Aus der Kunst kommend und notgedrungen zum Forscher geworden, hob der vielseitig schaffende Oswald Wiener (1935—2021) in seiner Denkpsychologie hervor: „Eine Synthese von Selbstbeobachtung und Automatentheorie strebe ich nicht an. Es geht vielmehr um eine Gegenüberstellung: Was an den in der Selbstbeobachtung aufgefaßten Zusammenhängen läßt sich auf einigermaßen befriedigende Weise als eine Realisierung von Zusammenhängen innerhalb eines formalen Systems, z. B. des formalen Systems Automatentheorie auffassen. Oder umgekehrt: Wie gut erfaßt das Modell Automatentheorie (Computer-Metapher, ,Physical Symbol System', künstliche Intelligenz auf dem heutigen Stand ...) wesentliche Züge des menschlichen Denkens? Was würde hier als eine ,einigermaßen befriedigende Weise' gelten? Wie sehr und was abstrahiert das formale System?“ 　 Drei Gespräche mit Wiener über die historische Theorieentwicklung und vier Essays in diesem Buch sollen diesen neuen und bislang zu wenig im akademischen Diskurs beachteten Ansatz der Denktheorie ein- und fortführen. Angelpunkt der Überlegungen ist Wieners letzter großer Aufsatz „Kybernetik und Gespenster“.

Important elements of games, movies, and other computer-generated content, shadows are crucial for enhancing realism and providing important visual cues. In recent years, there have been notable improvements in visual quality and speed, making high-quality realistic real-time shadows a reachable goal. Real-Time Shadows is a comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of real-time shadow techniques. It covers a large variety of different effects, including hard, soft, volumetric, and semi-transparent shadows. The book explains the basics as well as many advanced aspects related to the domain of shadow computation. It presents interactive solutions and practical details on shadow computation. The authors compare various algorithms for creating real-time shadows and illustrate how they are used in different situations. They explore the limitations and failure cases, advantages and disadvantages, and suitability of the algorithms in several applications. Source code, videos, tutorials, and more are available on the book's website www.realtimeshadows.com.

As a versatile and creative thinker, Oswald Wiener (1935—2021) developed from an artist into a researcher out of sheer necessity. At the end of his life he emphasized:　 ”I do not aim at a synthesis of introspection and automata theory but rather at contrasting them. Which relationships identified in introspection can — in a fairly satisfactory way — be understood as realizations of relationships within a formal system, e.g., the formal system of automata theory. Or the other way around: How well does automata theory as a model (i.e., the computer as mental metaphor, 'Physical Symbol Systems,' today's Artificial Intelligence ...) capture essential features of human thought? What does 'in a fairly satisfactory way' mean in this context? What, and how strongly, does the formal system abstract from natural processes?“ 　 In this book, three conversations with Wiener about the development of his theory and four essays introduce and elaborate on this new ap proach to the theory of thought, which has previously received too little attention in academic discourse. A pivotal role is played by Wiener's last major essay ”Cybernetics and Ghosts.“

Important elements of games, movies, and other computer-generated content, shadows are crucial for enhancing realism and providing important visual cues. In recent years, there have been notable improvements in visual quality and speed, making high-quality realistic real-time shadows a reachable goal. Real-Time Shadows is a comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of real-time shadow techniques. It covers a large variety of different effects, including hard, soft, volumetric, and semi-transparent shadows. The book explains the basics as well as many advanced aspects related to the domain of shadow computation. It presents interactive solutions and practical details on shadow computation. The authors compare various algorithms for creating real-time shadows and illustrate how they are used in different situations. They explore the limitations and failure cases, advantages and disadvantages, and suitability of the algorithms in several applications. Source code, videos, tutorials, and more are available on the book's website www.realtimeshadows.com.

This substantial monograph on the respected German Concrete artist features a selection of floor and skirting-board paintings from the late 60s and 70s, large-scale and multi-media architectural paintings, furniture, abstract geometric oils and acrylics and sculptural wall-works. A serious study of post-Constructivist color and space.

If you have ever driven by a building and wondered what has happened within its walls, you know what drives Abandoned Arkansas. Every day neglected structures are on the verge of being demolished or in desperate need of renovation. Join Michael Schwarz, Eddy Sisson, Ginger Beck, and James Kirkendall through the forgotten history of the Natural State, from the Majestic Hotel in Hot Springs to Dogpatch USA, an abandoned theme park once loved by thousands. Travel to decayed places around the state and bear witness to the vandalism, weathering, and slow death of countless historic buildings. It's simultaneously heartbreaking and captivating. Through historic documentation, these photographers hope to immortalize the stories of the places they visit beyond the building's finite lifespan, and to preserve an echo from the past. To see over 150 locations and more photos from abandoned places around the state, please visit AbandonedAR.com

An important consideration for energy-efficient buildings is their primary energy requirements over the entire life cycle. How to determine this? What integrative factors influence the performance of a healthy and sustainable building? This, while it may be important for clients and architects to know, is frequently not very transparent.
This book has been written to assist with clarifying target criteria and expanding horizons when it comes to ecological buildings. It is meant as a handbook and source of reference for clients, architects, planners and building operators, to provide them with pertinent information about their design, construction and operation: how to do this in the most energy-efficient and economical manner?
Also, there is feedback and documentation about prominent buildings like the Hamburg Dockland or the Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart. They provide excellent architectural examples for detailed construction and design solutions. Further, there are insightful interviews with architects and clients about many important buildings, which help turn this book into an integrated source of reference for sustainable architecture.

- A Guideline for Planning, Construction and Operation of sustainable Buildings
- A source of reference for clients, architects, planners and building operators
- Innovative architectural examples with sustainable concepts and design

Die Zeit-Frequenz-Analyse ist ein zentrales Teilgebiet der Signalverarbeitung. Sie umfasst die Signaldarstellung in Frames, die Kurzzeit-Fourier-Transformation, die Wavelet-Transformation und die Wigner-Ville-Verteilung. All diese Themen werden in diesem Buch ausfuhrlich und mit dem notigen mathematischen Hintergrund dargestellt. Daruber hinaus findet sich eine Einfuhrung in die Schatzverfahren, die in der Signalverarbeitung Anwendung finden. Eine Vielzahl von aktuellen Beispielen aus Medizin, Kraftfahrzeugtechnik, Betriebswirtschaft und Bildverarbeitung tragt dazu bei den Anwendungsbezug herzustellen."

Zum erstenmal in diesem Umfang wird der Umweltschutz als Organisationsproblem auf dem Weg zu einer okologischen Wirtschaftsweise betrachtet."

Das vielbeschriebene Umweltmanagement ist weder schon Normalitat, noch haben Gewerkschaften, Betriebsrate und Beschaftigte den Umweltschutz als ausbaufahiges Handlungsfeld entdeckt. Auf der Grundlage von intensiven Fallstudien werden funf Strategietypen im betrieblichen Umweltschutz naher untersucht. Bei aller Ambitioniertheit und Unterschiedlichkeit ist ihnen Stuckwerkcharakter, Nachrangigkeit, unzureichende Integration sowie ausgepragte Abhangigkeit von bestimmten Akteuren und ganz spezifischen betrieblichen Konstellationen gemein. Daraus ergeben sich arbeitspolitische Anforderungen nicht primar in den Dimensionen Regulation und Institutionalisierung, sondern vielmehr in Richtung auf betriebsintern und -extern erweiterte und verbesserte Kooperationsbeziehungen und einen auf dieser Grundlage geplanten Organisationswandel." (...) Birke und Schwarz singen nicht das Hohelied auf die Kunst betrieblichen Umweltmanagements. Sie liefern einen kritischen, gleichwohl behutsamen und notwendigen, jedoch keinesfalls selbstverstandlichen Blick auf das Status quo. (...) Sowohl Praktiker wie Theoretiker konnen aus der Studie Gewinn ziehen."FAZ, 134/95"