Over the course of less than 20 years, inventor Frank J Sprague (1857-1934) achieved an astonishing series of breakthroughs. Frederick Dalzell tells Sprague's story, setting it against the backdrop of one of the most dynamic periods in the history of technology.
A philosopher subjects the claims of evolutionary psychology to the evidential and methodological requirements of evolutionary biology, concluding that evolutionary psychology's explanations amount to speculation disguised as results. Human beings, like other organisms, are the products of evolution. Like other organisms, we exhibit traits that are the product of natural selection. Our psycholo…
For all the use scientists make of computers in their work, we still know little about how computing affects their working methods and the knowledge they produce. Christine Hine explores these questions by examining the developing use of information technology in one discipline, systematics (the classification of organisims).
How human pilots and automated systems worked together to achieve the ultimate in flight--the lunar landings of NASA's Apollo program.As Apollo 11's Lunar Module descended toward the moon under automatic control, a program alarm in the guidance computer's software nearly caused a mission abort. Neil Armstrong responded by switching off the automatic mode and taking direct control. He stopped mo…
This systematic assessment of seven prominent initiatives - in Texas, California, Florida and Arizona - evaluates the effectiveness of ecosystem-based management at protecting the environment. The author concludes that projects that set goals based on stakeholder collaboration are less likely to result in environmental improvement.
Much of the difficulty in creating information technology systems that truly meet people's needs lies in the problem of pinning down system requirements. This book offers a new approach to the requirements challenge, based on modeling and analyzing the relationships among stakeholders. Although the importance of the system-environment relationship has long been recognized in the requirements en…
"In Street-Fighting Mathematics, Sanjoy Mahajan builds, sharpens, and demonstrates tools for educated guessing and down-and-dirty, opportunistic problem solving across diverse fields of knowledge - from mathematics to management. Mahajan describes six tools: dimensional analysis, easy cases, lumping, picture proofs, successive approximation, and reasoning by analogy. Illustrating each tool with…
Contributors explore the potential benefits, risks & ethical aspects of protocell technology, which creates simple forms of life from nonliving material.
Experts investigate communicative flexibility (in both form and usage of signals) as the foundation of the evolution of complex communication systems, including human language.
"In Street-Fighting Mathematics, Sanjoy Mahajan builds, sharpens, and demonstrates tools for educated guessing and down-and-dirty, opportunistic problem solving across diverse fields of knowledge - from mathematics to management. Mahajan describes six tools: dimensional analysis, easy cases, lumping, picture proofs, successive approximation, and reasoning by analogy. Illustrating each tool with…