His rallying cry "Down with Cybercrud" is against the centralization of computers such as that performed by IBM at the time, as well as against what he sees as the intentional untruths that "computer people" tell to non-computer people to keep them from understanding computers. In Dream Machines, Nelson covers the flexible media potential of the computer, which was shockingly new at the time.

    This sumptuously illustrated history of inventions has been a solid hardcover best-seller since its publication in 1974. Now the identical oversized paperback edition containing five hundred illustrations (more than half in full color) and many hundreds of fascinating, informative entries is available. Here in one place are all the great inventions - those from the distant past as well as those from the day before yesterday - explained by the foremost historians, scientists, and engineers, all leading authorities in their fields.

    It tells what they are, how they work, and how to use them. It also covers TTL basics, a catalog of devices, logic gates, flip-flops, shift registers, and rate multipliers. It is filled with circuits and practical applications.

    It's a browser's delight."--The New York TimesIt's the best-looking musical encyclopedia ever! Using a completely visual approach, this ultimate reference has over 4,000 drawings showcasing the evolution of instruments--and music--from primitive whistles to electric guitars (complete with fuzz box and pedal). Exquisite illustrations accompany each entry, with painstaking detail and attention to structure, function, and decoration. Most extraordinary is the range of instruments included: orchestral, popular, classical, ancient, and folk. Classed by family groups, they are cross-referenced with material on geographical distribution and historical periods. Plus scores, diagrams of correct playing techniques, major figures, and other fascinating information provided by over forty researchers, writers, and illustrators, in cooperation with 200 scholars from 20 countries!