Impact of science and technology on society Books

Book SynopsisOffers an original contribution to the field by focusing on epistemic tensions in socio-technical systems.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Tense Thinking and the Myths of an Algorithmic New Life 2. The Pursuit of Posthuman Security 3. Overstepping and the Navigation of the Perceived Limits of Algorithmic Thinking 4. (Dreaming of) Super Cognizers and the Stretching of the Known 5. The Presences of Nonknowledge 6. Conclusion: Algorithmic Thinking and the Will to Automate

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Book SynopsisHow will protecting our digital infrastructure shape our future? Cybersecurity is one of the key practical and political challenges of our time. It is at the heart of how modern societies survive and thrive, yet public understanding is still rudimentary: media portrayals of hoodie-wearing hackers accessing the Pentagon don’t convey its complexity or significance to contemporary life. This book addresses this gap, showing that the political dimension is as important as the technological one. It accessibly explains the complexities of global information systems, the challenges of providing security to users, societies, states and the international system, and the multitude of competing players and ambitions in this arena. Making the case for understanding it not only as a technical project, but as a crucial political one that links competing visions of what cybersecurity is for, it tackles the ultimate question: how can we do it better?Table of Contents1. Introduction: A 'Wicked Problem' 2. How Did We Get Here? 3. Cybersecurity, Cyber Risk 4. States and Markets 5. International Cybersecurity 6. Cybersecurity and Human Security 7. Conclusion: A Global Conversation

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Book SynopsisAcademic readers in science and technology studies, sociology, the digital humanities, digital criminology.Trade Review"An unusually incisive and pragmatic approach to what it means to live with information. Synthesizing thinking from a huge range of disciplines and domains from our worlds of plural information, the book effectively provides a guide to how to live, situate, engage or extricate oneself." Adrian Mackenzie, Australian National University "A breath of fresh air, a book about data, but uniquely framed as the lively matter of information -- in the sense of 'being in-formation' - and always bringing us back to what makes all this information matter." David Ribes, University of Washington"A rich resource for anyone concerned with how information – understood as always material and relational – comes to matter, its dominant formations as data, and how data could be made differently." Lucy Suchman, Lancaster University "An intriguing account of how data becomes information and is then taken up in material interventions of surveillance and control. By drawing on a wide range of literature, the book demonstrates the complex and ethical relations involved in making information matter in different worlds." Evelyn Ruppert, Goldsmiths, University of LondonTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Understanding making-information-matter together 3. Studying materializations – a methodology of life cycles Interlude: Four practices of making information matter 4. Association 5. Conversion 6. Secrecy 7. Speculation 8. The ethics of making information matter

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Book SynopsisWhy We Drive is a rebellious and daring celebration of the human spirit and the competence of ordinary people by the bestselling author of The Case for Working with Your Hands.Once we were drivers on the open road.Today we are more often in the back seat of an Uber.As we hurtle toward a 'self-driving' future, are we destined to become passengers in our own lives too?In Why We Drive, the philosopher and mechanic Matthew Crawford celebrates the risk, skill and freedom of driving. He reveals what we are losing to technology and government control in the modern world, and speaks up for play, dissent and occasionally being scared witless.'Fascinating... A pleasure to read' Sunday Times'Persuasive and thought-provoking... A vivid and heartfelt manifesto' ObserverTrade ReviewOne of the most original and mind-opening studies of practical philosophy to have appeared for many years -- John Gray * Unherd *Persuasive and thought-provoking ... a vivid and heartfelt manifesto against ...the loss of individual agency and the human pleasure of acquired skill and calculated risk ... Not since Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has someone better articulated the soul-enhancing possibilities of tinkering with tools, making useful stuff work well ... a powerful (and enjoyable) corrective against that wisdom that suggests the unchecked march of all-seeing tech monopolies ... is essential to human progress -- TIM ADAMS * Observer *Matthew Crawford is the grand master of the everyday. He alerts us to the deeper meaning in ordinary activities, such as driving a car, and how they connect to concerns about freedom, responsibility and moral choice. Even if you have no interest in driving you will find yourself swept up by his elegant prose and glad to find his humane intelligence doing battle with some of the most troubling trends in modern life -- DAVID GOODHART, author of The Road to SomewhereMatthew Crawford is one of those who believes that western societies are being blighted by what he terms safetyism, the elevation of safety above all else. He argues that when the state cocoons its citizens from dangers, people lose the elemental pleasure, autonomy, mastery and sense of discovery that comes from taking their own decisions and risks ... He makes the case for a broader view of the purpose of life than simply the defence of it ... I am with Crawford -- JENNI RUSSELL * The Times *A pleasure to read ... His thesis demands that he convey the pleasure of driving, and he's up to the task ... And he addresses some huge, fascinating issues: how people retain self-respect when computers are deskilling them, and sovereignty over their lives when computers are spying on them. Much of modern life raises these questions, but people's relationship with their cars perhaps best exemplifies them ... an enjoyable, scenic cruise round a fascinating landscape -- EMMA DUNCAN * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis***BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS 2021 SHORTLISTED TITLE***Attention! is a practical guide for reclaiming the power of our time and attention. In a world of endless distraction, we have given away two of our most valuable assets: time and attention. Technology has given us the incredible gift of access to an ever-increasing amount of information and has opened the door to a vast array of choices and opportunities. However, having more options doesn’t correlate to an increase in our success. Research shows that having more to choose from causes anxiety and decreases our likelihood of taking action. We have become paralyzed and polarized, reacting instead of acting and ceding control of our decisions to a continuous onslaught of information, marketing, and interruption. We live in an age where we struggle to decide which information is real or fake. We find it challenging to make even the most straightforward decisions for our happiness and success in our lives and business. This book will help you reframe your relationship with the demands on your time, overcome decision fatigue, and understand the value of creating space. Rob Hatch sets out a powerful framework and flexible approach that gives you the space to focus your attention on what is important, the power to make decisions aligned with your goals, and the ability to take action with confidence.Trade ReviewAnd yet, another book about not being distracted so you can focus (which, really, is just a distraction!). It's a good book though. If you need some motivation, if you feel overwhelmed, it's an easy read with some good to great tips. * NetGalley *Table of ContentsAbout the author ....................................................................... ix Foreword by Robert Brooks, PhD ............................................. xi Introduction ............................................................................ xvii Part one: The state of things ................................................1 Chapter 1: The problem: our distracted world .........................3 Chapter 2: This isn’t working: we weren’t prepared for this ...... 23 Part two: The power of simple decisions ...........................45 Chapter 3: Put success in your way ......................................... 47 Chapter 4: You are the architect of your system .................... 79 Part three: Systems that serve .........................................125 Chapter 5: Small – Big – Small .............................................. 127 Chapter 6: The value of emotional decisions ....................... 175 Chapter 7: Decide before you have to ................................... 201 Chapter 8: One number .......................................................... 229 Conclusion: what does that look like? .................................... 237 What’s next?............................................................................ 257

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Book SynopsisWe live in disruptive times. The world is changing faster than ever before, leaving people dazed, businesses struggling, economies floundering and societies fracturing. But why? Transition Point is the result of over five years of research to establish the answer; a breathtaking tale of freedom, unintended consequences and disruptive technologies that starts 1000 years ago and ends up in the second half of the 21st Century. Starting with an examination into the drivers of technological change and the social, economic and political factors that both enable or suppress it, Transition Point explains why industrialisation happened where and when it did, why progress comes in waves, and why the technologies in the current wave, such as robotics, blockchain and AI, are likely to be the most disruptive of all. It then addresses the million-dollar question: what’s next? What impact will this wave have on our businesses, our economies and most importantly, on our society? Culey explores how our current trajectory could result in a new golden age, but also how it is just as likely to result in a digital dictatorship of compliance and constant surveillance. Finally, he explains why we may soon see Homo sapiens’ role as the dominant species come to an end. As Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, stated; "We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before." Transition Point explains why this is happening, what it means, and why the decisions we make now will prove to be critical.

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Book SynopsisResearch impact is increasingly expected within academia, but does the pressure to ‘do impact’ risk an unhealthy focus on what can be counted rather than what counts? Creating Meaningful Impact: The Essential Guide to Developing an Impact-Literate Mindset looks at impact from inside the research sector, celebrating the opportunity to make a difference whilst recognising the challenges this brings. Taking you from basic concepts through to principles of practice, impact expert Julie Bayley demystifies impact and guides you on the path to understanding the why, what, who and how of research-led change. What do unicorns tell us about what matters? Or strip clubs tell us about failure? And what can Murder She Wrote teach us about assembling evidence? Whether you’re a researcher, research lead or research manager, Creating Meaningful Impact will help you realign your impact sat-nav and develop an authentic, critical and healthy approach within the wider pressures of academia.Trade ReviewJulie Bayley’s book, Creating Meaningful Impact, is an enlightening romp through the excitement, the pressures, the demands of doing impact well, both in terms of institutional success and in terms of a researcher’s personal and professional development. As book blurbs often suggest, the book is a rollercoaster, but one very much aimed at the fainthearted, who stand to learn a lot from Julie’s immense expertise, warmth, wit and superlative use of imagery. So, if you are tickled by the idea of becoming a more mindfully impactful researcher, swipe right on ‘Impact Tinder’ and read this book! -- Professor Ele Belfiore, Professor in Cultural Policy & Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Social Inclusion and Cultural Diversity, University of Aberdeen, UKJulie Bayley never fails to achieve impact on impact. If you are already on your journey to impact literacy this book will help you grow roots into impact healthy practices. And if you are just starting out, this book will help you sow the seeds that will grow into those roots to sustain your career of research with an impact on society. 'Creating meaningful impact' isn’t just the title, it is the goal that Julie achieves in this important book. -- Dr David Phipps, Assistant VP Research Strategy & Impact, York University, Canada, and Director of Research Impact CanadaThere are many books available to advise researchers how to ‘do’ impact but none as accessible as this. The sheer joy and enthusiasm that Julie brings to the field shines through every word which, along with insights from other researchers and partners in the field, ensures that every reader will emerge from this book enlightened, and excited about the prospect of pursuing their own ‘societal impact’. -- Dr Gemma Derrick, Associate Professor, Research Policy & Culture, University of Bristol, UKAbsolutely brilliant. Cuts through the impact BS incisively but with wit, focusing on the (social) purpose throughout. Should be a must read for all PhD students and frankly all academics. -- Jonathan Grant, Founding Director of Different Angles Ltd, a consultancy that focuses on the social impact of universities and researchI adored this book and will give it to every young academic on my Christmas present list [...] As the author intended, I found my 'impact mojo' in this book. -- Christopher Walker, Communications Strategist, Thought Leadership Columnist & WriterTable of ContentsChapter 1. What is research impact? Chapter 2. Impact literacy Chapter 3. Impact, values and power Principle 1. Chase meaning not unicorns Principle 2. Work out what your research powers up Principle 3. Think directionally not linearly Principle 4. Evidence? Think ‘What would Jessica Fletcher do?’ Principle 5. Create a healthy space Principle 6. Own your expertise but don’t be a jerk Principle 7. Be an impact lighthouse Principle 8. Be you Final words

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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 Synopsis"Structure of Science: Problems in the Logic of Scientific Explanation - 2nd Edition".Trade ReviewErnest Nagel's work, The Structure of Science , has earned for itself the status of an outstanding standard work in its field. It offers an exceptionally thorough and comprehensive methodological and philosophical exploration encountered in those diverse fields. Nagel's discussion is distinguished by the lucidity of its style, the incisiveness of its reasoning, and the solidity of its grounding in all the major branches of scientific inquiry. The Structure of Science has become a highly influential work that is widely invoked in the methodological and philosophical literature. Recent controversies between analytics and historic-sociological approaches to the philosophy of science have not diminished its significance; in fact, it seems to me that the pragmatist component in Nagel's thinking may be helpful for efforts to develop a rapprochement between the contending schools. --Carl G. Hempel

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Book SynopsisA guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology and why we should never assume that computers always get it right.In Artificial Unintelligence, Meredith Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally—hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners—that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work. Broussard, a software developer and journalist, reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what we can (and should) do with technology. With this book, she offers a guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology—and issues a warning that we should never assume that computers always get things right.Making a case against technochauvinism—the belief that technology is always the solution̵

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Should be on the summer reading list of people interested in the opportunities and challenges of technology for public stuff."---Mitchell Weiss, Harvard Business School Working Knowledge"Power to the Public is an accessible and quick read aimed primarily at nontechnologists, with a clear-eyed take that technology is not a panacea. The book makes an important contribution to the literature on how government needs to reform its traditional approach to solving problems."---Jim Fruchterman, Stanford Social Innovation Review"Recommended" * Choice *

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Book SynopsisElizabeth A. Wilson shakes feminist theory from its resistance to biological and pharmaceutical data and urges that now is the time for feminism to critically engage with biology. Doing so will reanimate feminist theory, strengthening its ability to address depression, affect, gender, and feminist politics.Trade Review"From organ speech to enteric moods, the gut is minded and the mind gutted by this book. It promises and delivers readings of biochemistry, pharmacology, anatomy, and psychoanalysis as strange matters that are unsettling to biology and feminism alike. Provocative in its diagnosis of the rejection of biology in feminist theory, I expect many readers will both devour this book, and throw it around the room a little." -- Hannah Landecker author of * Culturing Life: How Cells Became Technologies *"Liz Wilson rarely disappoints, and her latest offering, Gut Feminism, takes up her long standing project to bring feminism into irreducible and unruly alliance with biology several provocative steps further.... I can only commend Wilson for both the provocation and intellectual rigor of her daring." -- Margrit Shildrick * Contemporary Women's Writing *"Gut Feminism is a valuable read for everyone interested in finding links between biology and socio-constructionist approaches within feminist theory.... Overall, Gut Feminism constitutes a relevant contribution to current feminist theory, not only in deconstructing scientific knowledge, but also in proposing innovative and exciting understandings of the human body and its performative relation to the world." -- Melissa Chacón * Women's Studies International Forum *"[T]imely, persuasive, and engaging.... Gut Feminism makes a valuable contribution to current feminist theory, queer theory, science studies, and neuroscientific humanities literature and will be of interest to scholars of all levels." -- Carolyn Laubender * Journal of International Women's Studies *"[A] captivating study that crosses numerous disciplines in order to press the boundaries of both feminist theory and biology. . . . Gut Feminism is a timely and inventive project that extends the traditional scope and methods of feminist theorizing. . . . Wilson's project is fast-paced and far-reaching, engaging with an impressive breadth of data, theory, and argumentation, not, as Wilson identifies, as an attempt to bring consilience to the issues she touches on, but as a way to trace entanglements and ruptures within neuroscience and critical inquiry." -- Suze G. Berkhout and Ada Jaarsma * Hypatia *"Gut Feminism exemplifies what rigorous work in this field can bring to key debates not just within feminist theory, but within contemporary critical theory as a whole, and does so with intellectual boldness and precision." -- Elizabeth Stephens * Australian Humanities Review *"Gut Feminism is less a book about politics than one that makes politics happen. It shocks its readers into taking a stance—like a punch in the gut." -- Jean-Thomas Tremblay * Make *"The work is groundbreaking and bordering on dangerous, as she disputes the antibiological position most prominent in feminist theorising thus far, and instead forges new lines of flight.... Gut Feminism is a powerhouse of a book. Gripping as only this calibre of feminist theory can be." -- Adele Pavlidis * Australian Feminist Studies *"One of the most provocative and talked-about new books in feminist theory, Gut Feminism is as imaginative as it is polemical. Wilson nuances her intervention here in productive ways. She positions herself at the outset as critic of both 'anti-biologism' in feminism and of the enthusiasm that characterizes much of what constitutes the 'turn to neuroscience' in the humanities and social sciences." -- Angela Willey * GLQ *"Gut Feminism arrests, transforms, and taxes some of feminist theory’s most entrenched presuppositions. . . . [It] constitutes nothing less than a gut check for feminist theory, one that is likely to jostle and reanimate the field for years to come." -- David A. Rubin * Journal of Lesbian Studies *"Gut Feminism changes how we need to think about embodiment; it changes what we need to know about depression. In this, its value extends far beyond the realm of feminist theory." -- Astrida Neimanis * philoSOPHIA *"Gut Feminism is a beautifully written, complex book that brilliantly articulates the most recent developments of Wilson’s long-running project addressing the possible role of neurological 'data' . . . in feminist theory." -- Celia Roberts * New Genetics and Society *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction: Depression, Biology, Aggression 1 Part I. Feminist Theory 1. Underbelly 21 2. The Biolocial Unconscious 45 3. Bitter Melancholy 68 Part II. Antidepressants 4. Chemical Transference 97 5. The Bastard Placebo 121 6. The Pharmakology of Depression 141 Conclusion 169 Notes 181 References 201 Index 225

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Book SynopsisNamed A Best Book of the Year by World MagazineThroughout his distinguished and unconventional career, engineer-turned-molecular-biologist Douglas Axe has been asking the questions that much of the scientific community would rather silence. Now, he presents his conclusions in this brave and pioneering book. Axe argues that the key to understanding our origin is the “design intuition”—the innate belief held by all humans that tasks we would need knowledge to accomplish can only be accomplished by someone who has that knowledge. For the ingenious task of inventing life, this knower can only be God.Starting with the hallowed halls of academic science, Axe dismantles the widespread belief that Darwin’s theory of evolution is indisputably true, showing instead that a gaping hole has been at its center from the beginning. He then explains in plain English the science that proves our design intuition scientifically valid. Last

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Book SynopsisRoger Spitz is a futurist, author, and President of Techistential, a foresight strategy consultancy. He also chairs the Disruptive Futures Institute, a global education hub which empowers organizations and entrepreneurs. His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, such as Fast Company, WIRED, and MIT Technology Review. He is based in San Francisco, USA.

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Book SynopsisEND OF MILLENNIUM This final volume in Manuel Castells' trilogy studies the key defining processes taking place in the last decade of the twentieth century as an expression of the crises resulting from the transition between the old industrial society and the emerging global network society. Every now and then one reads a book of social science that is uplifting and mind expanding. These books are ambitious and lustrous, teaching us much about our world. Such is this work from the brilliant sociologist Manuel Castells. There is no other sociological work today that brings together in one panoramic expanse so many of the changes now occurring. This is a story not simply of global economic change, but of cultural upheavals. It is a tale not simply of the decline of sovereign states, but of the emergence of the new bases of power. And it is a narrative not merely about computer technology or the media, but of the very terms in which those agents work. Anthony M. Orum, Table of ContentsList of Tables xi List of Figures xii List of Charts xiii Preface to the 2010 Edition of End of Millennium xiv Acknowledgments 1997 xxvii A Time of Change 1 1 The Crisis of Industrial Statism and the Collapse of the Soviet Union 5 The Extensive Model of Economic Growth and the Limits of Hyperindustrialism 10 The Technology Question 26 The Abduction of Identity and the Crisis of Soviet Federalism 37 The Last Perestroika 46 Nationalism, Democracy, and the Disintegration of the Soviet State 56 The Scars of History, the Lessons for Theory, the Legacy for Society 62 2 The Rise of the Fourth World: Informational Capitalism, Poverty, and Social Exclusion 69 Toward a Polarized World? A Global Overview 74 The De-humanization of Africa 85 Marginalization and selective integration of Sub-Saharan Africa in the informational-global economy 85 Africa’s technological apartheid at the dawn of the Information Age 93 The predatory state 97 Zaïre: the personal appropriation of the state 100 Nigeria: oil, ethnicity, and military predation 103 Ethnic identity, economic globalization, and state formation in Africa 106 Africa’s plight 116 Africa’s hope? The South African connection 123 Out of Africa or back to Africa? The politics and economics of self-reliance 128 The New American Dilemma: Inequality, Urban Poverty, and Social Exclusion in the Information Age 130 Dual America 131 The inner-city ghetto as a system of social exclusion 142 When the underclass goes to hell 150 Globalization, Over-exploitation, and Social Exclusion: the View from the Children 154 The sexual exploitation of children 159 The killing of children: war massacres and child soldiers 162 Why children are wasted 164 Conclusion: the Black Holes of Informational Capitalism 166 3 The Perverse Connection: the Global Criminal Economy 171 Organizational Globalization of Crime, Cultural Identification of Criminals 173 The Pillage of Russia 185 The structural perspective 189 Identifying the actors 190 Mechanisms of Accumulation 193 Narcotrafico, Development, and Dependency in Latin America 198 What are the economic consequences of the drugs industry for Latin America? 202 Why Colombia? 204 The Impact of Global Crime on Economy, Politics, and Culture 209 4 Development and Crisis in the Asian Pacific: Globalization and the State 215 The Changing Fortunes of the Asian Pacific 215 Heisei’s Japan: Developmental State versus Information Society 223 A social model of the Japanese developmental process 225 Declining sun: the crisis of the Japanese model of development 236 The end of ‘‘Nagatacho politics’’ 248 Hatten Hokka and Johoka Shakai: a contradictory relationship 251 Japan and the Pacific 258 Beheading the Dragon? Four Asian Tigers with a Dragon Head, and their Civil Societies 259 Understanding Asian development 261 Singapore: state nation-building via multinational corporations 262 South Korea: the state production of oligopolistic capitalism 266 Taiwan: flexible capitalism under the guidance of an inflexible state 270 Hong Kong model versus Hong Kong reality: small business in a world economy, and the colonial version of the welfare state 274 The breeding of the tigers: commonalities and dissimilarities in their process of economic development 279 The developmental state in East Asian industrialization: on the concept of the developmental state 286 The rise of the developmental state: from the politics of survival to the process of nation-building 288 The state and civil society in the restructuring of East Asia: how the developmental state succeeded in the development process 293 Divergent paths: Asian ‘‘tigers’’ in the economic crisis 297 Democracy, identity, and development in East Asia in the 1990s 303 Chinese Developmental Nationalism with Socialist Characteristics 311 The new Chinese revolution 312 Guanxi capitalism? China in the global economy 317 China’s regional developmental states and the bureaucratic (capitalist) entrepreneurs 321 Weathering the storm? China in the Asian economic crisis 325 Democracy, development, and nationalism in the new China 328 Conclusion: Globalization and the State 337 5 The Unification of Europe: Globalization, Identity, and the Network State 342 European Unification as a Sequence of Defensive Reactions: a Half-century Perspective 344 Globalization and European Integration 352 Cultural Identity and European Unification 361 The Institutionalization of Europe: the Network State 365 European Identity or European Project? 368 Conclusion: Making Sense of our World 371 Genesis of a New World 372 A New Society 376 The New Avenues of Social Change 387 Beyond this Millennium 389 What is to be Done? 394 Finale 395 Summary of Contents of Volumes I and II 397 References 399 Index 433

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Book SynopsisWe are living in a world full of games.More than 31 million people in the UK are gamers. The average young person will spend 10,000 hours gaming by the age of twenty-one. The future belongs to those who play games.In this ground-breaking book, visionary game designer Jane McGonigaI challenges conventional thinking and shows that games - far from being simply escapist entertainment - have the potential not only to radically improve our own lives but to change the world.Trade ReviewInspiring and engaging * Daily Telegraph *An intriguing and thought-provoking book * New Statesman *Despite her expertise, McGonigal's book is never overly technical, and as with a good computer game, anyone, regardless of gaming experience, is likely to get sucked in * New Scientist *McGonigal is persuasive and precise in explaining how games can transform our approach to those things we know we should do. McGonigal is also adept at showing how good games expose the alarming insubstantiality of much everyday experience. McGonigal is a passionate advocate... Given the power and the darker potentials of the tools she describes, we must hope that the world is listening -- Tom Chatfield * Observer *McGonigal brilliantly deconstructs the components of good game design before parlaying them into a recipe for changing the offline, 'real' world' * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisA fascinating look at the cutting-edge science and technologies that are on the cusp of changing everything from where we’ll live, how we’ll look, and who we’ll be, by the popular science broadcaster and bestselling author Jay Ingram.Where will we live? How will we get around? What will we look like? These are just some of the questions bestselling author and popular science broadcaster Jay Ingram answers in this exciting examination of the science and technologies that will affect every aspect of human life. In these pages, Ingram explores the future of our technological civilization. He reports on cutting-edge research in organ and limb regeneration, advances in prosthetics, the merging of the human and the synthetic, and gene editing. Vertical farming and lab-grown food might help feed millions and alleviate pressure on the planet. Cities could accommodate green space and the long-awaited flying car. Finally, he speculates on the futur

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Book SynopsisPolitics in the Twentieth Century was dominated by a single question: how much of our collective life should be determined by the state, and what should be left to the market and civil society?Now the debate is different: to what extent should our lives be directed and controlled by powerful digital systems - and on what terms?Digital technologies - from artificial intelligence to blockchain, from robotics to virtual reality - are transforming the way we live together. Those who control the most powerful technologies are increasingly able to control the rest of us. As time goes on, these powerful entities - usually big tech firms and the state - will set the limits of our liberty, decreeing what may be done and what is forbidden. Their algorithms will determine vital questions of social justice. In their hands, democracy will flourish or decay.A landmark work of political theory, Future Politics challenges readers to rethink what it means to be free or equal, what it means to have poweTrade ReviewThe most interesting exploration yet of the political realities in the digital era. * Matthew d'Ancona, Books of the Year 2018, Evening Standard *He steers a course to the future that is as convincing as it is shocking. * Bryan Appleyard, The Sunday Times *An impressive feat of intellectual organization ... To have written it all down so lucidly, engagingly and succinctly is a formidable achievement. * Raphael Behr, The Guardian *A work of clarity and effortless genius which is a must for anybody seeking to understand the impact of modern technology on our body politic now and in the future. * Robert Rinder Evening Standard *[Susskind] has tremendous talent and the book is very readable. * Tim Stanley, The Telegraph *The tone of this book is as refreshing as the originality of insight. Susskind contends that "that there are causes for both optimism and pessimism, but what the future requires above all is vigilance. * Paschal Donohoe, The Irish Times *Future Politics is a riveting book that sparkles with great ideas ... It is chock full of facts and the book combines knowledge of politics and technology in a unique and fascinating way. * Catherine Balavage, Frost *Superb and necessary book. * Nick Cohen, The Observer *Future Politics should be essential reading for those with the will to anticipate the future challenges facing defence and society. * Wavell Room *Brilliant ... detailed research, colourful examples, and a pacy, upbeat style ... Future Politics will remain relevant for several years. All elected officials should read it as a matter of urgency. * Jamie Bartlett, Catholic Herald *Future Politics challenges readers to rethink what it means to be free or equal, what it means to have power or property, what it means for a political system to be just or democratic, and proposes ways in which we can - and must - regain control. This is no less than a call for a fundamental change in the way we think about politics. * Dominic Lenton, Engineering & Technology *...rigorous and thoughtful book ... * David Patrikarakos, Literary Review *Brilliant and ground-breaking ... It is essential reading for anyone who wants to get to grips with the profound and far-reaching impacts of digital technology on politics. * Paradigm Explorer *Original and thought-provoking, this ground-breaking book challenges us to develop new policies for new times. * Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 2007-2010 *Few understand politics. Even fewer understand technology. Susskind is that rare soul who understands both - and more importantly, how the latter will change the former. Whether correct or not - and I believe he is correct - there is no better glimpse into our shared future than this book. * Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School *This book crackles with ideas, sparking new thoughts with every page. And it is superbly organised, too. It's difficult to help people understand the past, but to help understand the future is a real achievement. Terrific. * Lord Finkelstein, Associate Editor, The Times *From Arendt to artificial intelligence, from Machiavelli to machine learning, Susskind seamlessly weaves modern technology with classic theory to present a tour de force introduction to the future-explaining with erudition and humor the powerful digital systems that will govern our lives. * Beth Simone Noveck, Professor in Technology, Culture and Society, New York University Tandon School of Engineering *Only an elite can control the power of computation, dispersed in space, integrated in the cloud, and enabled to operate on ever bigger data. What are the implications for freedom, democracy, and justice? Jamie Susskind offers a pathbreaking exploration of the challenge that these issues pose for our political thinking and practice. It's a must-read. * Philip Pettit, L. S. Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values, Princeton University, and Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, Australian National University *This brilliant and ground-breaking book ... is essential reading for anyone who wants to get to grips with the profound and far-reaching impacts of digital technology on politics. * David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer *Future Politics' is intelligently written and utterly compelling in its treatment of a subject too often ignored by today's politicians and academics. * Luke Geikie, SF2 Concatenation *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I. THE DIGITAL LIFEWORLD 1: Increasingly Capable Systems 2: Increasingly Integrated Technology 3: Increasingly Quantified Society 4: Thinking Like a Theorist Part II. FUTURE POWER 5: Code is Power 6: Force 7: Scrutiny 8: Perception-Control 9: Public and Private Power Part III. FUTURE LIBERTY 10: Freedom and the Supercharged State 11: Freedom and the Tech Firm Part IV. FUTURE DEMOCRACY 12: The Dream of Democracy 13: Democracy in the Future Part V. FUTURE JUSTICE 14: Algorithms of Distribution 15: Algorithms of Recognition 16: Algorithmic Injustice 17: Technological Unemployment 18: The Wealth Cyclone Part VI. FUTURE POLITICS 19: Transparency and the New Separation of Powers 20: Post-Politics

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Book SynopsisThe remarkable progress in algorithms for machine and deep learning have opened the doors to new opportunities, and some dark possibilities. However, a bright future awaits those who build on their working methods by including HCAI strategies of design and testing. As many technology companies and thought leaders have argued, the goal is not to replace people, but to empower them by making design choices that give humans control over technology.In Human-Centered AI, Professor Ben Shneiderman offers an optimistic realist''s guide to how artificial intelligence can be used to augment and enhance humans'' lives. This project bridges the gap between ethical considerations and practical realities to offer a road map for successful, reliable systems. Digital cameras, communications services, and navigation apps are just the beginning. Shneiderman shows how future applications will support health and wellness, improve education, accelerate business, and connect people in reliable, safe, and trustworthy ways that respect human values, rights, justice, and dignity.Trade ReviewThe book will be of interest to anyone interested in AI-including software engineers, designers, computer scientists, policymakers and philosophers -- and our future. Its writing style is accessible, and consequently can be read by both experts and novices. It may also be useful for pedagogical purposes. * Gloria Andrada, Metascience *does a great job in promoting HCAI, putting human and societal needs center stage in the design and application of AI, and in presenting and discussing several very practical ideas * Marc Steen, Prometheus *Your new book, Human-Centered AI, is the most balanced, pragmatic and optimistic analysis of artificial intelligence that I've read. You lay out a comprehensive guide to building reliable, safe, and trustworthy applications that feature both high levels of human control and high levels of automation. A critical part of your argument is that if we want to achieve a flourishing and humane future it's essential for us to understand that computers are not in fact people, and vice versa. * John Dalton, Fidelity Center for Applied Technology Newsletter *The authors approach could not be more important as a moral and normative position on the development of the field, and should be taken as a starting point for public policy discussion... the book is essential reading and its fundamental argument constitutes a moral imperative. * David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer *A focus on developing AI that helps people will dissolve much of the fear of lost jobs and machine control... Few books on AI discuss the importance to good design of applying the right sort of pressure to the corporate owners of AI systems to push them into social fairness. This one does. * Wendy Grossman, ZDNet *This book combines persuasive arguments with catchy lists and phrases it also is meticulously researched with extensive citations and well-written for a broad audience , HCI NewsThis expert believes we can create AI systems that can have both high levels of automation and human control... Shneiderman provides guidelines covering visual design, previews of expected actions, audit trails, near-miss and failure reviews, and others that can help ensure reliability, safety, and trustworthiness. Basically, by acknowledging the limits of both human and artificial intelligence, designers and developers of automated products can find the right division of labor between humans and AI. * Ben Dickson, thenextweb.com *the book [is] especially relevant to AI researchers and developers...Expanding the variety of inputs into AI design will be essential to achieving Shneiderman's transformative vision of a more human-and humane-future. * Angelique Taylor, Issues in Science & Technology *The book is well-structured and a delight to read. The coverage is comprehensive. But it will be controversial. AI scientists and engineers, and anyone concerned about the scientific, social, ethical, legal or philosophical impacts of AI should engage with the theses of Human-Centered AI, even if it is to contest them at times. * Alan Mackworth, University of British Columbia, Canada *From design metaphors to the much needed governance structures, this new book by Ben Shneiderman is a tour de force into the increasingly important topic of human-centred AI. Going beyond the many benefits and dark possibilities, the book provides a fresh vision of AI as a supertool for human wellbeing. A must read. * Virginia Dignum, Umeå University, Sweden *Intellectually re-positioning the practice of AI is the most important social movement of our age. Human-Centered AI is a moral imperative. The graveyard of AI products is replete with well-intended systems centered on the technology. Don't make the same mistake—adopt an HCAI mindset. * Sean McGregor, Founder and Project Lead, the AI Incident Database (Partnership on AI), USA *For many years, the debate surrounding AI has been all about a dystopian or utopian-driven future. Ben Shneiderman, in his informative and timely new book presents a fresh look on the future of AI; one that considers how to empower and augment humans rather than automate and replace them. Throughout the book, that is illustrated with convincing case studies, he presents a new discourse that rethinks the benefits of AI advances from a human perspective. A truly trailblazing work that is both provocative and persuasive, inviting academics, policy-makers, industry researchers and the general public to engage with a new, forward-thinking paradigm of where humans meet AI. * Yvonne Rogers, University College London, UK *A critical call for AI to be human-centered...offers insightful lessons and practical takeaways. * Avi Parush, Management and Business Review *Human-Centered AI makes a case for AI systems that amplify and extend human abilities and performance. * Gloria Andrada, Metascience *Table of ContentsPart I: What Is Artificial Intelligence? 1: Dreams and Nightmares 2: Alchemy, Astrology, and AI: Lessons from the Past 3: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs! 4: Stories that Shape the Future: Self-Efficacy and Control 5: Getting Beyond AI to Human-Centered Thinking Part II: Human-Centered AI: Empowering People, Expanding Possibilities 6: Introduction 7: Defining Reliable, Safe And Trustworthy Systems 8: Two-Dimensional Framework for RST Systems 9: Prometheus Principles and Examples 10: Skeptic's Corner Part III: AI's Two Grand Goals: Human Emulation and Useful Applications 11: Introduction 12: Two Goals for AI Researchers and Developers 13: Intelligent Agent and Powerful Tool 14: Simulated Teammate and Tele-Operated Device 15: Autonomous System and Supervisory Control 16: Humanoid Robots and Mechanical-Like Appliances 17: Skeptic's Corner Part IV: Governance Structures for Human-Centered AI 18: Introduction 19: Reliable Systems Based on Software Engineering Practices 20: Safety Culture Through Business Management Strategies 21: Trustworthy Certification by Independent Oversight 22: Skeptic's Corner Part V: Where Do We Go from Here? 23: Stopping AI-Driven Misinformation and Criminals 24: Supporting Environmental Protection, Social Justice And Human Rights 25: Compassion in Caring for Our Older Adults 26: Beyond Robots: Notbots and Newbots 27: Frontier Thinking to Chart the Future Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisReviews of the 1st Edition:"....This book is a welcome addition to the sociology of technology, a field whose importance is increasingly recognised." - Sociology"....sets a remarkably high standard in breadth of coverage, in scholarship, and in readability and can be recommended to the general reader and to the specialist alike." - Science and Society"....This remarkably readable and well-edited anthology focuses, in a wide variety of concrete examples, not on the impacts of technologies on societies but in the reverse: how different social contexts shaped the emergence of particular technologies." - Technology and Culture How does social context affect the development of technology? What is the relationship between technology and gender Is production technology shaped by efficiency or by social control? Technological change is often seen as something that follows its own logic - something we may welcome, or about whicTrade Review"Delanty has written a fluent and succinct overview of social theory, including informed commentary and critique...The book presents some very good potted accounts of the various theoretical positions in the social sciences and sets out issues that are not yet resolved. It should be added to the reading lists of theory and methodology courses in the social sciences." - The Times HigherTable of ContentsNotes on ContributorsAcknowledgementsEditors' notePreface to the Second Edition/f002Part 1: Introductory essay and general issuesIntroductory essay: the social shaping of technologyDo artifacts have politics?Modest_Witness@Second_MilleniumEdison and electric lightInventing personal computingConstructing a bridgeCompeting technologies and economic predictionThe social construction of technologyRedefining the social linkfrom baboons to humansCaught in the wheelsthe high cost of being a female cog in the male machinery of engineeringMaking 'white' people white/f002Part 2: The technology of productionIntroductionThe watermill and feudal authorityThe machine versus the workerTechnology and capitalist controlSocial choice in machine designthe case of automatically controlled machine toolsThe material of male powerWhat machines can't dopolitics and technology in the industrial enterpriseWriters, texts and writing actsgendered user images in word processing softwareLearning by tryingthe implementation of configurational technologyWorking relations of technology production and use/f002Part 3: Reproductive technologyIntroductionThe industrial revolution in the homeA gendered socio-technical constructionthe smart houseA woman's placeDolores Hayden on the 'grand domestic revolution'Inserting Grafenberg's IUD into the sex reformThe decline of the one-size-fits-all paradigm, or, how reproductive scientists try to cope with post-modernity/f002Part 4: Military technologyIntroductionCold war and white heatthe origins and meanings of packet switchingManufacturing gender in military cockpit designThe American army and the M-16 rifleThe Thor-Jupiter controversyThe weapons succession processTheories of technology and the abolition of nuclear weaponsBibliographyIndex.

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Bestseller. A “fascinating” (Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times) look at how digital technology is transforming our work and our lives.Trade Review"...set to be one of the zeitgeist works of 2014..." -- The Guardian"...an ambitious, engaging and at times terrifying vision of where modern technology is taking the human race...The authors may not have the solution to growing inequality, but their book marks one of the most effective explanations yet for the origins of the gap." -- The Economist"Brynjolfsson and McAfee started to lay out their vision of the challenges of the technological revolution more than three years ago. But their broadly optimistic book is still one of the best summaries of the debate about the impact of digital change on our future job prospects and prosperity." -- Andrew Hill, Best Books of 2014 - Financial Times"...a fascinating book..." -- Roger Bootle - The Telegraph"Crammed with analyses of everything from human–machine competition to the state of US education." -- Nature"...fascinating book..." -- John Lanchester - London Review of Books"The fear that robots will take over is, of course, as old as dystopian literature. The new and unheralded development is something called the Internet. This point is elegantly made in a suddenly ubiquitous new book called The Second Machine Age, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology." -- Evening Standard"...one of last year's most important books..." -- New Statesman"...influential..." -- The Observer"...it [The Second Machine Age] feels like a must-read for entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers." -- The Huffington Post"My favourite and most revealing book of the year was not a novel but a non-fiction publication... a book that throws you off-balance while reading. Different to other publications, it is not only a real analysis and well-researched perspective, but also utterly optimistic." -- The Art Newspaper"...brilliant new book." -- The Evening Standard"... the most influential recent business book..." -- The Economist

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"These are crucial manifestos that changed the discourse and clarified our situation in the postmodern in stunning and beautiful ways. That we are animal and machine and human and full of potential is Donna Haraway’s enduring and inspirational message."—Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Aurora and the Mars trilogy "Here Donna Haraway’s manifestos are marvelously composted in the rich humus of reflection, erudition, and reasons for laughter that makes thinking with other people so generative. The brilliance that sparks between Cary Wolfe and Haraway illuminates everything that is between, around, underneath, and beside two most profound moments in critical thought."—Marilyn Strathern, University of Cambridge "Donna Haraway’s essays are invitations to scientists, artists, and everyone-who-must-improvise for respectful play with chimeras, hybrids, cyborgs, GMOs, holobionts, mosaics, allies, and fusions. They are invitations to generate new creative relationships for flourishing during and after the Anthropocene. As always, when presented with essays by Haraway, accept the invitation at the risk of becoming a different person."—Scott F. Gilbert, Swarthmore College"The social relations of science was a whole movement in the 1930s...It did not survive the cold war purges of intellectual life. Science studies has reinvented many of its themes and in many ways improved upon them. Yet perhaps, as Haraway once noted in passing, the “liberal mystification that all started with Thomas Kuhn…” has erased a little too much of its radical past. We are very fortunate that Donna Haraway and her kith reinvented it."—Public Seminar"Unusual and exciting. Every word adds a new detail, facet, nuance, reflection, to an infinitely detailed, faceted, nuanced reality."—London Review of Books"Manifestly Haraway is a timely and necessary publication in response to our own political moment if we are to link up with past failures, and explore new affinities for the future."—Arcadia"Widely influential."—Science Fiction Studies"Important, feminist, bio-political work."—Annals of Science "Manifestly Haraway is illuminating and engaging. Donna Haraway contextualizes the manifestos and considers how some of these early ideas are developing alongside fresh concepts and influences." —SociologyTable of ContentsContentsIntroduction Cary WolfeThe ManifestosA Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant OthernessCompanions in ConversationDonna J. Haraway and Cary WolfeAcknowledgmentsIndex

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Book SynopsisA Financial Times 'Best Thing I Read This Year' LONGLISTED FOR THE FT & MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDGoogle. Amazon. Facebook. The modern world is defined by vast digital monopolies turning ever-larger profits. Those of us who consume the content that feeds them are farmed for the purposes of being sold ever more products and advertising. Those that create the content – the artists, writers and musicians – are finding they can no longer survive in this unforgiving economic landscape. But it didn’t have to be this way. In Move Fast and Break Things, Jonathan Taplin offers a succinct and powerful history of how online life began to be shaped around the values of the entrepreneurs like Peter Thiel and Larry Page who founded these all-powerful companies. Their unprecedented growth came at the heavy cost of tolerating piracy of books, music and film, while at the same time promoting opaque business practices and subordinating the privacy of individual users to create the surveillance marketing monoculture in which we now live.It is the story of a massive reallocation of revenue in which $50 billion a year has moved from the creators and owners of content to the monopoly platforms. With this reallocation of money comes a shift in power. Google, Facebook and Amazon now enjoy political power on par with Big Oil and Big Pharma, which in part explains how such a tremendous shift in revenues from creators to platforms could have been achieved and why it has gone unchallenged for so long.And if you think that’s got nothing to do with you, their next move is to come after your jobs. Move Fast and Break Things is a call to arms, to say that is enough is enough and to demand that we do everything in our power to create a different future.Trade ReviewTaplin wields his axe mercilessly...by the end of this book you will agree with Taplin that the tech firms are abusing their monopoly power to rip us off and debase our culture - breaking the world as he sees it...It is time for consumers to break back. This manifesto is a punchy start. * The Sunday Times *A bracing, unromantic account of how the internet was captured…Move Fast and Break Things is a timely and useful book * The Observer *Taplin is angry as hell about the immense size and power of the tech giants, and has a compelling pitch for why we should all be worried too * The Evening Standard *Comprehensive…Where Taplin excels is by putting all this into the context of the changing global economy * The Times *A new analysis of the dark side of the digital revolution...Taplin goes beyond familiar critiques * Financial Times *Taplin’s sense of outrage is palpable and his case is often compelling * The Guardian *A radical remedy * The Economist *A nuanced look at the downside of what is glibly tossed around as "disruption" by various cyber-messianic blowhards. Taplin is hunting big game; it is his contention that the giants of the cyberworld-from Google to Amazon-are threats to the fundamental foundations of democracy and that they also cement inequality into our systems in new and dangerous ways * Esquire *Jonathan Taplin's Move Fast and Break Things argues that the radical libertarian ideology and monopolistic greed of many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs helped to decimate the livelihoods of musicians and is now undermining the communal idealism of the early internet * Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review *Mr Taplin brings an informed perspective to his task * Wall Street Journal *Jonathan Taplin's new book could not be more timely. Twenty years after the initial euphoria of the Web, ten years after the invention of social media, it's time to stop breaking things and start thinking seriously about the new habitat we're creating. Move Fast and Break Things provides a blueprint for a future that humans can live in * Frank Rose, author of The Art of Immersion *Move Fast and Break Things goes on my bookshelf beside a few other indispensable signposts in the maze of life in the 21st Century--The Technological Society by Jacques Ellul, The Image by Daniel Boorstin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin, The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan, The Media Monopoly by Ben Bagdikian, Christ and the Media by Malcolm Muggeridge, and Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. I pray the deepest and highest prayer I can get to that this clarion warning is heeded. The survival of our species is at stake * T Bone Burnett, Oscar-Winning Songwriter, soundtrack and record producer *Jonathan Taplin's Move Fast and Break Things, a rock and roll memoir cum internet history cum artists' manifesto, provides a bracing antidote to corporate triumphalism - and a reminder that musicians and writers need a place at the tech table and, more to the point, a way to make a decent living * Jeffrey Toobin, author of American Heiress *A powerful argument for reducing inequality and revolutionizing how we use the Web for the benefit of the many rather than the few * Kirkus Review *Jonathan Taplin, more than anyone I know, can articulate the paralyzing complexities that have arisen from the intertwining of the tech and music industries. He counters the catastrophic implications for musicians with solutions and inspiration for a renaissance. He shows the way for artists to reclaim and reinvent subversion, rather than be in servitude to Big Tech. Every musician and every creator should read this book. * Rosanne Cash, Grammy-winning Singer and Songwriter *An absolute must-read for anyone who wants to gain a little savvy in the internet era * Newsweek *Insightful.... Taplin provides a keen, thorough look at the present and future of Americans' lives as influenced and manipulated by the technological behemoths on which they've come to depend. His work is certainly food for thought * Publishers Weekly *A breakthrough, must-read book… a tour de force—a compelling, story-driven work focusing on the handful of men who have shaped and essentially taken over the massive tech industry. Along the way, Taplin tells his own personal story with charm and insight. If you want to understand what has happened to our country and where tech will take us in the era of Trump, put aside some time to read this book. It will take your breath away * Alternet *Jonathan Taplin's excellent new book explains exactly how Google, Facebook and Amazon are undermining democratic institutions, accelerating the rise of oligarchy...and destroying both cultural and economic opportunities for millions of people. * The Chicago Tribune *

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Book Synopsis'A rich feast of his essays, reviews, forewords, squibs and conversations, in which talent and passion are married to deep knowledge.' Matt Ridley'Enjoy the unfailing clarity of his thought and prose, as well as the grandeur of his vision of life on Earth.' - Mark Cocker, Spectator'Richard Dawkins is a thunderously gifted science writer.' Sunday TimesIncluding conversations with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Steven Pinker, Matt Ridley and more, this is an essential guide to the most exciting ideas of our time and their proponents from our most brilliant science communicator.Books Do Furnish a Life is divided by theme, including celebrating nature, exploring humanity, and interrogating faith. For the first time, it brings together Richard Dawkins' forewords, afterwords and introductions to the work of some of the leading thinkers of our age - Carl Sagan, Lawrence Krauss, Jacob Bronowski, Lewis Wolpert - with a selection of his reviews to provide an electrifying celebration of science writing, both fiction and non-fiction. It is also a sparkling addition to Dawkins' own remarkable canon of work.Plenty of other scientists write well, but no one writes like Dawkins... here is Dawkins the teacher, the scholar, the polemicist, the joker, the aesthete, the poet, the satirist, the man of compassion as well as indignation, the slayer of superstition and, above all, the scientist. - Areo MagazineTrade ReviewMuch more than just a collection of journalism, this has an overarching unity and presents a panoramic survey of his intellectual career. There are occasional moments of delicious savagery as Dawkins dismantles an opponent. Much more often he celebrates the work of fellow scientists and throughout the entire 460 pages, one can enjoy the unfailing clarity of his thought and prose, as well as the grandeur of his vision of life on Earth. -- Mark Cocker * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisArtificial intelligence (AI) is often discussed as something extraordinary, a dream--or a nightmare--that awakens metaphysical questions on human life. Yet far from a distant technology of the future, the true power of AI lies in its subtle revolution of ordinary life. From voice assistants like Siri to natural language processors, AI technologies use cultural biases and modern psychology to fit specific characteristics of how users perceive and navigate the external world, thereby projecting the illusion of intelligence. Integrating media studies, science and technology studies, and social psychology, Deceitful Media examines the rise of artificial intelligence throughout history and exposes the very human fallacies behind this technology. Focusing specifically on communicative AIs, Natale argues that what we call AI is not a form of intelligence but rather a reflection of the human user. Using the term banal deception, he reveals that deception forms the basis of all human-computer interactions rooted in AI technologies, as technologies like voice assistants utilize the dynamics of projection and stereotyping as a means for aligning with our existing habits and social conventions. By exploiting the human instinct to connect, AI reveals our collective vulnerabilities to deception, showing that what machines are primarily changing is not other technology but ourselves as humans. Deceitful Media illustrates how AI has continued a tradition of technologies that mobilize our liability to deception and shows that only by better understanding our vulnerabilities to deception can we become more sophisticated consumers of interactive media.Trade Reviewa real breath of fresh air ... fundamental reading for an understanding of AI as a socio-material phenomenon * Domenico Napolitano, Prometheus *Deceitful Media makes a compelling case that the development of artificial intelligence is inextricably woven together with fallacies of human perception. Analyzing archival documents from the 1950s onward, Simone Natale demonstrates the prevalence of what he calls 'banal deception,' the everyday taken-for-granted interactions that attribute human-equivalent intelligence to algorithmic processes that in themselves are quite different. A remarkable achievement, this accessible and well-written book is a 'must-read' for media scholars, cultural critics, and anyone interested in the significance of artificial intelligence for our time. * N. Katherine Hayles, author of Postprint: Books and Becoming Computational *From the time of Alan Turing's Game of Imitation, the benchmark of machine intelligence has been deceptive communicative behavior. In Deceitful Media, Simone Natale provides a decisive and revealing analysis of the history, significance, and social consequences of deception in artificial intelligence, demonstrating how and why deceit is not a bug to be fixed but a defining feature of both the theory and practice of AI. * David J. Gunkel, Northern Illinois University *A fundamental fear surrounding artificial intelligence is that it will one day become a technology of deception. As Simone Natale informs us in Deceitful Media, that day is already here. However, such deception is not the malicious kind of science fiction; rather, the deceit of AI is one enacted in our minds as they encounter technologies carefully crafted to our social nature. By situating AI within the context of media and communication theory, Natale dispels the hype surrounding AI as a technology, replacing it with a theoretical lens informed by the seemingly mundane elements of our ongoing interactions with AI as forms of media. As a result, Deceitful Media provides us with not only a new way to think about AI, but also a more grounded approach to assessing its impact for ourselves and society. * Andrea Guzman, Northern Illinois University *A remarkable critical history of the artifice central to artificial intelligence. Natale has peered beyond the scandalously uncanny valleys, the many muddily mediated human-machine thought experiments, and scurrilous bids for grants and investor capital to uncover the dark heart of artificial intelligence: namely, the everyday ordinary ways that 'banal deception' is integrated into our lives. In so doing, Deceitful Media offers pressingly ethical, sober, and sophisticated pathways to reclaiming the unnatural ordinariness of the human psyche in the shadow of artificial intelligence. Highly readable and deeply instructive. * Benjamin Peters, University of Tulsa *Table of ContentsTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. The Turing Test: Cultural life of an idea Chapter 2. How to dispel magic: Computers, interfaces, and the problem of the observer Chapter 3. The Eliza effect: Joseph Weizenbaum and the emergence of chatbots Chapter 4. Of daemons, dogs and trees: Situating AI in software Chapter 5. How to create a bot: Programming deception at the Loebner Prize Chapter 6. To believe in Siri: A critical analysis of voice assistants Conclusion: Our sophisticated selves Bibliography

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Book SynopsisWe need a new philosophy of the earth. Geological time used to refer to slow and gradual processes, but today we are watching land sink into the sea and forests transform into deserts. We can even see the creation of new geological strata made of plastic, chicken bones, and other waste that could remain in the fossil record for millennia or longer. Crafting a philosophy of geology that rewrites natural and human history from the broader perspective of movement, Thomas Nail provides a new materialist, kinetic ethics of the earth that speaks to this moment. Climate change and other ecological disruptions challenge us to reconsider the deep history of minerals, atmosphere, plants, and animals and to take a more process-oriented perspective that sees humanity as part of the larger cosmic and terrestrial drama of mobility and flow. Building on his earlier work on the philosophy of movement, Nail argues that we should shift our biocentric emphasis from conservation to expenditure, flux, and planetary diversity. Theory of the Earth urges us to rethink our ethical relationship to one another, the planet, and the cosmos at large.Trade Review"One of the most remarkable books I've read in some time. Thomas Nail forges a mode of materialist philosophy in conversation with recent, cross-disciplinary movements in the environmental humanities, generating a mode of thinking and theorizing that moves beyond the scale of human life." -- Claire Colebrook * Pennsylvania State University *"Thomas Nail has developed a much-needed, and previously underrepresented philosophy of geology. In elaborating a process theory of a kinetic earth, this book helps us imagine our planet as neither a static place of habitation nor a protective Mother Earth." -- Matthias Fritsch * Concordia University *"Is ecocide, unconsciously practiced by industrio-techno-capitalist humans to their own detriment and potential extinction, a direct result of the reduction and destruction of Earth's complex energy dissipation? In an ambitious and fabulous synthesis, with a Lucretian sensibility and deep scientific rapprochement, Thomas Nail gives us back a real Earth, where life is part of a planetary more-than-human dissipative system and humans better get with the flow. A fascinating, difficult, needed scientifico-philosophical document, Theory of the Earth should interest and irritate scientists as it provides a needed provocation to much modern environmental philosophy." -- Dorion Sagan * author of Cosmic Apprentice: Dispatches from the Edges of Science *"While Anthropocene ideology focuses on the destructive action of humans on a passive Earth, Nail posits that conceptual refocusing—away from conservation toward an ethics of energy transformation—can help address the serious environmental problems we face. Though chiefly a work of philosophy, this text is accessible for any advanced reader interested in environmental meta issues. Recommended." -- E. Kincanon * CHOICE *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction chapter abstractWe are witnessing a second Copernican revolution, in which the earth is not just moving around the sun but is itself internally on the move. Terrestrial events that we could in the past only have imagined taking place over huge time scales are now happening before our eyes. Flora and fauna are headed north in mass migrations, throwing tens of thousands of species into motion around the world. Today, half of all species on earth are on the move, including insects, viruses, and microbes. However, since not all species are moving at the same rate or in the same way, species are coming into contact with one another in new ways and producing new hybrids. A new history of the earth is necessary in order to understand the immanent conditions of the present and the kind of earth that we are. 1The Flow of Matter chapter abstractThe earth flows because the matter of the cosmos flows through it. It is not an unchanging or even uniformly changing substance following its own autonomous processes. Geology is also cosmology, and the cosmos flows. Flows of matter continually compose, cycle through, and flow out of the earth. The earth is only a regional circulation of a much larger kinetic and entropic process. Historically, however, philosophy, politics, and much of geology have not taken the ongoing flow of cosmic matter seriously. This has led to a complete inversion of what the earth is and the human relationship to it. The earth is not a planet, but rather a process of terrestrialization. 2The Fold of Elements chapter abstractThe pedetic flow and fluctuation of matter is constitutive of the earth and its elemental body. The word "earth" designates not only a planet and its soil but also one of the four classical elements. The earth is elemental and elementary only because the universe is—and the latter is the key to understanding the former. If the element "earth" is mineral, then the earth must share its elemental namesake with the mineral bodies of the cosmos. In this sense, earth is not just on the earth, but in the universe and from the universe. In other words, the universe was already earthly before the earth was terrestrialized. 3The Planetary Field chapter abstractMatter flows and folds into elements, but these elements are in turn distributed into celestial and planetary fields. Elements are conjoined into atomic and molecular composites that in turn are arranged and ordered together in a field of celestial and planetary circulation. This is the third core concept of geokinetics. If matter flows and elements fold into periodic cycles, planetary fields organize them all in a continuous feedback loop. This chapter provides a geokinetic theory of how conjoined flows become organized according to distinct regimes or planetary fields. 4Centripetal Minerality chapter abstractThe earth is material, kinetic, and thus historical; it is possible for different, coexisting, and mixed planetary fields to emerge. In other words, it is possible for matter to distribute itself differently over time into different patterns or orders of arrangement. There is no way to know what the earth is without understanding its historical process of becoming. If this is the case then it is possible to study this material history and to discern the planetary regimes or fields along with the different elements and beings that are distributed there: minerals, atmosphere, plants, and animals. What this means is that the contemporary earth is not defined by a single geokinetic field or pattern of motion, but is composed of a motley mixture of everything that has ever been. 5Hadean Earth chapter abstractIn this chapter we look closely at the kinetic patterns produced by three major geokinetic phenomena that define the Hadean earth: meteors, the moon, and water. The argument of this chapter is that each of these major phenomena is defined predominately by a distinctly centripetal pattern of motion and a geokinetics of mineralization. Centripetal mineralization was the first major transcendental kinetic regime invented by the earth. This first movement inward toward the center from the periphery along differentiated layers continues today as the immanent condition of planetary life and mineral-based technologies. 6Centrifugal Atmospherics chapter abstractThe second major geokinetic field to rise to dominance in the earth's history was the atmospheric field. This second type of field became increasingly prevalent over the course of the Archean Eon, from about 4 billion years ago to about 2.5 billion years ago. Three major events define this transition: the end of heavy meteor bombardment, the emergence of living organisms, and the rise of a highly oxygenated atmosphere. These events were the cause of a dramatic historical shift in the earth's pattern of motion, from one of largely centripetal accretion and crystallization to one of increasingly centrifugal movements of outward expansion, respiration, and reproduction. 7Archean Earth I: Pneumatology chapter abstractDuring the Archean Eon (4 to 2.5 billion years ago), the entire planet began to move in an increasingly centrifugal pattern of motion from the center out to the periphery (and back). This chapter argues that the emergence of a prevailing centrifugal pattern of motion occurs increasingly over the course of the Archean Eon. The deep history of atmospherization is the material condition of terrestrial motion for all subsequent eons, up to the present. In this chapter we look closely at the kinetic patterns produced by four major geokinetic phenomena that define the Archean earth: sky, clouds, mountains, and life. The argument of this chapter is that each of these major phenomena is defined predominately by a distinctly centrifugal pattern of motion and a geokinetics of atmospherics. 8Archean Earth II: Biogenesis chapter abstractThe second major historical event of the Archean Eon was the emergence of living organisms (prokaryotic bacteria and archaea) with metabolism, genetic multiplication, and natural selection. Organisms are dissipative or vortical systems that have the distinct ability to remember and reproduce the material kinetic patterns that produced them. During the Archean, the entire earth erupted into centrifugal motion. Volcanoes blasted themselves into the air, the ocean evaporated into the clouds, and organisms released an incredible amount of volatiles and stored energy. However, by the end of the Archean Eon, around 2.5 billion years ago, a new form of life emerged that would change the motion of the planet yet again: plants. 9Tensional Vegetality chapter abstractThe third major geokinetic planetary field to rise to dominance in the earth's history was the vegetal field. Over the course of the Proterozoic Eon, the longest eon in the earth's history, from about 2.5 billion years ago to 541 million years ago, three major events occurred: the emergence of eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus and organelles), the development of multicellular organisms (such as protozoa, fungi, and plants), and the arrival of life on land. All these events were defined by a new kind of tensional motion inside, between, and through these organisms. But this new pattern of motion defined by a system of held contrasts was not limited to life alone. Life, like mineral and atmospheric flows, is not just one discrete region among others, in isolation. Vegetal life completed, saturated, and transformed all planetary processes. 10Proterozoic Earth chapter abstractDuring the Proterozoic Eon, the entire life-saturated planet began to fold itself up into a vast knotwork of cellularized tensions. The birth of cellular and complex cellular life was not just the birth of a new type of substance "on" the earth but a new kinetic relation of the earth to itself. This chapter argues that the emergence of a prevailing tensional pattern of motion occurred increasingly over the course of the Proterozoic Eon. I argue that the deep history of phytality is the material condition of terrestrial motion for all subsequent eons, up to the present. In this chapter we look closely at the increasingly tensional kinetic patterns produced by vegetal bodies and that eventually defined the Proterozoic and early Phanerozoic earth: thallus, stem, leaf, root, seed, and flower. 11Elastic Animality chapter abstractAnimality is the fourth major geokinetic planetary pattern of motion. The rise of animality overlapped with the end of the Proterozoic Eon as vegetality slowly dovetailed into the Phanerozoic Eon, from 541 million years ago to the present. The Phanerozoic Eon began with the Cambrian explosion of diverse animal and plant life. This explosion was itself made possible by increased oxygen in the atmosphere and mineral-rich soils produced by vegetal life across the continents. The emergence and proliferation of animals on the earth was the source of a radical new regime of elastic motion defined by the ability of living matter to expand, contract, stretch and oscillate back and forth to a degree never before seen on the earth. 12Phanerozoic Earth I: Kinomorphology chapter abstractThe Phanerozoic Eon (541 million years ago to the present) is our geological eon. It began with the Cambrian explosion of living forms, the greatest number of evolving creatures in a a single period in the history of the earth. During the Phanerozoic, the entire planet became increasingly elastic as the proliferation of life forms expanded, contracted, and mutated more rapidly than ever before. The more new organisms emerged, the faster they changed their environment. This chapter argues that the emergence of a prevailing elastic pattern of motion occurred increasingly over the course of the Phanerozoic Eon. In this chapter we look closely at the increasingly elastic kinetic structures produced by animal bodies that eventually saturated the late Proterozoic and early Phanerozoic Earth: body, head, and tail. 13Phanerozoic Earth II: Terrestrialization chapter abstractThe third major historico-morphological event of the Phanerozoic Eon was the explosion of elastic sensory organs and limbs in the animal body. With the evolution of mollusks, arthropods, and vertebrates, an enormous transformation occurred as animal life in the seas spread to the land and the skies. The process of terrestrial animality saturated the untapped energy of these new regions—completing the transformation of the earth into its full animality. The material evolution of animal morphology is also a kinetic evolution toward the increasingl elasticity, mobility, sensitivity, and energy expenditure of the earth more broadly. Animals are not on the earth but aspects of the earth itself—the becoming animal and becoming elastic of the earth. 14Kinocene Earth chapter abstractToday, the earth is in increasingly unstable motion. The earth, as we have seen in this book, has always been in motion, but today these four major patterns of geological motion have become increasingly disrupted due to the coordinated efforts of certain human groups. What I am calling the "Kinocene" in the final Part of this book is a new geological period not because motion is new to the earth, as we have seen, but because of the increasing mobility of the earth's geological strata, described in Parts I and II. At the same time, however, we are also witnessing for the first time in a long time a significant reduction in the net kinetic expenditure of the planet as a whole. 15Kinocene Ethics chapter abstractThe ethics of kinetic expenditure is not a universal ethical ground but a hypothetical ethical ground that allows us to say not only that capitalism is descriptively wrong about nature but that it is unethical (assuming we want to survive), on the grounds that it leads to the reduction of planetary expenditure (including the reduction of human and ecological diversity). Furthermore, the ethics of expenditure relates to the material conditions of all human society as such. If we even want to have humanist ethics in the first place, there must be humans alive to practice it. Thus, implicit in all humanist ethics is the assumption of planetary existence and survival. In short: If we want human ethics, then we need to be alive and survive, and if we want to survive then we need to try to increase planetary expenditure (with all that entails). Conclusion: The Future chapter abstractEverything is in motion. The earth is in motion because so is the cosmos. The West's historically mistaken belief in a static or stable earth is one of the biggest mistakes ever made. This mistake is symptomatic of a similar belief in stasis in politics, ontology, science, and the arts. Together, the belief in stasis of one form or another across the major domains of human knowledge and activity is the source of our contemporary world crisis. Movement and expenditure had always been primary. Human history was not the progressive realization of static forms. Progress and development in the Western tradition are dead. Human history can now be seen for what it is: a series of kinetic patterns iterated in the material diffusion of the cosmos itself.

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive overview of developments in augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality—and how they could affect every part of our lives.After years of hype, extended reality—augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR)—has entered the mainstream. Commercially available, relatively inexpensive VR headsets transport wearers to other realities—fantasy worlds, faraway countries, sporting events—in ways that even the most ultra-high-definition screen cannot. AR glasses receive data in visual and auditory forms that are more useful than any laptop or smartphone can deliver. Immersive MR environments blend physical and virtual reality to create a new reality. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, technology writer Samuel Greengard offers an accessible overview of developments in extended reality, explaining the technology, considering the social and psychological ramifications, and discussing pos

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Book SynopsisIs my experience real?Or just a movie in my head?Am I no more than a super computer? You are your brain, neuroscientists tell us. Everything happens in there. Yet even the most sophisticated brain scan cannot tell us who we are. Nothing in our neurons remotely suggests the rich nature of our experience, the colours, sounds and smells that make up our lives. When Tim Parks came across a radical new theory of consciousness, he set on a quest that moves through one sparkling encounter after another to arrive at the deepest of questions: what stuff exactly is consciousness made of? And where is it? Inside or out? ‘An exceptionally witty and compelling look at the nature of consciousness… Parks is a delight to read’ Iain McGilchrist‘[It has] wit, humanity and insight… Parks is an entertaining companion throughout’ Mail on SundayTrade ReviewWith wit, humanity and insight… [Parks] tackles a question that the greatest philosophical and scientific minds have struggled with for centuries: what is consciousness?... Parks is an entertaining companion throughout * Mail on Sunday *Consciousness is weighty philosophical and scientific ground, yet Parks plots a chatty, accessible path through impenetrable academic papers and conferences on his quest to understand more about being human. So chatty, in fact, he often has conversations with himself, making Parks an even more likable guide to these lofty concepts. He’s not afraid to question some of Manzotti’s more ridiculous ideas, and muses on everything from the meaning of a midlife crisis to the much-loved Pixar film Inside Out, in which five cartoon emotions battle for control of the heroine’s psyche... A thoughtful quest to understand consciousness. * Observer *Parks, who is best-known for his Toujours Provence-like memoirs of life in Italy, succeeds admirably in bringing difficult ideas down a level. Eleanora Gallitelli, his Italian partner, who accompanies him to a psychiatric hospital in Heidelberg for research purposes, also helps. Gallitelli recently told me that she is deaf in one ear. The story of her sudden irreparable deafness — how her brain began to develop a mind of its own, playing tricks with spatial awareness and balance — is quite brilliantly told here. Parks writes well enough to appeal to the layman and the mind boffin alike. Out of My Head is pleasurably nutty, self-regarding and at times quite hilarious. * Evening Standard *[A] fantastic journey into the human brain...Parks makes an excellent point about what he calls the "internalist" position (that our picture of reality is just that: a subjective one, concocted by our brains), which is that it flatters our sense of our own importance, making of us creators of our own effectively unique worlds. -- Will Self * New Statesman *By describing his efforts to understand the phenomenon of consciousness in the form of a candid and entertaining journal-cum-memoir, Tim Parks has made a difficult subject interesting and accessible. He is an amateur in this crowded field but he presents professional neuroscientists with some challenging questions. -- David Lodge

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Book SynopsisRising prosperity was supposed to bring democracy to China, yet the Communist Party’s political monopoly endures. How? Minxin Pei looks to the surveillance state. Though renowned for high-tech repression, China’s surveillance system is above all a labor-intensive project. Pei delves into the human sources of coercion at the foundation of CCP power.Trade ReviewAn authoritative study of China’s surveillance system and its ability to strangle any possible dissent…Pei reveals the vast machinery of surveillance and repression in China, fueled by leaders’ fear, distrust, and paranoia. * Kirkus Reviews *Pei ably untangles and demystifies the Chinese surveillance system: for all its obscure and sinister aura, he paints it as the work of harried bureaucrats who struggle with glitchy equipment and unproductive employees…It adds up to a clear-eyed account of China’s surveillance crusade. * Publishers Weekly *An instant classic, offering a peerless and encompassing explanation for a great puzzle of the twenty-first century: How did China’s autocratic regime outlast its peers? Through painstaking research, Minxin Pei has reverse-engineered the hidden system of preventive repression, exposing a world that is essential to understanding China’s past and, indeed, its future. -- Evan Osnos, author of the National Book Award–winning Wildland: The Making of America’s FuryA brilliantly researched and eye-opening masterpiece on modern China’s subtle power dynamics. Shining a light on the masterful strategy of ‘preventive repression,’ Pei offers a riveting exploration of China’s covert surveillance mechanisms. -- Yuhua Wang, author of The Rise and Fall of Imperial China: The Social Origins of State DevelopmentA timely, important book on a subject that has received little attention in Western literature. Pei offers both an illuminating analysis of the surveillance state’s historical evolution and a broad overview of its operations across different sectors in contemporary China. Theoretically informed and empirically rich, this is a welcome contribution. -- Lynette Ong, author of Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary ChinaChina’s development of high-tech surveillance is crucial to understanding Beijing’s domestic aims and international goals, yet it is still poorly understood. Pei brings together sharp and cogent analysis with deep research to illuminate one of the most important issues of today. -- Rana Mitter, author of China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New NationalismAn incisive analysis of a remarkably durable system of state power. Pei argues that China’s already formidable apparatus of political control, augmented with new resources and cutting-edge technologies, has become the most effective surveillance state in history. -- Andrew G. Walder, author of Agents of Disorder: Inside China’s Cultural Revolution

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Book SynopsisFrom a world-renowned expert on creative play and the impact of commercial marketing on children, a timely investigation into how big tech is hijacking childhood—and what we can do about it“Engrossing and insightful . . . rich with details that paint a full portrait of contemporary child-corporate relations.” —Zephyr Teachout, The New York Times Book ReviewEven before COVID-19, digital technologies had become deeply embedded in children’s lives, despite a growing body of research detailing the harms of excessive immersion in the unregulated, powerfully seductive world of the “kid-tech” industry.In the “must read” (Library Journal, starred review) Who’s Raising the Kids?, Susan Linn—one of the world’s leading experts on the impact of Big Tech and big business on children—weaves an “eye-opening and disturbing exploration of how marketing tech to children is creating a passive, dysfunctional generation” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). From birth, kids have become lucrative fodder for tech, media, and toy companies, from producers of exploitative games and social media platforms to “educational” technology and branded school curricula of dubious efficacy. Written with humor and compassion, Who’s Raising the Kids? is a unique and highly readable social critique and guide to protecting kids from exploitation by the tech, toy, and entertainment industries. Two hopeful chapters—“Resistance Parenting” and “Making a Difference for Everybody’s Kids”—chart a path to allowing kids to be the children they need to be.Trade ReviewPraise for Who's Raising the Kids:“Engrossing and insightful. . . . [Who's Raising the Kids?] is rich with details that paint a full portrait of contemporary child-corporate relations.”—The New York Times Book Review“An impassioned indictment of tech companies making big money off exploiting the minds of our children.”—New York Post“A guide on changing course both individually and as a society, by an experienced activist; a must-read.”—Library Journal (starred review) “A stunning examination of how marketing, technology, and consumer capitalism impact the well-being of children. . . . This is a must-read for parents and educators.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A must-read for any parent.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Pioneer researcher and activist Susan Linn shows that we have been passive as our children were shaped into the selves that tech companies wanted them to be; adults have not met their duty of care. Who’s Raising the Kids? is a call to arms and a core text for a necessary national conversation.”—Sherry Turkle, professor, MIT, and author of Alone Together, Reclaiming Conversation, and The Empathy Diaries “An invaluable response for parents at an impossible moment—and for those of us whose kids are already grown, a great guide to resisting the platforms and apps that are constricting the life of our society in ever more painful ways.”—Bill McKibben, author of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened “Who’s Raising the Kids? is a book about a dangerous divergence—between the profit-maximizing strategies of companies that market toys, apps, and social media to children, on the one hand, and the actual needs of children, on the other. Drawing from an impressive collection of studies and stories, Linn illuminates the harms of what she aptly calls ‘a corporate takeover of childhood’ and shows us what we can do to protect all our kids.”—Alfie Kohn, author of The Schools Our Children Deserve and Punished by Rewards “Every child needs an advocate like Susan Linn; every parent—a wise friend like her; every politician and corporate leader—a bold challenger like her. And every reader needs this book—a passionate and supremely practical reckoning with one of the great dilemmas of the age.”—James Carroll, author of The Truth at the Heart of the Lie “Brava to Susan Linn! This is a timely and profoundly important book. Children are being transformed into passive consumers by advertisers and social media companies who view them as easy targets for their attention and desires. More often than not, parents are allowing this to happen without thinking about the consequences to their children’s development. Who’s Raising the Kids? is a reminder to parents and all who care, that children are vulnerable and can be easily preyed upon by profiteering businesses who see them only as consumers. If we truly cherish and value our children we must heed Linn’s warning, not allow our kids to be exploited, and keep a close eye on how they grow, develop and are influenced on their way to adulthood.”—Pedro Noguera, dean, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California “In this unsparing account of what it means to raise children in a commercial society, Susan Linn issues a clarion call to governments, schools, and parents to push back—against the relentless marketing, the false promises, the saturation of tech into our most intimate and private moments. With practical advice on how parents can navigate this morass, her expertise and research-backed conclusions also serve as a real source of comfort: children, she rightly insists, are born with all the skills they need to succeed in life—no toy, app, or flashy screen required.”—Sophie Brickman, author of Baby, Unplugged “Susan Linn is every parent’s hero. Her work calls out the manipulative marketing tactics that Big Tech and big business direct toward our children, strategies designed to exploit their vulnerabilities and ours as parents. Who’s Raising the Kids? explores the pervasive and often covert commercialism in digital child culture and the negative influences corporate profiteers have on our children’s values, learning, emotional health, and relationships. This is an eye-opening, at times unnerving read and a hopeful call to action with practical advice for weakening the forces of consumerist culture in our families and how we can advocate for a freer childhood for our kids.”—Janet Lansbury, bestselling author of No Bad Kids and Elevating Child Care “Today’s kids are tomorrow’s adults. If you love children and care about the future (and who doesn’t?), Susan Linn’s Who’s Raising the Kids? is a terrifying book. The digital conquest of our progeny’s hearts and minds is nearly complete, and if she’s right, it’s almost too late to take back what’s been surrendered. This book is a much-needed call to arms.”—Russell Banks, author of Rule of the Bone, Continental Drift, and other works of fiction

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Book SynopsisArtificial intelligence is being used, on a massive scale, to decide who gets hired, fired and promoted. Through whistleblower exclusives, leaked internal documents and astonishing real-world practices, journalist Hilke Schellmann reveals the secret rise of AI in the world of work. Testing them herself, she discovers that many algorithms making these high-stakes calculations do more harm than good, and traces their origins to troubling pseudoscientific ideas about people’s ‘true’ essence. Interviewing experts, developers and ordinary workers, The Algorithm offers fascinating and alarming truths. From software analysing interviewees’ facial expressions and tone of voice, to video games assessing their performance, to ‘personality profiles’ built from candidates’ social media, almost all major employers use AI in recruitment. Programmes track their staff’s activity, group dynamics and physical health, identifying who is productive, a bully, worth long-term investment, or likely to quit. But can we trust them? In a world of severe job insecurity, workplace algorithms are on the brink of dominating or even threatening us—if we don’t fight back.Trade Review‘The best available case study [of] … the use of artificial intelligence by human resource departments.' -- The New York Times, 'Top 5 Books on Artificial Intelligence'‘Focuses on how the technology is already deployed in personnel decisions in the workplace — with alarming results.’ -- Financial Times'Schellmann pulls the curtain back on the AI-driven "HR tech" revolution taking over hiring and managing employees, and finds tools that are arbitrary, ineffective, discriminatory and likely unlawful. Reads like a dozen scandals waiting to erupt.' -- Gavin Mueller, author of 'Breaking Things at Work''A disturbing investigation into use of AI systems in hiring, firing, and employee surveillance. As Schellmann demonstrates, AI has moved into crucial areas of our lives, but the process has been so fast and silent that its influence is almost invisible. She argues that HR managers should be required to understand how their algorithms work, and there must be greater human input to personnel decisions. This eye-opening book makes it hard to disagree.' -- 'Kirkus Reviews''In "The Algorithm", Hilke Schellmann has done the impossible: she has rendered the baffling 'Wild West' of AI immensely readable and approachable. Schellmann gives us the dark and hidden history of tech innovation and the marketplace through the stories of those whose lives have been smashed by its glitches.' -- Eliza Griswold, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'Amity and Prosperity''One of the most important topics of our time--one that impacts all of us more than we realise. The book takes a balanced approach to illuminating the current state of AI in the workplace. It's not just about incredible benefits or doomsday scenarios, but a real look into the current state of these tools, the incentive systems driving their proliferation, the mixed results they provide, and how we might ensure better outcomes. Highly recommended.' -- Ryan Fuller, former vice president for workplace intelligence, Microsoft'A fresh, important perspective on how AI is changing many critical workplace decisions in organizations. Schellmann's research is thorough and clever, and exposes the many of problems that AI and its proponents have already created for companies and employees.' -- David Futrell, former senior director of organization performance, Walmart'Hilke Schellmann was one of the first journalists to understand the dangers of AI passing judgement on workers, and The Algorithm is an absolutely vital book about the risks and harms of the systems already operating--on us--today.' -- Clay Shirky, author of "Cognitive Surplus" and "Here Comes Everybody"

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Book SynopsisAdvances in technology often rely on a world of photons as the basic units of light. Increasingly one reads of photons as essential to enterprises in Photonics and Quantum Technology, with career and investment opportunities. Notions of photons have evolved from the energy-packet crowds of Planck and Einstein, the later field modes of Dirac, the seeming conflict of wave and particle photons, to the ubiquitous laser photons of today. Readers who take interest in contemporary technology will benefit from learning what photons are now considered to be, and how our views of photons have changed -- in learning about the various operational definitions that have been used for photons and their association with a variety of quantum-state manipulations that include Quantum Information, astronomical sources and crowds of photons, the boxed fields of Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics and single photons on demand, the photons of Feynman and Glauber, and the photon constituents of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The narrative points to contemporary photons as causers of change to atoms, as carriers of messages, and as subject to controllable creation and alteration -- a considerable diversity of photons, not just one kind. Our Changing Views of Photons: A Tutorial Memoir presents those general topics as a memoir of the author''s involvement with physics and the photons of theoretical Quantum Optics, written conversationally for readers with no assumed prior exposure to science. It offers lay readers a glimpse of scientific discovery -- of how ideas become practical, as a small scientific community reconsiders its assumptions and offers the theoretical ideas that are then developed, revised, and adopted into technology for daily use. For readers who want a more detailed understanding of the theory, three substantial appendices provide tutorials that, assuming no prior familiarity, proceed from a very elementary start to basics of discrete states and abstract vector spaces; Lie groups; notions of quantum theory and the Schrödinger equation for quantum-state manipulation; Maxwell''s equations for electromagnetism, with wave modes that become photons, possibly exhibiting quantum entanglement; and the coupling of atoms and fields to create quasiparticles. The appendices can be seen as a companion to traditional textbooks on Quantum Optics.Trade ReviewUnderstandable by anyone with an interest in science. * Christian Brosseau, Optics and Photonics News, Nov 2021 *Table of ContentsPreface The Cartoons Introduction Section 1: Basic Background: Everyday Physics and Its Maths Section 2: The Photons of Planck, Einstein and Bohr Section 3: The Photons of Dirac Section 4: Photons as Population Changers Section 5: Photon Messengers Section 6: Manipulating Photons Section 7: Overview; Ways of Regarding Photons Section 8: Finale Appendix A: Atoms and Their Mathematics Appendix B: Radiation and Photons Appendix C: Couples Atom and Field Equations References Index

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Book SynopsisSince the early 1990s, advances in toxicology have allowed scientists to detect traces of adulterant substances in everyday products – even down to parts per billion concentrations. We can now detect the presence of harmful ingredients at levels so low that they actually cause no harm. Nonetheless, we get scared. We are now able to overreact to harmless, negligible sources of contamination and flock to ‘natural’, ‘organic’ and ‘chemical-free’ alternative products at elevated prices instead. This urge is driven in part by a set of interesting psychological quirks called the naturalness preference or biophilia. While exposure to many aspects of nature improves our physical and mental wellbeing, marketers are taking advantage of our naturalness preference by selling us ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ products with no functional advantage, sometimes to the detriment of the environment, and that have the unfortunate added effect of peddling a fear of conventional products that do not make such natural connotations. This fear of chemicals, exaggerated by marketers, has led some of us to seek nature in the form of expensive consumer product, which offer almost none of the benefits of spending time outdoors in real nature (which is free of charge). We thus chase nature in the wrong form. We feel guilt, anxiety and mental stress from being coaxed into paying a hefty premium price for "natural" products that are neither safer nor more effective than conventional ones, and forget to appreciate real nature in the process. This book explores the history of chemical fears and the recent events that amplified it. It describes how consumers, teachers, doctors, lawmakers and journalists can help make better connections with the public by telling stories that are more engaging about chemistry and materials science. Written in a sympathetic way, this book explains both sides of the argument for anyone with an interest in science.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Yearning for Nature; The Natural Delusion; The Naturalness Preference; Chemistry, Chemicals and Chemists; Bad Reputations; Chemophobia as a Weapon; Fighting Chemophobia; Earthrise

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Book SynopsisTubes: Behind the Scenes at the Internet by Andrew Blum is...''Utterly engrossing. The year''s most original and stimulating ''travel'' book. Even the most geek-wary of readers will enjoy'' Independent''Entertaining and illuminating. Excels at rooting the Internet in real-world locations. Full of memorable images that make its complex architecture easier to comprehend'' ObserverThe Internet. Home to the most important and intimate aspects of our lives. Our careers, our relationships, our selves, all of them are out there - online. So ... where is that exactly? And who''s in charge again? And what if it breaks?In Tubes Andrew Blum takes us on a gripping backstage tour of the real but hidden world of the Internet, introducing us to the remarkable clan of insiders and eccentrics who own, design and run it everyday. He uncovers the secret data warehouses where our online selves are stored, peels back the wires that tranTrade ReviewUtterly engrossing. The year's most original and stimulating 'travel' book. Even the most geek-wary of readers will enjoy * Independent, Book of the Week *Entertaining and illuminating. Excels at rooting the Internet in real-world locations. Full of memorable images that make its complex architecture easier to comprehend * Observer *An engaging reminder that, cyber-Utopianism aside, the Internet is as much a thing of flesh and steel as any industrial-age lumber mill or factory ... An excellent introduction to the nuts and bolts of how exactly it all works and a timely antidote to oft-repeated abstractions about "cyberspace" or "cloud computing" * Economist *Makes hard-to-grasp concepts easy to understand, even obvious. The history, in particular, is one of the best and most memorable I have ever read * New Scientist *A Quixotic and winning book with a knack for bundling packets of data into memorable observations. This valuable book leaves you with its share of unsettling visions, but there are comic ones too * The New York Times *For a full understanding of the Internet on every level, this book is a must-read * Techzone *A great, playful, wondrous read * ArsTechnica *Blum is perhaps the millennial generation's John McPhee, chronicling an arcane journey of deep relevance to everyday life. For non-techies, the book is a very accessible revelation * Forbes *All too awesome to behold. Andrew Blum's fascinating book demystifies the earthly geography of this most ethereal terra incognita -- Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with EinsteinA brilliantly smart idea executed with investigative skill and flair. Readers will never send an email so carelessly again. * Independent Books of the Year *Compelling and profound. You will never open an e-mail in quite the same way again -- Tom Vanderbilt, author of the New York Times bestseller TrafficOne of our best writers. A compelling story of an altogether new realm where the virtual world meets the physical -- Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker criticThe Internet really IS a series of tubes! Who knew? * David Pogue, Technology Editor of The New York Times *At once funny, prosaic, sinister and wise, Blum's tale is a beautifully written account of the true human cost of all our remote connectivity -- Bella Bathurst, author of The Lighthouse StevensonsWith infectious wonder, Andrew Blum introduces us to the Internet's geeky wizards and takes us on an amiably guided tour of the world they've created ... the Internet that Blum's beautifully lucid prose makes real turns out to be if anything a more marvelous place than the cloudy dreamland we'd imagined -- Donovan Hohn, author of Moby DuckAn illuminating journey of discovery * Sunday Express *Total immersive reading * The Wharf *

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Book SynopsisIn The Net Delusion: How Not to Liberate the World Evgeny Morozov argues that our utopian, internet-centric thinking holds devastating consequences for the future of democracy. We were promised that the internet would set us free. From the Middle East''s ''twitter revolution'' to Facebook activism, technology would spread democracy and bring us together as never before. We couldn''t have been more wrong. In The Net Delusion Evgeny Morozov shows why internet freedom is an illusion. Not only that - in many cases the net is actually helping oppressive regimes to stifle dissent, track dissidents and keep people pacified, with companies such as Google and Amazon helping them do it. This book shows that free information doesn''t mean free people - and that, right now, everyone''s liberty is at stake. ''Offers a rare note of wisdom and common sense, on an issue overwhelmed by digital utopians''   Malcolm GladwellTrade ReviewEvgeny Morozov offers a rare note of wisdom and common sense, on an issue overwhelmed by digital utopians -- MALCOLM GLADWELLGleefully iconoclastic ... not just unfailingly readable: it is also a provocative, enlightening and welcome riposte to the cyber-utopian worldview. * The Economist *A delight ... his demolition job on the embarrassments of "internet freedom" is comprehensive ... as we go down the rabbit-hole of WikiLeaks, Morozov's humane and rational lantern will help us land without breaking our legs. -- Pat Kane * The Independent *A passionate and heavily researched account of the case against the cyber-utopians ... only by becoming "cyber-realists" can we hope to make humane and effective policy. -- Bryan Appleyard * New Statesman *Evgeny Morozov is wonderfully knowledgeable about the Internet-he seems to have studied every use of it, or every political use, in every country in the world (and to have read all the posts). And he is wonderfully sophisticated and tough-minded about politics. This is a rare combination, and it makes for a powerful argument against the latest versions of technological romanticism. His book should be required reading for every political activist who hopes to change the world on the Internet. * Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton *The Net Delusion is considerably more than an assault on political rhetoric ... a war against complacency. -- Tom Chatfield * Observer *Required reading for all ... a compelling primer and rebuff to the "cyber utopians" ... trenchant and persuasive. -- John Kampfner * Sunday Times *Lively and combative ... dauntingly well-informed ... injects a welcome dose of common sense into an issue that has been absurdly lacking in it. -- John Preston * Sunday Telegraph *Piercing...convincing...timely. -- Ben Hammersley * Financial Times *[M]ore than rewards a respectful reading, not only for the author's impressive knowledge of the internet toolbox...but because of his ability to relate such technological gadgetry to the increasing challenges that are being posed to entrenched authoritarianism -- James M Murphy * Times Literary Supplement *Selected by the New York Times as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2011 * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisThe 21st century offers a dizzying array of new technological developments: robots smart enough to take white collar jobs, social media tools that manage our most important relationships, ordinary objects that track, record, analyze and share every detail of our daily lives, and biomedical techniques with the potential to transform and enhance human minds and bodies to an unprecedented degree. Emerging technologies are reshaping our habits, practices, institutions, cultures and environments in increasingly rapid, complex and unpredictable ways that create profound risks and opportunities for human flourishing on a global scale. How can our future be protected in such challenging and uncertain conditions? How can we possibly improve the chances that the human family will not only live, but live well, into the 21st century and beyond?This book locates a key to that future in the distant past: specifically, in the philosophical traditions of virtue ethics developed by classical thinkers fTrade ReviewThe book is an excellent contribution to moral philosophy, applied ethics and ethics of technology. In addition, I can imagine fruitful connections to other fields; e.g., to political philosophy and development economics, to discuss the roles of policies and institutions in enabling people to cultivate relevant virtues and extend relevant human capabilities, or to moral psychology or computer-human interaction, to empirically study the ways in which people may cultivate virtues in interaction with technologies. * Marc Steen, Journal of Moral Philosophy *Vallor bursts virtue ethics into 21st century relevance with her technomoral analyses. This is a wonderfully written and engaging tour de force that leaves few technological stones unturned. You certainly don't need to be a philosopher to understand Vallor's persuasive account of how to lead the good life in a world littered with ever new techno-pitfalls. It is a must read for everyone involved in the creation and governance of new technology. * Noel Sharkey, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and of Public Engagement, University of Sheffield *Shannon Vallor's book, which she appropriately previewed at a conference in China, is an insightful effort to think virtue from both Western and Eastern traditions and bring it to bear in the techno-lifeworld. It cannot help but challenge all of us who live in this world to think more deeply about who we are and what we are doing. * Carl Mitcham, Renmin University of China *Technology and the Virtues is the first extended analysis of technology and ethics drawing on virtue theory. Vallor has made an extraordinary contribution to the philosophy of technology that will have long-lasting influence. The book has it all: current relevance, philosophical depth and rigor, sociotechnical understanding of technology, practical implications, and lucid and engaging prose. * Deborah G. Johnson, Anne Shirley Carter Olsson Chair of Applied Ethics, University of Virginia *With insight, erudition, and dare I say wisdom, Shannon Vallor makes the classical virtue ethics of Confucius, Aristotle, and the Buddha a hot topic for this technological age. Creatively and convincingly she demonstrates that technomoral virtues are essential for navigating the contemporary landscape being shaped by social networks, robots, and biotechnologies." - Wendell Wallach, author of A Dangerous Master and Chair of the Technology and Ethics Study Group at Yale University's Interdisciplinary Center for BioethicsHow to live well with emerging technologies that will radically change our lives is one of the main issues of contemporary moral theory. The book Technology and the Virtues by Shannon Vallor is a welcomed attempt to answer this question...the book is very interesting, as it highlights a number of differences in a debate that, while being global, shows how different, culturally determined discourses can be developed. * Metascience *Shannon Vallor makes a compelling argument for renewing the cultivation of the virtues in order to meet the challenges of our technological age...Vallor takes a comprehensive approach, addressing both theory and applications...The cumulative case is quite impressive. Vallor ranges over three widely diverse moral traditions from the ancient world, then connects their concerns with the intricacies of urgent contemporary problems...Students and scholars of both the virtues and technology will find a great deal to interest and stimulate them here. Moreover, Vallor's book captures the special blend of excitement and precariousness that is woven into our lives today by our use and reliance on constantly changing technology. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Technology and the Virtues is a valuable contribution to both virtue theory and philosophy of technology; those working at the intersection of these fields will need to take Vallor's work into account. At the same time, the book would work well in the classroom. Vallor leads her reader from the basics of virtue theory, through key virtue ethical traditions and new technosocial virtues, to compelling discussions of the application of virtue ethics * and technosocial virtuesto emerging technologies…As a starting point for investigating the application of virtue theory to technology, one would be hard-pressed to find a better option than this ambitious volume.Ethics *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Envisioning the Good Life in the 21st Century and Beyond Part I: Foundations for a Technomoral Virtue Ethic Chapter One: Virtue Ethics, Technology and Human Flourishing Chapter Two: The Case for a Global Technomoral Virtue Ethic Part II: Cultivating the Technomoral Self: Classical Virtue Traditions as a Contemporary Guide Chapter Three: The Practice of Moral Self-Cultivation in Classical Virtue Traditions Chapter Four: Cultivating the Foundations of Technomoral Virtue Chapter Five: Completing the Circle with Technomoral Wisdom Chapter Six: Technomoral Wisdom for an Uncertain Future: 21st Century Virtues Part III: Meeting the Future with Technomoral Wisdom, Or How to Live Well with Emerging Technologies Chapter Seven: New Social Media and the Technomoral Virtues Chapter Eight: Surveillance and the Examined Life: Cultivating the Technomoral Self in a Panoptic World Chapter Nine: Robots at War and at Home: Preserving the Technomoral Virtues of Care and Courage Chapter Ten: Knowing What to Wish For: Technomoral Wisdom and Human Enhancement Technology Epilogue References

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Book SynopsisOver the course of a generation, algorithms have gone from mathematical abstractions to powerful mediators of daily life. In evolving from static computer programs hand-coded by engineers to the products of machine learning, these technologies have made our lives more efficient, more entertaining, and, sometimes, better informed. At the same time, complex algorithms are increasingly crushing the basic rights of individual citizens. Allegedly anonymized datasets and statistical models routinely leak our most sensitive personal information; applications for everything from loans to college reflect racial and gender bias. Meanwhile, users manipulate algorithms to game search engines, spam filters, online reviewing services and navigation apps. Understanding and improving the science behind the algorithms that run our lives is quickly becoming one of the most pressing issues of this century. Traditional solutions, such as laws, regulations and watchdog groups, have proven woefully inadequate, at best. Derived from the cutting-edge of scientific research, The Ethical Algorithm offers a new approach: a set of principled solutions based on the emerging and exciting science of socially aware algorithm design. Weaving together the science behind algorithm design with stories of citizens, lawyers, scientists, and activists experiencing the trial-and-error of research in real-time, Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth present a strikingly original way forward, showing how we can begin to work together to protect people from the unintended impacts of algorithms--and, sometimes, protect the science that could save us from ourselves.Trade Review...the authors take us on a journey through the main socio-algorithmic problems representing social constraints upon algorithms, their consequences and trade-offs. [T]hey provide concrete technical solutions for the challenges discussed throughout the book's 5 chapters: privacy, fairness, user-data-algorithm feedback loop, data-driven scientific discoveries and (brief) thoughts on the ethical issues (transparency, accountability, morality) yet to be pursued scientifically. * ESSSAT News & Reviews *It is elegantly written, easy to read and full of entertaining examples. * Martin Peterson, Prometheus *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Algorithmic Privacy: The Power of Randomization Chapter 2: Fairness: Discriminating Algorithms Chapter 3: Games People Play (With Algorithms) Chapter 4: Lost in the Garden: Led Astray by Data Chapter 5: Risky Business: Interpretability, Morality, and the Singularity Some Concluding Thoughts Acknowledgements Notes

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Book SynopsisAccessible and compelling, Relationships 5.0 reveals the ongoing epochal change in human relationships towards technology meant to fulfill emotional, intellectual, and physical needs that have until now been met by other humans.Trade ReviewIn Relationships 5.0, Elyakim Kislev guides the reader on a journey through world historical contexts of technological evolution and the innovations that came from those historic situational necessities. This book provides an important perspective, predicting an uncertain future where we must carefully consider how we design and depend on AI. It helps us realize that AI is not just a tool created in response to our needs for survival or a desire for entertainment, but also a projection of our own humanity. * Julie Carpenter, Research Fellow, Ethics and Emerging Sciences Group *Relationships 5.0^ is a timely and readable survey of what the latest technologies mean for sex and personal relationships. The author steps back from the headlines and takes us on an ambitious journey through human history to consider the really big, interesting questions about how our relationship to technology is changing, as well as our relationships with each other. If someone wants a Fodor's guide to the next fifty years of sex and love, this book may be it. * Neil McArthur, Director, Center for Professional and Applied Ethics, University of Manitoba *At last! A compelling book that takes a historical approach and discusses the challenging topic of emotional companionship, AI, VR and robots. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in relationships and, in particular, relationships with technologies. * Wendy Moyle, Program Director, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University *Readers of this book will not only learn the very long history of technological influences on human relationships, including communities and families, but also several critical issues about bonds between humans and highly advanced technologies such as AI, VR, and robots in near future. * Tatsuya Nomura, Professor, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Ryukoku University *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: A Brief History of Our Personal Lives 1. Hunter-Gatherer Society and Relationships 1.0 2. Agricultural Society and Relationships 2.0 3. Industrial Society and Relationships 3.0 4. Information Society and Relationships 4.0 Part II: Relationships 5.0 and the Three Revolutions in the Making 5. AI and The Cognitive Revolution 6. VR, AR, and the Sensorial Revolution 7. Robots and the Physical Revolution 8. Conclusions and Implications References Index

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Book SynopsisHarrison Decoded: Towards a Perfect Pendulum Clock brings together the output of a forty-year collaborative research project that unpicked and put into practice the fine details of John Harrison''s extraordinary pendulum clock system. Harrison predicted that his unique method of making pendulum clocks could provide as much as one-hundred-times the stability of those made by his contemporaries. However, his final publication, which promised to describe the system, was a chaotic jumble of information, much of which had nothing to do with clockwork. One contemporary reviewer of Harrison''s book could only suggest that the end result was a product of Harrison''s ''superannuated dotage.''The focus of this book centres on the making, adjusting, and testing of Clock B which was the subject of various trials at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The modern history of Clock B is accompanied by scientific analysis of the clock system, Clock B''s performance, the methods of data-gathering alongside historical perspectives on Harrison''s clockmaking, that of his contemporaries, and some evaluation of the possible influence of early 18th century scientific thought.Trade ReviewThis is an intriguing book that anyone interested in clocks and their history will enjoy. * John Haine, University of Bristol, Journal for the History of Astronomy *Revolutionary work. * Bob Frishman, Kronoscope *The essays in this fascinating book effectively chart the progress of an extraordinary experiment, conducted over decades but with a recent, and very remarkable outcome * James Nye, The Antiquarian Horological Society Chairman *Combining historical context, technical details and experimental information, this well-illustrated edited collection describes the challenges as well as the delights of historical reconstruction. * Patricia Fara, Emeritus Fellow of Claire College, Cambridge *The authors provide a wonderful vindication of a native genius, following the original work of Martin Burgess. They give us an explanation of an alternative technology to the one accepted for the past 300 years, when it comes to the design of a mechanical precision timekeeper. * Anthony Randall, Winner of the Tomplon Medal from The Clockmaker's Company *This authoritative and accessible collection of essays tells the fascinating story of [the great clockmaker John Harrison], and how Harrison's enigmatic and astute eighteenth-century account of high-reliability pendulum motion and timekeeping was at last vindicated. * Simon Schaffer, University of Cambridge *Table of Contents1: Introducing the precision pendulum clock by Rory McEvoy 2: The origins of John Harrison's 'Pendulum-Clock' technology by Andrew King 3: Introducing Martin Burgess, clockmaker by William Andrewes 4: Rescuing Martin Burgess's Clock B by Donald Saff 5: Reflections on making clocks Harrison's way by Martin Burgess 6: Completing Clock B by Charles Frodsham et al 7: Adjusting and testing Clock B at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich by Jonathan Betts 8: Crunching the numbers: analysis of Clock B's performance at Greenwich by Tom van Baak 9: Decoding the Physical Theory of Harrison's Timekeepers by Mervyn Hobden 10: Analysis of the mechanisms for compensation in Clock B by David Harrison Appendix: Update on Clock B by Rory McEvoy

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The questions he poses about the relationship between technical change and political power are pressing ones that can no longer be ignored, and identifying them is perhaps the most a nascent 'philosophy of technology' can expect to achieve at the present time."--New York Times Book Review "[Winner's] thoughtful, stylishly expressed essays . . . . are designed to wake people up to the semantic games policy-makers play; to goad people into thinking responsibly and contributing to decision making. In this he succeeds very well."--Kirkus Reviews "With educated wit, home-grown insight, and even a bit of gallows humor, Winner strives to awaken us from our technological sleepwalking."--David F. Noble, author of America by Design "The Whale and the Reactor is the philosopher's equivalent of superb public history. In its pages an analytically trained mind confronts some of the most pressing political issues of our day."--Isis

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