- Table View
- List View
Finite Difference Methods. Theory and Applications: 7th International Conference, FDM 2018, Lozenetz, Bulgaria, June 11-16, 2018, Revised Selected Papers (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #11386)
by Ivan Dimov István Faragó Lubin VulkovThis book constitutes the refereed conference proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Finite Difference Methods, FDM 2018, held in Lozenetz, Bulgaria, in June 2018.The 69 revised full papers presented together with 11 invited papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 94 submissions. They deal with many modern and new numerical techniques like splitting techniques, Green’s function method, multigrid methods, and immersed interface method.
Finite Element Analysis for Civil Engineering with DIANA Software
by Shun ChaiThis book systematically introduces readers to the finite element analysis software DIANA (DIsplacement ANAlyzer) and its applications in civil engineering. Developed by TNO Corporation in the 1970s, DIANA is frequently used in civil engineering and engineering mechanics. Unlike the software user’s manual, which provides a comprehensive introduction and theoretical analysis, this book presents a simplified overview of the basic background theory to help beginners master the software quickly. It also discusses GUI operation and the command console in Python language, and includes examples involving classical modeling operations to help readers review each section. Both the book and DIANA itself are valuable resources for students and researchers in all the structural engineering fields, such as civil engineering, bridge engineering, geotechnical engineering, tunnel engineering, underground structural engineering, irrigation, municipal engineering and fire engineering.
Finite Element Analysis for Satellite Structures
by Nader Abuelfoutouh Gasser F. Abdelal Ahmed H. GadDesigning satellite structures poses an ongoing challenge as the interaction between analysis, experimental testing, and manufacturing phases is underdeveloped. Finite Element Analysis for Satellite Structures: Applications to Their Design, Manufacture and Testing explains the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to perform design of satellite structures. By layering detailed practical discussions with fully developed examples, Finite Element Analysis for Satellite Structures: Applications to Their Design, Manufacture and Testing provides the missing link between theory and implementation. Computational examples cover all the major aspects of advanced analysis; including modal analysis, harmonic analysis, mechanical and thermal fatigue analysis using finite element method. Test cases are included to support explanations an a range of different manufacturing simulation techniques are described from riveting to shot peening to material cutting. Mechanical design of a satellites structures are covered in three steps: analysis step under design loads, experimental testing to verify design, and manufacturing. Stress engineers, lecturers, researchers and students will find Finite Element Analysis for Satellite Structures: Applications to Their Design, Manufacture and Testing a key guide on with practical instruction on applying manufacturing simulations to improve their design and reduce project cost, how to prepare static and dynamic test specifications, and how to use finite element method to investigate in more details any component that may fail during testing.
Finite Element Method to Model Electromagnetic Systems in Low Frequency
by Francis Piriou Stéphane ClénetNumerical modeling now plays a central role in the design and study of electromagnetic systems. In the field of devices operating in low frequency, it is the finite element method that has come to the fore in recent decades. Today, it is widely used by engineers and researchers in industry, as well as in research centers. This book describes in detail all the steps required to discretize Maxwell’s equations using the finite element method. This involves progressing from the basic equations in the continuous domain to equations in the discrete domain that are solved by a computer. This approach is carried out with a constant focus on maintaining a link between physics, i.e. the properties of electromagnetic fields, and numerical analysis. Numerous academic examples, which are used throughout the various stages of model construction, help to clarify the developments.
Finite Element Methods: Parallel-Sparse Statics and Eigen-Solutions
by Duc Thai NguyenThis new edition includes three new chapters, 7 through 9, that have very broad, practical applications in engineering and science. In addition, the author’s latest research results incorporated into the new textbook demonstrates better performance than the popular METIS software for partitioning graphs, partitioning finite element meshes, and producing fill-reducing orderings for sparse matrices. The new Chapter 8, and its pre-requisite, Chapter 7, present a state-of-the-art algorithm for computing the shortest paths for real-life (large-scale) transportation networks with minimum computational time. This approach has not yet appeared in any existing textbooks and it could open the doors for other transportation engineering applications. Chapter 9 vastly expands the scope of the previous edition by including sensitivity (gradient) computation and MATLAB’s built-in function “fmincon” for obtaining the optimum (or best) solution for general engineering problems.
Finite Element Modeling for Materials Engineers Using MATLAB®
by Oluleke OluwoleThe finite element method is often used for numerical computation in the applied sciences. It makes a major contribution to the range of numerical methods used in the simulation of systems and irregular domains, and its importance today has made it an important subject of study for all engineering students. While treatments of the method itself can be found in many traditional finite element books, Finite Element Modeling for Materials Engineers Using MATLAB® combines the finite element method with MATLAB to offer materials engineers a fast and code-free way of modeling for many materials processes. Finite Element Modeling for Materials Engineers Using MATLAB® covers such topics as: developing a weak formulation as a prelude to obtaining the finite element equation,interpolation functions,derivation of elemental equations, anduse of the Partial Differential Equation ToolboxTM.Exercises are given based on each example and m-files based on the examples are freely available to readers online. Researchers, advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, and practitioners in the fields of materials and metallurgy will find Finite Element Modeling for Materials Engineers Using MATLAB® a useful guide to using MATLAB for engineering analysis and decision-making.
Finite Elements Using Maxima: Theory and Routines for Rods and Beams
by Andreas Öchsner Resam MakvandiThis book provides a study aid on the finite element method. Based on the free computer algebra system “Maxima”, it presents routines to symbolically or numerically solve problems in the context of plane truss and frame structures. This allows readers to not only check classical “hand calculations” but also understand the computer implementation of the method. The mechanical theories focus on the classical one-dimensional structural elements, i.e. bars, Euler–Bernoulli and Timoshenko beams as well as their combination to generalized beam elements. Focusing on one-dimensional elements reduces the complexity of the mathematical framework and the resulting matrix equations can still be displayed with all components, and not only in a symbolic representation. The use of a computer algebra system and the incorporated functions, e.g. for equation solving, highlights the methodology of the finite element method rather than standard procedures.The book is based on the Springer Brief “Finite Elements for Truss and Frame Structures” (978-3-319-94940-6) by the same authors.
Finite Elements in Fracture Mechanics: Theory - Numerics - Applications
by Meinhard KunaFracture mechanics has established itself as an important discipline of growing interest to those working to assess the safety, reliability and service life of engineering structures and materials. In order to calculate the loading situation at cracks and defects, nowadays numerical techniques like finite element method (FEM) have become indispensable tools for a broad range of applications. The present monograph provides an introduction to the essential concepts of fracture mechanics, its main goal being to procure the special techniques for FEM analysis of crack problems, which have to date only been mastered by experts. All kinds of static, dynamic and fatigue fracture problems are treated in two- and three-dimensional elastic and plastic structural components. The usage of the various solution techniques is demonstrated by means of sample problems selected from practical engineering case studies. The primary target group includes graduate students, researchers in academia and engineers in practice.
Finite Form Representations for Meijer G and Fox H Functions: Applied to Multivariate Likelihood Ratio Tests Using Mathematica®, MAXIMA and R (Lecture Notes in Statistics #223)
by Barry C. Arnold Carlos A. CoelhoThis book depicts a wide range of situations in which there exist finite form representations for the Meijer G and the Fox H functions. Accordingly, it will be of interest to researchers and graduate students who, when implementing likelihood ratio tests in multivariate analysis, would like to know if there exists an explicit manageable finite form for the distribution of the test statistics. In these cases, both the exact quantiles and the exact p-values of the likelihood ratio tests can be computed quickly and efficiently.The test statistics in question range from common ones, such as those used to test e.g. the equality of means or the independence of blocks of variables in real or complex normally distributed random vectors; to far more elaborate tests on the structure of covariance matrices and equality of mean vectors. The book also provides computational modules in Mathematica®, MAXIMA and R, which allow readers to easily implement, plot and compute the distributions of any of these statistics, or any other statistics that fit into the general paradigm described here.
Finite Mixture of Skewed Distributions (SpringerBriefs in Statistics)
by Víctor Hugo Lachos Dávila Celso Rômulo Cabral Camila Borelli ZellerThis book presents recent results in finite mixtures of skewed distributions to prepare readers to undertake mixture models using scale mixtures of skew normal distributions (SMSN). For this purpose, the authors consider maximum likelihood estimation for univariate and multivariate finite mixtures where components are members of the flexible class of SMSN distributions. This subclass includes the entire family of normal independent distributions, also known as scale mixtures of normal distributions (SMN), as well as the skew-normal and skewed versions of some other classical symmetric distributions: the skew-t (ST), the skew-slash (SSL) and the skew-contaminated normal (SCN), for example. These distributions have heavier tails than the typical normal one, and thus they seem to be a reasonable choice for robust inference. The proposed EM-type algorithm and methods are implemented in the R package mixsmsn, highlighting the applicability of the techniques presented in the book.This work is a useful reference guide for researchers analyzing heterogeneous data, as well as a textbook for a graduate-level course in mixture models. The tools presented in the book make complex techniques accessible to applied researchers without the advanced mathematical background and will have broad applications in fields like medicine, biology, engineering, economic, geology and chemistry.
Finite Volumes for Complex Applications IX - Methods, Theoretical Aspects, Examples: FVCA 9, Bergen, Norway, June 2020 (Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics #323)
by Jürgen Fuhrmann Robert Klöfkorn Eirik Keilegavlen Florin A. RaduThe proceedings of the 9th conference on "Finite Volumes for Complex Applications" (Bergen, June 2020) are structured in two volumes. The first volume collects the focused invited papers, as well as the reviewed contributions from internationally leading researchers in the field of analysis of finite volume and related methods. Topics covered include convergence and stability analysis, as well as investigations of these methods from the point of view of compatibility with physical principles. Altogether, a rather comprehensive overview is given on the state of the art in the field. The properties of the methods considered in the conference give them distinguished advantages for a number of applications. These include fluid dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, structural analysis, nuclear physics, semiconductor theory, carbon capture utilization and storage, geothermal energy and further topics. The second volume covers reviewed contributions reporting successful applications of finite volume and related methods in these fields. The finite volume method in its various forms is a space discretization technique for partial differential equations based on the fundamental physical principle of conservation. Many finite volume methods preserve further qualitative or asymptotic properties, including maximum principles, dissipativity, monotone decay of free energy, and asymptotic stability, making the finite volume methods compatible discretization methods, which preserve qualitative properties of continuous problems at the discrete level. This structural approach to the discretization of partial differential equations becomes particularly important for multiphysics and multiscale applications. The book is a valuable resource for researchers, PhD and master’s level students in numerical analysis, scientific computing and related fields such as partial differential equations, as well as engineers working in numerical modeling and simulations.
Finite and Boundary Element Tearing and Interconnecting Solvers for Multiscale Problems
by Clemens PechsteinTearing and interconnecting methods, such as FETI, FETI-DP, BETI, etc., are among the most successful domain decomposition solvers for partial differential equations. The purpose of this book is to give a detailed and self-contained presentation of these methods, including the corresponding algorithms as well as a rigorous convergence theory. In particular, two issues are addressed that have not been covered in any monograph yet: the coupling of finite and boundary elements within the tearing and interconnecting framework including exterior problems, and the case of highly varying (multiscale) coefficients not resolved by the subdomain partitioning. In this context, the book offers a detailed view to an active and up-to-date area of research.
Finitely Generated Abelian Groups and Similarity of Matrices over a Field
by Christopher NormanAt first sight, finitely generated abelian groups and canonical forms of matrices appear to have little in common. However, reduction to Smith normal form, named after its originator H.J.S.Smith in 1861, is a matrix version of the Euclidean algorithm and is exactly what the theory requires in both cases. Starting with matrices over the integers, Part 1 of this book provides a measured introduction to such groups: two finitely generated abelian groups are isomorphic if and only if their invariant factor sequences are identical. The analogous theory of matrix similarity over a field is then developed in Part 2 starting with matrices having polynomial entries: two matrices over a field are similar if and only if their rational canonical forms are equal. Under certain conditions each matrix is similar to a diagonal or nearly diagonal matrix, namely its Jordan form. The reader is assumed to be familiar with the elementary properties of rings and fields. Also a knowledge of abstract linear algebra including vector spaces, linear mappings, matrices, bases and dimension is essential, although much of the theory is covered in the text but from a more general standpoint: the role of vector spaces is widened to modules over commutative rings. Based on a lecture course taught by the author for nearly thirty years, the book emphasises algorithmic techniques and features numerous worked examples and exercises with solutions. The early chapters form an ideal second course in algebra for second and third year undergraduates. The later chapters, which cover closely related topics, e.g. field extensions, endomorphism rings, automorphism groups, and variants of the canonical forms, will appeal to more advanced students. The book is a bridge between linear and abstract algebra.
Fintech and Cryptocurrency
by Mohd Naved V. Ajantha Devi Aditya Kumar GuptaFINTECH and CRYPTOCURRENCY Dive into the world of fintech and cryptocurrency through the engaging perspectives of this diverse group of authors and uncover the intricate connections between technology, finance, and cryptocurrency that make this a must-have for anyone intrigued by the future of digital society. Digital currencies, decentralization of money, and the growth of new technologies like blockchain, the Internet of Things, and machine learning have produced new opportunities and difficulties for banking and finance, as well as users of these services in electronic commerce. New banking and finance technologies may improve operational efficiency, risk management, compliance, and client pleasure, but they can decrease barriers and introduce new concerns, such as cybersecurity risk. Cryptocurrencies with smart contracts for payments and trading, as well as AI systems with adaptive algorithms that allow picture and speech recognition, expert judgement, group categorization, and forecasting in a variety of fields, are instances of increased automation. Simultaneously, the potentials pose risks and raise regulatory concerns. The rise of blockchain technology and its widespread use have had a significant impact on the operation and management of digital systems. At the same time, researchers and practitioners have paid close attention to digital finance. Blockchain’s first applications were limited to the production of digital currency, but it has now been expanded to include financial and commercial applications. Innovative digital finance has had a huge impact on business and society since it has been extensively adopted by businesses and consumers. As a result, the goal of this edited book is to expand and deepen our knowledge of the business possibilities of novel blockchain and digital financial applications.
Fintech and the Emerging Ecosystems: Exploring Centralised and Decentralised Financial Technologies (Financial Innovation and Technology)
by Alex Zarifis Xusen ChengFinancial technologies, commonly referred to as Fintech, are revolutionizing and reorganizing the financial sector. This digital transformation profoundly impacts society and influences our everyday lives in numerous ways, as financial services intersect with various other services we utilize. This book offers contributions from leading researchers in the field, providing a comprehensive understanding of this multifaceted transformation. It encompasses emerging financial technologies such as cryptoassets, including Bitcoin and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), and the growing significance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI. While the primary audience comprises researchers and academics, practitioners and students can also glean practical insights from its contents. Chapters "A Model of Trust in Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in Brazil: How Trust in a Two-Tier CBDC with Both the Central and Retail Banks Involved Changes Consumer Trust" and "Building Trust in AI: Leadership Insights from Malaysian Fintech Boards" are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Fintech for ESG and the Circular Economy
by Prasenjit Chatterjee Vinay Kandpal Peterson K. Ozili Ernesto D.R. Santibanez GonzalezThis book showcases research, theoretical, and validated work associated with digital finance to enhance the quality of a more sustainable environment. The primary objective of Fintech for ESG and the Circular Economy is to evaluate how fintech advancements and sustainable practices effectively drive transformative and sustainable change. It aims to motivate individuals with ideas and discussions to promote financial technology and foster creativity for a more sustainable and equitable future. The book delves into the intersection of technology and sustainability, offering insights into how big data, machine learning, and blockchain technology are transforming ESG practices and the circular economy. It highlights the potential of FinTech to drive sustainable finance, explores the current role of cyber ecosystems and digital currencies in sustainable finance, and examines the intricate legal landscape surrounding green finance in India. The book also discusses the influence of ESG factors on financial decision-making and the integration of sustainability metrics into financial analysis, supported by examples of how companies and investors are adopting these practices. Additionally, the book explores the role of financial institutions in enabling crowdfunding platforms, particularly in African markets, and provides case studies that demonstrate their impact on financial inclusion and entrepreneurship. It also analyzes the legal implications of blockchain and smart contracts within FinTech, the convergence of digital business models with ESG principles, and the role of digital currencies in promoting financial inclusion and sustainable economic growth, particularly in India. The book concludes with an exploration of tokenomics and its potential to incentivize sustainable behaviors, and examines how digital finance innovations in Tanzania are improving financial inclusion by overcoming barriers to financial services for the unbanked population. Audience This book will be of interest to scholars, researchers, academicians, and students of commerce, banking, finance, sustainability, and financial technology. This book is helpful for business professionals, researchers, and technical industry workers in finance and artificial intelligence.
Fintech with Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Blockchain (Blockchain Technologies)
by Paul Moon Sub Choi Seth H. HuangThis book introduces readers to recent advancements in financial technologies. The contents cover some of the state-of-the-art fields in financial technology, practice, and research associated with artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain—all of which are transforming the nature of how products and services are designed and delivered, making less adaptable institutions fast become obsolete. The book provides the fundamental framework, research insights, and empirical evidence in the efficacy of these new technologies, employing practical and academic approaches to help professionals and academics reach innovative solutions and grow competitive strengths.
Fire Detection in Warehouse Facilities
by Daniel T. Gottuk Joshua DinaburgAutomatic sprinklers systems are the primary fire protection system in warehouse and storage facilities. The effectiveness of this strategy has come into question due to the challenges presented by modern warehouse facilities, including increased storage heights and areas, automated storage retrieval systems (ASRS), limitations on water supplies, and changes in firefighting strategies. The application of fire detection devices used to provide early warning and notification of incipient warehouse fire events is being considered as a component of modern warehouse fire protection. Fire Detection in Warehouse Facilities provides technical information to aid in the development of guidelines and standards for the use of fire detection technologies for modern warehouse fire protection. The authors share their thorough literature review, analyze characteristic fire hazards for modern warehouse facilities, and identify information gaps in the field. The book concludes with recommendations for the development of guidelines and standards for the use of detection technologies in warehouse fire protection design, including a research plan for implementation. This book is intended for practitioners seeking an understanding of the issues surrounding warehouse design and fire protection. The book will also prove valuable for fire hazard researchers and those involved with fire department response, applicable detection systems, and fire growth suppression.
Fire Flow Water Consumption in Sprinklered and Unsprinklered Buildings: An Assessment of Community Impacts
by Inc. Code ConsultantsFire Flow Water Consumption in Sprinklered and Unsprinklered Buildings offers a detailed analysis for calculating the fire water demand required in buildings with existing and non-existant sprinkler systems. The installation of automatic sprinkler systems can significantly reduce the amount of water needed during a fire, but it requires water for commissioning, inspection, testing, and maintenance (CITM). This book provides an estimate of fire water used under both fire conditions, including CITM, to allow communities to develop fire water fees for both sprinklered and unsprinklered buildings that are proportional to the anticipated fire water usage. The types of buildings analyzed include residential (family dwellings as well as those up to four stories in height), business, assembly, institutional, mercantile, and storage facilities. Water volume was studied using guidelines from the International Code Council, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Insurance Services Office. Fire Flow Water Consumption in Sprinklered and Unsprinklered Buildings is intended for practitioners as a tool for analyzing water consumption in fire situations and for providing them with key information on the best types of water systems in a variety of buildings. Researchers working in building planning and safety will also find the book valuable.
Fire Phone: A get-started-now guide to Firefly, Mayday, Dynamic Perspective, and other new features
by Brian SawyerDive straight into hot Fire phone features you won’t find in any other device—like Firefly, Mayday, and Dynamic Perspective—with this concise hands-on guide. You probably already know how to make calls, text, and take photos with Amazon’s new phone, but where it really shines is in innovative features you’ve never even seen before. This intuitive, easy-to-follow book opens a world of possibilities with the Fire phone, right out of the box.Instantly identify and order just about any product with Firefly—from DVDs, CDs, and books (or their electronic equivalents) to nearly anything else with a barcodeUse Mayday to get live, hands-on tech support and customer service right on your phoneImmerse yourself in 3D games, maps, and apps with the Dynamic Perspective sensor systemNavigate easily with new one-handed (and no-handed!) gestures found only on Fire phone
Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings
by Brian Meacham Brandon Poole Raymond Cheng Juan EcheverriaEnvironmental concerns and advances in architectural technologies have lead to a greater number of green buildings or buildings with green, eco-friendly elements. However, from a practical standpoint, there is no incident reporting system in the world that tracks data on fire incidents in green buildings. Fire safety objectives are not explicitly considered in most green rating schemes, and green design features have been associated with photovoltaic panels and roof materials, lightweight timber frame buildings, and combustible insulation materials. Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings is the result of an extensive global literature review that sought to identify issues related to green building elements or features and ways to ensure those issues are tracked for future improvement. The book identifies actual incidents of fires in green buildings or involving green building elements, points out issues with green building elements that would increase fire risk, clarifies reports and studies that address ways to reduce fire risk in green design elements, and compares research studies that explicitly incorporate fire safety into green building design. The authors also pinpoint gaps and specific research needs associated with understanding and addressing fire risk and hazards with green building design. Using their data, the authors developed a set of matrices relating these green attributes and potential fire hazards. With these comprehensive tools, potential mitigation strategies for addressing the relative increase in fire risk or hazard associated with the green building elements and features have been identified. Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings is intended for practitioners as a tool for analyzing building safety issues in green architecture and developing methods for tracking data related to green design elements and their potential hazards. Researchers working in a related field will also find the book valuable.
Fire Tablets For Dummies
by Nancy C. MuirLeverage the power of the bestselling Amazon tablet--the FireThe Fire Tablet is hot--as Amazon's premiere tablet, it has access to a large music and video store, a growing app store, a massive library of e-books, and fast, easy one-click shopping. If you're the proud new owner of the latest version of this popular tablet, this fun and friendly guide fuels the fire by helping you make the most of its myriad features and capabilities.There's a ton of documentation and online support surrounding the Fire, but much of it is lacking--not to mention packed with jargon that could make even a tech-guru's head spin. In Fire Tablets For Dummies, you'll get easy-to-understand, thorough, and plain-English explanations of the features and topics you'll encounter as you cruise around your cool new device.Shows you how to set up your Fire, navigate with the touchscreen, and connect to Wi-FiOffers clear instruction on browsing the web, receiving and sending email, and posting on FacebookCovers new services Amazon has instituted in the latest Fire Tablet modelProvides up-to-date information on the latest and greatest apps available for your Fire tabletWhether you want to play music, watch movies, read e-books, shop online, or download apps from the Amazon Appstore--or anything in between--you'll want to keep Fire Tablets For Dummies close at hand to unlock the limitless potential of your tablet.
Fire Within: An Unofficial Graphic Novel for Minecrafters (The Magic Portal #2)
by Cara J. StevensThe second book in an all-new graphic novel series for Minecrafters—The Magic Portal!Ghasts can be a real pain when you&’re trying to survive an ultimate challenge. In book two of The Magic Portal series, Keri and Omar bravely return to the magic portal to visit the ancient Nether and learn as much as they can about these unusual and dangerous creatures and get the competitive edge they need to survive. While they&’re exploring the mysterious origins of these floating, fire-ball-launching beasts, they discover new limitations in their magic portal&’s capabilities: a timer. When a mysterious figure messes with their plans and blocks their passage home, Keri and Omar must find a way to complete their mission and get past their unseen enemy before the clock runs down. Will they make it? Only time will tell.
Fire in the Valley: The Birth and Death of the Personal Computer
by Michael Swaine Paul FreibergerIn the 1970s, while their contemporaries were protesting the computer as a tool of dehumanization and oppression, a motley collection of college dropouts, hippies, and electronics fanatics were engaged in something much more subversive. Obsessed with the idea of getting computer power into their own hands, they launched from their garages a hobbyist movement that grew into an industry, and ultimately a social and technological revolution. What they did was invent the personal computer: not just a new device, but a watershed in the relationship between man and machine. This is their story.Fire in the Valley is the definitive history of the personal computer, drawn from interviews with the people who made it happen, written by two veteran computer writers who were there from the start. Working at InfoWorld in the early 1980s, Swaine and Freiberger daily rubbed elbows with people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates when they were creating the personal computer revolution.A rich story of colorful individuals, Fire in the Valley profiles these unlikely revolutionaries and entrepreneurs, such as Ed Roberts of MITS, Lee Felsenstein at Processor Technology, and Jack Tramiel of Commodore, as well as Jobs and Gates in all the innocence of their formative years.This completely revised and expanded third edition brings the story to its completion, chronicling the end of the personal computer revolution and the beginning of the post-PC era. It covers the departure from the stage of major players with the deaths of Steve Jobs and Douglas Engelbart and the retirements of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer; the shift away from the PC to the cloud and portable devices; and what the end of the PC era means for issues such as personal freedom and power, and open source vs. proprietary software.
FireSigns: A Semiotic Theory for Graphic Design (Design Thinking, Design Theory)
by Steven SkaggsSemiotics concepts from a design perspective, offering the foundation for a coherent theory of graphic design as well as conceptual tools for practicing designers.Graphic design has been an academic discipline since the post-World War II era, but it has yet to develop a coherent theoretical foundation. Instead, it proceeds through styles, genres, and imitation, drawing on sources that range from the Bauhaus to deconstructionism. In FireSigns, Steven Skaggs offers the foundation for a semiotic theory of graphic design, exploring semiotic concepts from design and studio art perspectives and offering useful conceptual tools for practicing designers.Semiotics is the study of signs and significations; graphic design creates visual signs meant to create a certain effect in the mind (a “FireSign”). Skaggs provides a network of explicit concepts and terminology for a practice that has made implicit use of semiotics without knowing it. He offers an overview of the metaphysics of visual perception and the notion of visual entities, and, drawing on the pragmatic semiotics of the philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, looks at visual experience as a product of the action of signs. He introduces three conceptual tools for analyzing works of graphic design—semantic profiles, the functional matrix, and the visual gamut—that allow visual “personality types” to emerge and enable a greater understanding of the range of possibilities for visual elements. Finally, he applies these tools to specific analyses of typography.