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We Do Things Differently: The Outsiders Rebooting Our World
by Mark StevensonAn acclaimed futurist visits people around the world who are solving the planet's biggest problems by innovative means. Our systems are failing. Old models—for education, healthcare and government, food production, energy supply—are creaking under the weight of modern challenges. As the world's population heads towards 10 billion, it's clear we need new approaches. In We Do Things Differently, historian and futurologist Mark Stevenson sets out to find them, across four continents. From Brazilian favelas to high tech Boston, from rural India to a shed inventor in England's home counties, Mark Stevenson travels the world to find the advance guard re-imagining our future. At each stop, he meets innovators who have already succeeded in challenging the status quo, pioneering new ways to make our world more sustainable, equitable and humane. Populated by extraordinary characters—including Detroit citizens who created new jobs and promoted healthy eating by building greenhouses, an Austrian mayor who built a new biomass plant using the by-product of a local flooring company, and an Indian doctor who crowdsourced his research and published his findings online—We Do Things Differently paints a riveting picture of what can be done to address the world’s most pressing dilemmas, offering a much needed dose of down-to-earth optimism. It is a window on (and a roadmap to) a different and better future.
We Go Way Back: A Book About Life on Earth and How it All Began
by Idan Ben-BarakFrom the author of kid-favorite Do Not Lick This Book comes an innovative, hilarious, and expansive picture book about the biggest question of all: What is life?It's not an easy question.Life is more than just one thing.Where did it start?Peer back in time - way back in time - to the story of how life began…
We Have Never Been Modern
by Bruno LatourWith the rise of science, we moderns believe, the world changed irrevocably, separating us forever from our primitive, premodern ancestors. But if we were to let go of this fond conviction, Bruno Latour asks, what would the world look like? His book, an anthropology of science, shows us how much of modernity is actually a matter of faith. What does it mean to be modern? What difference does the scientific method make? The difference, Latour explains, is in our careful distinctions between nature and society, between human and thing, distinctions that our benighted ancestors, in their world of alchemy, astrology, and phrenology, never made. But alongside this purifying practice that defines modernity, there exists another seemingly contrary one: the construction of systems that mix politics, science, technology, and nature. The ozone debate is such a hybrid, in Latour's analysis, as are global warming, deforestation, even the idea of black holes. As these hybrids proliferate, the prospect of keeping nature and culture in their separate mental chambers becomes overwhelming--and rather than try, Latour suggests, we should rethink our distinctions, rethink the definition and constitution of modernity itself. His book offers a new explanation of science that finally recognizes the connections between nature and culture--and so, between our culture and others, past and present. Nothing short of a reworking of our mental landscape. We Have Never Been Modern blurs the boundaries among science, the humanities, and the social sciences to enhance understanding on all sides. A summation of the work of one of the most influential and provocative interpreters of science, it aims at saving what is good and valuable in modernity and replacing the rest with a broader, fairer, and finer sense of possibility.
We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe
by Jorge Cham Daniel Whiteson'This witty book reveals the humbling vastness of our ignorance about the universe, along with charming insights into what we actually do understand' Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Reality Is Not What It SeemsIn our small corner of the universe, we know how some matter behaves most of the time and what even less of it looks like, and we have some good guesses about where it all came from. But we really have no clue what's going on. In fact, we don't know what about 95% of the universe is made of. So what happens when a cartoonist and a physicist walk into this strange, mostly unknown universe? Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson gleefully explore the biggest unknowns, why these things are still mysteries, and what a lot of smart people are doing to figure out the answers (or at least ask the right questions). While they're at it, they helpfully demystify many complicated things we do know about, from quarks and neutrinos to gravitational waves and exploding black holes. With equal doses of humour and delight, they invite us to see the universe as a vast expanse of mostly uncharted territory that's still ours to explore. This is a book for fans of Brian Cox and What If. This highly entertaining highly illustrated book is perfect for anyone who's curious about all the great mysteries physicists are going to solve next.
We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe
by Jorge Cham Daniel Whiteson'This witty book reveals the humbling vastness of our ignorance about the universe, along with charming insights into what we actually do understand' Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Reality Is Not What It SeemsMany books explain what we know about the universe. This one, from the hugely popular PhD Comics (50 million readers since 2008), tackles all the weird stuff we haven't figured out yet.In our small corner of the universe, we know how some matter behaves most of the time and what even less of it looks like, and we have some good guesses about where it all came from. But we really have no clue what's going on. In fact, we don't know what about 95% of the universe is made of. So what happens when a cartoonist and a physicist walk into this strange, mostly unknown universe? Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson gleefully explore the biggest unknowns, why these things are still mysteries, and what a lot of smart people are doing to figure out the answers (or at least ask the right questions). While they're at it, they helpfully demystify many complicated things we do know about, from quarks and neutrinos to gravitational waves and exploding black holes. With equal doses of humour and delight, they invite us to see the universe as a vast expanse of mostly uncharted territory that's still ours to explore. This is a book for fans of Brian Cox and What If. This highly entertaining highly illustrated book is perfect for anyone who's curious about all the great mysteries physicists are going to solve next.(P)2017 Penguin Random House Audio
We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe
by Daniel Whiteson Jorge ChamPrepare to learn everything we still don’t know about our strange, mostly mysterious universe. <P><P>PHD Comics creator Jorge Cham and particle physicist Daniel Whiteson have teamed up to spelunk through the enormous gaps in our cosmological knowledge, armed with their popular infographics, cartoons, and unusually entertaining and lucid explanations of science. <P><P> In We Have No Idea, they explore the biggest unknowns in the universe, why these things are still mysteries, and what a lot of smart people are doing to figure out the answers (or at least ask the right questions). <P><P>While they're at it, they helpfully demystify many complicated things we do know about, from quarks and neutrinos to gravitational waves and exploding black holes. <P><P>With equal doses of humor and delight, they invite us to see the universe as a vast expanse of mostly uncharted territory that's still ours to explore. <P><P>This entertaining illustrated science primer is the perfect book for anyone who's curious about all the big questions physicists are still trying to answer.
We Have The Technology: How Biohackers, Foodies, Physicians, And Scientists Are Transforming Human Perception, One Sense At A Time
by Kara PlatoniAn award-winning journalist investigates how scientists and citizens around the world are re-tooling our senses--and what their discoveries are teaching us about the nature and future of human perception
We Know It When We See It: What the Neurobiology of Vision Tells Us About How We Think
by Richard MaslandSpotting a face in a crowd is so easy, you take it for granted. But how you do it is one of science's great mysteries. Vision is involved in nearly a third of everything a brain does and explaining how it works reveals more than just how we see. It also tells us how the brain processes information – how it perceives, learns and remembers. In We Know It When We See It, pioneering neuroscientist Richard Masland covers everything from what happens when light hits your retina, to the increasingly sophisticated nerve nets that turn that light into knowledge, to what a computer algorithm must be able to do before it can truly be called &‘intelligent&’. It is a profound yet accessible investigation into how our bodies make sense of the world.
We Know It When We See It: What the Neurobiology of Vision Tells Us About How We Think
by Richard Maslandp.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.3px Times} A Harvard researcher investigates the human eye in this insightful account of what vision reveals about intelligence, learning, and the greatest mysteries of neuroscience.Spotting a face in a crowd is so easy, you take it for granted. But how you do it is one of science's great mysteries. And vision is involved with so much of everything your brain does. Explaining how it works reveals more than just how you see. In We Know It When We See It, Harvard neuroscientist Richard Masland tackles vital questions about how the brain processes information -- how it perceives, learns, and remembers -- through a careful study of the inner life of the eye. Covering everything from what happens when light hits your retina, to the increasingly sophisticated nerve nets that turn that light into knowledge, to what a computer algorithm must be able to do before it can be called truly "intelligent," We Know It When We See It is a profound yet approachable investigation into how our bodies make sense of the world.
We Went to Find a T. Rex (We Went to Find... #1)
by Catherine CawthorneWe went to find a T. rex . . . and it was NOWHERE to be found.It wasn't hiding in the ferns. Or swimming in the river. And it DEFINITELY wasn't flying high in the sky.Everywhere we looked, we found other dinosaurs instead. There was a towering triceratops with its pointy beak and fancy grills. A super huge stegosaurus that was having an afternoon snooze. And a scary spinosaurus that we had to swim past VERY carefully as it ate a pile of fish for lunch. But absolutely NO sign of a T. rex.Where could such a HUGE great dinosaur be hiding?Meet some of the incredible and unbelievably large dinosaurs in this laugh-out-loud picture book story that features hilarious, fascinating and slightly bizarre facts throughout. Perfect for fans of We're Going on a Bear Hunt.
We Went to Find a Woolly Mammoth (We Went to Find... #1)
by Catherine CawthorneWe went to find a woolly mammoth ... and it was NOWHERE to be found.It wasn't chilling on the snow-covered lands. Or swimming in the icy river. And it DEFINITELY wasn't hiding in the frozen forest. Everywhere we looked, we found strange creatures instead. There was a hairy scary woolly rhino rolling around in some grass (weird ... we thought it always snowed in the Ice Age). A spotty dotty sabre-tooth cat that was ready for a fight (RUN!) And a spiky feisty giant armadillo (but I crept right past him - armadillos are pretty blind you know ...). But absolutely NO mammoths.Where could such a HUGE great MAMMOOSIVE creature be hiding?Meet some of the incredible and unbelievably large creatures from the Ice Age in this laugh-out-loud picture book story that features hilarious, fascinating and slightly bizarre facts throughout. Perfect for fans of We're Going on a Bear Hunt.
The Weak Interaction in Nuclear, Particle, and Astrophysics
by K. GrotzThis book provides insight into concept of the weak interaction and its integration into the conceptual structure of elementary particle physics. It exhibits the important role of the weak interaction in nuclear, particle and astrophysics together with the close connection between these areas.
The Weak Interaction in Nuclear, Particle and Astrophysics
by K. GrotzThe Weak Interaction in Nuclear, Particle and Astrophysics presents concepts of the weak interaction and its integration into modern gauge theories of particle physics, such as grand unification and supersymmetry. The book explores the close connections between micro (nuclear and particle) physics and macro physics (astrophysics and cosmology) induced by the weak interaction. Special attention is given to neutrinos, which have a key role in the understanding of elementary particle theories. In addition to the theoretical aspects, the book covers the important research topics of solar and galactic neutrinos and double beta decay. Assuming knowledge of elementary electrodynamics and quantum mechanics, this resource provides an insight into the diversity of the problem areas associated with the weak interaction and will encourage intensive study of particular themes.
Weak Neutral Currents: The Discovery Of The Electro-Weak Force (Frontiers in Physics #97)
by David ClineThis book attempts to trace the key experimental developments that led to the discovery of weak neutral currents in 1973 and the W, Z bosons in 1983, all of the results of which culminated in the identification of the unified-electroweak force.
Weakest Bound Electron Theory and Applications
by Neng-Wu ZhengThis monograph describes the new quantum theory called the weakest bound electron theory (WBE theory) proposed by Prof. Neng-Wu Zheng and its applications. It starts with the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and then illustrates the key points of WBE theory and the mathematical expressions of WBE theory. Finally, it presents a wide range of applications of WBE theory to the chemical and physical properties of atoms and molecules, including energy levels, transition properties, the difference law of ionization energies etc. It appeals to a broad readership, particularly researchers and academics in chemistry, physics, and materials science.
A Wealth Of Wild Species: Storehouse For Human Welfare
by Norman MyersThis book tells how our welfare is ever more intimately tied up with the welfare of the millions of species that share the One Earth home with us. It presents a synoptic review of the contributions that wild species make, and can make, to our daily lives.
The Weapon Wizards: How Israel Became A High-Tech Military Superpower
by Yaakov Katz Amir Bohbot"A lively account of Israel's evolving military prowess...if The Weapon Wizards were a novel, it would be one written by Horatio Alger; if it were a biblical allegory, it would be the story of David and Goliath." —The New York Times Book ReviewFrom drones to satellites, missile defense systems to cyber warfare, Israel is leading the world when it comes to new technology being deployed on the modern battlefield. The Weapon Wizards shows how this tiny nation of 8 million learned to adapt to the changes in warfare and in the defense industry and become the new prototype of a 21st century superpower, not in size, but rather in innovation and efficiency—and as a result of its long war experience. Sitting on the front lines of how wars are fought in the 21st century, Israel has developed in its arms trade new weapons and retrofitted old ones so they remain effective, relevant, and deadly on a constantly-changing battlefield. While other countries begin to prepare for these challenges, they are looking to Israel—and specifically its weapons—for guidance. Israel is, in effect, a laboratory for the rest of the world. How did Israel do it? And what are the military and geopolitical implications of these developments? These are some of the key questions Yaakov Katz and Amir Bohbot address. Drawing on a vast amount of research, and unparalleled access to the Israeli defense establishment, this book is a report directly from the front lines.
Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative
by Aaron BatemanA new and provocative take on the formerly classified history of accelerating superpower military competition in space in the late Cold War and beyond.In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan shocked the world when he established the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively known as &“Star Wars,&” a space-based missile defense program that aimed to protect the US from nuclear attack. In Weapons in Space, Aaron Bateman draws from recently declassified American, European, and Soviet documents to give an insightful account of SDI, situating it within a new phase in the militarization of space after the superpower détente fell apart in the 1970s. In doing so, Bateman reveals the largely secret role of military space technologies in late–Cold War US defense strategy and foreign relations.In contrast to existing narratives, Weapons in Space shows how tension over the role of military space technologies in American statecraft was a central source of SDI&’s controversy, even more so than questions of technical feasibility. By detailing the participation of Western European countries in SDI research and development, Bateman reframes space militarization in the 1970s and 1980s as an international phenomenon. He further reveals that even though SDI did not come to fruition, it obstructed diplomatic efforts to create new arms control limits in space. Consequently, Weapons in Space carries the legacy of SDI into the post–Cold War era and shows how this controversial program continues to shape the global discourse about instability in space—and the growing anxieties about a twenty-first-century space arms race.
Weapons in Space (Open Media Series)
by Michio Kaku Karl GrossmanWeapons in Space examines how the United States is forcing forward--in violation of international treaties--to militarize space. Based on excerpts from U.S. government documents, award-winning investigative journalist Karl Grossman outlines the U.S. military's space doctrine, its similarity with the original Stars Wars scheme of Ronald Reagan and Edward Teller, and the space-based lasers, hypervelocity guns, and particle beams it plans to deploy in its mission to "dominate" earth.Grossman shows the intimate link between the militarization and the nuclearization of space, and follows the flow of billions of U.S. tax dollars to the corporations that research and develop weapons for space. His book explains the Outer Space Treaty and gives a history of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear power in Space: what it is doing, what it plans to do--and what the reader can do to challenge U.S. plans to turn the heavens into a war zone.
Wearable and Wireless Systems for Healthcare I: Gait and Reflex Response Quantification (Smart Sensors, Measurement and Instrumentation #47)
by Timothy Mastroianni Robert LeMoyneThis book is the second edition of the one originally published in 2017. The original publication features the discovery of numerous novel applications for the use of smartphones and portable media devices for the quantification of gait, reflex response, and an assortment of other concepts that constitute first-in-the-world applications for these devices. Since the first edition, numerous evolutions involving the domain of wearable and wireless systems for healthcare have transpired warranting the publication of the second edition. This volume covers wearable and wireless systems for healthcare that are far more oriented to the unique requirements of the biomedical domain. The paradigm-shifting new wearables have been successfully applied to gait analysis, homebound therapy, and quantifiable exercise. Additionally, the confluence of wearable and wireless systems for healthcare with deep learning and neuromorphic applications for classification is addressed. The authors expect that these significant developments make this book valuable for all readers.
Wearable and Wireless Systems for Healthcare II: Movement Disorder Evaluation and Deep Brain Stimulation Systems (Smart Sensors, Measurement and Instrumentation #49)
by Timothy Mastroianni Robert LeMoyne Donald Whiting Nestor TomyczThis book is the second edition of the one originally published in 2019. The original publication features the discovery of numerous novel applications for the use of smartphones and portable media devices for the quantification of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of movement disorders that constitute first-in-the-world applications for these devices. Since the first edition, numerous evolutions involving the domain of wearable and wireless systems for healthcare and deep brain stimulation have transpired warranting the publication of the second edition. This volume covers wearable and wireless systems for healthcare that are far more relevant to the unique requirements of the domain of deep brain stimulation. The paradigm-shifting new wearables comprising attributes of conformability and further miniaturization have been recently applied for the context of deep brain stimulation. Additionally, the subjects of automated optimization for deep brain stimulation and the rampantly expanding additional applications for deep brain stimulation are addressed. The authors expect that these significant developments make this book valuable for all readers.
Wearable Antennas and Body Centric Communication: Present and Future (Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering #787)
by Shiban Kishen Koul Richa BharadwajThis book presents state-of-the-art technologies, trends and applications with a focus on the healthcare domain for ultra-wideband (3.1–10.6 GHz) and 60 GHz (57–66 GHz) wireless communication systems. Due to various key features such as miniaturized antenna design, low power, high data rate, less effects on the human body, relatively less crowded spectrum, these technologies are becoming popular in various fields of biomedical applications and day-to-day life. The book highlights various aspects of these technologies related to body-centric communication, including antenna design requirements, channel modeling and characterization for WBANs, current fabrication and antenna design strategies for textile, flexible and implanted antennas. Apart from the general requirements and study related to these frequency bands, various application specific topics such as localization and tracking, physical activity recognition and assessment, vital sign monitoring and medical imaging are covered in detail. The book concludes with the glimpses of future aspects of the UWB and 60 GHz technology which includes IoT for healthcare and smart living, novel antenna materials and application of machine learning algorithms for overall performance enhancement.
Wearable Biosensing in Medicine and Healthcare
by Kohji MitsubayashiThis book contains chapters on wearable biomedical sensors and their assistive technologies for promoting behavioral change in medical and health care. Part I reviews several wearable biomedical sensors based on biocompatible materials and nano and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies in the medical and dental fields. Part II introduces the latest approaches to wearable biosensing using unique devices for various skin targets such as sweat, interstitial fluid, and transcutaneous gases. Part III presents technologies supporting wearable sensors, including soft and flexible materials, manufacturing methods, skin volatile-marker imaging, and energy harvesting devices.This book is intended for graduate students, academic researchers, and professors that work in medical and healthcare research fields, as well as industry professionals involved in the development of wearable and flexible sensing devices and measurement systems for human bio/chemical sensing, medical monitoring, and healthcare services, and for medical professionals and government officials who are driving behavior change in health care.
Wearable/Personal Monitoring Devices Present to Future
by Gaetano D. Gargiulo Ganesh R. NaikThis book discusses recent advances in wearable technologies and personal monitoring devices, covering topics such as skin contact-based wearables (electrodes), non-contact wearables, the Internet of things (IoT), and signal processing for wearable devices. Although it chiefly focuses on wearable devices and provides comprehensive descriptions of all the core principles of personal monitoring devices, the book also features a section on devices that are embedded in smart appliances/furniture, e.g. chairs, which, despite their limitations, have taken the concept of unobtrusiveness to the next level. Wearable and personal devices are the key to precision medicine, and the medical community is finally exploring the opportunities offered by long-term monitoring of physiological parameters that are collected during day-to-day life without the bias imposed by the clinical environment. Such data offers a prime view of individuals’ physical condition, as well as the efficacy of therapy and occurrence of events. Offering an in-depth analysis of the latest advances in smart and pervasive wearable devices, particularly those that are unobtrusive and invisible, and addressing topics not covered elsewhere, the book will appeal to medical practitioners and engineers alike.