Know technology today, to equip yourself for tomorrow. Using a unique, visual approach, Gerald Lynch explains the most important tech developments of the modern world – examining their impact on society and how, ultimately, we can use technology to achieve our full potential. From the driverless transport systems hitting our roads to the nanobots and artificial intelligence pushing human capabilities to their limits, in 20 dip-in lessons this book introduces the most exciting and important technological concepts of our age, helping you to better understand the world around you today, tomorrow and in the decades to come.
Is a widening “skills gap” in science and math education threatening America’s future? That is the seminal question addressed in The U.S. Technology Skills Gap, a comprehensive 104-year review of math and science education in America. Some claim this “skills gap” is “equivalent to a permanent national recession” while others cite how the gap threatens America’s future economic, workforce employability and national security. This much is sure: America’s math and science skills gap is, or should be, an issue of concern for every business and information technology executive in the United States and The U.S Technology Skills Gap is the how-to-get involved guidebook for those executives laying out in a compelling chronologic format: The history of the science and math skills gap in America Explanation of why decades of astute warnings were ignored Inspiring examples of private company efforts to supplement public education A pragmatic 10-step action plan designed to solve the problem And a tantalizing theory of an obscure Japanese physicist that suggests America’s days as the global scientific leader are numbered Engaging and indispensable, The U.S. Technology Skills Gap is essential reading for those eager to see America remain a relevant global power in innovation and invention in the years ahead.
“Deftly shows how a seemingly frivolous film genre can guide us in shaping tomorrow’s world.” —Seth Shostak, senior astronomer, SETI Institute Artificial intelligence, gene manipulation, cloning, and interplanetary travel are all ideas that seemed like fairy tales but a few years ago. And now their possibilities are very much here. But are we ready to handle these advances? This book, by a physicist and expert on responsible technology development, reveals how science fiction movies can help us think about and prepare for the social consequences of technologies we don’t yet have, but that are coming faster than we imagine. Films from the Future looks at twelve movies that take us on a journey through the worlds of biological and genetic manipulation, human enhancement, cyber technologies, and nanotechnology. Readers will gain a broader understanding of the complex relationship between science and society. The movies mix old and new, and the familiar and unfamiliar, to provide a unique, entertaining, and ultimately transformative take on the power of emerging technologies, and the responsibilities they come with.
Examining how technology shapes society while itself being shaped by social trends, this text presents a balanced view, including critics of technology as well as technological enthusiasts.
From the industrial revolution to the railway age, through the era of electrification, the advent of mass production, and finally to the information age, the same pattern keeps repeating itself. An exciting, vibrant phase of innovation and financial speculation is followed by a crash, after which begins a longer, more stately period during which the technology is actually deployed properly. This collection of surveys and articles from The Economist examines how far technology has come and where it is heading. Part one looks at topics such as the “greying” (maturing) of IT, the growing importance of security, the rise of outsourcing, and the challenge of complexity, all of which have more to do with implementation than innovation. Part two looks at the shift from corporate computing towards consumer technology, whereby new technologies now appear first in consumer gadgets such as mobile phones. Topics covered will include the emergence of the mobile phone as the “digital Swiss Army knife”; the rise of digital cameras, which now outsell film-based ones; the growing size and importance of the games industry and its ever-closer links with other more traditional parts of the entertainment industry; and the social impact of technologies such as text messaging, Wi-Fi, and camera phones. Part three considers which technology will lead the next great phase of technological disruption and focuses on biotechnology, energy technology, and nanotechnology.
'Who am I?' is one of the most fundamental questions we ask of ourselves throughout our lives. But in the twenty-first century, this is becoming increasingly difficult to answer as technology forces us to negotiate different versions of ourselves distributed across a digital world. Now, Facebook gets a say in verifying who we are, science can alter our biology and reinvent us over time, and advances in AI are revolutionizing how we interact with the world around us. Understanding and defining who you are has become confusing and chaotic and in some ways is already out of our control. In an age of digital disruption, creativity and innovation, Follows argues that we need to find a way to embrace a new era of personal identity, while ensuring we preserve our autonomy from state authorities, technology platforms and emergent social systems. From surveillance and identity hacking to social media and our legacies beyond the grave, The Future of You is a fascinating and urgent exploration of what personal identity will mean for all of us in the coming decades.
From iPods to EZPass technology to YouTube to eGovernment initiatives, the impact of technology is changing our lives more and more each day. This book, a counterpart to a Maryland Public Television documentary, chronicles how and why and shows ways people can take advantage of the revolution in their personal and professional lives. As technology expert Henry C. Lucas, Jr., argues, the fundamentals of business and the economy—not to mention the details of daily life—are changing in every market, in every industry, and in every nation. This book explores the most significant of these technology-enabled transformations to help readers understand and appreciate the opportunities and threats presented by a new, technology-driven global economy. Among other things, Inside the Future demonstrates that: -A revolution in technology is transforming business and the way individuals live and work. -It's essential to adapt to change. Resisting technological advances is futile, and countries or people that fall behind in technology may never catch up. -The U.S. needs to prepare current and future workers for an economy that incorporates technology in every business process, an economy in which there are almost no constraints from time and place, and an economy in which most hierarchical organizations disappear. -The future competitiveness of the country depends on our ability to innovate and implement change enabled by technology. This revolution is leaving no person or organization untouched. From business to education and healthcare, the digitization and mobilization of every process affects us all. Yet this isn't a book about technology, but one that shows how people and organizations can adapt technology to transform their businesses as well as create a more productive, satisfying personal life. Readers will gain a new awareness of how leading organizations apply IT to create transformations, and how they can use technology to improve their lives, remain competitive in the workforce, and survive in this new age of constant change and re-invention.
From the highly acclaimed author of WAYS OF BEING. We live in times of increasing inscrutability. Our news feeds are filled with unverified, unverifiable speculation, much of it automatically generated by anonymous software. As a result, we no longer understand what is happening around us. Underlying all of these trends is a single idea: the belief that quantitative data can provide a coherent model of the world, and the efficacy of computable information to provide us with ways of acting within it. Yet the sheer volume of information available to us today reveals less than we hope. Rather, it heralds a new Dark Age: a world of ever-increasing incomprehension. In his brilliant new work, leading artist and writer James Bridle offers us a warning against the future in which the contemporary promise of a new technologically assisted Enlightenment may just deliver its opposite: an age of complex uncertainty, predictive algorithms, surveillance, and the hollowing out of empathy. Surveying the history of art, technology and information systems he reveals the dark clouds that gather over discussions of the digital sublime.
For most of the earths existence it has hosted organic life. Single cell life evolved into multicellular plants and animals. Some animals started to use simple toolsfrom otters cracking open shellfish with rocks to chimpanzees dipping into termite mounds with sticksbut another animal went farther. It used tools to create even better tools. With spears it hunted. With sewn animal hides it survived the cold. With plows it created surplus. With tablet and scribes it recorded information. These tools led to the printing press, microscope, steam engine, telephone, airplane, and computer. We call these things technology, and for a million years they have been transforming our environmentwith ever increasing speed and power, costs and benefits. Technology creates new fields of study, destroys old lines of work, and offers new ways to cure illness. Our political decisions and consumption choices rest atop technology.So how do we choose? How do we evaluate technology and technological issues to choose what is good for us, our community, and our civilization? Through simple questions, Technology Challenged reveals patterns underlying all technology, helping us to understand our creations and choose our future.Praise for Technology Challenged:Fish don't notice water and most of society doesn't think about technology. But technology grows ever more powerful, and blindly accepting or rejecting it grows ever more dangerous. The critical thinking process described by Aznar opens a door to understanding through which every citizen in our country should walk.Karl PisterChancellor EmeritusUniversity of California at Santa Cruz Technology infuses everything we do. Like a gathering storm, it has become the fastest moving, most powerful new element of our natural world. Like any force of nature, it is something we should study well, to chart a course to a better future, a course that takes care of our loved ones along the way. Only a lifelong learner can be a good captain in our technological world, and this scintillating, optimistic book will help you get your sea legs. Read Technology Challenged, consider its advice, and rejoice. This is a wondrous time to be alive.John SmartPresidentInstitute for the Study of Accelerating Change Technology Challenged is a passionate and personal voyage of discovery into today's complicated world of technology. Here educators and parents can find a simple road map to understanding technology and find a new approach to get across technologys culture and wisdom to children of all ages.Dom LindarsSenior DirectorOracle Corporation Having tracked technology on surprising pathways to its secret dumping grounds in the slums of China and India, I have witnessed both sides of the technology coin the glory as well as the horror. Our very survival as a species requires that we fully appreciate both possibilities. Anyone concerned about the life and death relationship between our planet's future and technology, should read Technology Challenged.Jim PuckettCoordinatorBasel Action Network Aznar tackles the important issue of how we, as a society, evaluate our technology. With the power to feed the world or to destroy it, technology is worth thinking about.Cathy BarlowDean, Watson School of EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Wilmington
Humanity's Future examines the psychological and social impact of likely future events related to advanced technology. Will humanity feel useless in a future where most tasks are automated and robots do all the work? Will society experience alienation and angst, collapsing into a state of decadence and corruption? How might we improve ourselves, as technology advances in unprecedented ways? Who gets to decide? Can we advance civilization and eliminate genocide and war? Philosophical, scientific and pragmatic issues interwine complexly here, and uncertainties abound, but Dr. Friedenberg unravels the various possiblities with a masterful clarity.
