-written and insightful book should appeal both to scholars and lay readers, all of whom will learn much about the complex history of the adoption of this new technology."—Paul Israel, author of Edison: A Life of Invention; General Editor, The Thomas Edison Papers"Freeberg's deft social history explores a remarkable period in America's cultural and economic development. By understanding the post-Edison world we can see how nightlife really began; how our workdays grew considerably longer; and how the urban gloom was extinguished by the commerce of illumination."—Jon Gertner, author of The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American InnovationOutstanding Academic Title of 2014, Choice

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Book SynopsisHailed as the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford of Silicon Valley, Robert Noyce was a brilliant inventor, a leading entrepreneur, and a daring risk taker who piloted his own jets and skied mountains accessible only by helicopter. Now, in The Man Behind the Microchip, Leslie Berlin captures not only this colorful individual but also the vibrant interplay of technology, business, money, politics, and culture that defines Silicon Valley. Here is the life of a high-tech industry giant. The co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, Noyce co-invented the integrated circuit, the electronic heart of every modern computer, automobile, cellular telephone, advanced weapon, and video game. With access to never-before-seen documents, Berlin paints a fascinating portrait of Noyce: an ambitious and intensely competitive multimillionaire who exuded a just folks sort of charm, a Midwestern preacher''s son who rejected organized religion but would counsel his employees to go off and do something wonderful, a man who never looked back and sometimes paid a price for it. In addition, this vivid narrative sheds light on Noyce''s friends and associates, including some of the best-known managers, venture capitalists, and creative minds in Silicon Valley. Berlin draws upon interviews with dozens of key players in modern American business--including Andy Grove, Steve Jobs, Gordon Moore, and Warren Buffett; their recollections of Noyce give readers a privileged, first-hand look inside the dynamic world of high-tech entrepreneurship. A modern American success story, The Man Behind the Microchip illuminates the triumphs and setbacks of one of the most important inventors and entrepreneurs of our time.Trade Review"An important, hype-free account. And the bonus: Noyce was no geeky physicist, and his risk-taking zeal to create new things, coupled with a powerful commitment to ethics, powers a story that should be required reading for today's entrepreneurs and executives."--The Washington Post"Leslie Berlin's excellent new study is a welcome addition to the body of historical literature dealing with recent computer technology. The book is one of only a handful of scholarly biographies of members of the generation of inventors and entrepreneurs whobuilt the semiconductor industry and helped create the economic and cultural phenomenon now known as Silicon Valley. Berlin describes Noyce's technical accomplishments accurately and with appropriate detail, but she also makes clear that he was as much a social and economic innovator as a technical one. Berlin's portrayal of Noyce might be characterized as ironic hagiography. She celebrates his achievementsbut also makes it clear that those accomplishments came at a substantial human cost. Berlin's biography will help preserve Noyce's reputation and will serve as an important resource for future studies of Silicon Valley."--American Scientist"Leslie Berlin does an excellent job of capturing the Bob Noyce I knew: part small-town boy, part big-time genius and always a wonderful friend and citizen."--Warren E. Buffett, Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway Inc."A comprehensive and admiring biography.... Berlin does a fine job uncovering the details of Noyce's childhood and tracing his intellectual development.... Berlin writes convincingly.... [A] thorough and worthy retelling of his life."--Washington Monthly"Few people had a greater impact on life in the second half of the 20th century than Bob Noyce, co-inventor of the integrated circuit. Yet he was little known outside the field of electronics. Leslie Berlin, in "The Man Behind the Microchip," her highly readable biography of Noyce, describes how his work sparked two revolutions in the modern business and technology era."--The Boston Globe"Bob Noyce was one of the giants of Silicon Valley. The most extraordinary thing about this book is that Berlin has been able to cut through the legend and establish that this man, once nicknamed ``the mayor of Silicon Valley,'' was also an ordinary human being." [Berlin] has brought Noyce and his role in the valley's history into focus."--San Jose Mercury News"A well-rounded biography...excellent work."--Publisher's Weekly"Noyce understood the transformative power of new technology as well as anyone alive.... Berlin's rigorously factual account portrays the scientific process in all its grittiness."--MIT Technology Review"Not only an excellent biography, but also an intriguing history of the development of the digital age."--Harvard Business School Working Knowledge"Leslie Berlin's meticulously researched biography tells the story of a talented but flawed individual whose successes and failures could serve as the raw material for a dozen business school case studies. It also paints a revealing picture of US business culture in the mid-20th century.... [An] evocative account of the birth of an industry."--Financial Times"This is where Berlin is best: she superbly evokes the hacker inventiveness of Shockley and his gang."--Clive Thompson, The New York Times Book Review"Bob Noyce's contributions to the development of the semiconductor industry go well beyond his inventions. He was industry spokesman, visionary, and leading entrepreneur. But this well written book does more than just chronicle his many contributions; it is a window into his complex and charming personality."--Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel Corporation"All the busy billionaires, multimillionaires and geeks in their garages dreaming up the next big thing that will bring glory back to Silicon Valley should plunk down some loose change on 'The Man Behind the Microchip.' And anyone interested in the true creation story of Silicon Valley--in contrast to the enticing tales of the mythmakers who continue to blow bubbles of promise up and down the Peninsula--would do well to make a small investment in this terrific biography."--John Christensen, San Francisco Chronicle"The first full-scale biography of Noyce and the first book to acknowledge his true importance. Noyce's story is a fascinating one.... The book succeeds best as a business biography, putting his impressive accomplishments in perspective. Noyce should be considered one of the most influential inventors of our time, a prime mover of the digital revolution that has changed all our lives. For that he deserves much broader recognition. The Man Behind the Microchip is a great start in that direction."--PC Magazine"At last, the absorbing story of the most important figure in the history of the semiconductor industry! Meticulously researched, The Man Behind the Microchip is so engagingly narrated that you don't realize how much business and technology you are learning along the way."--William Aspray, Indiana University"Exhaustively researched. Berlin's thoughtful and thorough biography is at once a celebratory and a cautionary tale."-David Kushner, The Houston Chronicle"Leslie Berlin, in her highly readable biography of Noyce, describes how his work sparked two revolutions in the modern business and technology era."--Robert Weisman, Philadelphia Inquirer"At the white-hot epicenter of the digital revolution was Robert Noyce. Now, thanks to this incisive and astutely researched biography, Noyce will be forever listed among those inventor-entrepreneurs of the postwar era who functioned as the Johan Gutenbergs, the Alexander Graham Bells, the Guglielmo Marconis of our era."--Kevin Starr, University of Southern California

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Book SynopsisThis text contains a translation of the "Nine Chapters". The "Nine Chapters" contains math problems and solutions, which fall into nine categories based on practical needs. There are methods for solving problems in areas such as land measurement, construction, agriculture, commerce, and taxation.Trade Reviewa rich compilation of attractive problems telling wonderful fairy tales full of imaginative and delightful connections * Zentralbaltt Mathematik *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Liu Hui's Preface to his Running Commentary on the Nine Chapters ; 1. Field measurement ; 2. Millet and rice ; 3. Distribution by proportion ; 4. Short width ; 5. Construction consultations ; 6. Fair levies ; 7. Excess and deficit ; 8. Rectangular arrays ; 9. Right-angled triangles ; Appendix ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisA House in the Sun describes a number of experiments in solar house heating in American architectural, engineering, political, economic, and corporate contexts from the beginning of World War II until the late 1950s. Houses were built across the Midwest, Northeast, and Southwestern United States, and also proposed for sites in India, South Africa, and Morocco. These experiments developed in parallel to transformations in the discussion of modern architecture, relying on new materials and design ideas for both energy efficiency and claims to cultural relevance. Architects were among the myriad cultural and scientific actors to see the solar house as an important designed element of the American future. These experiments also developed as part of a wider analysis of the globe as an interconnected geophysical system. Perceived resource limitations in the immediate postwar period led to new understandings of the relationship between energy, technology and economy. The solar house - both asTrade ReviewBarber's insights on solar architecture build upon the classic works on architecture and technology from Giedion, Mumford, and Banham as well as the twentieth-century histories of Ecological Architecture and Building Science. His emphasis on the researchers and practitioners who designed, built, and operated experimental houses shows how solar housing design contributed to new conceptions of culture and society in an era of increasing industrialization and globalization. * Andrew Karvonen, Technology and Culture *[E]ngaging and wonderfully illustrated work. A House in the Sun provides a nuanced optimism that such bleak conditions can also be the springboard to action and can reconfigure how architecture sees itself, empowering it as a cultural tool that moderates political, social and environmental impacts. * Daniel J. Ryan, Fabrications *Barber eloquently reveals how architecture became subservient to larger global forces of managerial politics and how the language of the modern solar house has functioned as a vessel to endow efforts of harnessing clean energy, as opposed to the dirty extraction of fossil fuels. Overall, Barber's richly illustrated book brings an astonishing number of unexplored histories and resources of the early postwar period to light, unwrapping the convoluted ethics of interdisciplinary experimental collaborations that we now effortlessly address as environmental concerns. * Lydia Kallipoliti, Journal of Architectural Education *A House in the Sun is a foundational text for a new expanded history of architecture's relationship to environment. In it, both the house and the sun undergo a fascinating series of formal, historical and theoretical phase-shifts, each altering the other's structures of transmission, reflection, absorption and radiation. * Larry Busbea, Journal of Architecture *A House in the Sun carefully articulates the complex, and often tacit, role of architects in the postwar entanglement of technology, politics, economics, and ecology, especially in the United States ... With clarity, breadth, and great detail, Barber articulates the bright prehistory of the transformations of the architect in the solar-house era ... A House in the Sun is a robust and generous contribution that will help architects and historians to better conceptualize and situate their practices within the complexity of architecture and energy in the United States. * Kiel Moe, Constructs *The author provides a thorough, in-depth historical study of the rise and fall of solar houses, the key players (ranging from architects to academics) involved, and the extensive innovation and experimentation generated and relayed through exhibitions, publications, and competitions. Detailed black-and-white and color illustrations are strategically placed to enhance the text. A well-researched prequel to any book on mid-century modern or postwar energy policy ... Recommended. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments Introduction: Architecture, Technology, and Politics 1. The Modern Solar House 2. What is a House? 3. Discovering Renewable Resources 4. Experimental Dwellings 5. All-Solar Houses 6. The World Solar Energy Project 7. Design and Research 8. Architecture and the Sun Conclusion: Architecture and Environmentalism Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for Robert Skidelsky -- -A truly innovative and radical perspective … thought-stirring and extremely refreshing -- John Gray * Guardian *Arresting insights, written – despite its complex and heavyweight subject matter – with a captivating lightness of touch -- Dominic Lawson * The Sunday Times *Crisp and pungent … deeply provocative and intellectually suggestive -- Rowan Williams * Prospect *Skidelsky is a major figure in the revival of Keynesian thought -- Martin Wolf * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisThe kitchen as political symbol and material reality in the cold war years. Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev's famous “kitchen debate” in 1958 involved more than the virtues of American appliances. Both Nixon and Khrushchev recognized the political symbolism of the modern kitchen; the kind of technological innovation represented in this everyday context spoke to the political system that produced it. The kitchen connects the “big” politics of politicians and statesmen to the “small” politics of users and interest groups. Cold War Kitchen looks at the kitchen as material object and symbol, considering the politics and the practices of one of the most famous technological icons of the twentieth century. Defining the kitchen as a complex technological artifact as important as computers, cars, and nuclear missiles, the book examines the ways in which a range of social actors in Europe shaped the kitchen as both ideological construct a

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Book SynopsisHow the way we hold knowledge about the past—in books, in file folders, in databases—affects the kind of stories we tell about the past.The way we record knowledge, and the web of technical, formal, and social practices that surrounds it, inevitably affects the knowledge that we record. The ways we hold knowledge about the past—in handwritten manuscripts, in printed books, in file folders, in databases—shape the kind of stories we tell about that past. In this lively and erudite look at the relation of our information infrastructures to our information, Geoffrey Bowker examines how, over the past two hundred years, information technology has converged with the nature and production of scientific knowledge. His story weaves a path between the social and political work of creating an explicit, indexical memory for science—the making of infrastructures—and the variety of ways we continually reconfigure, lose, and regain the past.At a ti

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Book SynopsisThis volume in the Greenwood Technographies series covers urban mass transit - that is, the technologies that allow cities to move large numbers of people around.Trade Review"Post offers Urban Mass Transit--The Life Story of Technology, a well-written book that traces the development of the trolley and streetcar to today's light rail transit (LRT). The book includes material on urbanization and transit via horsepower; introduction of mechanical means to run cable railways; electrification and the rise of the trolley; motor vehicle developments and trolley use decline; and rapid transit expansion and the revival of mass transit. The book includes a time line, glossary, and list of resources. Post has done an excellent job, using stories, photographs, sketches, and facts to construct a fascinating historical account of innovation. An appealing work for the general public as well as students and others with interests in public transit. Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through professionals." - Choice"Narrating the life story of urban mass transit in the United States, Post focuses on streetcars, trolleys, light rail, and similar transport and pays significantly less attention to buses and subways. His primary theme as he explores the mass transit developments in the 20th century concerns the ways public and decision makers evaluated the costs and benefits of various transit choices, both in strictly economic terms and in terms of wider societal concerns, including noise, pollution, and even aesthetics." - SciTech Book News

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Book Synopsis"Without the invention of the transistor, I'm quite sure that the PC would not exist as we know it today."—Bill Gates

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