During the Second World War, an American behavioural psychologist working with pigeons discovered that the birds could be trained to recognise an object and to peck at an image of it; when loaded into the nose-cone of a missile, these pecks could be translated into adjustments to the guidance fins, steering the projectile to its target. Pigeon-Guided Missiles reveals this and other fascinating tales of daring plans from history destined to change the world we live in, yet which ended in failure, or even disaster. Some became the victims of the eccentric figures behind them, others succumbed to financial and political misfortune, and a few were just too far ahead of their time. Discover why the great groundnut scheme cost British taxpayers £49 million, why the bid to build Minerva, a whole new country in the Pacific Ocean, sank, and why the first Channel Tunnel (started in 1881, over a century before the one we know today) hit a dead end.
Scotland's Panamanian colony, the nuclear-powered car, a dome over all of Manhattan, the eagle-powered flying machine, the fire-extinguished hand grenadehistory's heroic failuresDuring World War II, behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner discovered that pigeons could be trained to recognize an object and to peck at an image of it; when loaded into the nose-cone of a missile, these pecks could be translated into adjustments to the guidance fins, steering the projectile to its targeta plan that was abandoned by the US Navy for more conventional solutions. This guide reveals this and other fascinating tales of daring plans from history designed to change the world, yet which ended in failure, or even disaster. Some became the victims of the eccentric figures behind them, others succumbed to financial and political misfortune, and a few were just too far ahead of their time. Discover why the great groundnut scheme cost British taxpayers £49 million; why the bid to build Minerva, a whole new country in the Pacific Ocean, sank; and why the first Channel Tunnel (started in 1881, more than a century before the one we know today) hit a dead end.
During the Second World War, an American behavioural psychologist working with pigeons discovered that the birds could be trained to recognise an object and to peck at an image of it; when loaded into the nose-cone of a missile, these pecks could be translated into adjustments to the guidance fins, steering the projectile to its target. Pigeon-Guided Missiles reveals this and other fascinating tales of daring plans from history destined to change the world we live in, yet which ended in failure, or even disaster. Some became the victims of the eccentric figures behind them, others succumbed to financial and political misfortune, and a few were just too far ahead of their time. Discover why the great groundnut scheme cost British taxpayers £49 million, why the bid to build Minerva, a whole new country in the Pacific Ocean, sank, and why the first Channel Tunnel (started in 1881, over a century before the one we know today) hit a dead end.
How perceptual technologies have shaped the history of war from the Renaissance to the present From ubiquitous surveillance to drone strikes that put “warheads onto foreheads,” we live in a world of globalized, individualized targeting. The perils are great. In The Eye of War, Antoine Bousquet provides both a sweeping historical overview of military perception technologies and a disquieting lens on a world that is, increasingly, one in which anything or anyone that can be perceived can be destroyed—in which to see is to destroy. Arguing that modern-day global targeting is dissolving the conventionally bounded spaces of armed conflict, Bousquet shows that over several centuries, a logistical order of militarized perception has come into ascendancy, bringing perception and annihilation into ever-closer alignment. The efforts deployed to evade this deadly visibility have correspondingly intensified, yielding practices of radical concealment that presage a wholesale disappearance of the customary space of the battlefield. Beginning with the Renaissance’s fateful discovery of linear perspective, The Eye of War discloses the entanglement of the sciences and techniques of perception, representation, and localization in the modern era amid the perpetual quest for military superiority. In a survey that ranges from the telescope, aerial photograph, and gridded map to radar, digital imaging, and the geographic information system, Bousquet shows how successive technological systems have profoundly shaped the history of warfare and the experience of soldiering. A work of grand historical sweep and remarkable analytical power, The Eye of War explores the implications of militarized perception for the character of war in the twenty-first century and the place of human subjects within its increasingly technical armature.
For students, teachers and curious minds, our carefully structured jargon-free series helps you really get to grips with brilliant intellectuals and their inherently complex theories. Written in an accessible and engaging way, each book takes you through the life and influences of these great thinkers, then takes a deep dive into three of their key theories in plain English. Smart thinking made easy! Who the Hell is B.F. Skinner? looks at the life and works of this highly influential American psychologist, behaviourist, social philosopher and inventor. A pioneer of modern behaviourism, Skinner founded a school of experimental research psychology and his work on behavioural conditioning altered the course of psychology and psychotherapy. Here we find out who this ingenious man really was, the influences on his thinking, and how he developed his groundbreaking ideas on operant conditioning and radical behaviourism. Reviews "BF Skinner was one of the best known and most controversial psychologists of his age and beyond. Who the Hell is B.F. Skinner? is an outstanding biography of the man and his theories, and is a must read for anybody interested in the history of psychology and its iconic theorists. It is well written, very informative and makes a significant contribution to the field of psychology." Professor Sir Cary Cooper, ALLIANCE Manchester Business School, University of Manchester "This book advertises itself as 'accessible', 'informative' and 'engaging' and it ticked all three boxes right from the very start. I wasn't sure what to expect from this text, but from the first page I was hooked and it didn't take me long to devour the first half with ease. The first chapter 'Skinner's Life Story' is absolutely fascinating and I'm embarrassed to admit I knew very little about him as a person and more so as a psychologist. This chapter delivers so much information and the links between some of his childhood experiences and his later well-known experiments are clearly evident. I got to know Skinner, or Fred as he was known to his friends and family. The chapter explores his relationships with his parents, brother, various friendships, teachers and gives insight into how his childhood influenced some of his later work. Chapters 2 and 3 cover influences on Skinner's thinking and operant conditioning, both equally engaging. However, I was most captivated by chapter 4 'Applications of Skinner's Work' which outlines some of his innovative creations. These included the Aircrib (a baby cot, of sorts) and his Teaching Machines, both inspired by his daughters. The final chapter 'Radical Behaviourism' is a little heavier as it discusses the differences between Watson's 'methodological behaviourism' and Skinner's radical behaviourism, misconceptions of radical behaviourism and links between Skinner and Darwin. Who is this relevant for? I'd say anyone interested in psychology. It references so many well-known points in history (and many personal ones for Skinner) which have influenced his life and work, from the early death of his younger brother, 'Project Pigeon', the influences of Watson & Rayner and Pavlov, World War II and his many publications on reinforcement and behaviourism. As an A level psychology student I would have loved it; it really is accessible and I shall be recommending it on the New Year reading list for our Year 12 and 13 students. I already have a short list of students I plan to offer it to on loan (with the obligatory quarantining of course!). If your department budget or school/college library can stretch to it then it's a worthwhile investment." Laura Quaife - Association for the Teaching of Psychology magazine, Feb 2021
How ed tech was born: Twentieth-century teaching machines--from Sidney Pressey's mechanized test-giver to B. F. Skinner's behaviorist bell-ringing box. Contrary to popular belief, ed tech did not begin with videos on the internet. The idea of technology that would allow students to "go at their own pace" did not originate in Silicon Valley. In Teaching Machines, education writer Audrey Watters offers a lively history of predigital educational technology, from Sidney Pressey's mechanized positive-reinforcement provider to B. F. Skinner's behaviorist bell-ringing box. Watters shows that these machines and the pedagogy that accompanied them sprang from ideas--bite-sized content, individualized instruction--that had legs and were later picked up by textbook publishers and early advocates for computerized learning. Watters pays particular attention to the role of the media--newspapers, magazines, television, and film--in shaping people's perceptions of teaching machines as well as the psychological theories underpinning them. She considers these machines in the context of education reform, the political reverberations of Sputnik, and the rise of the testing and textbook industries. She chronicles Skinner's attempts to bring his teaching machines to market, culminating in the famous behaviorist's efforts to launch Didak 101, the "pre-verbal" machine that taught spelling. (Alternate names proposed by Skinner include "Autodidak," "Instructomat," and "Autostructor.") Telling these somewhat cautionary tales, Watters challenges what she calls "the teleology of ed tech"--the idea that not only is computerized education inevitable, but technological progress is the sole driver of events.
The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind is dark and haunting tale from the author of the bestselling Perfume - now available in ebook for the first time Set in Paris and attracting comparisons with Franz Kafka and Edgar Allan Poe, The Pigeon tells the story of a day in the meticulously ordered life of bank security guard Jonathan Noel. Noel who has been hiding from life since his wife left him for her Tunisian lover - when he opens his front door on a day he believes will be just like any other, he encounters not the desired empty hallway but an unwelcome, diabolical intruder . . . This tense, disturbing follow-up to the bestselling Perfume is a modern classic novella from the much-acclaimed Patrick Süskind
In a few short years after 1914 the Royal Navy practically invented naval air warfare, not only producing the first effective aircraft carriers, but also pioneering most of the techniques and tactics that made naval air power a reality. By 1918 the RN was so far ahead of other navies that a US Navy observer sent to study the British use of aircraft at sea concluded that any discussion of the subject must first consider their methods. Indeed, by the time the war ended the RN was training for a carrier-borne attack by torpedo-bombers on the German fleet in its bases over two decades before the first successful employment of this tactic, against the Italians at Taranto.Following two previously well-received histories of British naval aviation, David Hobbs here turns his attention to the operational and technical achievements of the Royal Naval Air Service, both at sea and ashore, from 1914 to 1918. Detailed explanations of operations, the technology that underpinned them and the people who carried them out bring into sharp focus a revolutionary period of development that changed naval warfare forever. Controversially, the RNAS was subsumed into the newly created Royal Air Force in 1918, so as the centenary of its extinction approaches, this book is a timely reminder of its true significance.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, The Son Of A Little-Educated Boat-Owner In Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Had An Unparalled Career As A Defence Scientist, Culminating In The Highest Civilian Award Of India, The Bharat Ratna. As Chief Of The Country`S Defence Research And Development Programme, Kalam Demonstrated The Great Potential For Dynamism And Innovation That Existed In Seemingly Moribund Research Establishments. This Is The Story Of Kalam`S Rise From Obscurity And His Personal And Professional Struggles, As Well As The Story Of Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul And Nag--Missiles That Have Become Household Names In India And That Have Raised The Nation To The Level Of A Missile Power Of International Reckoning.
