This book is a history of the future. It shows how our contemporary understanding of the Internet is shaped by visions of the future that were put together in the 1950s and 1960s. At the height of the Cold War, the Americans invented the only working model of communism in human history: the Internet. Yet, for all of its libertarian potential, the goal of this hi-tech project was geopolitical dominance: the ownership of time was control over the destiny of humanity. The potentially subversive theory of cybernetics was transformed into the military-friendly project of 'artificial intelligence'. Capitalist growth became the fastest route to the 'information society'. The rest of the world was expected to follow America's path into the networked future. Today, we're still being told that the Internet is creating the information society - and that America today is everywhere else tomorrow. Thankfully, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the DIY ethic of the Internet shows that people can resist these authoritarian prophecies by shaping information technologies in their own interest. Ultimately, if we don't want the future to be what it used to be, we must invent our own, improved and truly revolutionary future.

Offers Both Standard and Novel Approaches for the Modeling of SystemsExamines the Interesting Behavior of Particular Classes of Models Chaotic Modelling and Simulation: Analysis of Chaotic Models, Attractors and Forms presents the main models developed by pioneers of chaos theory, along with new extensions and variations of these models. Using more than 500 graphs and illustrations, the authors show how to design, estimate, and test an array of models. Requiring little prior knowledge of mathematics, the book focuses on classical forms and attractors as well as new simulation methods and techniques. Ideas clearly progress from the most elementary to the most advanced. The authors cover deterministic, stochastic, logistic, Gaussian, delay, Henon, Holmes, Lorenz, Roessler, and rotation models. They also look at chaotic analysis as a tool to design forms that appear in physical systems; simulate complicated and chaotic orbits and paths in the solar system; explore the Henon-Heiles, Contopoulos, and Hamiltonian systems; and provide a compilation of interesting systems and variations of systems, including the very intriguing Lotka-Volterra system. Making a complex topic accessible through a visual and geometric style, this book should inspire new developments in the field of chaotic models and encourage more readers to become involved in this rapidly advancing area.

We are surrounded by information. Even the most routine situations in which we find ourselves conceal a hidden information flow. Every step we take, a host of signals meet us, providing information about what is happening in other parts of reality. The cherry tree in bloom reveals that spring has arrived. The footprint left on wet sand indicates that someone has walked along the beach. A red traffic light signals that we must bring our car to a halt. In The Phenomenon of Information, author Mario Perez-Montoro addresses the problems of providing a theoretical explanation of how a signal carries informational content, how to identify its characteristics, and how to define the mechanisms for describing it. To do this, Perez-Montoro examines several theoretical approaches to the phenomenon of information: the mathematical theory of communication, Dretske's approach, and the relational theory of meaning. A critique of these efforts leads to the author's definition of informational content, named "the extensional approach," which is designed to overcome the conceptual limitations of the previous theories. The author proposes that his definition might serve as a basis on which a satisfactory analysis of the concept of information can be developed.

This volume features recent development and techniques in evolution equations by renown experts in the field. Each contribution emphasizes the relevance and depth of this important area of mathematics and its expanding reach into the physical, biological, social, and computational sciences as well as into engineering and technology. The reader will find an accessible summary of a wide range of active research topics, along with exciting new results. Topics include: Impulsive implicit Caputo fractional q-difference equations in finite and infinite dimensional Banach spaces; optimal control of averaged state of a population dynamic model; structural stability of nonlinear elliptic p(u)-Laplacian problem with Robin-type boundary condition; exponential dichotomy and partial neutral functional differential equations, stable and center-stable manifolds of admissible class; global attractor in Alpha-norm for some partial functional differential equations of neutral and retarded type; and more. Researchers in mathematical sciences, biosciences, computational sciences and related fields, will benefit from the rich and useful resources provided. Upper undergraduate and graduate students may be inspired to contribute to this active and stimulating field.

Cyber and its related technologies such as the Internet was introduced to the world only in late 1980s, and today it is unimaginable to think of a life without it. Despite being ubiquitous, cyber technology is still seen as an enigma by many, mainly due to its rapid development and the high level of science involved. In addition to the existing complexities of the technology, the level of threat matrix surrounding the cyber domain further leads to various misconceptions and exaggerations. Cyber technology is the future, thus forcing us to understand this complex domain to survive and evolve as technological beings. To understand the enigma, the book analyzes and disentangles the issues related to cyber technology. The author unravels the threats that terrorize the cyber world and aims to decrypt its domain. It also presents the existing reality of cyber environment in India and charts out a few recommendations for enhancing the country's cyber security architecture. Further, the book delves into detailed analysis of various issues like hacking, dark web, cyber enabled terrorism and covert cyber capabilities of countries like the US and China. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Intelligent technical systems are networked, embedded systems incorporating real-time capacities that are able to interact with and adapt to their environments. These systems need innovative approaches in order to meet requirements like cost, size, power and memory consumption, as well as real-time compliance and security.

Intelligent Technical Systems covers different levels like multimedia systems, embedded programming, middleware platforms, sensor networks and autonomous systems and applications for intelligent engineering.

Each level is discussed by a set of original articles summarizing the state of the art and presenting a concrete application; they include a deep discussion of their model and explain all design decisions relevant to obtain a mature solution.

From the reviews: "The 2nd (slightly enlarged) edition of the van Lint's book is a short, concise, mathematically rigorous introduction to the subject. Basic notions and ideas are clearly presented from the mathematician's point of view and illustrated on various special classes of codes...This nice book is a must for every mathematician wishing to introduce himself to the algebraic theory of coding." European Mathematical Society Newsletter, 1993 "Despite the existence of so many other books on coding theory, this present volume will continue to hold its place as one of the standard texts...." The Mathematical Gazette, 1993

A deep and penetrating exploration of the key concepts of information and communications sciences by one of its founders, this book covers everything in its subject that you want to know more about including the bedrock topics of signs, symbols, information, and communication, all considered from an historical and foundational perspective that is satisfying to the beginning student and worthwhile for practitioners of long standing. All the major players are given their role, from Shannon and Weaver to Tim Berners-Lee, with Marshall McLuhan an engaging participant. Communication in all its forms be it print or electronic media, mass communication as well as person-to-person messaging, whether by mail, telephone, gesture, or email is thoroughly examined in this book, which can serve as either an introductory text to undergraduates in information science, an interesting read for the layman, or as a refresher for the communications professional.

This book is devoted to the development of optimal control theory for finite dimensional systems governed by deterministic and stochastic differential equations driven by vector measures. The book deals with a broad class of controls, including regular controls (vector-valued measurable functions), relaxed controls (measure-valued functions) and controls determined by vector measures, where both fully and partially observed control problems are considered. In the past few decades, there have been remarkable advances in the field of systems and control theory thanks to the unprecedented interaction between mathematics and the physical and engineering sciences. Recently, optimal control theory for dynamic systems driven by vector measures has attracted increasing interest. This book presents this theory for dynamic systems governed by both ordinary and stochastic differential equations, including extensive results on the existence of optimal controls and necessary conditions for optimality. Computational algorithms are developed based on the optimality conditions, with numerical results presented to demonstrate the applicability of the theoretical results developed in the book. This book will be of interest to researchers in optimal control or applied functional analysis interested in applications of vector measures to control theory, stochastic systems driven by vector measures, and related topics. In particular, this self-contained account can be a starting point for further advances in the theory and applications of dynamic systems driven and controlled by vector measures.

Contents:
Preface Part I: Theory Personalized Chapter 1: Theory Retrospective Chapter 2: Theory Favorites Chapter 3: Theory Fashion Chapter 4: Framing Theory Chapter 5: Inside The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism Chapter 6: Consolidating Theory (Interview) Chapter 7: Theory, Literature, and Literary Studies Today (Interview) Part II: Cultural Studies Practiced Chapter 8: Criticizing Globalization: The Case of Pierre Bourdieu Chapter 9: The New Economic Criticisms: The Rise of the Lilliputians Chapter 10: Postmodern Fashion Chapter 11: Blues Southwestern Style Chapter 12: Postmodern Interdisciplinarity Appendix Notes Index Olesen, and Nina Lykke

In the mid-nineteenth century, American and British governments marched with great fanfare into the marketplace of knowledge and publishing. British royal commissions of inquiry, inspectorates, and parliamentary committees conducted famous social inquiries into child labor, poverty, housing, and factories. The American federal government studied Indian tribes, explored the West, and investigated the condition of the South during and after the Civil War.

Performing, printing, and then circulating these studies, government established an economy of exchange with its diverse constituencies. In this medium, which Frankel terms "print statism," not only tangible objects such as reports and books but knowledge itself changed hands. As participants, citizens assumed the standing of informants and readers.

Even as policy investigations and official reportage became a distinctive feature of the modern governing process, buttressing the claim of the state to represent its populace, government discovered an unintended consequence: it could exercise only limited control over the process of inquiry, the behavior of its emissaries as investigators or authors, and the fate of official reports once issued and widely circulated.

This study contributes to current debates over knowledge, print culture, and the growth of the state as well as the nature and history of the "public sphere." It interweaves innovative, theoretical discussions into meticulous, historical analysis.

An effective blend of carefully explained theory and practical applications, this text imparts the fundamentals of both information theory and data compression. Although the two topics are related, this unique text allows either topic to be presented independently, and it was specifically designed so that the data compression section requires no prior knowledge of information theory.

The treatment of information theory, while theoretical and abstract, is quite elementary, making this text less daunting than many others. After presenting the fundamental definitions and results of the theory, the authors then apply the theory to memoryless, discrete channels with zeroth-order, one-state sources.

The chapters on data compression acquaint students with a myriad of lossless compression methods and then introduce two lossy compression methods. Students emerge from this study competent in a wide range of techniques. The authors' presentation is highly practical but includes some important proofs, either in the text or in the exercises, so instructors can, if they choose, place more emphasis on the mathematics.

Introduction to Information Theory and Data Compression, Second Edition is ideally suited for an upper-level or graduate course for students in mathematics, engineering, and computer science.

The present book includes a set of selected papers from the Fifth International Conf- ence on Informatics in Control Automation and Robotics (ICINCO 2008), held in Funchal, Madeira - Portugal, from 11 to 15 May 2008. The conference was organized in three simultaneous tracks: Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization, Robotics and Automation, and Systems Modeling, Signal Processing and Control. The book is based on the same structure. ICINCO 2008 received 392 paper submissions, from more than 50 different co- tries in all continents. From these, after a blind review process, only 33 where - cepted as full papers, of which 18 were selected for inclusion in this book, based on the classifications provided by the Program Committee. The selected papers reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the conference. The diversity of topics is an important feature of this conference, enabling an overall perception of several important sci- tific and technological trends. These high quality standards will be maintained and reinforced at ICINCO 2009, to be held in Milan, Italy, and in future editions of this conference.

Patrice Flichy offers a profound analysis of the social shaping and impact of the major communication technologies of the last 200 years. From the semaphore and telegraph to contemporary information technologies, Dynamics of Modern Communication focuses on the relationship between technological and social change. Particular emphasis is put on four processes: the birth of the modern state at the end of the eighteenth century; the development of stock markets; the transformation of private life in the modern nuclear family; and the individualism of the late twentieth century. Exploring the interaction of technology and social context - for example, in the move from public methods of communication to more private and individualized forms - Flichy exposes the gap between the original conception of a technology and its end use after the interplay of political, economic and consumer forces.

Vilfredo Pareto was one of the great systems theorists of the 20th century, embracing economics, psychology, sociology and politics. In this work, Michael McLure takes as his subject of study the rapport between Pareto's economic and sociological theories, and consequently illuminates the role of economics in public policy development. A central theme running through this book is the overarching role of the "mechanical analogy" in all of Pareto's work. Important aspects and implications of Pareto's work considered by the author include: relations between pure economic theory and general sociology; the problem of collective economic welfare; the juxtaposition of Pareto's political sociology to Buchanan's public choice/constitutional economics; Pareto and methodology; and implications for public policy and government

Mapping Cyberspace is a ground-breaking geographic exploration and critical reading of cyberspace, and information and communication technologies. The book:
* provides an understanding of what cyberspace looks like and the social interactions that occur there
* explores the impacts of cyberspace, and information and communication technologies, on cultural, political and economic relations
* charts the spatial forms of virutal spaces
* details empirical research and examines a wide variety of maps and spatialisations of cyberspace and the information society
* has a related website at http://www.MappingCyberspace.com.
This book will be a valuable addition to the growing body of literature on cyberspace and what it means for the future.

The expertise of a professional mathmatician and a theoretical engineer provides a fresh perspective of stability and stable oscillations. The current state of affairs in stability theory, absolute stability of control systems, and stable oscillations of both periodic and almost periodic discrete systems is presented, including many applications in engineering such as stability of digital filters, digitally controlled thermal processes, neurodynamics, and chemical kinetics. This book will be an invaluable reference source for those whose work is in the area of discrete dynamical systems, difference equations, and control theory or applied areas that use discrete time models.

This textbook provides students with a concise introduction to the development of communication theory. Written in an engaging style, it offers an account of the development of all the major theoretical approaches in communication and media studies. The book summarizes clearly and methodically the range of existing theories; explains how and why the diverse currents and schools of thought emerged; and contextualizes all the major approaches, including those of cultural studies and political economy, in their historical, social and intellectual setting. Theories of Communication is an essential text for all students of media, communication and cultural studies. It will also be welcomed by anyone seeking to understand the changes that have accompanied the rise of the so-called `information society'.

This book bridges the gap between advances in the communities of computer science and physics--namely machine learning and statistical physics. It contains diverse but relevant topics in statistical physics, complex systems, network theory, and machine learning. Examples of such topics are: predicting missing links, higher-order generative modeling of networks, inferring network structure by tracking the evolution and dynamics of digital traces, recommender systems, and diffusion processes. The book contains extended versions of high-quality submissions received at the workshop, Dynamics On and Of Complex Networks (doocn.org), together with new invited contributions. The chapters will benefit a diverse community of researchers. The book is suitable for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and professors of various disciplines including sociology, physics, mathematics, and computer science.

Niklas Luhmann ranks as one of the most important sociologists and social theorists of the twentieth century. Through his many books he developed a highly original form of systems theory that has been hugely influential in a wide variety of disciplines.

In "Introduction to Systems Theory," Luhmann explains the key ideas of general and sociological systems theory and supplies a wealth of examples to illustrate his approach. The book offers a wide range of concepts and theorems that can be applied to politics and the economy, religion and science, art and education, organization and the family. Moreover, Luhmann's ideas address important contemporary issues in such diverse fields as cognitive science, ecology, and the study of social movements.

This book provides all the necessary resources for readers to work through the foundations of systems theory - no other work by Luhmann is as clear and accessible as this. There is also much here that will be of great interest to more advanced scholars and practitioners in sociology and the social sciences.

"i In the Sky" is a collection of essays by more than 40 experts, including such leading writers as Charles Handy, Don Tapscott, and Kevin Warwick, giving their personal vision of the future of information. Information here is given its widest meaning and includes such subjects as the Internet, electronic commerce, cybernetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, and even computers as fashion accessories.

Information as phenomenon pervades all areas of life, and its evolution has consequences for everyone. Many of the essays have as their central themes the future of computer intelligence; library and information services; interactive Internet marketing; networked learning in higher education; the linking of technology enabling remote and online communication to the deconstruction of the modern corporation; artificial intelligence; scholarly communication; smart houses; intelligent appliances; etc.

We are often told that we are 'living in an information society' or that we are 'information workers'. But what exactly do these claims mean, and how might they be verified? In this important methodological study, Alistair Duff cuts through the rhetoric to get to the bottom of the 'information society thesis'.
Wide-ranging in coverage, this study will be of interest to scholars in information science, communication and media studies and social theory. It is a key text for the newly-unified specialism of information society studies, and an indispensable guide to the future of this discipline.

Drawing on case studies from Denmark, The Netherlands and the UK, this book discusses new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Contributors argue that ICTs play an important role in the process of restructuring and redefining basic relations within the political systems of Western democracies.

This issue represents a broad synopsis of the past, present, and future of electronic publishing. The contributors explore the opportunities and challenges related to this new distribution channel, and the effect of this change on publishers, authors/editors, distributors, and consumers. Standing with the key to the "new world," publishers will be faced with new opportunities and nagging issues related to new competition, content control, and protection of revenue streams requiring strategies that stress rationalization of distribution systems, cross-promotion, strategic pricing, and leveraging to new revenue sources. In addition, this issue also highlights the objections of consumers to these types of change, the benefits of the new technology for consumers, and the adaptation of the publishing industry as a whole.