Brainchildren


Book Description

A new collection of wide-ranging essays from one of cognitive science's most distingushed figures. Minds are complex artifacts, partly biological and partly social; only a unified, multidisciplinary approach will yield a realistic theory of how they came into existence and how they work. One of the foremost workers in this multidisciplinary field is Daniel Dennett. This book brings together his essays on the philosphy of mind, artificial intelligence, and cognitive ethology that appeared in inaccessible journals from 1984 to 1996. Highlights include "Can Machines Think?," "The Unimagined Preposterousness of Zombies," "Artificial Life as Philosophy," and "Animal Consciousness: What Matters and Why." Collected in a single volume, the essays are now available to a wider audience.




Brainchild


Book Description

The 21st century is a challenging era and the competition is unyielding. As parents, we feel an urgency to prepare our children to face this world. We are constantly seeking the best schools, activities, and programs in the hope that they will give our children that extra leg-up in life. We believe that if we want our children to thrive in this world, we must prepare them with every resource available to us. In our eagerness to provide everything our children might need, we have lost sight of the basic fundamentals that they require to flourish. Like planning a house to weather the storm, we must ensure that our children’s foundations are strong. However, in our haste to cover every avenue that promises an advantage, we have unwittingly compromised that foundation. It’s time to review what is working and what isn’t. Supported by case studies and scientific research findings, Brainchild provides keen insights on how to nurture children to reach their full potential.




Relativity Made Relatively Easy!


Book Description

Understanding Einstein’s Creative Genius Not since Isaac Newton had anyone conceived the universe in such a revolutionary, startling new way. Given the fervent renewed appreciation for the contributions Albert Einstein has bestowed on humanity, physicist and popular science writer Barry Parker dedicates a book to explaining in the clearest possible terms to the broadest possible audience the meaning and beauty of Einstein’s theories. While tracing the story of Einstein’s life, Parker seizes on the crucial groundbreaking theories that Einstein envisioned. Through Parker's eloquence, eye for detail, and clever use of Einsteinian cartoons and vivid illustrations, he enables the reader to see and appreciate for perhaps the first time the full meaning and scope of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity and General Theory of Relativity. Parker then guides the reader to the next step in Einstein's revelations: the possibility of time travel. Parker’s incomparable gift for language captures Einstein’s uniqueness, singular brilliance, and stunning theories. The clarity of the writing coupled with the many illustrations will drive home the point why so many consider Einstein to be the greatest scientist who ever lived and Time magazine named Albert Einstein “Person of the Century.” BARRY PARKER (Pocatello, ID) is an award-winning science writer and the author of 27 highly acclaimed popular science books. He is professor emeritus of physics at Idaho State University.




BrainChild


Book Description




Brainchild


Book Description

The first three books in #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Richard Bard's Brainrush series garnered over 2,000 Amazon 5-Star reviews, setting the stage for the continuing story spanning three continents and two more books. With Brainchild (Brainrush 4) called "a high-speed thriller that ignites pages with scenes of action and suspense" by Kirkus Reviews, and Smoke & Mirrors (Brainrush 5) named "best book of the year" by IndieReader.com, this mind-gripping adventure is sure to capture the imagination long after the final heart-stopping chapter. A gifted boy forced to grow up too fast... A father who will do anything to protect him... A madman bent on destroying them both. In Amsterdam, a visionary scientist is laying the groundwork for a cybernetic life-extension project that will transfer individual consciousness to a personalized avatar. Halfway around the world, his brilliant grandson is secretly planning to use the same technology to infiltrate the world's most secure networks. But the scientific advances necessary to perfect the brain-to-computer interface are slow in coming, too slow for the aging founder of the Everlast foundation--who may die before realizing his dream of immortality--and too slow for his ruthless grandson, who will stop at nothing to attain the recognition that is his birthright. Caught in the middle are Jake Bronson and his seven-year-old son, Alex, whose combined mental gifts might provide the key to leapfrogging the impasse. When Jake's family and closest friends are simultaneously abducted in a globally coordinated kidnapping scheme, he races across two continents before uncovering the first clue to their whereabouts, unaware that his hostage son and teenage siblings crash-landed in the jungles of South China, where they must find every ounce of their courage and wits to survive the wilds and escape the ruthless drug lord who is hot on their heels. Can a seven-year-old boy learn to kill to save his family? An “international thriller with soul.” Ideal reading for fans of Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, James Rollins, Marcus Sakey, Michael Grumley, Brad Thor, Dan Brown, Matthew Reilly, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and Vince Flynn.. Note: "Brainchild" was formerly entitled "Everlast"




Einstein's Brainchild


Book Description

Students and others looking for fascinating and painless introductions to this particular, well-traveled, but still-startling corner of the sciences will be happy with Parker as their guide. The latest book to tackle Einstein's insights and their consequences is also one of the clearest and shortest yet. - Publishers WeeklyIn clever, easy-to-follow prose, with plenty of cartoon help, Parker fleshes out Einstein's major contribution to science and mankind, while adding a bit of biography and some fun speculation about the possibilities of time travel. -San Diego TribuneIn his long-awaited new book, physicist and popular science writer Barry Parker speaks to the broadest possible audience in bringing Einstein's theories to life. Given the fervent renewed appreciation for the contributions Albert Einstein has bestowed on humanity, Parker thinks it only right to dedicate a book to explaining in the clearest possible terms the meaning and beauty of Einstein's theories.While tracing the story of Einstein's life, Parker seizes on the crucial groundbreaking theories that Einstein envisioned. Not since Isaac Newton had anyone conceived the universe in such a revolutionary, startling new way. Through Parker's eloquence, eye for detail, and clever use of Einsteinian cartoons and vivid illustrations, he enables the reader to see and appreciate for perhaps the first time the full meaning and scope of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity and General Theory of Relativity.Parker then guides the reader to the next step in Einstein's revelations: the possibility of time travel. In exploring the fascinating implications of Einstein's thought, Parker treats us to the experience of discovering a black hole, traversing curved spacetime, and greeting our much younger twin who has just returned from a long and arduous spaceflight.Parker's incomparable gift for language captures Einstein's uniqueness, singular brilliance, and stunning theories. The clarity of the writing coupled with the many illustrations will drive home the point why so many consider Einstein to be the greatest scientist who ever lived and Time magazine named Albert Einstein Person of the Century.Barry Parker, Ph.D. (Boise, ID), a professor of physics at Idaho State University from 1967 to 1997, is an award-winning science writer and the author of thirteen highly acclaimed books in popular science, including Search for a Supertheory, Alien Life: The Search for Extraterrestrials and Beyond, Einstein: The Passions of a Scientist, Albert Einstein's Vision and Quantum Legacy: The Discovery That Changed Our Universe.




Śiva's Brainchild


Book Description

Hinduism is ancient. Considered as one religion, it is the oldest religion on Earth. Modern scientific understanding, in contrast, is relatively very recent. It is only in this very recent mode of understanding that we have come to understand the basic material structure of the human brain is that of a supremely complex network. We don't find anything in the Hindu corpus that refers to this, or to the modern scientific fact that our experience of self and world as human beings, is a construct of the functioning of this supremely complex network. And yet Hinduism itself contains, expressed through a cultural fabric, the representation of a supreme understanding, through which the most fundamental fact of modern brain science comes into focus. The point of Hinduism, like that of any of the great religions, is the discovery of God, whether as Brahman or Krishna, and not merely the provision of entertaining stories about our origins. With this in mind, this book contains a steep but fast shortcut into the core content behind the cultural fabric, in such a way that is compatible with Western inquiry, whilst giving full due regard to the profound and spiritual nature of the corpus. It is all too easy to regard the pantheon of Hinduism as proof of its estrangement and disconnection from a religion such as Christianity, which amongst the religions predominates in the West. But such a judgement would be to overlook the one thing that all cultures and all religions have in common, and on which they depend for their expression, in the first place. Which is none other than human brain function. In these pages the deeper content of the Hindu corpus and the single most fundamental fact of modern neuroscience, come together. They are exposed together, for anyone who is interested, to show how in a very 21st-century way, as well as in an ancient Hindu way, we are what Hinduism may might regard as Śiva's brainchild.




Brainchild


Book Description

A Neuroscience Fiction novel from the best-selling author of MAVERICKS OF THE MIND. Hot, sexy and futuristic, this wildly erotic dizzy and dazzling carnival ride explodes with the force of 4.5 billion years of evolution. BRAINCHILD is guaranteed to liquefy and reform any brain with courage enough to venture into its depths.




The Whole-Brain Child


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than 1 million copies in print! • The authors of No-Drama Discipline and The Yes Brain explain the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures in this pioneering, practical book. “Simple, smart, and effective solutions to your child’s struggles.”—Harvey Karp, M.D. In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids throw tantrums, fight, or sulk in silence. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child’s brain and foster vital growth. Complete with age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child shows you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives. “[A] useful child-rearing resource for the entire family . . . The authors include a fair amount of brain science, but they present it for both adult and child audiences.”—Kirkus Reviews “Strategies for getting a youngster to chill out [with] compassion.”—The Washington Post “This erudite, tender, and funny book is filled with fresh ideas based on the latest neuroscience research. I urge all parents who want kind, happy, and emotionally healthy kids to read The Whole-Brain Child. This is my new baby gift.”—Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia and The Shelter of Each Other “Gives parents and teachers ideas to get all parts of a healthy child’s brain working together.”—Parent to Parent




Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World


Book Description

Empowering advice for parents of bright, quirky, socially awkward kids—an educator’s clarion call to better understand, appreciate, and nurture our “left-brainers” Does your child: • Have impressive intellectual abilities but seem puzzled by ordinary interactions with other children? • Have deep, all-absorbing interests or seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of certain subjects? • Bring home mediocre report cards, or seem disengaged at school, despite his or her obvious intelligence? If you answered “yes” to these questions, this book is for you. Author Katharine Beals uses the term “left-brain” to describe a type of child whose talents and inclinations lean heavily toward the logical, linear, analytical, and introverted side of the human psyche, as opposed to the “right brain,” a term often associated with our emotional, holistic, intuitive, and extroverted side. Drawing on her research and interviews with parents and children, Beals helps parents to discover if they are raising a left-brain child, and she offers practical strategies for nurturing and supporting this type of child at school and at home. Beals also advises parents in how best to advocate for their children in today’s schools, which can be baffled by and unsupportive of left-brain learning styles.