Most Recently Added Most commentedby pub dateBy Title | A-ZBy Author | A-Z

Human+

September 8, 2012

human_plus_martin_higgins_book

Author:
Martin Higgins
Publisher:
Amazon Digital Services (2012)

A finger is poking through the screen of reality … David yearns to change the world, but he is only a struggling artist — struggling to pay his rent, struggling with drug addiction, struggling to stay sane amidst a gathering storm of demonic visions and dark precognitions.

Adrift on the streets of New York, he is led by a bizarre vision to follow a mysterious young woman who… read more

Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero

January 20, 2012

ThunderDog-FINAL

Author:
Michael Hingson
Publisher:
Thomas Nelson (2011)

Amazon |  A blind man and his guide dog show the power of trust and courage in the midst of devastating terror.

It was 12:30 a.m. on 9/11 and Roselle whimpered at Michael’s bedside. A thunderstorm was headed east, and she could sense the distant rumbles while her owners slept. As a trained guide dog, when she was “on the clock” nothing could faze her. But that morning,… read more

Landscape of the Mind: Human Evolution and the Archaeology of Thought

April 21, 2011

Landscape of the Mind book cover

Author:
John F. Hoffecker
Publisher:
Columbia University Press (2011)

Amazon | John F. Hoffecker explores the origin and growth of the mind, drawing on information from the human fossil record, archaeology, and history. Hoffecker argues that, as an indirect result of bipedal locomotion, early humans developed a feedback relationship among their hands, brains, and tools, evolving the capacity to externalize thoughts in the form of shaped stone objects. When anatomically modern humans evolved a parallel capacity to… read more

I Am a Strange Loop

May 4, 2011

I am a Strange Loop book cover

Author:
Douglas R. Hofstadter
Publisher:
Basic Books (2008)

Amazon | Can thought arise out of matter? Can self, soul, consciousness, “I” arise out of mere matter? If it cannot, then how can you or I be here?

I Am a Strange Loop argues that the key to understanding selves and consciousness is the “strange loop” — a special kind of abstract feedback loop inhabiting our brains. The most central and complex symbol in your brain is… read more

The Scientific American Brave New Brain

January 6, 2011

SAbravenewbrain

Author:
Judith Horstman, Scientific American
Publisher:
Jossey-Bass (2010)

Amazon | This fascinating and highly accessible book presents fantastic but totally feasible projections of what your brain may be capable of in the near future. It shows how scientific breakthroughs and amazing research are turning science fiction into science fact. In this brave new book, you’ll explore:

        • How partnerships between biological sciences and technology are

read more

Return To The Garden

October 1, 2012

ReturnToTheGarden

Author:
Norie Huddle
Publisher:
Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (2012)

RETURN TO THE GARDEN is the first novel in a series called “The Eleanor Chronicles” that Norie Huddle is writing to introduce almost 45 years of her research and thinking about practical ways to transform human civilization so that we may survive and thrive.

Luis Alvarez, a young Ecuadorian man, meets an older North American woman named simply “Eleanor” on a long bus ride in Ecuador. They have a… read more

Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future

July 16, 2010

Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future

Author:
James Hughes
Publisher:
Unknown (2004)

Amazon | In the next fifty years, life spans will extend well beyond a century. Our senses and cognition will be enhanced. We will have greater control over our emotions and memory. Our bodies and brains will be surrounded by and merged with computer power. The limits of the human body will be transcended as technologies such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and genetic engineering converge and accelerate. With them,… read more

Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others

July 20, 2010

Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others

Author:
Marco Iacoboni
Publisher:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2008)

How do we know what others are thinking and feeling? Why do we weep at movies? UCLA neuroscientist Iacoboni introduces readers to the world of mirror neurons and what they imply about human empathy, which, the author says, underlies morality. Mirror neurons allow us to interpret facial expressions of pain or joy and respond appropriately. Thanks to these neurons, Iacoboni writes, [w]e have empathy for… fictional characters—we know how… read more

Annihilation from Within: The Ultimate Threat to Nations

July 16, 2010

Annihilation from Within: The Ultimate Threat to Nations

Author:
Fred Charles Iklé
Publisher:
Columbia University Press (2006)

Powells | In this eloquent and impassioned book, defense expert Fred Iklé predicts a revolution in national security that few strategists have grasped; fewer still are mindful of its historic roots. We are preoccupied with suicide bombers, jihadist terrorists, and rogue nations producing nuclear weapons, but these menaces are merely distant thunder that foretells the gathering storm.

It is the dark side of technological progress that explains this… read more

Robots, Androids and Animatrons: 12 Incredible Projects You Can Build

February 7, 2011

robotsandroids

Author:
John Iovine
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics (2001)

In Robots, Androids and Animatrons: 12 Incredible Projects You Can Build, electronics expert John Iovine serves up easy-to-follow plans and step-by-step instructions for constructing your very own state-of-the-art working robot that will obey your orders, act as your surrogate and even do scores of tough chores. You’ll find everything you need to harness the latest robotics technologies — locomotion, sensing and control — to develop a high-tech robot,… read more

Steve Jobs

October 24, 2011

Steve-Jobs-Book

Author:
Walter Isaacson
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster (2011)

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years — as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues — Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital… read more

The Transhumanist Wager

May 15, 2013

The Transhumanist Wager

Author:
Zoltan Istvan
Publisher:
Futurity Imagine Media LLC (2013)

Philosopher, entrepreneur, and former National Geographic and New York Times correspondent Zoltan Istvan presents his visionary novel, The Transhumanist Wager, as a seminal statement of our times.

Scorned by over 500 publishers and literary agents around the world, his philosophical thriller has been called “revolutionary” and “socially dangerous” by readers, scholars, and religious authorities. The novel debuts a challenging original philosophy, which rebuffs modern civilization by inviting the… read more

Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide

September 13, 2010

convergenceculture

Author:
Henry Jenkins
Publisher:
New York University Press (2006)

Reed Business Information | Henry Jenkins, founder and director of MIT’s comparative media studies program, debunks outdated ideas of the digital revolution in this remarkable book, proving that new media will not simply replace old media, but rather will learn to interact with it in a complex relationship he calls “convergence culture.”  The book’s goal is to explain how convergence is currently impacting the relationship among media… read more

A Shortcut Through Time: The Path to the Quantum Computer

September 9, 2010

shortcut through time

Author:
George Johnson
Publisher:
Vintage Books (2004)

Amazon | In this remarkably illustrative and thoroughly accessible look at one of the most intriguing frontiers in science and computers, award-winning New York Times writer George Johnson reveals the fascinating world of quantum computing—the holy grail of super computers where the computing power of single atoms is harnassed to create machines capable of almost unimaginable calculations in the blink of an eye.

As computer chips continue to… read more

Future Perfect: The Case For Progress In A Networked Age

January 29, 2013

Future Perfect

Author:
Steven Johnson
Publisher:
Riverhead Hardcover (2012)

Combining the deft social analysis of Where Good Ideas Come From with the optimistic arguments of Everything Bad Is Good For YouNew York Times bestselling author Steven Johnson’s Future Perfect makes the case that a new model of political change is on the rise, transforming everything from local governments to classrooms, from protest movements to health care. Johnson paints a compelling portrait of this new political worldview — influenced by the success and interconnectedness of… read more

close and return to Home