Our Common Future


Book Description




Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar Communication


Book Description

Addressing a field that has been dominated by astronomers, physicists, engineers, and computer scientists, the contributors to this collection raise questions that may have been overlooked by physical scientists about the ease of establishing meaningful communication with an extraterrestrial intelligence. These scholars are grappling with some of the enormous challenges that will face humanity if an information-rich signal emanating from another world is detected. By drawing on issues at the core of contemporary archaeology and anthropology, we can be much better prepared for contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, should that day ever come.




Speculative Everything


Book Description

How to use design as a tool to create not only things but ideas, to speculate about possible futures. Today designers often focus on making technology easy to use, sexy, and consumable. In Speculative Everything, Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby propose a kind of design that is used as a tool to create not only things but ideas. For them, design is a means of speculating about how things could be—to imagine possible futures. This is not the usual sort of predicting or forecasting, spotting trends and extrapolating; these kinds of predictions have been proven wrong, again and again. Instead, Dunne and Raby pose “what if” questions that are intended to open debate and discussion about the kind of future people want (and do not want). Speculative Everything offers a tour through an emerging cultural landscape of design ideas, ideals, and approaches. Dunne and Raby cite examples from their own design and teaching and from other projects from fine art, design, architecture, cinema, and photography. They also draw on futurology, political theory, the philosophy of technology, and literary fiction. They show us, for example, ideas for a solar kitchen restaurant; a flypaper robotic clock; a menstruation machine; a cloud-seeding truck; a phantom-limb sensation recorder; and devices for food foraging that use the tools of synthetic biology. Dunne and Raby contend that if we speculate more—about everything—reality will become more malleable. The ideas freed by speculative design increase the odds of achieving desirable futures.




The Escape Manifesto


Book Description

Rob, Dom and Mikey were fed up with the corporate treadmill. When they decided to change careers, they looked for a website to help them escape - except there wasn't one. So they started their own. Three years later and they have started a movement called Escape the City. Over 100,000 people have joined www.escapethecity.org in pursuit of exciting and unconventional careers. They are the first online start-up in the world to raise more than £500,000 in investment equity crowdfunding - and they did this entirely from their own membership. The Escape Manifesto is the book that the guys wish they had read three years ago on the London Underground when they were commuting back and forth from their corporate cubicles. It is an inspirational call to action, packed with practical advice and encouragement. If you work in a corporate job that doesn't make you tick and you have ever wondered whether there is more to life, this book is for you. Step off the corporate treadmill - find an exciting job, start your own business, or go on a big adventure. Stop dreaming, start planning and do something different! Reader Feedback "Fab book- inspired me to plan my escape in Jan 2014 to India to clear my head after 29 years in social work then starting my own business. If not now, when?!" - Fionna "My inspiration to take the step out of banking was driven by your book. I had been thinking about it for about a year but I kept putting off leaving the salaried job, that is until a friend left work and handed me a copy." - Selina "The Escape Manifesto is a fantastic book. Page after page really hit the note with me..... I'm leaving my city job to take some time out travelling South America and see what happens!" - Scott "The Manifesto has really helped me in my decision and continuing motivation to leave consulting. So, I’d like to say a massive thank you." - Victoria "I'm so excited to have 'escaped'!! Thanks to the Escape Manifesto for giving me the motivation and push I needed to seek out opportunities I can be passionate about." - Australian Lawyer in London "I'd like to let you know that your website and book! helped me 'escape' my job as management consultant in the Netherlands. I will be moving to Sri Lanka this November to work as general manager of a turtle conservation project, with my girlfriend. I found the job on your site. I'm so excited!" - Andre "I lost track of the number of times I stopped to read out passages to my wife which expressed the exact same thoughts and emotions as I’d been feeling myself, it’s always good to know you’re not the first to have felt this way. I got a bit carried away with the highlighter and have built a to-do list off the back of it." - Graham "Loving the Escape manifesto, I'm planning my escape from finance to conservation for August 2014." - Scott "Your book is by my bed – making notes from the money chapter... hopefully I’ll have news soon." - Victoria "I'm reading your book right now. I'm halfway through but I couldn't resist contacting you before I finish it. It is the perfect reference for finding a new career path and escaping the status quo and pressure from society - very good book!" - Daniel "Your book has made me feel so good about my situation and I now believe I'm doing all the right things to give my plans a good old go. Life is so short and you have nothing to lose. Nothing!!!" - Ed "Even the shittiest day brightens up when I read your blog, your book or just the pics you post on Facebook." - Dagmar "Well chaps, I did it! Quit my job in senior leadership in a blue chip corporate. Now what???? Halfway thru your book and I had the eureka moment - "I'll write a book too" so, after blasting out a proposal I now have a contract with a publishing house. My new life as a writer started 3 months ago, you guys gave me the nudge I needed. Thanks!" - Andrew "I just wanted to say briefly THANK YOU! You wrote a great book! I found myself on many pages! THANKS for writing down your ideas and thoughts and for founding ESC! Just registered. All the best and good luck to you!" - Franziska




Lifelines


Book Description

Infrastructure—electricity, telecommunications, roads, water, and sanitation—are central to people’s lives. Without it, they cannot make a living, stay healthy, and maintain a good quality of life. Access to basic infrastructure is also a key driver of economic development. This report lays out a framework for understanding infrastructure resilience - the ability of infrastructure systems to function and meet users’ needs during and after a natural hazard. It focuses on four infrastructure systems that are essential to economic activity and people’s well-being: power systems, including the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity; water and sanitation—especially water utilities; transport systems—multiple modes such as road, rail, waterway, and airports, and multiple scales, including urban transit and rural access; and telecommunications, including telephone and Internet connections.




Principles of Management


Book Description

Black & white print. Principles of Management is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the introductory course on management. This is a traditional approach to management using the leading, planning, organizing, and controlling approach. Management is a broad business discipline, and the Principles of Management course covers many management areas such as human resource management and strategic management, as well as behavioral areas such as motivation. No one individual can be an expert in all areas of management, so an additional benefit of this text is that specialists in a variety of areas have authored individual chapters.




World Development Report 1994


Book Description

World Development Report 1994 examines the link between infrastructure and development and explores ways in which developing countries can improve both the provision and the quality of infrastructure services. In recent decades, developing countries have made substantial investments in infrastructure, achieving dramatic gains for households and producers by expanding their access to services such as safe water, sanitation, electric power, telecommunications, and transport. Even more infrastructure investment and expansion are needed in order to extend the reach of services - especially to people living in rural areas and to the poor. But as this report shows, the quantity of investment cannot be the exclusive focus of policy. Improving the quality of infrastructure service also is vital. Both quantity and quality improvements are essential to modernize and diversify production, help countries compete internationally, and accommodate rapid urbanization. The report identifies the basic cause of poor past performance as inadequate institutional incentives for improving the provision of infrastructure. To promote more efficient and responsive service delivery, incentives need to be changed through commercial management, competition, and user involvement. Several trends are helping to improve the performance of infrastructure. First, innovation in technology and in the regulatory management of markets makes more diversity possible in the supply of services. Second, an evaluation of the role of government is leading to a shift from direct government provision of services to increasing private sector provision and recent experience in many countries with public-private partnerships is highlighting new ways to increase efficiency and expand services. Third, increased concern about social and environmental sustainability has heightened public interest in infrastructure design and performance.




The Fingerprint


Book Description

The idea of The Fingerprint Sourcebook originated during a meeting in April 2002. Individuals representing the fingerprint, academic, and scientific communities met in Chicago, Illinois, for a day and a half to discuss the state of fingerprint identification with a view toward the challenges raised by Daubert issues. The meeting was a joint project between the International Association for Identification (IAI) and West Virginia University (WVU). One recommendation that came out of that meeting was a suggestion to create a sourcebook for friction ridge examiners, that is, a single source of researched information regarding the subject. This sourcebook would provide educational, training, and research information for the international scientific community.




A Century of Artists Books


Book Description

Published to accompany the 1994 exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, this book constitutes the most extensive survey of modern illustrated books to be offered in many years. Work by artists from Pierre Bonnard to Barbara Kruger and writers from Guillaume Apollinarie to Susan Sontag. An importnt reference for collectors and connoisseurs. Includes notable works by Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso.