Using a wide range of primary sources that include correspondence, diaries, technical reports, institutional minutes and periodicals, Andersen reconstructs the networks and activities of Britain's engineers while focusing on London as a centre of imperial expansion.

This book shares Chinese scholars' philosophical views on artificial intelligence. The discussions range from the foundations of AI-the Turing test and creation of machine intelligence-to recent applications of AI, including decisions in games, natural languages, pattern recognition, prediction in economic contexts, autonomous behaviors, and collaborative intelligence, with the examples of AlphaGo, Microsoft's Xiao Bing, medical robots, etc. The book's closing chapter focuses on Chinese machines and explores questions on the cultural background of artificial intelligence. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for all members of the general public who are interested in the future development of artificial intelligence, especially from the perspective of respected Chinese scholars.

The famous and versatile World War II German seaplane.

Both Tromp-class frigates entered service in 1975/76. Their primary task was area air defence. They acted as flagships for the COMNLTG (Commander Netherlands Task Group). Because of their large radome (wich housed a 3D radar antenna) the ships had the nickname "Kojak" after the bald-headed actor in the famous action crime tv-series.

As lives offline and online merge even more, it is easy to forget how we got here. Rise of the Machines reclaims the spectacular story of cybernetics, one of the twentieth century's pivotal ideas. Springing from the mind of mathematician Norbert Wiener amid the devastation of World War II, the cybernetic vision underpinned a host of seductive myths about the future of machines. Cybernetics triggered blissful cults and military gizmos, the Whole Earth Catalog and the air force's foray into virtual space, as well as crypto-anarchists fighting for internet freedom. In Rise of the Machines, Thomas Rid draws on unpublished sources-including interviews with hippies, anarchists, sleuths, and spies-to offer an unparalleled perspective into our anxious embrace of technology.

'Women have won their political independence. Now is the time for them to achieve their economic freedom too.' This was the great rallying cry of the pioneers who, in 1919, created the Women's Engineering Society. Spearheaded by Katharine and Rachel Parsons, a powerful mother and daughter duo, and Caroline Haslett, whose mission was to liberate women from domestic drudgery, it was the world's first professional organisation dedicated to the campaign for women's rights. Magnificent Women and their Revolutionary Machines tells the stories of the women at the heart of this group - from their success in fanning the flames of a social revolution to their significant achievements in engineering and technology. It centres on the parallel but contrasting lives of the two main protagonists, Rachel Parsons and Caroline Haslett - one born to privilege and riches whose life ended in dramatic tragedy; the other who rose from humble roots to become the leading professional woman of her age and mistress of the thrilling new power of the twentieth century: electricity. In this fascinating book, acclaimed biographer Henrietta Heald also illuminates the era in which the society was founded. From the moment when women in Britain were allowed to vote for the first time, and to stand for Parliament, she charts the changing attitudes to women's rights both in society and in the workplace.

"Blurb & Contents" "Copies of Onnes's or Meissner's lab notebooks--this is the stuff of science. This book is truly a tour de force. I cannot think of a single person working in the area of superconductivity who would not be totally absorbed by it." Materials & Design The first truly comprehensive history of superconductivity, from the first studies in the late 19th century to the present. It delves deeply into a largely undocumented early history, marked by H. Kamerlingh Onnes's first successes with mercury in 1911 and extending to the onset of World War II. Also encompasses materials development of the fifties, the work that culminated in the BCS theory of the early sixties, and the important recent application of ceramic oxides.

Presenting the history of the cellular phone from its beginnings in the 1940s to the present, this book explains the fundamental concepts involved in wireless communication along with the ramifications of cellular technology on the economy, U.S. and international law, human health, and society. The first two chapters deal with bandwidth and radio, two foundational elements which directly motivated and influenced the creation of the cellphone. Subsequent chapters look at precursors to the contemporary cellphone, including the surprisingly popular car phone of the 1970s, the analog cellphones of the 1980s and early 1990s, and the basic digital phones which preceded the feature-laden, multipurpose devices of today. Throughout the work, the author explains technological features and concepts with the help of detailed photographs and diagrams.

This book investigates the science of electricity in the long eighteenth century and its textual life in literary and political writings. Electricity was celebrated as a symbol of enlightened progress, but its operation and its utility were unsettlingly obscure. As a result, debates about the nature of electricity dovetailed with discussions of the relation between body and soul, the nature of sexual attraction, the properties of revolutionary communication and the mysteries of vitality. This study explores the complex textual manifestations of electricity between 1740 and 1840, in which commentators describe it both as a material force and as a purely figurative one. The book analyses attempts by both elite and popular practitioners of electricity to elucidate the mysteries of electricity, and traces the figurative uses of electrical language in the works of writers including Mary Robinson, Edmund Burke, Erasmus Darwin, John Thelwall, Mary Shelley and Richard Carlile.

Warfighters takes a first-hand look at how the U.S. Air Force creates its most elite, highly trained aircrews, and provides an inside look at the USAF Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, one of the Air Force\s most highly classified programs. There is a detailed look at the USAF Weapons and Tactic Center and the 57th Wing both residing at Nellis, "The Home of the Fighter Pilot".\nOver an entire six month course, the authors were given unprecedented access to the leaders, instructors and students during the intense and demanding curriculm. Fly with A-10 Warthogs, E-16 Vipers, F-15E Strike Eagles and many other sophisticated aircraft as the crews put their knowledge to the test during the programs\ final two week "war".\nWarfighters also contains interviews with some of the most important figures in the history of the USAF, many of whom have fought and won in the skies over Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.

This book studies the treatment of science and technology from ancient myths to current works, demonstrating the importance of science to human civilization as evidenced in literature. The works studied include the Bible, Greek mythology, tales from the Middle Ages (including those about the Golem and Dr. Faustus), ""Gulliver's Travels"", ""Frankenstein"", ""Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"", and works by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, George Orwell, Bertrand Russell, and Aldous Huxley, among others.

This important volume reviews the history of the telecommunication superhighway pointing out its beginnings in the interactive TV and broadband highway of the wired cities more than two decades ago. It explains the technological uncertainties of the superhighway and many of its futuristic services, and also gives an understandable review of the technological principles behind today's modern telecommunication networks and systems.
Recognizing that technology is only one factor in shaping the future, the author, a well-recognized telecommunications expert, analyzes the financial, policy, business, and consumer issues that undermine the superhighway. The book concludes by showing that today's switched telephone network and CATV systems already form a telecommunication superhighway carrying voice, data, image, and video communication for a wide variety of services that enable us to stay in contact with anyone anywhere on our planet.
"Highway of Dreams" is written clearly with understandable explanations for nonspecialists. It challenges the technological utopia offered by the promoters of the superhighway and suggests that consumer needs, finance, corporate culture, and policy often have far greater impact on the future than technology alone.

This timely book explores technological innovation as a concept, dissecting its emergence, development and use. Benoit Godin offers an exciting new historiography of the subject, arguing that the study of innovation originates not from scholars but from practitioners of innovation. Godin looks to engineers, managers, consultants and policymakers as the instigators of our current understanding of technological innovation. Offering a conceptual history of the subject, Part I considers the many iterations of innovation - as an science applied, outcome, process and system - to track and analyse the changing discourses surrounding technological innovation. In Part II, the author turns to historic and contemporary innovation policy to illustrate the critical role that practitioners have had in formulating and strategizing policy. Effectively rewriting the historiography of the topic, this book is critical reading for scholars of innovation studies, sociology and the history of science and technology. Students will benefit from Godin's pioneering approach to the subject and policymakers will also find value in the book's unique insight into innovation.

The Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star was the first American operational jet fighter. David McLarens new book chronicles the development and early trials of the aircraft during Lockheeds groundbreaking attempts to create a viable jet fighter, in a period when jet propulsion was still an innovative unknown. This period also saw engineers and test pilots like Kelly Johnson and Tony LeVier facing many challenges, incidents and accidents as they attempted to create a new fighter from yet untested aerodynamic theories, and engines that were still under development. Also discussed are the record breaking transcontinental and absoulte speed records set by the Shooting Star. Detailed analysis of the Shooting Stars combat record in Korea shows why the F-80 flew more combat missions than any aircraft in the war theater. Also presented is a summation of all USAF, USAFR, and foreign countries that flew the P-80/F-80. David McLaren is also the author of Lockheed F-94 Starfire(with Marty Isham), and Beware the Thunderbolt!: The 56th Fighter Group in World War II (both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

The Triumphs, Struggles, and Secrets of a Captain's Life Richard Metz was a Great Lakes captain for 20 years. He experienced wild weather, close calls, near misses, and events that can only be described as "unimaginable." He has incredible sea stories to tell, and now they are yours to enjoy. Take an entertaining look at life aboard a variety of Great Lakes ships. Read 26 compelling tales of a Great Lakes crewmate and captain, including stories about the Gales of November, the night of the Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking, and more. Plus, you'll be fascinated by the details and full-color photographs of the ships themselves. If you're a history buff, a Great Lakes enthusiast, a ship watcher, or a fan of a good yarn, Sea Stories is for you!

They were in a two-man race to break the sound barrier. It was October 1947, a time before high-speed digital computers, when predictions of what would happen to fighter planes at such speeds were nebulous. Chuck Yeager and George Welch, two great fighter pilots from World War II, were about to explore the unknown in the bright blue sky over the Mojave Desert. Aces Wild: The Race for Mach 1 is the story of these two courageous men who dueled to become the first to fly at supersonic speed, Mach 1, in an aircraft. The book attempts to set the record straight as to who actually broke the sound barrier first. One pilot, the more celebrated of the duo, is still alive today. Aces Wild also tells the story of the other aviator, George Welch, who lost his life in 1954 while once again flying beyond the technological wisdom of his day over the Mojave Desert. Aces Wild traces the story of fighter planes from the start of World War II at Pearl Harbor through the transition to jets in the 1950s. The author reveals the views of supersonic flight before and after 1947 by pilots, scientists, engineers, business interests, the government, and the media. This dramatic tale will appeal to aviation buffs and all readers, especially those who enjoyed Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff.

Dr Chaloner considers economic history to be a branch of what the French call the historical sciences and believes that it is impossible to treat usefully of the rise, decline and metamorphosis of industries and economics without some consideration of the part played by the efforts of individual men and women in these processes. In this collection of essays, first published in 1963, he provides biographies of certain entrepreneurs, inventors and engineers together with historical surveys of some vital industries.

This thorough study of the history, development and service of floatplanes carried on battleships and cruisers documents a long neglected subject for the first time in over 400 photographs. From the 1920s through World War II, aircraft operating from catapults were used for spotting gunfire and scouting ahead of the fleet. Flying these planes was unique and the dramatic launching and recovery operations are covered by both photographs and text. Colors and markings are detailed and special attention has been paid to images showing catapult and ship details for both the ship and aircraft modeler. The assignment of all aircraft by type, totals, squadrons and ship is given annually from 1942 to 1949. In addition to rare photos of all of the experimental aircraft that were tested for this purpose, an addition chapter covers floatplanes used on small ships and submarine. William Larkins is also author of The Ford Tri-Motor 1926-1992, and U.S. Navy Aircraft 1921-1941, U.S. Marine Corps Aircraft 1914-1959(both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

Already in the nineteenth century, German-language writers were contending with the challenge of imagining and accounting for a planet whose volatility bore little resemblance to the images of the Earth then in circulation. The Geological Unconscious traces the withdrawal of the lithosphere as a reliable setting, unobtrusive backdrop, and stable point of reference for literature written well before the current climate breakdown. Through a series of careful readings of romantic, realist, and modernist works by Tieck, Goethe, Stifter, Benjamin, and Brecht, Groves elaborates a geological unconscious—unthought and sometimes actively repressed geological knowledge—in European literature and environmental thought. This inhuman horizon of reading and interpretation offers a new literary history of the Anthropocene in a period before it was named. These close readings show the entanglement of the human and the lithic in periods well before the geological turn of contemporary cultural studies. In those depictions of human-mineral encounters, the minerality of the human and the minerality of the imagination become apparent. In registering libidinal investments in the lithosphere that extend beyond Carboniferous deposits and beyond any carbon imaginary, The Geological Unconscious points toward alternative relations with, and less destructive mobilizations of, the geologic.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1791) is an unfinished memoir by Benjamin Franklin. Addressing the work to his son William, Franklin intended to provide a private account of his life and accomplishments. Published after his death, however, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin has since been recognized as one of the most influential works of autobiography in history, as well as a foundational text for the American ideal of the self-made man. Born in Boston, Franklin joins his brother's printing business at a young age, learning the ropes in an industry which will later bring him both wealth and fame. Secretly, however, he publishes a series of essays under the pseudonym "Silence Dogood," satirical pieces written from the perspective of a middle-aged widow. When his authorship is revealed, a dispute ensues between Franklin and his brother that leads the young Benjamin to look for work elsewhere. Unable to find work in New York City, Franklin continues south toward Philadelphia, where he establishes himself as the printer and editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette. After describing his system of thirteen virtues aimed at moral perfection, Franklin returns to his work as a publisher of Poor Richard's Almanack, a successful yearly pamphlet containing meteorological information, practical tips, and puzzles. Franklin also focuses on his diplomatic work, scientific research and inventions, and his appointment as an honorary member of the prestigious Royal Society. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

A trip across the Pacific turns into a life or death scenario when the crew of the HMS Bounty stages a revolt against their commander. The Bounty Mutiny tells the controversial story of the mutineers and the acting lieutenant who sparked a movement. Commanding Lieutenant William Bligh was instructed to use the HMS Bounty to transport breadfruit plants to the West Indies. He worked alongside skilled colleague Fletcher Christian, who was selected to be acting lieutenant. During their time at sea, the crew experienced many challenges with complaints of abuse and tyranny at the hands of Bligh. This eventually leads to a mutiny, in which Christian and the crew take control of the vessel. This harrowing tale is one of the most adapted events of all-time. Over the past century, it has been interpretated across multiple mediums including five feature films starring George Cross, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando and Anthony Hopkins. It's an enduring story that continues to fascinate and provoke the masses. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Bounty Mutiny is both modern and readable.