From Football to Fig Newtons: 76 American Inventors and The Inventions You Know By Heart


Book Description

American ingenuity reveals itself in the simplest and most forgotten places. From familiar brand names such as Wheaties (George Cormack) to the most mundane stop at the traffic light (Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr.), the everyday presents abundant opportunity to respect and recall the intellect of the men and women who crafted the culture and landscape of the environment we call our own. For every trip to the grocery store to buy a box of Band-Aids(R) (Earle Dickson), there is a chance to ask the question of where and how a certain product came about. With every click of the computer mouse (Douglas Engelbart), our curiosity should deepen. This book stands as a reminder to all those who need inspiration or wish to inspire, a nudge in the right direction, an instructive to get busy creating and perfecting the Nation our ancestors envisioned. It's an instructive to read, familiarize and gain momentum from those who created the spaces and comforts we take for granted.




Fantastic Failures


Book Description

Even the most well-known people have struggled to succeed! Find out what they learned and how they turned their failures into triumphs with this engaging and youthful guide on how to succeed long term. There is a lot of pressure in today’s society to succeed, but failing is a part of learning how to be a successful person. In his teaching career, Luke Reynolds saw the stress and anxiety his students suffered over grades, fitting in, and getting things right the first time. Fantastic Failures helps students learn that their mistakes and failures do not define their whole lives, but help them grow into their potential. Kids will love learning about some of the well-known people who failed before succeeding and will come to understand that failure is a large component of success. With stories from people like J. K. Rowling, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks, Sonia Sotomayor, Vincent Van Gogh, Julia Child, Steven Spielberg, and Betsy Johnson, each profile proves that the greatest mistakes and flops can turn into something amazing. Intermixed throughout the fun profiles, Reynolds spotlights great inventors and scientists who discovered and created some of the most important medicines, devices, and concepts of all time, including lifesaving vaccines and medicines that were stumbled upon by mistake.




The Social Construction of Technological Systems


Book Description

"The impact of technology on society is clear and unmistakeable. The influence of society on technology is more subtle. The 13 essays in this book have been written by a diverse group of scholars united by a common interest in creating a new field - the sociology of technology. They draw on a wide array of case studies - from cooking stoves to missile systems, from 15th-century Portugal to today's Al labs - to outline an original research program based on a synthesis of ideas from the social studies of science and the history of technology. Together they affirm the need for a study of technology that gives equal weight to technical, social, economic, and political questions"--Back cover.







Technopoly


Book Description

A witty, often terrifying that chronicles our transformation into a society that is shaped by technology—from the acclaimed author of Amusing Ourselves to Death. "A provocative book ... A tool for fighting back against the tools that run our lives." —Dallas Morning News The story of our society's transformation into a Technopoly: a society that no longer merely uses technology as a support system but instead is shaped by it—with radical consequences for the meanings of politics, art, education, intelligence, and truth.




African-Americans in Boston


Book Description

A "must" introduction to significant African-American events & people in Massachusetts where so much American history began. The first slaves arrived in Boston in 1638; the first Black gave his life in the Boston Massacre. Entries are dramatic bullet-style cameos set off by more than 100 photographs. Arranged chronologically within a dozen categories--Science, Religion, Government, Creative Arts, among them--the elegantly designed paperback offers instant identification of names & invites follow up research--a catalyst "to find out more." Among the entries: a high school student wins ten dollars in gold for her essay on the "Evils of Intemperance"; a physician fights for the right to deliver babies at the city hospital; Blacks unite in protest against the film BIRTH OF A NATION; a Boston mechanic invents a diving suit & a dentist invents a golf tee. The BOSTON GLOBE calls it a book that explores the "rich heritage & legacy of leaders who lived here but had an impact upon all America--including Frederick Douglass, William DuBois, Phillis Wheatley, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." An executive of Bank of Boston, which funded the publication, calls it "a book about dreams." And the dreams came true. Available through Publisher's Sales Office--666 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116, Tele-(617)-536-5400. xt 346.




Hoosiers and the American Story


Book Description

A supplemental textbook for middle and high school students, Hoosiers and the American Story provides intimate views of individuals and places in Indiana set within themes from American history. During the frontier days when Americans battled with and exiled native peoples from the East, Indiana was on the leading edge of America’s westward expansion. As waves of immigrants swept across the Appalachians and eastern waterways, Indiana became established as both a crossroads and as a vital part of Middle America. Indiana’s stories illuminate the history of American agriculture, wars, industrialization, ethnic conflicts, technological improvements, political battles, transportation networks, economic shifts, social welfare initiatives, and more. In so doing, they elucidate large national issues so that students can relate personally to the ideas and events that comprise American history. At the same time, the stories shed light on what it means to be a Hoosier, today and in the past.




Microbe Hunters


Book Description

First published in 1927.




Steps to an Ecology of Mind


Book Description

Gregory Bateson was a philosopher, anthropologist, photographer, naturalist, and poet, as well as the husband and collaborator of Margaret Mead. This classic anthology of his major work includes a new Foreword by his daughter, Mary Katherine Bateson. 5 line drawings.




"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character


Book Description

One of the most famous science books of our time, the phenomenal national bestseller that "buzzes with energy, anecdote and life. It almost makes you want to become a physicist" (Science Digest). Richard P. Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, thrived on outrageous adventures. In this lively work that “can shatter the stereotype of the stuffy scientist” (Detroit Free Press), Feynman recounts his experiences trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and cracking the uncrackable safes guarding the most deeply held nuclear secrets—and much more of an eyebrow-raising nature. In his stories, Feynman’s life shines through in all its eccentric glory—a combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, and raging chutzpah. Included for this edition is a new introduction by Bill Gates.




Recent Books