Best of
Technology
1990
Unix Network Programming, Volume 1: Networking APIs - Sockets and XTI
W. Richard Stevens - 1990
You need UNIX Network Programming, Volume 1, Second Edition. In this book, leading UNIX networking expert W. Richard Stevens offers unprecedented, start-to-finish guidance on making the most of sockets, the de facto standard for UNIX network programming-as well as extensive coverage of the X/Open Transport Interface (XTI). Stevens begins by introducing virtually every basic capability of TCP and UDP sockets, including socket functions and options, I/O multiplexing, and name and address conversions. He presents detailed coverage of the Posix.1g standard for sockets and the Posix threads. He also introduces advanced techniques for: Establishing IPv4/IPv6 interoperability. Implementing non-blocking I/O. Routing sockets. Broadcasting and multicasting. IP options. Multithreading. Advanced name and address conversions. UNIX domain protocols. Raw sockets. Learn how to choose among today's leading client/server design approaches, including TCP
Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature
Donna J. Haraway - 1990
Although on the surface, simians, cyborgs and women may seem an odd threesome, Haraway describes their profound link as creatures which have had a great destabilizing place in Western evolutionary technology and biology. Throughout this book, Haraway analyzes accounts, narratives, and stories of the creation of nature, living organisms, and cyborgs. At once a social reality and a science fiction, the cyborg--a hybrid of organism and machine--represents transgressed boundaries and intense fusions of the nature/culture split. By providing an escape from rigid dualisms, the cyborg exists in a post-gender world, and as such holds immense possibilities for modern feminists. Haraway's recent book, Primate Visions, has been called outstanding, original, and brilliant, by leading scholars in the field. (First published in 1991.)
The Real World of Technology
Ursula Martius Franklin - 1990
Franklin examines the impact of technology upon our lives and addresses the extraordinary changes since The Real World of Technology was first published.In four new chapters, Franklin tackles contentious issues, such as the dilution of privacy and intellectual property rights, the impact of the current technology on government and governance, the shift from consumer capitalism to investment capitalism, and the influence of the Internet upon the craft of writing.
Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond
Thomas J. Watson Jr. - 1990
Watson Sr. and his son, Thomas J. Watson Jr., together built the international colossus that is IBM. This is their story: a riveting and revealing account of two men who loved each other--and fought each other--with a terrible fierceness.But along with the story of a father and son, this is IBM's story too. It chronicles the management insights that shaped its course and its unique corporate culture, the style that made Thomas Watson Sr. one of America's most charismatic bosses, and the daring decisions by Thomas Watson Jr. that transformed IBM into the world's largest computing company. One of the greatest business-success stories of all time, Father, Son & Co. is a moving lesson for fathers who dream for their children, as well as a testament to American ingenuity and values, told in a disarmingly frank and eloquent voice.Promising to remain an important business reference as we move into the next century, FATHER, SON & CO. takes a look at the management insight that helped to shape IBM's course and unique corporate culture. It looks at Watson, Sr., one of America's most charismatic bosses, and Watson, Jr., who spurred IBM into the computer age.Ten years after its original publication, FATHER, SON & CO. remains a uniquely honest book. Watson's willingness to write about the loving but ferociously combative relationship he had with his father and the turbulent battles behind some of IBM's most far-reaching decisions gives readers rare insights into the realities of leadership. -->
The Age of Intelligent Machines
Ray Kurzweil - 1990
In The Age of Intelligent Machines, inventor and computer scientist Raymond Kurzweil probes the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence, from its earliest philosophical and mathematical roots to tantalizing glimpses of 21st-century machines with superior intelligence and prodigious speed and memory.
How Is It Done?
Reader's Digest Association - 1990
Find out how holograms gives a three-dimensional picture, how nature photographers take their seemingly impossible pictures or what advances have been made in cloning. Discover how genetic finger-printing works or how astronauts dispose of bodily wastes.
Laws of Media: The New Science
Marshall McLuhan - 1990
Works such as The Gutenberg Galaxy, The Mechanical Bride , From Cliche to Archetype , and Understanding Media have established his reputation throughout the world and have profoundly influenced our understanding of contemporary communication. In his later years McLuhan was working on a 'unified field' theory of human culture, an effort in which he collaborated with and was assisted by his son, Eric McLuhan. This book is the result of that collaboration. The McLuhans are retrieving another way of understanding our world, a way known to some ancient Greeks (but not Aristotle), to medieval thinkers, to Francis Bacon and Giambattista Vico, and to T.S. Eliot and James Joyce in this century. It is based on the use of words and the conseuqent power of the 'logos' to shape all the elements of culture - media - with which we surround ourselves. The authors explain how the invention of the alphabet led to the dominance of visual-space conceptualizations over those of acoustic space and its creative words (and word-plays). They consider the differences between the left- and right-hand sides of our brains, and use Gestalt theories of figure and ground to explore the underlying principles that define media. 'Media, ' the word so closely connected with Marshall McLuhan's thought, is here explored in its broadest meaning, encompassing all that has been created by humans: artefacts, information, ideas - every example of human innovation, from computer program to a tea cup, from musical arrangement to the formula for a cold remedy, from an X-ray machine to the sentence you're reading right now. All these are media to whcih can be applied the laws the McLuhans have developed. The laws are based on a set of four questions - a tetrad - that can be applied to any artefact or idea: What does it enhance or intensify? What does it render obsolete or displace? What does it retrieve that was previoulsy obsolesced? What does it produce or become when pressed to an extreme? Inherent in every human innovation is an answer to each of the questions of this tetrad; anything that does not contain answers to these four questions is not the product of human creation. The laws identified by the McLuhans consitute a new scientific basis for media studies, testable, and able to allow for prediction. It takes in all human activities and speech; it breaks down barriers and reconsiders them as mere intervals. In the McLuhan tradition, this New Science offers a while new understanding of human creation, and a vision that could reshape our future.
Practical Antenna Handbook [With CDROM]
Joseph J. Carr - 1990
Joseph J. Carr's Practical Antenna Handbook, Fourth Edition, is an update of the most popular book on antennas ever written. This empowering guide blends theoretical concepts that engineers need to design practical antennas with hard-learned lessons derived from actually building and using antennas -- real antennas, not merely theoretical constructs on a blackboard. Certain to become the toolbox favorite of radio enthusiasts and professionals of all types, from technicians to citizen banders and shortwave listeners, it covers a wide variety of antennas: high-frequency dipole; vertically polarized HF; multiband and tunable wire; hidden and limited space; directional phased vertical and directional beam VHF/UHF transmitting and receiving; shortwave reception; microwave; and mobile, marine, and emergency. This state-of-the-art edition includes a new chapter on antenna modeling software and new coverage of small transmitting antennas and receiving loop antennas.*Packaged with CD-ROM with antenna modeling software -- including material on EZNEC for Windows 3.0.
The Lever of Riches: Technological Creativity and Economic Progress
Joel Mokyr - 1990
But why are some nations more creative than others, and why do some highly innovative societies--such as ancient China, or Britain in the industrial revolution--pass into stagnation? Beginning with a fascinating, concise history of technological progress, Mokyr sets the background for his analysis by tracing the major inventions and innovations that have transformed society since ancient Greece and Rome. What emerges from this survey is often surprising: the classical world, for instance, was largely barren of new technology, the relatively backward society of medieval Europe bristled with inventions, and the period between the Reformation and the Industrial Revolution was one of slow and unspectacular progress in technology, despite the tumultuous developments associated with the Voyages of Discovery and the Scientific Revolution.What were the causes of technological creativity? Mokyr distinguishes between the relationship of inventors and their physical environment--which determined their willingness to challenge nature--and the social environment, which determined the openness to new ideas. He discusses a long list of such factors, showing how they interact to help or hinder a nation's creativity, and then illustrates them by a number of detailed comparative studies, examining the differences between Europe and China, between classical antiquity and medieval Europe, and between Britain and the rest of Europe during the industrial revolution. He examines such aspects as the role of the state (the Chinese gave up a millennium-wide lead in shipping to the Europeans, for example, when an Emperor banned large ocean-going vessels), the impact of science, as well as religion, politics, and even nutrition. He questions the importance of such commonly-cited factors as the spill-over benefits of war, the abundance of natural resources, life expectancy, and labor costs. Today, an ever greater number of industrial economies are competing in the global market, locked in a struggle that revolves around technological ingenuity. The Lever of Riches, with its keen analysis derived from a sweeping survey of creativity throughout history, offers telling insights into the question of how Western economies can maintain, and developing nations can unlock, their creative potential.
Mind Children: The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence
Hans Moravec - 1990
Mind Children, written by an internationally renowned roboticist, offers a comparable experience--a mind-boggling glimpse of a world we may soon share with our artificial progeny. Filled with fresh ideas and insights, this book is one of the most engaging and controversial visions of the future ever written by a serious scholar.Hans Moravec convincingly argues that we are approaching a watershed in the history of life--a time when the boundaries between biological and postbiological intelligence will begin to dissolve. Within forty years, Moravec believes, we will achieve human equivalence in our machines, not only in their capacity to reason but also in their ability to perceive, interact with, and change their complex environment. The critical factor is mobility. A computer rooted to one place is doomed to static iterations, whereas a machine on the prowl, like a mobile organism, must evolve a richer fund of knowledge about an ever-changing world upon which to base its actions.In order to achieve anything near human equivalence, robots will need, at the least, the capacity to perform ten trillion calculations per second. Given the trillion-fold increase in computational power since the end of the nineteenth century, and the promise of exotic technologies far surpassing the now-familiar lasers and even superconductors, Moravec concludes that our hardware will have no trouble meeting this forty-year timetable.But human equivalence is just the beginning, not an upper bound. Once the tireless thinking capacity of robots is directed to the problem of their own improvement and reproduction, even the sky will not limit their voracious exploration of the universe. In the concluding chapters Moravec challenges us to imagine with him the possibilities and pitfalls of such a scenario. Rather than warning us of takeover by robots, the author invites us, as we approach the end of this millennium, to speculate about a plausible, wonderful postbiological future and the ways in which our minds might participate in its unfolding.
Operating Systems
Harvey Deitel - 1990
To complement the discussion of operating system concepts, the book features two in-depth case studies on Linux and Windows XP. The case studies follow the outline of the book, so readers working through the chapter material can refer to each case study to see how a particular topic is handled in either Linux or Windows XP. Using Java code to illustrate key points, Operating Systems introduces processes, concurrent programming, deadlock and indefinite postponement, mutual exclusion, physical and virtual memory, file systems, disk performance, distributed systems, security and more. New to this edition are a chapter on multithreading and extensive treatments of distributed computing, multiprocessing, performance, and computer security. An ideal up-to-date book for beginner operating systems readers.
Back to beginnings
Huanchu Daoren - 1990
Written around 1600 during the Ming dynasty, these practical teachings reveal the secrets of serenity and wisdom in a changing world.
Electronic Communication Techniques
Paul H. Young, P.E. - 1990
Comprehensive yet easily understandable, this book covers such topics as radio frequency amplifiers, oscillators, signal spectra, noise, modulation, transmitter and receiver circuits, sideband systems, phase-locked loops, pulse and digital modulation, digital communication, data communication, transmission lines and waveguides, antennas and radiowave propagation, television, digital radio and space communication, and fiber-optic communication. A valuable reference work for engineers, technicians, hobbyists, technical managers, and technical/sales marketing staff.
Notes on the Underground: An Essay on Technology, Society, and the Imagination
Rosalind Williams - 1990
The late nineteenth century saw a new fascination with the underground as Western societies tried to cope with the pervasive changes of a new social and technological order. In Notes on the Underground, Rosalind Williams takes us inside that critical historical moment, giving equal coverage to actual and imaginary undergrounds. She looks at the real-life invasions of the underground that occurred as modern urban infrastructures of sewers and subways were laid, and at the simultaneous archaeological excavations that were unearthing both human history and the planet's deep past. She also examines the subterranean stories of Verne, Wells, Forster, Hugo, Bulwer-Lytton, and other writers who proposed alternative visions of the coming technological civilization.Williams argues that these imagined and real underground environments provide models of human life in a world dominated by human presence and offer a prophetic look at today's technology-dominated society. In a new essay written for this edition, Williams points out that her book traces the emergence in the nineteenth century of what we would now call an environmental consciousness--an awareness that there will be consequences when humans live in a sealed, finite environment. Today we are more aware than ever of our limited biosphere and how vulnerable it is. Notes on the Underground, now even more than when it first appeared, offers a guide to the human, cultural, and technical consequences of what Williams calls "the human empire on earth."
Mustang Designer: Edgar Schmued and the P-51
Ray Wagner - 1990
The P-51 Mustang is widely regarded as the best propeller-driven fighter that ever flew. What many might not realize is that the plane's developer was a German migrant. This book tells of how Schmued created a weapon that would ultimately prove lethal to the aspirations of those who had seized control over his native land.
Technology and the Lifeworld: From Garden to Earth
Don Ihde - 1990
Dr. Ihde brings an enlightening and deeply humanistic perspective to major technological developments, both past and present." --Science Books & Films"Don Ihde is a pleasure to read.... The material is full of nice suggestions and details, empirical materials, fun variations which engage the reader in the work... the overall points almost sneak up on you, they are so gently and gradually offered." --John Compton"A sophisticated celebration of cultural diversity and of its enabling technologies.... perhaps the best single volume relating the philosophical tradition to the broad issues raised by contemporary technologies." --Choice..". important and challenging... " --Review of Metaphysics..". a range of rich historical, cultural, philosophical, and psychological insights, woven together in an intriguing and clear exposition... The book is really a pleasure to read, for its style, immense learning and sanity." --Teaching PhilosophyThe role of tools and instruments in our relation to the earth and the ways in which technologies are culturally embedded provide the foci of this thought-provoking book.
Automatic Flight Control Systems
Donald McLean - 1990
The text covers in detail the subject of stability and control theory. All the principal AFC modes are covered and the effects of atmospheric turbulance and structural flexibility are charted.
Inventing Accuracy: A Historical Sociology of Nuclear Missile Guidance
Donald Angus MacKenzie - 1990
MacKenzie follows one line of technology - strategic ballistic missile guidance - through a succession of weapons systems to reveal the ordinary workings of a world that is neither awesome nor unstoppable. He uncovers the parameters, the pressures, and the politics that make up the complex social construction of an equally complex technology.MacKenzie argues that it is wrong to assume that missile accuracy (or any other technological artifact) is a natural or inevitable consequence of technological change. By fostering an understanding of how the idea of accuracy was constructed and by uncovering the comprehensible and often mundane processes that have given rise to a frightening nuclear arsenal, he shows that there can be useful and informed intervention in the social processes of weapons construction. He also shows in what sense it is possible, contrary to the common wisdom, to "uninvent" technologies.Examining the technological politics of the transition from bomber to ballistic missile, MacKenzie describes the processes that transformed both air force and navy ballistic missiles from moderately accurate countercity weapons to highly accurate counterforce ones. He concludes that neither the United States nor the Soviet Union has ever accepted the idea of deterrence as the public understands it.Inventing Accuracy is based on 140 interviews with guidance and navigation technologists, navy and air force military officers, and defense officials Robert McNamara, James Schlesinger, McGeorge Bundy, and John Foster. It brings to light the confluence of forces, both physical and social, that gave rise to a selfcontained system of missile navigation, and it discusses the major U.S. groups involved in the early development of inertial guidance and navigation.Donald MacKenzie has published a number of influential articles on statistics, eugenics, and missile technologies. He is Reader in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh.
Zen of Assembly Language: Vol. 1, Knowledge
Michael Abrash - 1990
Also probes hardware aspects that affect code performance and compares programming techniques.
An Encyclopedia of the History of Technology
Ian McNeil - 1990
Written clearly and without unnecessary jargon, each chapter traces the development of its subject from earliest times to the present day, stressing the social context and its place in scientific thought. * Usefully drawn with over 150 tables, drawings and photographs * Two comprehensive indexes of names and subjects * Essential reading for teachers and students in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Industrial History and Archaeology.
Heidegger's Confrontation with Modernity: Technology, Politics, and Art
Michael E. Zimmerman - 1990
of Heidegger's views on technology and his involvement with National Socialism.... One of the most important books on Heidegger in recent years." --John D. Caputo..". superb... " --Thomas Sheehan, The New York Review of Books..". thorough and complex... " --Choice..". excellent guide to Heidegger as eco-philosopher." --Radical Philosophy..". engrossing, rich in substance... makes clear Heidegger's importance for the issue of technology, ethics, and politics." --Religious Studies ReviewThe relation between Martin Heidegger's understanding of technology and his affiliation with and conception of National Socialism is the leading idea of this fascinating and revealing book. Zimmerman shows that the key to the relation between Heidegger's philosophy and his politics was his concern with the nature of working and production.
Before the Ironclad: Warship Design and Development, 1815-1860
D.K. Brown - 1990
Brown's work challenged old assumptions and started a reevaluation of British contributions to naval developments of the period. This book traces the transition from sail to steam power to the construction of the HMS "Warrior," the first iron hulled warship, and this new edition will feature more extensive illustrations. Written by an eminent naval architect, "Before the Ironclad" is both a balanced account of general developments in shipbuilding and an in-depth study of the ships themselves.
The Old Steam Navy: Frigates, Sloops and Gunboats, 1815-1855
Donald L. Canney - 1990
This book provides an account of an era that saw the introduction of steam power and the first iron warships.
Total Design: Integrated Methods for Successful Product Engineering
Stuart Pugh - 1990
The author is widely regarded as a foremost authority on an integrated approach to product engineering. Highly suitable for all students in engineering, industrial design, architecture and computer science, as well as for the professional engineer and designer who will find in it a very useful framework to assist their design practice.
Software Project Management for Small to Medium Sized Projects
John J. Rakos - 1990
It is now being printed on demand by the publisher. While this process keeps information readily available, the print quality of these books is generally that of a copier and not of a normal book. This is a copy of the original book. Based on the method used successfully at Digital Equipment Corporation, this volume details the time-phased approach to software development for project managers working with mini- or microcomputers. Features:
Focuses on planning and control.
Covers practical skills such as software estimating; a quantitative approach to risk assessment, and contingency planning; and important development tools such as prototyping, Fourth Generation Languages, and SQL.
Explains the personal aspects of managing a project - including staffing, delegation, motivation, organization, and communication.
Contains an integrated case study - complete with examples of each project document.
Eshbach's Handbook of Engineering Fundamentals
Byron D. Tapley - 1990
Chapters have been rewritten and revised to combine solid coverage of engineering fundamentals with up-to-date developments in the field since the publication of the previous edition. The Handbook reflects the computer's growing role in engineering design, practice, and research: * provides new material on electromagnetics, circuit theory, and electronic applications * includes new material on computer electronics with orientation toward nonelectrical engineers * provides expanded coverage of computers and controls * treats the field of aerospace engineering with separate chapters on aeronautics and astronauts Revisions acknowledge the universal use of the hand-held calculator: * omits traditional mathematical tables such as sines, cosines * includes up-to-date material on units, standards, and measurements The book also treats the increased importance of control technology with an expanded chapter on the theory and application of control methodology. Eshbach's Handbook of Engineering Fundamentals provides engineers and students with a single source guide to engineering fundamentals and cutting edge engineering technology.
UNIX System V Release 4: The Complete Reference
Stephen Coffin - 1990
No other reference available today can give you as much detailed information on all the new features and many enhancements of UNIX System V Release 4.