Download or read book Why Things Bite Back written by Edward Tenner and published by Vintage. This book was released on 1997-09-02 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this perceptive and provocative look at everything from computer software that requires faster processors and more support staff to antibiotics that breed resistant strains of bacteria, Edward Tenner offers a virtual encyclopedia of what he calls "revenge effects"--the unintended consequences of the mechanical, chemical, biological, and medical forms of ingenuity that have been hallmarks of the progressive, improvement-obsessed modern age. Tenner shows why our confidence in technological solutions may be misplaced, and explores ways in which we can better survive in a world where despite technology's advances--and often because of them--"reality is always gaining on us." For anyone hoping to understand the ways in which society and technology interact, Why Things Bite Back is indispensable reading. "A bracing critique of technological determinism in both its utopian and dystopian forms...No one who wants to think clearly about our high-tech future can afford to ignore this book."--Jackson Lears, Wilson Quarterly

Download or read book The Efficiency Paradox written by Edward Tenner and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2018-04-17 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bold challenge to our obsession with efficiency—and a new understanding of how to benefit from the powerful potential of serendipity. Algorithms, multitasking, the sharing economy, life hacks: our culture can't get enough of efficiency. One of the great promises of the Internet and big data revolutions is the idea that we can improve the processes and routines of our work and personal lives to get more done in less time than we ever have before. There is no doubt that we're performing at higher levels and moving at unprecedented speed, but what if we're headed in the wrong direction? Melding the long-term history of technology with the latest headlines and findings of computer science and social science, The Efficiency Paradox questions our ingrained assumptions about efficiency, persuasively showing how relying on the algorithms of digital platforms can in fact lead to wasted efforts, missed opportunities, and, above all, an inability to break out of established patterns. Edward Tenner offers a smarter way of thinking about efficiency, revealing what we and our institutions, when equipped with an astute combination of artificial intelligence and trained intuition, can learn from the random and unexpected.

Download or read book Why Things Bite Back written by Edward Tenner and published by . This book was released on 1996-01-01 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Why Things Bite Back written by Edward Tenner and published by Turtleback. This book was released on 1997-09-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the irony of progress in technology, including how advances in medicine, mechanics, transportation, and computers have had natural regressive consequences for society and the economy

Download or read book Strategy Bites Back written by Henry Mintzberg and published by Pearson UK. This book was released on 2004-12-21 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Swotted by strategy models? Crunched by analysis? Strategy doesn't have to be this way. 'Strategy Bites Back' brings you a provocative, imaginative and surprising mix of perspectives to help stimulate more creative strategic thinking and more enjoyable strategy making.

Download or read book Why Things Break written by Mark Eberhart and published by Crown. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did you know— • It took more than an iceberg to sink the Titanic. • The Challenger disaster was predicted. • Unbreakable glass dinnerware had its origin in railroad lanterns. • A football team cannot lose momentum. • Mercury thermometers are prohibited on airplanes for a crucial reason. • Kryptonite bicycle locks are easily broken. “Things fall apart” is more than a poetic insight—it is a fundamental property of the physical world. Why Things Break explores the fascinating question of what holds things together (for a while), what breaks them apart, and why the answers have a direct bearing on our everyday lives. When Mark Eberhart was growing up in the 1960s, he learned that splitting an atom leads to a terrible explosion—which prompted him to worry that when he cut into a stick of butter, he would inadvertently unleash a nuclear cataclysm. Years later, as a chemistry professor, he remembered this childhood fear when he began to ponder the fact that we know more about how to split an atom than we do about how a pane of glass breaks. In Why Things Break, Eberhart leads us on a remarkable and entertaining exploration of all the cracks, clefts, fissures, and faults examined in the field of materials science and the many astonishing discoveries that have been made about everything from the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger to the crashing of your hard drive. Understanding why things break is crucial to modern life on every level, from personal safety to macroeconomics, but as Eberhart reveals here, it is also an area of cutting-edge science that is as provocative as it is illuminating.

Download or read book Lessons from History written by Alex Deane and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2021-08-31 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History is full to the brim with untold tales of heroics and villainy, gruesome battles, hilarious happenings and downright bizarre coincidences. Meet the war veteran who lost an eye and amputated his own fingers. Discover the original Die Hards, whose bravery would put even Bruce Willis to shame. Just who stole the still-missing Irish crown jewels and how did Adeline, Countess of Cardigan, scandalise society so completely? In Lessons from History, Alex Deane takes us on an uproarious romp through the tales you didn't hear at school. With stories ranging from the little-known characters who played their vital parts in the world's most famous wars to the remarkable adventures of figures across the centuries, to events so extraordinary as to be almost – almost – unbelievable, this book proves that fact is almost always wilder than fiction. Bringing these stories joyfully and often poignantly back to life, Deane finally shines a light on the tales lost to history, and on what we might learn from them today.

Download or read book Unfair Game written by Michael Ashcroft and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2020-06-16 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In April 2019 Lord Ashcroft published the results of his year-long investigation into South Africa's captive-bred lion industry. Over eleven pages of a single edition of the Mail on Sunday he showed why this sickening trade, which involves appalling cruelty to the 'King of the Savannah' from birth to death, has become a stain on the country. Unfair Game, to be published in June 2020, features the shocking results of a new inquiry Lord Ashcroft has conducted into South Africa's lion business. In the book, he shows how tourists are unwittingly being used to support the abuse of lions; he details how lions are being tranquilised and then hunted in enclosed spaces; he urges the British government to ban the import of captive-bred lion trophies; and he demonstrates why Asia's insatiable appetite for lion bones has become a multimillion-dollar business linked to criminality and corruption, which now underpins South Africa's captive lion industry.

Download or read book Bite Back written by Saru Jayaraman and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2020-05-12 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The food system is broken, but there is a revolution underway to fix it. Bite Back presents an urgent call to action and a vision for disrupting corporate power in the food system, a vision shared with countless organizers and advocates worldwide. In this provocative and inspiring new book, editors Saru Jayaraman and Kathryn De Master bring together leading experts and activists who are challenging corporate power by addressing injustices in our food system, from wage inequality to environmental destruction to corporate bullying. In paired chapters, authors present a problem arising from corporate control of the food system and then recount how an organizing campaign successfully tackled it. This unique solutions-oriented book allows readers to explore the core contemporary challenges embedded in our food system and learn how we can push back against corporate greed to benefit workers and consumers everywhere.

Download or read book Greater written by Penny Mordaunt and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2021-05-20 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We're used to hearing that we live in an age of unprecedented division, that the great storms that have engulfed British politics over the past ten years have driven us further apart than ever, with no hope of finding common ground. Penny Mordaunt and Chris Lewis disagree. In this lively and insightful book, they argue that although differences of opinion are a natural part of healthy political debate, some of our current division is caused by a need for political reform. A wave of scandals has corroded public confidence in leadership in all walks of life, fuelled by a hyper-individualistic social media landscape – but by rebuilding public trust we can restore national pride and positive, competent politics. Greater lays out a plan for post-Brexit Britain. Delving into our history, our institutions and our culture, it explains how we arrived at this point and how the British character points the way towards practical national missions. It explores Britain's role in the world and how to balance global and local priorities; makes the case for the United Kingdom based on the mutuality that binds us; and calls for modernising reform in politics, government and markets. It describes the role of social media in culture wars and calls for a relentless focus on aspiration and a social enterprise revolution. Above all, it reminds us of the many reasons we have to be optimistic.

Download or read book Open Very Carefully written by Nick Bromley and published by Candlewick Press. This book was released on 2013 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The reading of a story is interrupted by a crocodile falling into the book.

Download or read book Why We Make Mistakes written by Joseph T. Hallinan and published by Crown. This book was released on 2009-02-17 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We forget our passwords. We pay too much to go to the gym. We think we’d be happier if we lived in California (we wouldn’t), and we think we should stick with our first answer on tests (we shouldn’t). Why do we make mistakes? And could we do a little better? We human beings have design flaws. Our eyes play tricks on us, our stories change in the retelling, and most of us are fairly sure we’re way above average. In Why We Make Mistakes, journalist Joseph T. Hallinan sets out to explore the captivating science of human error—how we think, see, remember, and forget, and how this sets us up for wholly irresistible mistakes. In his quest to understand our imperfections, Hallinan delves into psychology, neuroscience, and economics, with forays into aviation, consumer behavior, geography, football, stock picking, and more. He discovers that some of the same qualities that make us efficient also make us error prone. We learn to move rapidly through the world, quickly recognizing patterns—but overlooking details. Which is why thirteen-year-old boys discover errors that NASA scientists miss—and why you can’t find the beer in your refrigerator. Why We Make Mistakes is enlivened by real-life stories—of weathermen whose predictions are uncannily accurate and a witness who sent an innocent man to jail—and offers valuable advice, such as how to remember where you’ve hidden something important. You’ll learn why multitasking is a bad idea, why men make errors women don’t, and why most people think San Diego is west of Reno (it’s not). Why We Make Mistakes will open your eyes to the reasons behind your mistakes—and have you vowing to do better the next time.

Download or read book The R Word written by Kurt Barling and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-27 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Race and racism remain an inescapable part of the lives of black people. Daily slights, often rooted in fears and misperceptions of the 'other', still damage lives. But does race matter as much as it used to? Many argue that the post-racial society is upon us and racism is no longer a block on opportunity - Kurt Barling doubts whether things are really that simple. Ever since, at the age of four, he wished for 'blue eyes and blond hair', skin colour has featured prominently as he, like so many others, navigated through a childhood and adolescence in which 'blackness' defined and dominated so much of social discourse. But despite the progress that has been made, he argues, the 'R' word is stubbornly resilient. In this powerful polemic, Barling tackles the paradoxes at the heart of anti-racism and asks whether, by adopting the language of the oppressor to liberate the oppressed, we are in fact paralysing ourselves within the false mythologies inherited from raciology, race and racism. Can society escape this so-called 'race-thinking' and re-imagine a Britain that is no longer 'Black' and 'White'? Is it yet possible to step out of our skins and leave the colour behind?

Download or read book Our Own Devices written by Gilles Messier and published by XinXii. This book was released on 2021-03-26 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mid-century speculative retro fiction. The Second World War. Nuclear Power. Space Exploration. These powerful forces forever changed the course of history. In these nine new stories and three essays Messier explores our intimate and often fickle relationship with science and technology in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and how it came to define our past, present and future. Science + Fiction based on 20th-century history, with 27 archival photographs.

Download or read book Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It written by Kerry Winfrey and published by . This book was released on 2018-07-10 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Months before surgery to correct her underbite, Jolie decides she needs to live life to the fullest--just in case the surgery doesn't go as expected--in this funny and honest new novel from the author of the acclaimed "Love and Other Alien Experiences."

Download or read book Conundrum written by Richard Bacon and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2013-06-18 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Government failure is affecting everyone. The single mum worried sick by a tax credit demand from HMRC to 'repay' thousands of pounds she never received; the family whose holiday was ruined because the Passport Office couldn't issue passports in time; the school that couldn't open at the start of term because CRB checks were being carried out by an organisation in meltdown; the farmers led to bankruptcy and even suicide by a Kafkaesque system for administering farm payments; and rail operators facing an uncertain future because the Department for Transport inadvertently landed the whole rail franchising system in chaos. Why is government getting it so wrong? Richard Bacon and Christopher Hope delve into the astonishing world of cock-ups and catastrophes and ponder why those at the top continue to fall short.

Download or read book The Inner History of Devices written by Sherry Turkle and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2011-09-30 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Memoir, clinical writings, and ethnography inform new perspectives on the experience of technology; personal stories illuminate how technology enters the inner life. For more than two decades, in such landmark studies as The Second Self and Life on the Screen, Sherry Turkle has challenged our collective imagination with her insights about how technology enters our private worlds. In The Inner History of Devices, she describes her process, an approach that reveals how what we make is woven into our ways of seeing ourselves. She brings together three traditions of listening—that of the memoirist, the clinician, and the ethnographer. Each informs the others to compose an inner history of devices. We read about objects ranging from cell phones and video poker to prosthetic eyes, from Web sites and television to dialysis machines. In an introductory essay, Turkle makes the case for an “intimate ethnography” that challenges conventional wisdom. One personal computer owner tells Turkle: “This computer means everything to me. It's where I put my hope.” Turkle explains that she began that conversation thinking she would learn how people put computers to work. By its end, her question has changed: “What was there about personal computers that offered such deep connection? What did a computer have that offered hope?” The Inner History of Devices teaches us to listen for the answer. In the memoirs, ethnographies, and clinical cases collected in this volume, we read about an American student who comes to terms with her conflicting identities as she contemplates a cell phone she used in Japan (“Tokyo sat trapped inside it”); a troubled patient who uses email both to criticize her therapist and to be reassured by her; a compulsive gambler who does not want to win steadily at video poker because a pattern of losing and winning keeps her more connected to the body of the machine. In these writings, we hear untold stories. We learn that received wisdom never goes far enough.