History of engineering and technology Books
Astragal Press Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers
Book Synopsis
£24.00
Reaktion Books Mining in World History
Book SynopsisMining in World History deals with the history of mining and smelting from the Renaissance to the present day, drawing out, in an engaging and fast-paced fashion, the interplay of personalities, politics and technology which have together shaped the metallurgical industries over the last 500 years. Martin Lynch opens with the invention, sometime before the year 1453, of a revolutionary technique for separating silver from copper, an event that revived the rich copper-silver mines of central Europe and the ruling ambitions of the Habsburg emperors who owned them. The author shows how the flood of silver from Spain's newly-conquered American colonies brought about the demise of these mines, and goes on to examine the far-reaching changes brought to mining and smelting by the steam engine and the Industrial Revolution. The book then looks at the era of the gold rushes and the comprehensive developments in mineral extraction and technology that took place in the United States and South Africa at the end of the nineteenth century, and describes the spread of mass metal-production techniques across the world amid the violent struggles of the twentieth century and the energy crises of the 1970s. Written by an author vastly experienced in the field, Mining in World History is the first book to provide an account of how and why change and advance in this global industry have taken place in different eras and locations around the world. As such it will appeal to the industry specialist as well as to the general reader who wants to know more about a field that has been fundamental to the construction of industrial civilization.Trade Review'This is quite simply the best history ever published on the role of mining in shaping world events. It performs the huge task of making sense of a complex range of industries that took many forms and produced many products, over centuries of change and development across every continent on earth. It does so in just 350 pages of succinct but comprehensive prose, remarkably free of errors of both fact and judgment ...Martin Lynch has managed to present the big picture of mining.' -Historic Environment 'This is quite simply the best history ever published on the role of mining in shaping world events. It performs the huge task of making sense of a complex range of industries that took many forms and produced many products, over centuries of change and development across every continent on earth. It does so in just 350 pages of succinct but comprehensive prose, remarkably free of errors of both fact and judgment ... Martin Lynch has managed to present the big picture of mining.' - Historic Environment 'A very profound book about a very profound subject. It can, and will, be used as a reference work, yet it is a splendid story well told. The reader with an interest in history, politics, and economics will find the book rewarding indeed ... The reader with a background in mining history will find the book a joy from beginning to end. The book builds momentum, the farther along the reader progresses, the more exciting the narrative becomes.' - Anthracite History Journal
£23.70
Faber & Faber MINI The True and Secret History of the Making of
Book SynopsisIn 1959, the first Mini was produced on an assembly line at Cowley, near Oxford. It would take a team of supremely talented designers, engineers and production-line workers to build a car that was unique in appearance and construction. They would clash over an uncomfortable and unsafe prototype, and the public had to be convinced to buy a car that let in water when it rained. But somehow the Mini became an icon. Designed for austerity and efficiency, the car came to represent individuality and classlessness.Today, the car is still produced at Cowley - it is now owned by BMW and called the MINI. A great British manufacturing story, it is more popular throughout the world than it has ever been, a symbol of the age that created it. But who makes these things, and what do they think about their work? By meeting the people behind the MINI, Simon Garfield uncovers a fascinating story of endeavour, ingenuity and masterful marketing. The modern MINI has come a long way from the leak
£11.69
Schiffer Publishing Ltd TOUCHING SPACE The Story of Project Manhigh
Book Synopsis
£19.54
The History Press Ltd The Iron Horse
Book SynopsisWith the nineteenth-century enthusiasm for railways came a demand for everfaster locomotives that could haul greater loads than their predecessors. As different companies competed in what is now known as the steam era', the face of locomotives was changed forever. The Iron Horse is an accessible and illustrated study of the development of the steam railway locomotive, from Trevithick, Hedley, Blenkinsop, Séguin, Stevenson and other pioneers to the ground-breaking analytical work of Chapelon and his disciples. Here John Walter outlines the fascinating history of steam railway locomotives followed by a comprehensive and easy-to-understand directory based on the Whyte wheel classification system. Packed with images, diagrams and contemporary artworks, this well researched book will be indispensable to casual and serious enthusiasts alike.
£21.25
Pennsylvania State University Press Animating Empire
Book SynopsisRecounts the histories of German clockwork automata, which were given as gifts and collected in the Holy Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and Mughal Empire in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.Trade Review“This book, presenting the ‘curiosities’ that we now call automata, unwinds a large network of interconnected early modern phenomena: the fraught world of religious contests, augmented by intense political rivalries; the connections between court centers of power, including connections between Germany and faraway Istanbul and Delhi; and the origins of early princely collecting in ‘curiosity cabinets.’ Here art and nature rivaled each other yet intertwined through technology and craftsmanship, powered by Augsburg watchmakers. Keating’s meticulous research newly restores a nearly vanished art form to its rightful place—as the bearer of cultural values and courtly prestige at the very heart of ceremonial court performances. In the process, she arouses our own fascination, echoing those responses to privileged displays by these moving metal devices as they performed before early modern monarchs.”—Larry Silver,co-author of Rembrandt’s Faith“German clockwork automata are mechanical marvels which, with the winding of a key, come alive to entertain as they dance in place or wheel across a table. Jessica Keating propels us through the fascinating history of these engineering masterpieces. As she lucidly explains, these are much more than luxurious toys.”—Jeffrey Chipps Smith,author of The Art of the Goldsmith in Late Fifteenth-Century Germany“Animating Empire stands to play a significant role in rethinking the different ways that ‘mobility’ registers in the visual and material culture of the early modern world.”—Shira Brisman caa.reviews“A valuable contribution to our understanding of the visual and material culture of the Holy Roman Empire, and the role that objects such as automata played in political machinations and cross-cultural encounters. Keating’s lucid writing, accompanied by high-quality illustrations, animates our ongoing appreciation for these exquisite mechanical marvels.”—Wenrui Zhao Renaissance QuarterlyTable of ContentsContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgments1. Early Modern Automata: An Abridged History2. Ever More Variations on the Imperial Theme at the Court of Rudolf II3. The Gifts That Keep on Giving4. A Figure of Speech5. Habsburg-Ottoman Diplomatic Machinery6. Metamorphosis at the Mughal CourtConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex
£55.46
Taschen Bauhaus
Book Synopsis
£23.47
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Never Lost Again The Google Mapping Revolution
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Kilday makes you feel like you were there in person for the incredible rise of Google Maps and the geolocation industries that were built on top of it. Get the inside scoop on this world-changing technology from a talented storyteller who makes every page fun.” — Joshua Baer, founder of Capital Factory “In Never Lost Again, Kilday takes us back to the origins of the Google mapping revolution, offering a personal, insider’s account of the startups, people and technologies behind it all. It’s a wild ride, and they don’t always take the most direct route, but they end up changing the way we navigate the world. It’s a five-star trip!” — David Richter, Global Head of Business and Corporate Development, Uber “the author crafts an engaging, blow-by-blow account of people and events that made mapping an unusually powerful tool...Informative, entertaining reading for nontechies.” — Kirkus Reviews “Will appeal to those looking for the inside scoop on the business side of tech. But Kilday provides enough detail on the development of Google Maps—from CD-ROMs to negotiating prices of data sets to the development of “geocoding”—that this will also appeal to tech geeks and map nerds.” — Booklist “Every would-be founder should take advantage of the hours saved by map technology and read this book. It is an epic of tradeshow demo hell, cash flow struggles, engineering brilliance and sheer perseverance that delivered one of the miracles of our age. It’s a captivating yarn with insider details and story-telling other start-up books rarely seem to capture and bring to life.” — Bing Gordon, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and previous CCO of Electronic Arts “Never Lost Again is an entertaining and inspiring story of perseverance and determination.” — Inc.
£19.00
Michael O'Mara Books Ltd Plato's Alarm Clock: And Other Amazing Ancient
Book SynopsisWe all like to think we are pretty smart. New medical advances seem to come along every day; space travel suddenly doesn't seem so difficult; self-driving cars are no longer a thing of the future . but if we were stranded on a desert island tomorrow, most of us wouldn't know how to catch a fish or start a fire, let alone rebuild all that extraordinary technology we now rely on. The truth is that we're not necessarily more clever than our ancestors, we just have an accumulation of centuries of technological progress on which we can rely. As this book shows, many of the ancients were much more advanced that we realize - indeed there are recent inventions that had actually been discovered centuries earlier and then forgotten. And what about all those modern day devices and machines that rely on ancient inventions such as paper, levers and gears? From brain surgery in the Stone Age to Chinese whisky from the 7th century BC, to Damascus steel - once the hardest metal in the world, which we no longer know how to make - this insightful book collects together the stories of hundreds of ancient devices, inventions and breakthroughs from around the world and across the centuries, giving us a fascinating glimpse into past eras that were far more technologically advanced than we sometimes realize.
£9.49
The University of Chicago Press Engineering the Eternal City Infrastructure
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Pamela Long's wonderful book brings the reader into the streets and squares of late Renaissance Rome, and recreates the lost cultures of knowledge and practice that took shape there. She shows in vivid detail how scholars and engineers, artists and prelates struggled to recreate ancient Rome and rebuild the infrastructure of the modern city."--Anthony T. Grafton, Princeton University "In Engineering the Eternal City, Pamela Long recaptures the energy and efflorescence of the Eternal City in the late sixteenth century, when Rome appeared to many visitors to be a vast and never-ending construction site. During these crucial decades after the Sack of Rome popes, architects, engineers, physicians, antiquarians, humanists, and city officials devised numerous solutions to the problems of repairing an ancient city as part of making an early modern city a magnificent expression of Rome's unique legacy as the heart of an ancient empire renewed by faith. Readers who love this city and want to learn more about it will enjoy this book."--Paula Findlen, Stanford University
£37.05
Anthem Press How Transformative Innovations Shaped the Rise of
Book SynopsisOver the last 2,000 years, critical innovations have transformed small regions into global powers. But these powers have faded when they did not embrace the next big innovation. Gerard J. Tellis and Stav Rosenzweig argue that openness to new ideas and people, empowerment of individuals and competition are key drivers in the development and adoption of transformative innovations. These innovations, in turn, fuel economic growth, national dominance and global leadership. In How Transformative Innovations Shaped the Rise of Nations, Tellis and Rosenzweig examine the transformative qualities of concrete in Rome; swift equine warfare in Mongolia; critical navigational innovations in the golden ages of Chinese, Venetian, Portuguese and Dutch empires; the patent system and steam engine in Britain; and mass production in the United States of America.Trade ReviewOp Ed - The Wall Street JournalTable of ContentsList of Illustrations; Acknowledgments; 1. Global Influence of Transformative Innovations; 2. Roman Concrete: Foundations of an Empire; 3. Swift Equine Warfare and the Rise of the Mongolian Empire; 4. How Gunpowder Shaped the Fortunes of Nations; 5. Golden Age of Chinese Water Navigation; 6. Venetian Shipbuilding: Mastering the Mediterranean; 7. Portuguese Caravel: Building an Oceanic Empire; 8. Fluyt and the Building of the Dutch Empire; 9. Patenting: Institutionalizing Innovation; 10. The Steam Engine and the Rise of the British Empire; 11. American Mass Production and the Rise of the USA; 12. Lessons; Notes; Index.
£26.59
David & Charles The Last Shelby Cobra: My Times with Carroll
Book SynopsisNow in Paperback! Carroll Shelby, legendary driving ace, race team owner, and designer of Shelby Cobra, Daytona, and Mustang GT350 classics is revered by automotive enthusiasts, yet little has been written about the last quarter century of Carroll Shelby’s life. During that time Chris Theodore, VP at Chrysler and Ford, developed a close personal friendship with Carroll. The Last Shelby Cobra chronicles the development of the many vehicles they worked on together (Viper, Ford GT, Shelby Cobra Concept, Shelby GR1, Shelby GT500 and others). It is an insider’s story about how Shelby came back to the Ford family, and the intrigue behind the five-year journey to get a Shelby badge on a Ford Production Vehicle. The author provides fresh insight and new stories into Shelby’s larger-than-life personality, energy, interests and the many unpublished projects Carroll was involved with, up to his passing. Finally, the book describes their unfinished project, the Super Snake II Cobra, and the serendipitous circumstances that allowed to the author to acquire ‘Daisy,’ the last Shelby Cobra. To his many fans, Carroll Shelby was truly ‘the most interesting man in the world.’Table of ContentsForward Prologue: Describes why I wrote this book Chapter 1: From Boyhood Hero to Automotive Legend • A summary of Shelby’s career • Criteria to become a legend • Why Carroll is one of the few who meets the criteria. Chapter 2: The Legend and a New Snake • First meeting Carroll • Carroll’s involvement with Chrysler • Shelby’s role in the development of the Dodge Viper Chapter 3: The Courtship of Carroll and Ford • The intriguing backstory behind reuniting Shelby and Ford Chapter 4: Project Petunia • 2005 Ford GT, Shelby’s first official role Chapter 5: Codename Daisy • Carroll’s involvement in “Daisy,” the Shelby Cobra Concept Chapter 6: Shelby GR1 • Carroll and the Shelby GR1, successor to the legendary Shelby Daytona. • The stillborn efforts to put Daisy and GR1 into production Chapter 7: Project Condor • How Shelby’s name finally appeared on a Ford product - the Shelby GT500 Chapter 8: Shelby GTs • The untold story of the ill-fated Shelby GT, a worthy successor to the Ford GT • How the Hertz Shelby Mustang GTH led to the introduction of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT Chapter 9: Super Snakes • Our efforts to create and Shelby Super Snake II Cobra • Shelby American’s introduction of the Super Snake Mustangs Chapter 10: Interesting Interests • In the midst of the “Great Recession,” I try to capture Carroll’s multi-faceted personality; his curiosity, interests, storytelling, humour, connections, temperament, stubbornness, vanity, charm, philanthropy, controversies, wisdom and friendship Chapter 11: Unfinished Business • The 2010 Shelby GT500 • Shelby GT350 • Progress on Super Snake II • Plans for a new line of Shelby Cobras and Daytonas • Carroll’s untimely death Chapter 12: Kismet • The Shelby Tribute • Shelby American’s ongoing operation • The serendipitous circumstances leading “Daisy,” the last Shelby Cobra coming home • Thanks to Carroll for the memories Epilogue • Lessons from Carroll • The future of “sport” cars Acknowledgments • Thanks to the many contributors who helped make this book possible, starting with Edsel Ford II Appendix: • Letter from Roy Lunn • Dan Gurney tribute speech • Project team members: Viper, Petunia, Daisy, GR1, GT500
£20.00
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Vaccinated
Book Synopsis
£15.29
DK Aircraft
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Aircraft] should delight readers. The layout is compelling and makes flipping through the book easy and enjoyable." – General Aviation News "The book offers history and roles of aircraft, from the first prototypes of flying machines to today's supersonic jets." – AOPA.org (Aircraft owners and Pilots Association) "[E]ach page of Aircraft is beautifully illustrated, balanced with captions and relevant details." – Cumberland Times-News "This well laid out coffee table book presents the evolution of aircraft from the earliest beginnings up to present day by presenting excellent photographs of each type. It is rare these days to find an aviation book of this size that is four-color throughout and with the quality of printing this work exhibits." – American Aviation Historical Society Flightline Magazine
£32.00
The History Press Ltd Journey to Crossrail
Book SynopsisThe story of London’s main line railway beneath the streets, from its origins in the nineteenth century to its opening in the second decade of the twenty-first century
£13.49
Hodder & Stoughton What the F*ck is The Cloud?
Book SynopsisWhat the f*ck is the Cloud, and how does it even work?Ah, The Cloud. It's such a useful bit of tech jargon isn't it? The kind that's casually thrown around in work meetings by bosses who (kind of) understand and maybe even at the nerdier type of dinner or drinks parties. People joke about the cloud while others take it for granted and some worry about this mysterious entity where all of our data is stored, accessible at the touch of a screen from anywhere on Earth. But what even is the cloud, and for that matter, where is the cloud?Join us on a journey from the very first iterations of the internet that we know and (sometimes) love, all the way through thorny issues of data collection and storage (weren't we all fooled by the 'ten years on' social media trend, even as we rely on cloud-stored photos of cats to cheer us up?) and discover the mysterious place where The Cloud ominously hovers.
£9.49
Lonely Scholar Algorithmic Barriers Falling: P=np?
£14.99
Lexington Books Samuel F. B. Morse and the Dawn of the Age of
Book SynopsisThe Morse telegraph launched the electronic telecommunications industry and reduced the travel time of information from days, weeks and months to seconds and minutes. It was one of the most important breakthrough inventions of all time. George F. Botjer''s examination of the creator of the telegraph is based on previously unpublished archival sources. It considers Samuel F. B. Morse, the creator of the first telegraph, and the ways in which place and time had an effect on the launch of his invention and his resulting fame, and how the invention affected the inventor himself.Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: An American Artist: Fame and Misfortune Chapter 2: Starving Artist Invents Telegraph in Greenwich Village Garret Chapter 3: From Wilderness to Empire: Morse and the System Builders Chapter 4: The Question of Origins and Originality: Did More Really Invent the Telegraph? Chapter 5: The Great Man Revered and Reviled Chapter 6: Locust Grove Concluding Remarks
£32.40
Yale University Press Einstein His Space and Times Jewish Lives
Book SynopsisTrade Review“This work provides an enjoyable tour through Einstein’s scientific career and discoveries. This is not so much a straightforward biography of Einstein as a presentation of his thought processes, and a pleasant, informative, and well-paced description of what Einstein accomplished as a scientist.”—Donald Goldsmith, author of Einstein’s Greatest Blunder?“Steven Gimbel is one of a kind. He can explain the science, the philosophy, and the personal and professional life of Einstein, and do so with clarity, sophistication, and panache.”—Peter Achinstein, author of Evidence and Method
£11.99
The University of Chicago Press Technics and Civilization
Book SynopsisDrawing upon art, science, philosophy, and the history of culture, this title explains the origin of the machine age and traces its social results, asserting that the development of modern technology had its roots in the Middle Ages rather than the Industrial Revolution.Trade Review"The questions posed in the first paragraph of Technics and Civilization still deserve our attention, nearly three-quarters of a century after they were written." - Technology and Culture "A brilliant historical and critical account of the effect of the artificial environment on man and of man on the environment, a necessary account, one for which we have waited too long in English." - New York Times"
£23.75
Paradigma Ltd Immanuel Velikovsky - The Truth Behind The Torment
£13.29
Springer International Publishing AG The History of the GPU - Steps to Invention
Book SynopsisThis is the first book in a three-part series that traces the development of the GPU. Initially developed for games the GPU can now be found in cars, supercomputers, watches, game consoles and more. GPU concepts go back to the 1970s when computer graphics was developed for computer-aided design of automobiles and airplanes. Early computer graphics systems were adopted by the film industry and simulators for airplanes and high energy physics—exploding nuclear bombs in computers instead of the atmosphere. A GPU has an integrated transform and lighting engine, but these were not available until the end of the 1990s. Heroic and historic companies expanded the development and capabilities of the graphics controller in pursuit of the ultimate device, a fully integrated self-contained GPU. Fifteen companies worked on building the first fully integrated GPU, some succeeded in the console, and Northbridge segments, and Nvidia was the first to offer a fully integrated GPU for the PC. Today the GPU can be found in every platform that involves a computer and a user interface.Table of Contents1 Introduction.- 2 1980-1989, Graphics Controllers on Other Platforms.- 3 1980-1989, Graphics Controllers on PCs.- 4 1990-1995, Graphics Controllers on PCs.- 5 1990 to 1999 Graphics Controllers on Other Platform.- 6 1996-1999, Graphics Controllers on PCs.- 7 What is a GPU?.- Appendix A: Definitions.- Appendix B: Acronyms.
£28.49
Stripe Matter Inc Pieces of the Action
Book SynopsisAn inside account of one of the most innovative R&D ecosystems of the 20th century, from the man who was at the center of it all. Over a 60-year career in public affairs, Vannevar Bush—engineer, inventor, educator, and public face of government-funded science—sought to eliminate roadblocks to innovation in science and technology. In Pieces of the Action, a collection of memoir-essays, he reflects on his role in shaping the policies and organizations that powered American research and development in the mid-20th century. As the architect and administrator of an R&D pipeline that efficiently coordinated the work of civilian scientists and the military during World War II, he was central to catalyzing the development of radar and the proximity fuze, the mass production of penicillin, and the initiation of the Manhattan Project. Pieces of the Action offers his hard-won lessons on how to operate and manage effectively within complex organizations, build bridges between people and disciplines, and drive ambitious, unprecedented programs to fruition. With wry humor, Bush also shares personal observations and anecdotes—pelting cows with apples, poking fun at servicemen who tried to keep his own invention secret from him—that offer a glimpse of the personality behind the accolades. Originally published in 1970, this updated edition includes 15 archival images from Bush’s life and career and a foreword from entrepreneur and Idea Machines podcast host Ben Reinhardt that contextualizes the lessons Pieces of the Action can offer to contemporary readers: that change depends both on heroic individuals and effective organizations; that a leader’s job is one of coordination; and that the path from idea to innovation is a long and winding one, inextricably bound to those involved—those enduring figures who have a piece of the action.Trade Review“Scientific and technological progress depend crucially on leadership. Bush understood this better than anyone, and he had a front-row seat to the most important R&D work of the 20th century. This candid memoir gave me a better understanding of how research leadership works and why it’s desperately needed.” —Jason Crawford, writer at The Roots of Progress “Pieces of the Action provides a window into the way Bush saw himself―not as a great man or leader, but as part of a larger cultural tradition, equipping new generations with knowledge from past ones. I came away encouraged and inspired by the knowledge that great things can be built in spite of stagnation, rigid norms, and conventions, through the determination and foresight of people who work to change institutions―and build new ones, too.” —Saloni Dattani, cofounder and editor of Works in Progress and researcher at Our World in Data “Pieces of the Action is not just about science and innovation, it’s about state capacity. Anyone who longs for renewed, effective institutions will find the wisdom of a kindred spirit reflecting on how to build them.” —Eli Dourado, economist and senior research fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University “It’s hard to deny that Vannevar Bush was at the nexus of an astounding number of people and events that shaped the modern world. In Pieces of the Action, he works hard to give us a window into his thought processes, and from them distill timeless lessons about leadership, research, institution building, and human nature. Bush was a scientist, a statesman, an entrepreneur, a tinkerer, a leader, an educator, and an excellent storyteller, and Pieces of the Action has a yarn and a lesson for everyone.” —Ben Reinhardt, CEO of PARPA, researcher at the Astera Institute, and host of the Idea Machines podcast “Pieces of the Action catalogs the scientists and engineers who were pivotal to an Allied victory in World War II―and how the ad-hoc organizations born out of that crisis ultimately provided the blueprints for our modern scientific institutions. If you want to understand the ‘man in the arena’ at the center of it all, this discursive, blunt, and often funny memoir is the best place to start.” —Alec Stapp, cofounder and co-CEO of the Institute for Progress “Written without pretension. . . this volume will richly reward readers from a wide variety of fields―science, engineering, industry, education, the military, politics, and public and business administration.” —Irvin Stewart, Science “Pieces of the Action is an often-whimsical ride through time and the mind of the man whose insight, strategic instincts, and institutional empire-building formed the basis of the modern scientific state. One comes away with a view of scientific development that is anything but linear: the gravitational weight of historical contingencies, idiosyncratic personnel, and key management decisions described in Pieces of the Action continue to profoundly impact us today.” —Caleb Watney, cofounder and co-CEO of the Institute for Progress Table of ContentsForewordPrefaceI 60 YearsII Of OrganizationsIII Of Stumbling BlocksIV Of TyrosV Of Inventions and InventorsVI Of Energies, Engines, and HobbiesVII Of Teachers and TeachingVIII Of Leaders and LeadershipBiographical NotesAcknowledgmentsIndex
£17.99
Springer International Publishing AG The History of the GPU - New Developments
Book SynopsisThis third book in the three-part series on the History of the GPU covers the second to sixth eras of the GPU, which can be found in anything that has a display or screen. The GPU is now part of supercomputers, PCs, Smartphones and tablets, wearables, game consoles and handhelds, TVs, and every type of vehicle including boats and planes. In the early 2000s the number of GPU suppliers consolidated to three whereas now, the number has expanded to almost 20. In 2022 the GPU market was worth over $250 billion with over 2.2 billion GPUs being sold just in PCs, and more than 10 billion in smartphones. Understanding the power and history of these devices is not only a fascinating tale, but one that will aid your understanding of some of the developments in consumer electronics, computers, new automobiles, and your fitness watch.Table of ContentsForeword.- Acknowledgements.- Introduction.- The Third to Fifth Era GPUs.- Mobile GPUs.- Game Consule GPUs.- Compute and Other GPUs.- Open GPU Projects.(2000 -2018).- The Sixth Era of GPUs.- Concluding Remarks.- Appendix A: Acronyms.- Appendix B: Definitions.
£25.19
Springer International Publishing AG The History of the GPU - Eras and Environment
Book SynopsisThis is the second book in a three-part series that traces the development of the GPU, which is defined as a single chip with an integrated transform and lighting (T&L) capability. This feature previously was found in workstations as a stand-alone chip that only performed geometry functions. Enabled by Moore’s law, the first era of GPUs began in the late 1990s.Silicon Graphics (SGI) introduced T&L first in 1996 with the Nintendo 64 chipset with integrated T&L but didn’t follow through. ArtX developed a chipset with integrated T&L but didn’t bring it to market until November 1999.The need to integrate the transform and lighting functions in the graphics controller was well understood and strongly desired by dozens of companies. Nvidia was the first to produce a PC consumer level single chip with T&L in October 1999. All in all, fifteen companies came close, they had designs and experience, but one thing or another got in their way to prevent them succeeding.All the forces and technology were converging; the GPU was ready to emerge. Several of the companies involved did produce an integrated GPU, but not until early 2000. This is the account of those companies, the GPU and the environment needed to support it. The GPU has become ubiquitous and can be found in every platform that involves a computer and a user interface.Table of ContentsForeword.- Preface.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The GPU Functions.- 3 The Major GPU Eras.- 4 The First Era of GPUs.- 5 The GPU Environment—Hardware.- 6 Application Program Interface (API).- 7 The GPU Environment—Software Extensions and Custom Features.- Appendix A: Definitions.- Appendix B: Acronyms.
£28.49
DK Train
Book Synopsis
£34.00
Hodder & Stoughton What the F*ck is 5G?
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
£9.49
Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc The Truth About Tesla
Book SynopsisEverything you think you know about Nikola Tesla is wrong. The Truth About Tesla sets the record straight.Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest electrical inventors who ever lived. For years, the engineering genius was relegated to relative obscurity, his contributions to humanity (we are told) obscured by a number of nineteenth-century inventors and industrialists who took credit for his work or stole his patents outright. In recent years, the historical record has been “corrected” and Tesla has been restored to his rightful place among historical luminaries like Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Gugliemo Marconi.Most biographies repeat the familiar account of Tesla’s life, including his invention of alternating current, his falling out with Edison, how he lost billions in patent royalties to Westinghouse, and his fight to prove that Marconi stole 13 of his patents to “invent” radio. But, what real
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd The Pattern Seekers
Book Synopsis''Celebrates human cognitive diversity, and is rich with empathy and psychological insight'' Steven Pinker ''Bold, intriguing, profound'' Jay Elwes, Spectator Why can humans alone invent? In this book, psychologist and world renowned autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen puts forward a bold new theory: because we can identify patterns, specifically if-and-then patterns. Baron-Cohen argues that the genes for this unique ability overlap with the genes for autism and have driven human progress for 70,000 years. From the first musical instruments to the agricultural, industrial, and digital revolutions, Pattern Seekers links one of our greatest human strengths with a condition that is so often misunderstood and challenges us to think differently about those who think differently.Trade ReviewAmbitious and provocative...goes beyond the usual discussion of 'special gifts' in autism to propose that the diversity of human operating systems has accelerated the advancement of human civilization and culture in ways we can barely imagine. -- Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribesIt's rare to come across a surprising new idea that explains important phenomena, but Simon Baron-Cohen's exploration of abstract pattern-seeking in human affairs is one of them. This book sheds light on one of humanity's most distinctive traits, celebrates human cognitive diversity, and is rich with empathy and psychological insight. -- Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind WorksA game-changing book, a passport into exploring the world of innovation and creativity. Most importantly, it celebrates autistic people and is a call for action, to welcome neurodiversity. -- David Joseph, Chairman and CEO Universal Music UKA fascinating account of the mechanisms underlying the related capacities of both autistic individuals and innovators. -- Brian Josephson, winner of the Nobel Prize in physicsErudite, illuminating...His bold new idea, that the genes for autism drove the evolution of human invention, places this disability centre stage in the story of humans. -- Jools HollandBased on massive research, Simon Baron-Cohen argues that most of us are specialized in how we perceive the world around us. There are those who focus on people and those who focus on things. The author makes a compelling case that the second kind of mind-the pattern seeker-is at the root of modern human civilization. -- Frans de Waal, author of The Age of EmpathyDestined to become a classic...In an age of increasing specialization, Baron-Cohen's book comes as a breath of fresh air. -- VS Ramachandran * author of the Tell Tale Brain *Bold, intriguing, profound. -- Jay Elwes * Spectator *A wonderful, lyrical celebration of the autistic mind. -- Alice Thomson * Times *
£10.44
University of Minnesota Press Breathing Race into the Machine
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
£17.99
Simon & Schuster The Innovators
Book Synopsis
£18.89
Hodder & Stoughton What the F*ck is The Dark Web?
Book SynopsisWhat the f*ck is the Dark Web, and how does it even work?Whether it's from dodgy acronym-titled crime shows to news stories designed to terrify you down to your socks we've all heard about sites like Silk Road and the ways criminals use cryptocurrency online. But did you know that among the various shady corners of the dark web you can also find portals to the BBC and Facebook?The thing is even the way the everyday internet works is a mystery to us and its darkest corners are, of course, more deeply shrouded. So, let's go on a journey from the birth of the Net through the strangest dark services - need a hitman to bump off your superfluous...er...beloved spouse? - to the surprisingly positive uses of dark technology, including dodging the watchful eye of oppressive censors.Over half of us can't remember a time before the internet - and for the rest it's increasingly difficult to imagine life without the damn thing! It's about time we understood more about it and we can start with the question: What The Fuck is The Dark Web?
£9.49
David & Charles Lotus Elite: Colin Chapman's first GT Car
Book SynopsisThe Lotus Elite was a turning point for Lotus. First produced at the end of the 1950s, it marked Lotus' transition from a maker of small racing cars, which had limited utility on the road, to the producer of a highly sophisticated road and race car. In the Elite, Lotus exploited its knowledge of new technology and racing pedigree to produce a car which, with its glass fibre monocoque and Coventry Climax engine, had the potential to be a world beater. This book gives an insight into the reasons the car was produced and its importance in Lotus' history, especially in the production of lightweight innovative cars. Through interviews with Elite owners, first hand accounts provide a good overview of owning one of these iconic cars, covering its foibles and quirks as well as its exemplary roadholding, handling and performance. Illustrated with many colour photographs, along with period advertising material, the book provides a valuable insight into owning, running and racing these iconic cars.Trade Review[A] comprehensive history of the Lotus Elite - Classics Monthly --- for the many current enthusiasts who own - or wish they owned - a Lotus Elite, this book will undoubtedly prove to be a delight. - Speedscene --- Lotus fans will enjoy it and it's a useful reference title, with detailed specifications. - Auto Express --- Really enjoyable and highly readable, I motored through Lotus Elite in a single sitting with the book proving to be a very satisfactory antidote for Covid-19 lockdown boredom. - Classic Driver --- An informative and absorbing book that's highly recommended. - Club Lotus News --- For a comprehensive book on the Elite, this well-rounded offering seems great value for money. - Classic & Sports Car --- this is a comprehensive and enjoyable book that does justice to the car that was crucial to Lotus’s future - New Zealand Classic CarTable of ContentsChapter 1 - Background to the Elite Chapter 2 - First Steps: Development and Prototypes Chapter 3 - Power to the People: The Elite's Coventry Climax Engine Chapter 4 - Into Production: Customers and Problems Chapter 5 - Competition: Racing Improves the Breed Chapter 6 - Legacy: Owning the Elite and the Elite Today
£38.00
Whittles Publishing Professor A. W. Bishop's Finest Papers: A
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).
£36.00
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Gutenberg Revolution
Book SynopsisIn 1450, all Europe''s books were handcopied and amounted to only a few thousand. By 1500 they were printed, and numbered in their millions. The invention of one man - Johann Gutenberg - had caused a revolution. Printing by movable type was a discovery waiting to happen.Born in 1400 in Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg struggled against a background of plague and religious upheaval to bring his remarkable invention to light. His story is full of paradox: his ambition was to reunite all Christendom, but his invention shattered it; he aimed to make a fortune, but was cruelly denied the fruits of his life''s work. Yet history remembers him as a visionary; his discovery marks the beginning of the modern world.Trade ReviewThe Gutenberg Revolution is the best book about the origin of books you could read. It is clear, engaging, fast-paced and authoritative. * Stephen Fry *Extremely erudite and enormously enthusiastic * Guardian *Vivid . . . engaging, detailed and highly readable . . . a window on an extraordinary display of consummate skill and creative genius * New Scientist *
£10.44
Arcturus Publishing Ltd The 50 Greatest Engineers: The People Whose
Book SynopsisIn this stunning jacketed hardback, science writer Paul Virr introduces 50 of the world''s most influential engineers of all time and a selection of their groundbreaking inventions, showcased with full-colour photography.Engineering is everywhere, from the Large Hadron Collider to invisibly small circuits on silicon chips. The 50 Greatest Engineers celebrates the great achievements that have been made through the ages, containing profiles of the best-known and most innovative engineers of all time. Chosen from across the globe, they include a diverse range of talent - from the likes of Nikola Tesla, Emily Warren Roebling and Gustave Eiffel to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Fazlu Rahman Khan and the Wright Brothers.Fully illustrated in full-color with examples of their major works, whether they be machines, buildings, bridges or life-changing technical innovations, this fascinating book explores how these men and women have beaten the odds to develop them. Includes: • Full-colour photographs and illustrations of famous inventions • Concise professional biographies of the engineers listed • Entries arranged in chronological order for easy reference This is the perfect reference book for all the family to answer the question - ''Who made that?''ABOUT THE SERIES: The 50 Greatest series brings together highly visual reference guides, each exploring 50 of the most influential figures across a certain discipline. These rich biographical profiles outline their key achievements, influences and impact on the industry, accompanied by stunning full-colour photography.
£31.02
HarperCollins Publishers CounterIntelligence
Book SynopsisBest Books of 2024, The EconomistFrom the codebreakers and problem solvers, to the engineers, mathematicians and other problem-solvers what the secret world can teach us about performance and creativity How do you hire smart people who can work together to prevent terrorist attacks and decode encrypted technology?How do you come up with creative, counterintuitive solutions to solve major global problems?How do you provide the right environment for these people to thrive and work at their best when under immense pressure?Written by Robert Hannigan, the former Director of GCHQ, this book explores the role of the counter-intelligence services in history and today's world from the codebreakers and problem solvers, to innovation and creativity, secrecy and transparency and the global tech community. It will trace the history of counter-intelligence from the early days of Bletchley Park, to the ongoing work of GCHQ while reflecting on some of the unique characteristics of the engineers, mathematicians and other problem-solvers that make up the world's intelligence community.An exhaustive and authoritative account of the history of counter-intelligence from Bletchley Park to modern day GCHQ, this brilliant and unique book will appeal to business readers, history readers and fans of smart thinking and big ideas around the world.
£11.04
William the 4th Merlin
Book Synopsis
£44.99
William the 4th Merlin
Book Synopsis
£29.99
£12.80
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Battery
Book Synopsis
£14.44
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Clockwork Universe
Book Synopsis“Edward Dolnick’s smoothly written history of the scientific revolution tells the stories of the key players and events that transformed society.” — Charlotte ObserverFrom New York Times bestselling author Edward Dolnick, the true story of a pivotal moment in modern history when a group of strange, tormented geniuses—Isaac Newton chief among them—invented science and remade our understanding of the world.At a time when the world was falling apart— in an age of religious wars, plague, and the Great Fire of London—a group of men looked around them and saw a world of perfect order. Chaotic as it looked, these earliest scientists declared, the universe was in fact an intricate and perfectly regulated clockwork. This was the tail-end of Shakespeare’s century, and these were brilliant, ambitious, confused, conflicted men. They believed in angels and alchemy and
£16.14
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Department of Mad Scientists
Book SynopsisFrom Smithsonian Books, The Department of Mad Scientists is the first trade book ever on DARPA—the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency—the maverick and controversial agency whose futuristic work has had amazing military and civilian application, from the Internet to GPS to driverless cars. Michael Belfiore, author of Rocketeers, visited science research sites across the country to provide this unprecedented look at the people who shape our country’s future technology.
£12.74
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Sextant
Book Synopsis
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Why We Drive
Book SynopsisA brilliant and defiant celebration of driving as a unique pathway of human freedom, by one of the most influential thinkers of our time (Sunday Times)Why We Drive weaves philosophers, thinkers, and scientific research with shade-tree mechanics and racers to defend our right to independence, making the case that freedom of motion is essential to who we are as a species. ... We hope you''ll read it. —Road & TrackOnce we were drivers, the open road alive with autonomy, adventure, danger, trust, and speed. Today we are as likely to be in the back seat of an Uber as behind the wheel ourselves. Tech giants are hurling us toward a shiny, happy “self-driving” future, selling utopia but equally keen to advertise to a captive audience strapped into another expensive device. Are we destined, then, to become passengers, not drivers? Why We Drive reveals that much more may be at stake than we might think.Ten years ago, in the New York Times-bestselling Shop Class as Soulcraft, philosopher-mechanic Matthew B. Crawford—a University of Chicago PhD who owned his own motorcycle shop—made a revolutionary case for manual labor, one that ran headlong against the pretentions of white-collar office work. Now, using driving as a window through which to view the broader changes wrought by technology on all aspects of contemporary life, Crawford investigates the driver’s seat as one of the few remaining domains of skill, exploration, play—and freedom. Blending philosophy and hands-on storytelling, Crawford grounds the narrative in his own experience in the garage and behind the wheel, recounting his decade-long restoration of a vintage Volkswagen as well as his journeys to thriving automotive subcultures across the country. Crawford leads us on an irreverent but deeply considered inquiry into the power of faceless bureaucracies, the importance of questioning mindless rules, and the battle for democratic self-determination against the surveillance capitalists. A meditation on the competence of ordinary people, Why We Drive explores the genius of our everyday practices on the road, the rewards of “folk engineering,” and the existential value of occasionally being scared shitless.Witty and ingenious throughout, Why We Drive is a rebellious and daring celebration of the irrepressible human spirit.
£15.19
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Barracoon
Book Synopsis
£12.74
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Perfectionists Low Price CD
Book SynopsisThe revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future.The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras—and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider.Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher
£15.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Why We Drive
Book Synopsis
£23.24
