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When the Braves Ruled the Diamond: Fourteen Flags over Atlanta
by Dan SchlossbergFrom 1991 through 2005, the Atlanta Braves did something no pro sports team can match, finishing in first place for fourteen consecutive seasons. <P><P>During that stretch, the Braves paired powerful pitching with potent hitting that produced under pressure. Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox won with veteran teams, young teams, slugging teams, and several times with teams that emphasized speed and defense. His teams captured on hundred wins in six different seasons. <P><P>In When the Braves Ruled the Diamond, now newly updated to include a discussion of the team's latest Hall of Fame inductees, former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg covers the record-breaking era that transformed Atlanta from the Bad-News Braves to America's Team. <P><P>With separate chapters on Cox, fabled pitching coach Leo Mazzone, and Hall of Fame pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, this book also highlights the contributions of Andres Galarraga, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Brian Jordan, Javy Lopez, Terry Pendleton, and many more Braves stars. <P><P>It features year-by-year summaries, Opening Day lineups, and even oddball anecdotes that explain why the fourteen-year streak may never be duplicated. It is the perfect gift for fans of baseball history as well as fans of the Atlanta Braves!
Where Did You Get This Number?: A Pollster's Guide to Making Sense of the World
by Anthony SalvantoCBS News’ Elections and Surveys Director Anthony Salvanto takes you behind the scenes of polling to show you how to think about who we are and where we’re headed as a nation.As Elections and Surveys Director for CBS News, it’s Anthony Salvanto’s job to understand you—what you think and how you vote. He’s the person behind so many of the poll numbers you see today, making the winner calls on election nights and surveying thousands of Americans. In Where Did You Get This Number? A Pollster’s Guide to Making Sense of the World, Salvanto takes readers on a fast-paced, eye-opening tour through the world of polling and elections and what they really show about America today, beyond the who's-up-who’s-down headlines and horse races. Salvanto is just the person to bring much-needed clarity in a time when divisions seem to run so deep. The language of polling may be numbers, but the stories it tells are about people. In this engaging insider’s account, Salvanto demystifies jargon with plain language and answers readers’ biggest questions about polling and pollsters. How can they talk to 1,000 people and know the country? How do they know the winner so fast? How do they decide what questions to ask? Why didn't they call you? Salvanto offers data-driven perspective on how Americans see the biggest issues of our time, from the surprising 2016 election, to the shocks of the financial crisis, the response to terrorism and the backlash against big money. He doesn’t shy away from pointing out what’s worked and what hasn’t. Salvanto takes readers inside the CBS newsroom on Election Night 2016 and makes readers rethink conventional wisdom and punditry just in time for the 2018 midterms. He shows who really decides elections and why you should think about a poll differently from the forecasts popularized by Nate Silver and others. Where Did You Get This Number? is an essential resource for anyone interested in politics—and how to better measure and understand patterns of human behavior. For any American who wants to get a better read on what America is thinking, this book shows you how to make sense of it all.
Where Do Numbers Come From?
by T. W. KörnerWhy do we need the real numbers? How should we construct them? These questions arose in the nineteenth century, along with the ideas and techniques needed to address them. Nowadays it is commonplace for apprentice mathematicians to hear 'we shall assume the standard properties of the real numbers' as part of their training. But exactly what are those properties? And why can we assume them? This book is clearly and entertainingly written for those students, with historical asides and exercises to foster understanding. Starting with the natural (counting) numbers and then looking at the rational numbers (fractions) and negative numbers, the author builds to a careful construction of the real numbers followed by the complex numbers, leaving the reader fully equipped with all the number systems required by modern mathematical analysis. Additional chapters on polynomials and quarternions provide further context for any reader wanting to delve deeper.
Where is the Gödel-point hiding: Gentzen's Consistency Proof of 1936 and His Representation of Constructive Ordinals
by Anna HorskáThis book explains the first published consistency proof of PA. It contains the original Gentzen's proof, but it uses modern terminology and examples to illustrate the essential notions. The author comments on Gentzen's steps which are supplemented with exact calculations and parts of formal derivations. A notable aspect of the proof is the representation of ordinal numbers that was developed by Gentzen. This representation is analysed and connection to set-theoretical representation is found, namely an algorithm for translating Gentzen's notation into Cantor normal form. The topic should interest researchers and students who work on proof theory, history of proof theory or Hilbert's program and who do not mind reading mathematical texts.
Where the Hood At?: Fifty Years of Change in Black Neighborhoods
by Michael C. LensSubstantial gaps exist between Black Americans and other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., most glaringly Whites, across virtually all quality-of-life indicators. Despite strong evidence that neighborhood residence affects life outcomes, we lack a comprehensive picture of Black neighborhood conditions and how they have changed over time. In Where the Hood At? urban planning and public policy scholar Michael C. Lens examines the characteristics and trajectories of Black neighborhoods across the U.S. over the fifty years since the Fair Housing Act. Hip hop music was born out of Black neighborhoods in the 1970s and has evolved alongside them. In Where the Hood At? Lens uses rap’s growth and influence across the country to frame discussions about the development and conditions of Black neighborhoods. Lens finds that social and economic improvement in Black neighborhoods since the 1970s has been slow. However, how well Black neighborhoods are doing varies substantially by region. Overall, Black neighborhoods in the South are doing well and growing quickly. Washington D.C. and Atlanta, in particular, stand out as centers of Black affluence. Black neighborhoods in the Midwest and the Rust Belt, on the other hand, are particularly disadvantaged. The welfare of Black neighborhoods is related not only to factors within neighborhoods, such as the unemployment rate, but also to characteristics of the larger metropolitan area, such as overall income inequality. Lens finds that while gentrification is increasingly prevalent, it is growing slowly, and is not as pressing an issue as public discourse would make it seem. Instead, concentrated disadvantage is by far the most common and pressing problem in Black neighborhoods. Lens argues that Black neighborhoods represent urban America’s greatest policy failures, and that recent housing policies have only had mild success. He provides several suggestions for policies with the goal of uplifting Black neighborhoods. One radical proposal is enacting policies and programs, such as tax breaks for entrepreneurs or other small business owners, that would encourage Black Americans to move back to the South. Black Americans migrating South would have a better chance at moving to an advantaged Black neighborhood as improving neighborhood location is higher when moving across regions. It would also help Black Americans expand their political and economic power. He also suggests a regional focus for economic development policies, particularly in the Midwest where Black neighborhoods are struggling the most. One way to boost economic development would be to move federal agencies to the area. He also calls for building more affordable housing in Black suburbs. Black poverty is lower in suburbs than in central cities, so increasing housing in Black suburbs would allow Black households to relocate to more advantaged neighborhoods, which research has shown leads to improved life outcomes. Where the Hood At? is a remarkable and comprehensive account of Black neighborhoods that helps us to better understand the places and conditions that allow them flourish or impedes their advancement.
Where's the Wonder in Elementary Math?: Encouraging Mathematical Reasoning in the Classroom
by Judith McVarishThis book argues that even in today's high-stakes testing environment, 'teaching to the test' need not be teachers’ only focus as they introduce young children to mathematics. Judith McVarish demonstrates how building a community of learners and using problem solving to engage students can help teachers encourage students’ disposition to creative thinking and reasoning—skills that can otherwise become lost due to the pressure of the many other expectations placed upon both teachers and students. This book offers strategies for infusing mathematics learning and reasoning into elementary school classrooms while meeting curriculum and testing mandates. The teacher researcher component of each chapter provides a vehicle for teachers to bring their own expertise and questions back into the teaching and learning equation.
Which One Doesn't Belong?: Playing with Shapes
by Christopher DanielsonTalking math with your child is simple and even entertaining with this better approach to shapes!Written by a celebrated math educator, this innovative inquiry encourages critical thinking and sparks memorable mathematical conversations. Children and their parents answer the same question about each set of four shapes: "Which one doesn't belong?" There's no one right answer--the important thing is to have a reason why. Kids might describe the shapes as squished, smooshed, dented, or even goofy. But when they justify their thinking, they're talking math! Winner of the Mathical Book Prize for books that inspire children to see math all around them."This is one shape book that will both challenge readers' thinking and encourage them to think outside the box."--Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review
Which Treatment Is Best? Spoof or Proof?
by Teddy BaderA young woman cries, "Please don’t let me die!" Has she received the best treatment? What is the best treatment? How do we know? Life-threatening disease prompts these questions in everyone. Which Treatment Is Best? Spoof or Proof? explains the best scientific evidence for any treatment—the randomized controlled trial. This book begins with rotten humors as the source of all diseases. The reader is guided through serious attempts in history to treat disease, but which now seem amusing. The story ends with the randomized controlled trial and how to interpret it. The text will help students and clinicians understand this universal language of clinical research worldwide. Key Features Describes the development of the randomized, controlled trial as the gold standard of proof Unravels the meaning of "randomized," "double-blind," and "p-values" in a simplified manner for students and clinicians Contains timeless information on how medical evidence can be understood
Who Gets What—and Why: The New Economics Of Matchmaking And Market Design
by Alvin E. Roth&“In his fluent and accessible book, Mr. Roth vividly describes the successes of market design.&” — Economist.com? &“In this fascinating, often surprising book, Alvin Roth guides us through the jungles of modern life, pointing to the many markets that are hidden in plain view all around us.&” — Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational and The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty Most of the study of economics deals with commodity markets, where the price of a good connects sellers and buyers. But what about other kinds of &“goods,&” like a spot in the Yale freshman class or a position at Google? If you&’ve ever sought a job or hired someone, applied to college or guided your child into a good kindergarten, asked someone out on a date or been asked out, you&’ve participated in a kind of market. This is the territory of matching markets, where &“sellers&” and &“buyers&” must choose each other, and price isn&’t the only factor determining who gets what. In Who Gets What—and Why, Nobel laureate Alvin E. Roth reveals the matching markets hidden around us and shows us how to recognize a good match and make smarter, more confident decisions. &“Mr. Roth&’s work has been to discover the most efficient and equitable methods of matching, and implement them in the world. He writes with verve and style . . . Who Gets What—and Why is a pleasure to read.&” — Wall Street Journal &“A book filled with wit, charm, common sense, and uncommon wisdom.&” — Paul Milgrom, professor of economics, Stanford University and Stanford Business School
Who Jumps More?: Who Jumps More? (Storytelling Math)
by Grace LinCaldecott Honor winner Grace Lin celebrates math for every kid, everywhere!Olivia and Mei jump in the snow all the way to the tall tree. Mei takes a few big leaps like a deer. Olivia makes lots of smaller hops like a bunny. Each jumps &“more&” in a different way. A playful exploration of measurement, proportion, and friendship.Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire - The Quiz Book
by Sony Pictures Television UK Rights LtdHave you got what it takes? Sharpen your mind with Who Wants to be a Millionaire - The Quiz Book and see if you would win the £1,000,000 jackpotAnd remember, no cheating . . .__________Sir Seretse Khama was the first president of which country?A: BotswanaB: TanzaniaC: GhanaD: Zambia...For £1,000,000, what is your final answer?__________Only five people on UK screens have ever answered their way to the top and taken home the full cash prize.The question is, could you become a winner?Whether you're confident quizzer or trivial about trivia, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire - The Quiz Book is perfect for a solo test of knowledge or the ultimate at-home quiz with family and friends.Complete with all four life-lines and over 1,000 brand new questions, and written by brains behind the classic show, you can recreate Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from your home. Now there's only one question that really matters . . .Do you have what it takes?
Who Will Feed China?: Wake-Up Call for a Small Planet (Routledge Revivals)
by Lester BrownOriginally published in 1995, but with enduring relevance in a time of global population growth and food insecurity, when it was first published, this book attracted much global attention, and criticism from Beijing. It argued that even as water becomes scarcer in a land where 80% of the grain crop is irrigated, as per-acre yield gains are erased by the loss of agricultural land to industrialization, and as food production stagnates, China still increases its population by the equivalent of a new Beijing each year. This book predicts that in an integrated world economy, China’s rising food prices will become the world’s rising food prices. China’s land scarcity will come everyone’s land scarcity and water scarcity in China will affect the entire world. China’s dependence on massive imports, like the collapse of the world’s fisheries, will be a wake-up call that we are colliding with the earth’s capacity to feed us. Over time, Janet Larsen argued, China’s leaders came to ‘acknowledge how Who Will Feed China? changed their thinking..’ As China’s wealth increases, so do the dietary demands of its population. The increasing middle classes demand more grain-intensive meat and farmed fish. The issue of who will feed China has not gone away.
Who Wrote Citizen Kane?: Statistical Analysis of Disputed Co-Authorship (Quantitative Methods in the Humanities and Social Sciences)
by Warren BucklandThis book offers a solution to one of film history’s major controversies: the long-running dispute over Orson Welles’ and Herman J. Mankiewicz’s contributions to the Citizen Kane screenplay. It establishes the vital importance of computing and statistics to solving previously intractable puzzles in the arts and humanities. Citizen Kane (1941) is one of the most acclaimed films in the history of cinema. For 50 years it topped the Sight & Sound film critics’ poll. Orson Welles directed the film and is credited with co-writing the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. But the co-writer credit generates furious disputes between those who argue Mankiewicz is the sole author of Citizen Kane and those who claim that Welles collaborated fully with its writing. The author employs computing and statistics to answer two questions: What are the distinguishing features of Welles’ and of Mankiewicz’s writing? And What did each contribute to the writing of the Citizen Kane screenplay? To answer these questions, the author bypasses opinions and impressions, and instead subjects the language of the Citizen Kane screenplay to a ‘forensic’ examination. Employing linguistics, basic statistical tests, plus computer technology and software, the author identifies the stylistic signature of each author – the combination of consistent and regular linguistic habits that make each author’s writing distinctive. This book replaces impressionistic discussions of Mankiewicz’s and Welles’ contributions to the Citizen Kane screenplay with a rigorous, experiment-driven statistical analysis. Earlier statistical studies of authorship have discovered that small, unassuming language features (such as punctuation, pronouns, and prepositions) in statistically significant quantities, constitute a screenwriter’s distinctive writing habits. Only with the extensive experimentation carried out in this volume, did the author decide Mankiewicz’s and Welles’ specific habits and their contributions to Citizen Kane.
The Whole Truth About Whole Numbers
by Sylvia Forman Agnes M. RashThe Whole Truth About Whole Numbers is an introduction to the field of Number Theory for students in non-math and non-science majors who have studied at least two years of high school algebra. Rather than giving brief introductions to a wide variety of topics, this book provides an in-depth introduction to the field of Number Theory. The topics covered are many of those included in an introductory Number Theory course for mathematics majors, but the presentation is carefully tailored to meet the needs of elementary education, liberal arts, and other non-mathematical majors. The text covers logic and proofs, as well as major concepts in Number Theory, and contains an abundance of worked examples and exercises to both clearly illustrate concepts and evaluate the students' mastery of the material.
Who's #1?: The Science of Rating and Ranking
by Amy N. Langville Carl D. MeyerThe mathematics behind today's most widely used rating and ranking methodsA website's ranking on Google can spell the difference between success and failure for a new business. NCAA football ratings determine which schools get to play for the big money in postseason bowl games. Product ratings influence everything from the clothes we wear to the movies we select on Netflix. Ratings and rankings are everywhere, but how exactly do they work? Who's #1? offers an engaging and accessible account of how scientific rating and ranking methods are created and applied to a variety of uses.Amy Langville and Carl Meyer provide the first comprehensive overview of the mathematical algorithms and methods used to rate and rank sports teams, political candidates, products, Web pages, and more. In a series of interesting asides, Langville and Meyer provide fascinating insights into the ingenious contributions of many of the field's pioneers. They survey and compare the different methods employed today, showing why their strengths and weaknesses depend on the underlying goal, and explaining why and when a given method should be considered. Langville and Meyer also describe what can and can't be expected from the most widely used systems.The science of rating and ranking touches virtually every facet of our lives, and now you don't need to be an expert to understand how it really works. Who's #1? is the definitive introduction to the subject. It features easy-to-understand examples and interesting trivia and historical facts, and much of the required mathematics is included.
Whose Math Is It?: Building Student Ownership in Mathematics
by Joseph AssofFoster Confidence and Ownership in Every Math Student When it comes to math, does it feel like some students embrace problem-solving with agency and ownership while others are confused—or simply along for the ride? How do educators bridge that divide to develop competence, confidence, and ownership in every student? The answers lie in establishing clear and effective measures for success. Steeped in the principles of success criteria, Whose Math Is It? provides educators with everything they need to create a classroom environment where students feel empowered to step up and take the lead. Divided into two parts, this must-read guide first defines what success looks like for math students, then provides the research-based best practices teachers can use to help students take control of their learning. Learn how to: Define and establish effective success criteria in a mathematics classroom Implement a variety of strategies to support student ownership and success Develop class-wide social norms specific to math Promote metacognition through self-regulated learning, self-assessment, and feedback Reinforce student ownership through structured peer interactions and collaboration Whose Math Is It? is an essential resource for K-12 math teachers who want to empower their students to actively own their mathematics learning. By emphasizing the importance of success criteria, promoting self-regulated learning, and developing math-specific social norms, this book provides practical strategies for creating an environment where when asked, "Whose math is it?" every student can emphatically respond: My math!
Whose Math Is It?: Building Student Ownership in Mathematics
by Joseph AssofFoster Confidence and Ownership in Every Math Student When it comes to math, does it feel like some students embrace problem-solving with agency and ownership while others are confused—or simply along for the ride? How do educators bridge that divide to develop competence, confidence, and ownership in every student? The answers lie in establishing clear and effective measures for success. Steeped in the principles of success criteria, Whose Math Is It? provides educators with everything they need to create a classroom environment where students feel empowered to step up and take the lead. Divided into two parts, this must-read guide first defines what success looks like for math students, then provides the research-based best practices teachers can use to help students take control of their learning. Learn how to: Define and establish effective success criteria in a mathematics classroom Implement a variety of strategies to support student ownership and success Develop class-wide social norms specific to math Promote metacognition through self-regulated learning, self-assessment, and feedback Reinforce student ownership through structured peer interactions and collaboration Whose Math Is It? is an essential resource for K-12 math teachers who want to empower their students to actively own their mathematics learning. By emphasizing the importance of success criteria, promoting self-regulated learning, and developing math-specific social norms, this book provides practical strategies for creating an environment where when asked, "Whose math is it?" every student can emphatically respond: My math!
Why
by Samantha KleinbergCan drinking coffee help people live longer? What makes a stock's price go up? Why did you get the flu? Causal questions like these arise on a regular basis, but most people likely have not thought deeply about how to answer them.This book helps you think about causality in a structured way: What is a cause, what are causes good for, and what is compelling evidence of causality? Author Samantha Kleinberg shows you how to develop a set of tools for thinking more critically about causes. You'll learn how to question claims, identify causes, make decisions based on causal information, and verify causes through further tests.Whether it's figuring out what data you need, or understanding that the way you collect and prepare data affects the conclusions you can draw from it, Why will help you sharpen your causal inference skills.
Why Cats Land on Their Feet: And 76 Other Physical Paradoxes and Puzzles
by Mark LeviHow to use physical reasoning to solve surprising paradoxesEver wonder why cats land on their feet? Or what holds a spinning top upright? Or whether it is possible to feel the Earth's rotation in an airplane? Why Cats Land on Their Feet is a compendium of paradoxes and puzzles that readers can solve using their own physical intuition. And the surprising answers to virtually all of these astonishing paradoxes can be arrived at with no formal knowledge of physics.Mark Levi introduces each physical problem, sometimes gives a hint or two, and then fully explains the solution. Here readers can test their critical-thinking skills against a whole assortment of puzzles and paradoxes involving floating and diving, sailing and gliding, gymnastics, bike riding, outer space, throwing a ball from a moving car, centrifugal force, gyroscopic motion, and, of course, falling cats.Want to figure out how to open a wine bottle with a book? Or how to compute the square root of a number using a tennis shoe and a watch? Why Cats Land on Their Feet shows you how, and all that's required is a familiarity with basic high-school mathematics. This lively collection also features an appendix that explains all physical concepts used in the book, from Newton's laws to the fundamental theorem of calculus.
Why Does Math Work … If It's Not Real?: Episodes in Unreasonable Effectiveness
by Dragan RadulovićAccording to G. H. Hardy, the 'real' mathematics of the greats like Fermat and Euler is 'useless,' and thus the work of mathematicians should not be judged on its applicability to real-world problems. Yet, mysteriously, much of mathematics used in modern science and technology was derived from this 'useless' mathematics. Mobile phone technology is based on trig functions, which were invented centuries ago. Newton observed that the Earth's orbit is an ellipse, a curve discovered by ancient Greeks in their futile attempt to double the cube. It is like some magic hand had guided the ancient mathematicians so their formulas were perfectly fitted for the sophisticated technology of today. Using anecdotes and witty storytelling, this book explores that mystery. Through a series of fascinating stories of mathematical effectiveness, including Planck's discovery of quanta, mathematically curious readers will get a sense of how mathematicians develop their concepts.
Why Fiscal Stimulus Programs Fail, Volume 1: The Limits of Accommodative Monetary Policy in Practice
by John J. HeimThis book offers a series of statistical tests to determine if the “crowd out” problem, known to hinder the effectiveness of Keynesian economic stimulus programs, can be overcome by monetary programs. It concludes there are programs that can do this, specifically “accommodative monetary policy.” They were not used to any great extent prior to the Quantitative Easing program in 2008, causing the failure of many fiscal stimulus programs through no fault of their own. The book includes exhaustive statistical tests to prove this point. There is also a policy analysis section of the book. It examines how effectively the Federal Reserve’s anti-crowd out programs have actually worked, to the extent they were undertaken at all. It finds statistical evidence that using commercial and savings banks instead of investment banks when implementing accommodating monetary policy would have markedly improved their effectiveness. This volume, with its companion volume Why Fiscal Stimulus Programs Fail, Volume 2: Statistical Tests Comparing Monetary Policy to Growth, provides 1000 separate statistical tests on the US economy to prove these assertions.
Why Fiscal Stimulus Programs Fail, Volume 2: Statistical Tests Comparing Monetary Policy to Growth Effects
by John J. HeimThis book scientifically tests the assertion that accommodative monetary policy can eliminate the “crowd out” problem, allowing fiscal stimulus programs (such as tax cuts or increased government spending) to stimulate the economy as intended. It also tests to see if natural growth in th economy can cure the crowd out problem as well or better. The book is intended to be the largest scale scientific test ever performed on this topic. It includes about 800 separate statistical tests on the U.S. economy testing different parts or all of the period 1960 – 2010. These tests focus on whether accommodative monetary policy, which increases the pool of loanable resources, can offset the crowd out problem as well as natural growth in the economy. The book, employing the best scientific methods available to economists for this type of problem, concludes accommodate monetary policy could have, but until the quantitative easing program, Federal Reserve efforts to accommodate fiscal stimulus programs were not large enough to offset more than 23% to 44% of any one year’s crowd out problem. That provides the science part of the answer as to why accommodative monetary policy didn’t accommodate: too little of it was tried. The book also tests whether other increases in loanable funds, occurring because of natural growth in the economy or changes in the savings rate can also offset crowd out. It concludes they can, and that these changes tend to be several times as effective as accommodative monetary policy. This book’s companion volume Why Fiscal Stimulus Programs Fail explores the policy implications of these results.
Why Is There Philosophy of Mathematics At All?
by Ian HackingThis truly philosophical book takes us back to fundamentals - the sheer experience of proof, and the enigmatic relation of mathematics to nature. It asks unexpected questions, such as 'what makes mathematics mathematics?', 'where did proof come from and how did it evolve?', and 'how did the distinction between pure and applied mathematics come into being?' In a wide-ranging discussion that is both immersed in the past and unusually attuned to the competing philosophical ideas of contemporary mathematicians, it shows that proof and other forms of mathematical exploration continue to be living, evolving practices - responsive to new technologies, yet embedded in permanent (and astonishing) facts about human beings. It distinguishes several distinct types of application of mathematics, and shows how each leads to a different philosophical conundrum. Here is a remarkable body of new philosophical thinking about proofs, applications, and other mathematical activities.
Why Life Matters
by Michael Charles Tobias Jane Gray MorrisonDr. Michael Charles Tobias and Jane Gray Morrison are world-renowned ecological philosophers and activists, interdisciplinary social and environmental scientists and broad-ranging, deeply committed humanists. This collection of fifty essays and interviews comprises an invigorating, outspoken, provocative and eloquent overview of the ecological humanities in one highly accessible volume. The components of this collection were published in the authors' "Green Conversations" blog series, and pieces in the Eco News Network from 2011 to 2013 and feature luminaries from Jane Goodall to Ted Turner to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to the former head of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Stunning color photographs captured by the authors and contributors make Why Life Matters: Fifty Ecosystems of the Heart and Mind a feast for the eyes as well as the mind and soul. Ethics, science, technology, ecological literacy, grass-roots renaissance thinkers, conservation innovation from the U. S. to the U. K. ; from India to Ecuador; from Bhutan to Haiti; from across Africa, the Neo-Tropics, Central Asia and Japan, to Rio, Shanghai and Manhattan - this humanistic ode to the future of life on earth is a relevant and resonating read. Michael Tobias and Jane Gray Morrison, partners who between them have authored some 50 books and written, directed and produced some 170 films, a prolific body of work that has been read, translated and/or broadcast around the world, have been married for more than a quarter-of-a-century. Their field research across the disciplines of comparative literature, anthropology, the history of science and philosophy, ecology and ethics, in over 80 countries, has served as a telling example of what two people - deeply in love with one another - can accomplish in spreading that same unconditional love to others - of all species.
Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI
by Anil AnanthaswamyA rich, narrative explanation of the mathematics that has brought us machine learning and the ongoing explosion of artificial intelligence Machine learning systems are making life-altering decisions for us: approving mortgage loans, determining whether a tumor is cancerous, or deciding if someone gets bail. They now influence developments and discoveries in chemistry, biology, and physics—the study of genomes, extrasolar planets, even the intricacies of quantum systems. And all this before large language models such as ChatGPT came on the scene. We are living through a revolution in machine learning-powered AI that shows no signs of slowing down. This technology is based on relatively simple mathematical ideas, some of which go back centuries, including linear algebra and calculus, the stuff of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century mathematics. It took the birth and advancement of computer science and the kindling of 1990s computer chips designed for video games to ignite the explosion of AI that we see today. In this enlightening book, Anil Ananthaswamy explains the fundamental math behind machine learning, while suggesting intriguing links between artificial and natural intelligence. Might the same math underpin them both? As Ananthaswamy resonantly concludes, to make safe and effective use of artificial intelligence, we need to understand its profound capabilities and limitations, the clues to which lie in the math that makes machine learning possible.