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The smallest lights in the universe: A memoir
Par Sara Seager. 2020
In this luminous memoir, an MIT astrophysicist must reinvent herself in the wake of tragedy and discovers the power of…
connection on this planet, even as she searches our galaxy for another Earth. &“Sara Seager&’s exploration of outer and inner space makes for a stunningly original memoir.&”—Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone Sara Seager has always been in love with the stars: so many lights in the sky, so much possibility. Now a pioneering planetary scientist, she searches for exoplanets—especially that distant, elusive world that sustains life. But with the unexpected death of Seager&’s husband, the purpose of her own life becomes hard for her to see. Suddenly, at forty, she is a widow and the single mother of two young boys. For the first time, she feels alone in the universe. As she struggles to navigate her life after loss, Seager takes solace in the alien beauty of exoplanets and the technical challenges of exploration. At the same time, she discovers earthbound connections that feel every bit as wondrous, when strangers and loved ones alike reach out to her across the space of her grief. Among them are the Widows of Concord, a group of women offering advice on everything from home maintenance to dating, and her beloved sons, Max and Alex. Most unexpected of all, there is another kind of one-in-a-billion match, not in the stars but here at home. Probing and invigoratingly honest, The Smallest Lights in the Universe is its own kind of light in the darkGirl decoded: A scientist's quest to reclaim our humanity by bringing emotional intelligence to technology
Par Rana El Kaliouby. 2020
In a captivating memoir, an Egyptian American visionary and scientist provides an intimate view of her personal transformation as she…
follows her calling—to humanize our technology and how we connect with one another. "A vivid coming-of-age story and a call to each of us to be more mindful and compassionate when we interact online."—Arianna Huffington Rana el Kaliouby is a rarity in both the tech world and her native Middle East: a Muslim woman in charge in a field that is still overwhelmingly white and male. Growing up in Egypt and Kuwait, el Kaliouby was raised by a strict father who valued tradition—yet also had high expectations for his daughters—and a mother who was one of the first female computer programmers in the Middle East. Even before el Kaliouby broke ground as a scientist, she broke the rules of what it meant to be an obedient daughter and, later, an obedient wife to pursue her own daring dream. After earning her PhD at Cambridge, el Kaliouby, now the divorced mother of two, moved to America to pursue her mission to humanize technology before it dehumanizes us. The majority of our communication is conveyed through nonverbal cues: facial expressions, tone of voice, body language. But that communication is lost when we interact with others through our smartphones and devices. The result is an emotion-blind digital universe that impairs the very intelligence and capabilities—including empathy—that distinguish human beings from our machines. To combat our fundamental loss of emotional intelligence online, she cofounded Affectiva, the pioneer in the new field of Emotion AI, allowing our technology to understand humans the way we understand one another. Girl Decoded chronicles el Kaliouby's journey from being a "nice Egyptian girl" to becoming a woman, carving her own path as she revolutionizes technology. But decoding herself—learning to express and act on her own emotions—would prove to be the biggest challenge of allTen lessons for a post-pandemic world
Par Fareed Zakaria. 2020
COVID-19 is speeding up history, but how? What is the shape of the world to come? Lenin once said, "There…
are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen." This is one of those times when history has sped up. CNN host and bestselling author Fareed Zakaria helps listeners to understand the nature of a post-pandemic world: the political, social, technological, and economic impacts that may take years to unfold. In the form of ten straightforward "lessons," covering topics from globalization and threat-preparedness to inequality and technological advancement, Zakaria creates a structure for listeners to begin thinking beyond the immediate impacts of COVID-19. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World speaks to past, present, and future, and, while urgent and timely, is sure to become an enduring stapleUntil the end of time: Mind, matter, and our search for meaning in an evolving universe
Par Brian Greene. 2020
Instant New York Times Best-seller From the world-renowned physicist and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe comes a captivating exploration…
of deep time and humanity's search for purpose. "Few humans share Greene&’s mastery of both the latest cosmological science and English prose." — The New York Times (notable book of 2020) Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to find meaning in the face of this vast expanse. Greene takes us on a journey from the big bang to the end of time, exploring how lasting structures formed, how life and mind emerged, and how we grapple with our existence through narrative, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and a deep longing for the eternal. From particles to planets, consciousness to creativity, matter to meaning—Brian Greene allows us all to grasp and appreciate our fleeting but utterly exquisite moment in the cosmosHow to do nothing: Resisting the attention economy
Par Jenny Odell. 2019
A galvanizing critique of the forces vying for our attention-and our personal information-that redefines what we think of as productivity,…
reconnects us with the environment, and reveals all that we've been too distracted to see about ourselves and our world Nothing is harder to do these days than nothing. But in a world where our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity . . . doing nothing may be our most important form of resistance. So argues artist and critic Jenny Odell in this field guide to doing nothing (at least as capitalism defines it). Odell sees our attention as the most precious-and overdrawn-resource we have. Once we can start paying a new kind of attention, she writes, we can undertake bolder forms of political action, reimagine humankind's role in the environment, and arrive at more meaningful understandings of happiness and progress. Far from the simple anti-technology screed, or the back-to-nature meditation we hear so often, How to do Nothing is an action plan for thinking outside of capitalist narratives of efficiency and techno-determinism. Provocative, timely, and utterly persuasive, this book is a four-course meal in the age of SoylentThe end of everything: (astrophysically speaking)
Par Katie Mack. 2020
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2020 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY * THE WASHINGTON POST…
* THE ECONOMIST * NEW SCIENTIST * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * THE GUARDIAN "A thrilling tour of potential cosmic doomsdays....Mack's infectious enthusiasm for communicating the finer points of cosmological doom elevates The End of Everything over any other book on the topic. " — The Wall Street Journal " I found it helpful—not reassuring, certainly, but mind-expanding—to be reminded of our place in a vast cosmos." —James Gleick, The New York Times Book Review From one of the most dynamic rising stars in astrophysics, an accessible and eye-opening look at five ways the universe could end, and the mind-blowing lessons each scenario reveals about the most important concepts in cosmology. We know the universe had a beginning. With the Big Bang, it expanded from a state of unimaginable density to an all-encompassing cosmic fireball to a simmering fluid of matter and energy, laying down the seeds for everything from black holes to one rocky planet orbiting a star near the edge of a spiral galaxy that happened to develop life as we know it. But what happens to the universe at the end of the story? And what does it mean for us now? Dr. Katie Mack has been contemplating these questions since she was a young student, when her astronomy professor informed her the universe could end at any moment, in an instant. This revelation set her on the path toward theoretical astrophysics. Now, with lively wit and humor, she takes us on a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos's possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we knowAccessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military
Par Avis Lang, Neil DeGrasse Tyson. 2019
“Extraordinary.… A feast of history, an expert tour through thousands of years of war and conquest.” —Jennifer Carson, New York…
Times Book Review In this far-reaching foray into the millennia-long relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-author Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry, and power that will introduce Tyson’s millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.Genius makers: The mavericks who brought ai to google, facebook, and the world
Par Cade Metz. 2021
"This colorful page-turner puts artificial intelligence into a human perspective. Through the lives of Geoff Hinton and other major players,…
Metz explains this transformative technology and makes the quest thrilling." —Walter Isaacson, author of The Code Breaker Recipient of starred reviews in both Kirkus and Library Journal THE UNTOLD TECH STORY OF OUR TIME What does it mean to be smart? To be human? What do we really want from life and the intelligence we have, or might create? With deep and exclusive reporting, across hundreds of interviews, New York Times Silicon Valley journalist Cade Metz brings you into the rooms where these questions are being answered. Where an extraordinarily powerful new artificial intelligence has been built into our biggest companies, our social discourse, and our daily lives, with few of us even noticing. Long dismissed as a technology of the distant future, artificial intelligence was a project consigned to the fringes of the scientific community. Then two researchers changed everything. One was a sixty-four-year-old computer science professor who didn&’t drive and didn&’t fly because he could no longer sit down—but still made his way across North America for the moment that would define a new age of technology. The other was a thirty-six-year-old neuroscientist and chess prodigy who laid claim to being the greatest game player of all time before vowing to build a machine that could do anything the human brain could do. They took two very different paths to that lofty goal, and they disagreed on how quickly it would arrive. But both were soon drawn into the heart of the tech industry. Their ideas drove a new kind of arms race, spanning Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and OpenAI, a new lab founded by Silicon Valley kingpin Elon Musk. But some believed that China would beat them all to the finish line. Genius Makers dramatically presents the fierce conflict between national interests, shareholder value, the pursuit of scientific knowledge, and the very human concerns about privacy, security, bias, and prejudice. Like a great Victorian novel, this world of eccentric, brilliant, often unimaginably yet suddenly wealthy characters draws you into the most profound moral questions we can ask. And like a great mystery, it presents the story and facts that lead to a core, vital question: How far will we let it go?Genesis: The story of how everything began
Par Guido Tonelli. 2021
A breakout bestseller in Italy, now available for American listeners for the first time, Genesis: The Story of How Everything…
Began is a short, humanistic tour of the origins of the universe, earth, and life—drawing on the latest discoveries in physics to explain the seven most significant moments in the creation of the cosmos. Curiosity and wonderment about the origins of the universe are at the heart of our experience of the world. From Hesiod's Chaos, described in his poem about the origins of the Greek gods, Theogony, to today's mind-bending theories of the multiverse, humans have been consumed by the relentless pursuit of an answer to one awe inspiring question: What exactly happened during those first moments? Guido Tonelli, the acclaimed, award-winning particle physicist and a central figure in the discovery of the Higgs boson (the "God particle"), reveals the extraordinary story of our genesis—from the origins of the universe, to the emergence of life on Earth, to the birth of human language with its power to describe the world. Evoking the seven days of biblical creation, Tonelli takes us on a brisk, lively tour through the evolution of our cosmos and considers the incredible challenges scientists face in exploring its mysteries. Genesis both explains the fundamental physics of our universe and marvels at the profound wonder of our existence. A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and GirouxThe god equation: The quest for a theory of everything
Par Michio Kaku. 2021
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The epic story of the greatest quest in all of science—the holy grail of physics…
that would explain the creation of the universe—from renowned theoretical physicist and author of The Future of the Mind and The Future of Humanity When Newton discovered the law of gravity, he unified the rules governing the heavens and the Earth. Since then, physicists have been placing new forces into ever-grander theories. But perhaps the ultimate challenge is achieving a monumental synthesis of the two remaining theories—relativity and the quantum theory. This would be the crowning achievement of science, a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful, magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science: What happened before the Big Bang? What lies on the other side of a black hole? Are there other universes and dimensions? Is time travel possible? Why are we here? Kaku also explains the intense controversy swirling around this theory, with Nobel laureates taking opposite sides on this vital question. It is a captivating, gripping story; what&’s at stake is nothing less than our conception of the universe. Written with Kaku&’s trademark enthusiasm and clarity, this epic and engaging journey is the story of The God EquationThirteen: The apollo flight that failed
Par Henry S.F. Cooper. 2021
On the evening of April 13, 1970, the three astronauts aboard Apollo 13 were just hours from the third lunar…
landing in history. But as they soared through space, two hundred thousand miles from Earth, an explosion badly damaged their spacecraft. With compromised engines and failing life-support systems, the crew was in incomparably grave danger. Faced with below-freezing temperatures, a seriously ill crewmember, and a dwindling water supply, a safe return seemed unlikely. Thirteen is the shocking and miraculous true story of how the astronauts and ground crew guided Apollo 13 back to Earth. Expanding on dispatches written for The New Yorker , Henry S. F. Cooper Jr. brings listeners unparalleled detail on the moment-by-moment developments of one of NASA's most dramatic missionsForged in war: How a century of war created today's information society
Par R. David Lankes. 2021
Many of what we think of as Information Age tools and media-computers, cell phones, the Internet, encryption, and more-evolved directly…
out of modern warfare. These tools started with World War I, accelerated through World War II and the Cold War, and now play a center role in both declared and non-declared conflicts like election interference and cyberbattles. We buy phones and smart speakers because they are new and unlock great potential. Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa help us do our work and answer that one piece of trivia that bugs us. Yet these devices are data gatherers. They collect, repackage, and monetize our questions, purchases, photographs, web surfing to form a data industry now larger than the oil industry. Well over 100 years ago the data industry put in place a business model that trades our attention for news and entertainment. That model has evolved into a complex art and science of message targeting and content ownership that has splintered communities while simultaneously concentrating media ownership to a few massive corporations. Forged in War takes a critical look at the systems we use and how we ended up in a society that values data over personal liberty and commerce over the public goodOn the internet: Our first talk about online safety (The World Around Us)
Par Jillian Roberts. 2019
On the Internet: Our First Talk About Online Safety introduces children to the basics of online safety in a story-based,…
conversational style. Using real-world examples set within the context of a child who is using the Internet for the first time and watching an older sibling interact with social media, Dr. Roberts takes readers through several common scenarios around parental supervision, online bullying and anonymity. She also includes examples of people who use the Internet to make the world a better place. On the Internet addresses common safety concerns in a child-centered way and offers easy-to-understand rationales as to why it's important to maintain boundaries online just as in real life. The World Around Us series introduces children to complex cultural, social and environmental issues that they may encounter outside their homes, in an accessible way. Sidebars offer further reading for older children or care providers who have bigger questions. For younger children just starting to make these observations, the simple question-and-answer format of the main text will provide a foundation of knowledge on the subject matterHelgoland: Making sense of the quantum revolution
Par Carlo Rovelli. 2021
&“Rovelli is a genius and an amazing communicator… This is the place where science comes to life.&” ― Neil Gaiman…
&“ Helgoland is Rovelli&’s most beautiful yet… Unforgettable.&” ― The London Times A startling new look at quantum theory, from the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and The Order of Time . One of the world's most renowned theoretical physicists, Carlo Rovelli has entranced millions of readers with his singular perspective on the cosmos. In Helgoland , he examines the enduring enigma of quantum theory. The quantum world Rovelli describes is as beautiful as it is unnerving. Helgoland is a treeless island in the North Sea where the twenty-three-year-old Werner Heisenberg made the crucial breakthrough for the creation of quantum mechanics, setting off a century of scientific revolution. Full of alarming ideas (ghost waves, distant objects that seem to be magically connected, cats that appear both dead and alive), quantum physics has led to countless discoveries and technological advancements. Today our understanding of the world is based on this theory, yet it is still profoundly mysterious. As scientists and philosophers continue to fiercely debate the meaning of the theory, Rovelli argues that its most unsettling contradictions can be explained by seeing the world as fundamentally made of relationships rather than substances. We and everything around us exist only in our interactions with one another. This bold idea suggests new directions for thinking about the structure of reality and even the nature of consciousness. Rovelli makes learning about quantum mechanics an almost psychedelic experience. Shifting our perspective once again, he takes us on a riveting journey through the universe so we can better comprehend our place in itAlgorithms of oppression: how search engines reinforce racism
Par Safiya Umoja Noble. 2018
Information scientist examines the hidden biases in algorithms used by search engines. Explores the concept of technological redlining, which describes…
the ways capital, race, and gender interact and intersect to invisibly promote white and male supremacy in interactions with an everyday part of life in the twenty-first century. 2018Letters of Note: Space (Letters of Note)
Par Shaun Usher. 2021
An awe-inspiring collection of letters on the subject of outer space curated by the founder of the phenomenally popular Letters…
of Note website. The first volume in the bestselling Letters of Note series was a collection of hundreds of the world's most entertaining, inspiring, and unusual letters, based on the seismically popular website of the same name--an online museum of correspondence visited by over 70 million people. From Virginia Woolf's heartbreaking suicide letter, to Queen Elizabeth II's recipe for drop scones sent to President Eisenhower; from the first recorded use of the expression 'OMG' in a letter to Winston Churchill, to Gandhi's appeal for calm to Hitler; and from Iggy Pop's beautiful letter of advice to a troubled young fan, to Leonardo da Vinci's remarkable job application letter. Now, the curator of Letters of Note, Shaun Usher, gives us wonderful new volumes featuring letters organized around a universal theme. In this volume, Shaun Usher turns to the subject of outer space and space travel. Contributors to be confirmed.Maker of patterns: an autobiography through letters
Par Freeman Dyson. 2018
British American theoretical physicist Dyson (born 1923) shares his autobiography through letters he has exchanged over the years, beginning in…
1941 when he attended Trinity College, Cambridge. Includes reminiscences of his work and acquaintance with scientists like Robert Oppenheimer and Richard Feynman. 2018Lost in math: how beauty leads physics astray
Par Sabine Hossenfelder. 2018
Physicist argues against the use of aesthetic criteria when developing and testing theories. Reflects on her career, the historical fascination…
with aesthetics in science, particle physics, meetings with fellow physicists, the difference between math and magic, the search for a unified theory, string theory, and other topics. Strong language. 2018A computer called Katherine: how Katherine Johnson helped put America on the moon
Par Suzanne Slade, Veronica Miller Jamison. 2019
The story of pioneering African American mathematician Katherine Johnson, who performed calculations vital to America's first manned space flight, its…
first manned orbit of Earth, and the first trip to the moon. For grades K-3. 2019The identity trade: selling privacy and reputation online (Critical Cultural Communication #7)
Par Nora A. Draper. 2019
Communications scholar examines the meaning of privacy in the digital age, paying particular attention to the politics of identity and…
self-presentation. Interviews industry experts and analyzes media coverage, promotional materials, and government policies to explore the ways digital information has been commodified. 2019