History of Regional Science and the Regional Science Association International: The Beginnings and Early History

Book Description

The book portrays how a new unique social science field of study evolved and describes the formation of a society associated with the field. It starts with the rise of Hitler, the advent of the Keynesian Revolution, the intense mathematization of economics and relates how an individual's creative thinking, later supplemented by that of others, was able to effectively combat the strong resistance of conventional social sciences-economics and geography in particular to attain full scale recognition as a basic social science area covering the sorely neglected theoretical and related applied analysis of spatial, locational and regional phenomena. It depicts the first stage of development in North America, then because of demonstrated applied findings on problems where only theory and just talk existed in economics and geography, spread rapidly into Europe, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea and Latin America, and recently into Indonesia and China and elsewhere. It has become today, in the mind of the founder and author, to be among the leading areas of study (if not the leading one) in attacking the globalization problems -economic, political and cultural- of the world economy and its major regions.

Book Description

Like the courtesans of a bygone age, hedge funds cater to the wealthy and project an aura of mystery and excitement. But as the Long Term Capital Management debacle showed, their activities affect us all.
Far from neutralising risk, as their name might suggest, some are simply vehicles for large-scale speculation - raiding currencies, disrupting bond markets, and embarrassing governments.
This book looks in detail at the secret world of hedge funds, how they work, the larger than life characters who run them, their private passions and the risks they run.

Customer Reviews:

Better Places to find an introduction to Hedge Funds.......2003-03-03

There are much better books that providing an introduction to Hedge Funds. I would suggest either "The Prudent Investor's Guide to Hedge Funds: Profiting from Uncertainty and Volatility" by James P. Owen or "Investing in Hedge Funds" by Joseph Nicholas. If you are interested in learning more about the leading hedge fund personalities and organizations I would suggest the book "The New Investment Superstars: 13 Great Investors and Their Strategies for Superior Returns" by Lois Peltz.

Average customer rating:
Problems supplement to accompany Using American law books, including online and cd-rom services
Alfred J Lewis
Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Research | Law Practice | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0787207365

Book Description

Applied multivariate statistics has grown into a research area of almost unlimited potential in the natural sciences. The methods introduced in this book can successfully reduce masses of data to manageable and interpretable form. The authors give special attention to methods of robust estimation and the identification of atypical and influential observations. This textbook aims to introduce students of the natural sciences to the powerful technique of factor analysis and to provide them with the background necessary to be able to undertake analyses on their own. The authors explain new concepts in detail, and provide mathematical background where needed.

Customer Reviews:

a good, but demanding introduction........1997-11-05

The object of this book is to introduce the multivariate technique of factor analysis to students within the natural sciences. It is the revised and expanded version of a book by Joreskog, Klovan and Reyment, that first appeared in 1976. The first chapter provides a brief example of a factor analysis and an overview of the problems amenable to factor analysis. This overview provides the reader with an impression of the many and varied fields of scientific research that are subsumed under the heading of the natural sciences. The second chapter explains basic mathematical and statistical concepts that are needed in the subsequent chapters. This chapter covers a lot of ground in a relatively short space. As a result, certain concepts are treated rather poorly. For instance, the explanation of a determinant as `a scalar derived from operations on a matrix' (p. 32) is unlikely to engender very much understanding. Fortunately, the authors do provide references to more extensive treatments of the subject matter, and certain subjects do re-emerge later in the chapter. The chapter ends with a treatment of the not-so-basic concepts of the eigenvalue decomposition, the Eckart-Young theorem, and finally, the canonical analysis of asymmetry. The canonical analysis of asymmetry receives a curt treatment. Chapter three introduces the aims, ideas, and models of factor analysis. This chapter starts with a good description of the exploratory model for R-mode factor analysis, i.e. the analysis of the relationship among variables. A matrix and scalar notation are used to explain the model both for the observations and for the dispersion matrix. Both principal component analysis and true factor analysis are distinguished and the major difference in objectives explain. The chapter ends with an example of a common factor exploratory (true) factor analysis followed by orthogonal and oblique rotations. The data are artificial, so the results are unambiguous. Chapter 4 is devoted entirely to R-model factor analysis. Again, true factor analysis and principal component analysis are discussed. The fact that PCA is also applied as an exhaustive, and informative transformation (e.g. in allometry), is mentioned briefly (p. 101), but, as is now to be expected, the emphasis is on PCA as a form of factor analysis. Many important subjects related to PCA are explained clearly, and illustrated. These include robust PCA, cross validation, sensitivity analysis and the analysis of compositional data. The illustration of robust PCA involves the analysis of a heterogeneous dataset. Apparently the data are a mixture of two multivariate normal distributions. This is could be useful to emphasize the importance of the distributional assumption of identicalness and independence, but is less than ideal in an illustration of robust PCA. Remarkably, the reader is warned against heterogeneity of samples later on in the book (p. 198). True factor analysis receives less attention, although here such issues as sensitivity and cross validation are also important. The Heywood case, an inadmissible solution due to a negative residual variance, is not treated. This is a pity, because Heywood cases are known to occur often in exploratory factor analysis, and are an important diagnostic of model mis-specification. This omission is all the more surprising, because the illustration of a true factor analysis on page 110 actually contains a Heywood case. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of path analysis and Wrightian factor analysis. The exact definition of 'Wrightian factor analysis' is lacking. Judging by the illustrative analysis of the Wright's famous leghorn data, Wrightian factor analysis is simply a confirmatory factor analysis using ULS estimation. The results of this illustrative analysis are obtained using LISREL and another program. On page 135 one reads `Note the system LISREL is a convenient way of making a path analysis'. There is little doubt that this is true, but there is nothing in this the book to substantiate the remark. Chapter 5 is devoted to Q-mode methods. These are methods concerned with the relationship among objects, rather than among cases. Three Q-mode methods are treated: Imbrie's Q-mode factor analysis, Gower's principal coordinates, and later in the chapter, the analysis of asymmetry, which is also due to Gower. It is clear that Q-mode methods are more difficult than R-mode methods. They require more technical knowledge (e.g. distance measures) and are sometimes less intuitively appealing (e.g. analysis of asymmetry based on the factorization of a skew-symmetric matrix). However, the difficulty of the subject matter is somewhat compounded by details relating to the presentation. For instance, it is stated on page 137 that the `main interest in doing a Q-mode analysis is graphical', but that Imbrie's Q-mode factor analysis `is concerned with obtaining answers to several questions, of which the graphical appraisal of the data is only one (...)'. Later still, (p. 142) the graphical representation in Q-mode factor analysis is `incidental to the analysis'. On page 140, the terms Euclidian distance and Pythagorean distance in two consecutive sentences, while they represent the same distance. The term duality is used repeatedly to indicate a certain similarity between techniques (e.g., p. 140), but never defined. These are just detail, of course, but they do not make the subject matter in this chapter any easier to follow. Still it should be said that the explanations of the Q-mode techniques are quite clear. The illustrations using artificial and real data are informative and work well to facilitate and deepen the understanding of the models. Q-R-mode analysis is the subject of chapter 6. The treatment of Q-R-mode analysis is fairly brief. The technique is illustrated. Subsequently, Gariel's biplots, and CANOCO, an amalgamation of canonical correlation analysis and correspondence analysis, are discussed. Again the techniques are illustrated. Chapter 7 concerns various practical aspects that one faces in carrying out an statistical analysis. Many of these are quite general in that they apply to any statistical analysis, not just to a factor analysis. Other aspects are inherent to exploratory factor analysis, such as the method of extraction, the choice of the number of factors to retain and the method or rotation. In view of the many techniques discussed, especially in chapters 5 and 6, a section containing a clear discussion of the issue of 'which technique to use when', would have been welcome. In chapter 8, a number of examples and two case histories are presented. These are useful and quite interesting to read. They do require specialized knowledge of the subject matter to fully appreciate the substantial aspects of the results. The appendix is written by Leslie F. Marcus. It is devoted entirely to the MATLAB programming language and scripts to carry out many of the illustrative analyses presented in the book. The inclusion of the appendix fits in well with general approach of the book and offers the reader an opportunity to gain first hand experience in carrying out the various analyses. One does require the MATLAB program, and an understanding of the MATLAB programming language. Possibilities, if any, to carry out analyses using multi-purpose statistical packages are not discussed. This is not a simple introduction to applied factor analysis. It requires a fair degree of mathematical sophistication to understand the various models, especially those based on Q-mode and Q-R-mode techniques. It requires careful reading to come to grips with the subtle distinctions between the various model. The presentation at times could be a little bit more accommodating. Still, with its extensive use of illustration and worked examples, and the availability of MATLAB m-files to use in one's own analyses, I think that this book is a useful introduction. The book contains a few typographical errors, all of which are innocuous.

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Nice breezy read...

Great Concept...I can certainly see a series..........

A Perfect Beach Book!

What a great read!!

Witty & Fun

Sleeping with Schubert: A Novel
Bonnie Marson
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Sleeping With Schubert

Marrying Mozart

The Shadow of the Wind

The Hummingbird's Daughter

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ASIN: 0812968395
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Amazon.com

Bonnie Marson's debut novel, Sleeping with Schubert, is the unlikely story of what happens when the passionate spirit of a legendary 19th-century composer inhabits an ordinary Brooklyn lawyer. While the premise of this exploration seems preposterous (and often is too unbelievable to merit any serious thought), Marson does a commendable job of creating a genuinely likeable protagonist whom she surrounds with an equally amusing and entertaining cast of supporting characters. These portraits, combined with a sharp, witty sense of irony on the author's part, save this book from what could have been a grave misstep into the world of fantasy Chick Lit.

Sleeping with Schubert follows its heroine Liza Durbin from her debut at a Nordstrom piano to a full-fledged world tour that culminates in a grand finale at Lincoln Center. Along the way, Liza's quirky family make guest appearances, as well as her on-again/off-again boyfriend Patrick, her eccentric piano teacher, and a host of admirers and jealous acquaintances posing as well-wishers. Because this is inherently Chick Lit, Marson indulges in the issues so central to the genre, including warped body images, stunning sisters, cherished best friends, bad hair days, and crazy mothers ("Your father and I have a theory. Maybe you could be just a teeny little bit like an idiot-savant."). However, Schubert's presence adds a layer of complexity that is rare to this type of book; rather than dwelling on the hardships of magazine publishing and office flirtations, Marson treats the reader to a bit of culture and sophistication. By combining an unusual circumstance with a welcome and inviting level of introspection that is rare to most heroines in the genre, Marson offers audiences the chance to imagine a reality in which baby grand pianos fit in Brooklyn apartments and frumpy lawyers can become renowned Romantic composers. --Gisele Toueg

Book Description

It seems that the legendary composer Franz Schubert is alive—well, sort of—in the twenty-first century: His soul has taken up residence in the body of Brooklyn lawyer Liza Durbin. Even more astonishing, so has his prodigious gift. A mediocre pianist at best as a child, Liza can suddenly pound out concertos and compose masterly music out of the blue. But how can a brilliant male Austrian composer from the nineteenth century coexist in the everyday life of a modern American woman? And how can Liza explain what’s happened to her without everyone thinking she’s gone off the deep end?

Fortunately, the evidence is tangible, and Liza is soon brought into the esteemed halls of Juilliard under the tutelage of the revered—and feared—Greta Pretsky, a humorless woman whose only interest in Liza is her channeling of Schubert. Greta’s greedy for her next big star, and the entire New York City press is whispering of Liza’s brilliance as the public awaits her debut at Carnegie Hall. Even Liza’s boyfriend, Patrick, seems more in love with her than ever.

Yet as Liza yields to Franz’s great passion, her own life and identity threaten to elude her. Why was she chosen as the vessel for this musical genius—and when, if ever, will he leave? Their entwined souls follow a path of ecstasy, peril, and surprise as they search for the final, liberating truth.

A strikingly original novel, Sleeping with Schubert plays on years of speculation regarding Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony.” Bonnie Marson’s extraordinary imagination supposes that Schubert cannot truly die until the mystery is solved—even if it means being resurrected in the body of a deceptively ordinary woman. Filled with drama and humor, this irresistible novel explores love, genius, and identity in ways that will engage and amaze readers.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Nice breezy read..........2007-01-05

My piano teacher recommended this book to me, so as a present to myself I got it since I thought it was a good concept. I particularly like novels that don't beat around the bush...get right to it. Ms. Marson does that in the first chapter and holds your interest all the way through to the end. Can't wait to see the movie IF they get a real pianist to play the heroine...hope they can find one who can act AND play.

Great Concept...I can certainly see a series.................2006-07-06

This story is an interesting way to learn a bit about a composer(Schubert, surprised?) who comes to inhabit a female Brooklyn lawyer...and we used to call it schizophrenia when you became a famous person in this way....who knew? Now it's used as a kind of currant literary vehicle to develop a story. Seriously tho the concept works in a story with a very current "tone"...I received this and CD as a birthday present a few days ago. Definitely enjoyed the music-tho don't forget how serious this music is by comparison to the text tone, having not heard some of it in awhile (how often have you heard "The Trout" of late?). The text is light, funny ,an enjoyable idea which since I generally like romances and chicklit....it was a good gift. I recommend this if you need a neat gift for a similarly inclined sister, wife , girlfriend, boss. Watch to be sure they enjoy the contemporary genre. Plus it tells us Paramount has optioned it so shall we soon see Anne Hathaway in her next picture? It struck me that I learned more about the composer-always worthwhile in a fairly palatable format.Couldn't you just see a series as women gain Monet, Degas, Klimt(well maybe not)...Liszt,Wagner as their new special friend?

A Perfect Beach Book!.......2006-04-19

Looking for something fresh, exciting and funny to read this summer? Here's the perfect vacation book - Sleeping with Schubert. At the beach, on the plane, at your in-laws - a great escape. Bonnie Marson's first effort is incredibly creative. You won't want to put it down. Just don't forget to apply sunscreen and flip over every so often.

What a great read!!.......2006-03-24

This book was chosen for the book group I was in. When I read the description, I was sort of "oh well"-guess I'll read it. The book grabbed me immediately with the story and very witty, entertaining writing style of the author. It was a fun, serious, touching, and totally enjoyable book!!

Witty & Fun.......2006-03-22

The book was witty and fun. It was extremely well written.

Book Description

"This is an exceedingly long short book, stretching at least fifty thousand years into the past and who knows how many into the future." So begins Visions of the Future, the prophetic new book by eminent economist Robert Heilbroner. Heilbroner's basic premise is stunning in its elegant simplicity. He contends that throughout all of human history, despite the huge gulf in social organization, technological development, and cultural achievement that divides us from the earliest known traces of homo sapiens, there have really only been three distinct ways of looking at the future. During a period Heilbroner refers to simply as the Distant Past, stretching from prehistory to the appearance of modern nation-states in seventeenth century Europe, there was no notion of a future measurably and materially different from the present or the past. From the Stone Age to the Bronze, Mesopotamia and Egypt to Greece and Rome, and throughout the Middle Ages, a continuum of cultures and civilizations shared one defining expectation--the absence of any expectation of material progress for the great masses of people. Heilbroner maintains that it was not until the first stirrings of the period he refers to as Yesterday, spanning from roughly 1700 to 1950, that the future entered into human consciousness as a great beckoning force. Capitalism, continually reinvigorated by the seemingly endless forward march of science and an evolving sense of democracy, appeared to promise all levels of society some expectation of a future at least somewhat better than the past. It was this unwavering faith in the superiority of the future that separated Yesterday from the age we have now entered, that of Today. While we are still driven towards tomorrow by the same forces that determined the recent past, the lessons of Hiroshima and Chernobyl, the chaos in the former Soviet Union, the stagnation of the West, and the anarchic rage unleashed in our inner cities and in hot spots around the globe have brought on a palpable anxiety that is quite apart from both the resignation of the Distant Past or the bright optimism of Yesterday. In a brilliant conclusion drawing together the threat of nuclear blackmail, global warming and the growing commodification of life represented by video games, voice mail, and VCRs, Visions of the Future issues a call to face the challenges of the twenty-first century with a new resolve strengthened by the inspiration of our collective past.

Customer Reviews:

Tour-de-force........2002-12-05

In this small book Robert Heilbroner succeeds in summarizing his vision on the history of mankind from the beginning to the ... future.
"Resignation sums up the Distant Past's vision of the future, hopefulness was that of Yesterday; and apprehension is the dominant mood of Today." (p.69)
His analyses are succinct, clear and on target.
His vision for tomorrow and after is more speculative:"a spectrum of capitalisms is the most probable political setting for the Western world over the coming of the next century, but that ultimately capitalism will exhaust its vitality, perhaps making way in some societies for a more egalitarian society and in others for more centralized and controlledones." (p.115)
I believe that capitalism will continue to be the dominant economic system in the far future, but that the proceeds of the successes of capitalism will be better distributed under the pressure of the democratic process.
But I agree with the author that in order to 'save' our planet, we need a stabilization of the population of the globe and a better protection of the environment.
A small, but important and stimulating book. Not to be missed.

Inconsistent and lackes historical support.......1998-09-19

Most noticeable error in Heilbroners work is the lack of a reasonable historical support from which he arrived to his conclusions. Although Heilbroner may have provided a plausible conclusion on what things might imaginably be, especially in the field of economics from which he laid heavy emphasis in the last part, he failed to provide to the readers justification on his central concept of dividing the distant past, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In short, the most contestable part of his study is the dating of the period. Going through the text repeatedly, I can almost say with certainty that no where in the book can we find a valid even justification on the timelines that separates the so-called distinctive eras of mankind. Much worse is Heilbroners summation of the mood of this era's stating that of the distant past as characterized by resignation, hopefulness that of yesterday and apprehension for today. One would marvel on the genius of the author on such summation in so brief a book, which poorly contains sufficient historical data, not even enough to assert clearly the division of time.

A different vision of our visions........1996-10-12

Robert Heilbroner has again proven the insight which has made him one of the twentieth century's greatest economic minds. Now, Heilbroner has turned from ecnomy and focused his intellect on human perception of the future. He categorizes human history into four major eras: Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. He then goes on to illustrate how each era perceived the future and what it would bring. Using this, Heilbroner then postulates how our perception has changed and what the future may hold

Visions of the Future: The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

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Visions of the Future: The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Robert Heilbroner
Manufacturer: Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZS3AQ

Visions of the Future : The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Average customer rating:

Visions of the Future : The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Robert Heilbroner
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O5ZIN0

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Visions of the Future: The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Robert Heilbroner
Manufacturer: Oxford Univ Pr on Demand
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RC1BRW

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Visions of the Future: The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.

Manufacturer: 0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ICNXMW

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Visions of the Future: The distant past, yesterday, today, tomorrow.
Robert. Heilbroner
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKPBBY

Customer Reviews:

The Ultimate Reference!.......2007-01-03

This book is the ultimate reference when it comes to the Kurds and all aspects of their life. The analysis is deep, academic, and far from biased. Although some of the historical facts Professor Izady provides need to be prooved, the historical research seems very miticulous. Although this book serves its purpose perfectly, such a small handbook isn't enough to eliminate the numerous common misconceptions and fallacies about the Kurds and their history. We need a far more detailed book with more proofs about what it states, and I hope that Izady's next book will be like that. Anyway, despite being a bit outdated, this is the finest refernce on the Kurds available so far. Highly Recommended!!

The Kurds: A Concise Handbook.......2000-02-20

Although 8 years old, this still remains the best book I have ever read about the Kurds. We Armenians know very little, and that also so biased, when it comes to our neighbors the Kurds. I think this book should be made a mandatory reading in all the Armenian schools.

The book is like an encyclopedia and the author is successful in not taking any political side. He is also respectful to the Armenians and their Genocide in which as Izady writes, the Kurdish tribal leaders took part with the Turks. His treatment of the Kurdish culture, art and history is as fascinating as his coverage of politics, religion, langauge and demography. It is an excellent resource.

It is a pitty that this book is not more widely known or available in the Armenian language. I wished the publishers of the book would consider translating and publishing this into other languages too and not just English.

An excellent introduction to a world unknown in the West........1998-10-08

The author covers every aspect of Kurdish life, especially religion quite well. The book is a good approximation of the country studies available from the library of congress on the various recognized independent states.

Since Kurdistan is not recognized as an independent state, it does not have a library of congress handbook. As a replacement, Izady's book is a good substitute.

There are a few difficulties and inaccuracies in the book, but given its size and its attempt to cover such a long span of history, these mistakes can be forgiven. For example, the claim that Armenian King Tigranes II The Great was of Kurdish origin is at best very debatable. The King is a central figure in Armenian history, and Izady's initial words seemed to be aimed at attacking Armenian history. But he quickly repairs this potential point of contention and clearly points out that the King probably regarded himself as an Armenian whatever his origins may have been.

In addition to bringing to life history that is treated as a taboo subject in Turkey, Iraq and other Middle Eastern and even some Western states. Izady does a great deal to shatter the image of religious conformity in the region. We learn of the Yazidis, the Cult of angels, the Alevis, the Syrian Arab Alawites (Nusayris), and other groups including Kurdish Christians.

This book is a must-read for every United States Middle Eastern policy maker, because it draws a clear, accurate flesh and blood picture of a people long-maligned, massacred and misunderstood. Every American analyst interested in learning more about the Kurds, their life, survival, tragedies and triumphs should read this book as a introduction to this remarkable nation.

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Still Sensible after All These Years

The Introspective Engineer
Samuel C. Florman
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Surveying & Photogrammetry | Civil | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
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The Existential Pleasures of Engineering (Thomas Dunne Book)

The Civilized Engineer

To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design

Flying Buttresses, Entropy, and O-Rings: The World of an Engineer

Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium

ASIN: 0312151527

Amazon.com

Florman, author of The Existential Pleasures of Engineering and The Civilized Engineer, has written another passionate and elegant rationale of the engineering arts in the interest of awakening society to the need for creative technological solutions to our twenty-first-century problems.

Book Description

The profession of engineering is rarely the topic of serious public discussion. Multimedia, virtual reality, information superhighway-these are the buzzwords of the day. But real engineers, the people who conceive of computers and oversee their manufacture, the people who design and build information systems, cars, bridges, and airplanes, labor in obscurity. There are no engineering heroes, and we as a society are poorer for this.Like Florman's landmark book, The Existential Pleasures of Engineering, The Introspective Engineer is a clarion call to society. We must awaken to the reality that the quality of human life depends on increasingly creative technological solutions to the problems we face. We need cleaner, more economical engines, faster computers, more power, and a healthier planet if we are to survive. It is engineers who will lead us to this future.

Customer Reviews:

Still Sensible after All These Years.......2000-05-24

Though Samuel Florman's 1997 book feels flawed, perhaps by an understandable reluctance to seem too tough on professional peers, gentle readers will find many passages of unusual clarity. One might suspect that Florman had to suffer substantial within guild whining in the wake of The Civilized Engineer? The Introspective Engineer is less fierce, more carefully engineered to delight obvious clients & minimize comfort to doubters of technology. Florman flirts with panegyric, dwells on the certainly wonderful aspects of technology, may rush as he covers the complications. This might interfere with message, contribute to the trumped up we/they fight which Mr. Florman has so eloquently resisted for so long. He opens with near-jingoistic speculation about maintaining heavy American control in a now, largely due to comm tech advances, truly global technology marketplace which simply will not tolerate our dominance forever, but mitigates this throughout the body of the book by stressing practical need for sensible cooperation (Florman knows the usual historical consequences of extreme/obvious concentrations of wealth/power). Visiting Egypt, he acknowledges Aswan as problem, but goes on perhaps too long/hopefully about retro-patching damages done (excessive fear of "paralysis" = unnecessary failures of timely restraint?). Florman is very fair on damming/burning the Amazon, calculating the downside while properly stressing limitations of our own rights to deny others liberties we have already taken. He can seem too easy, now, on university engineering departments as tech training centers, but alert readers may also catch him still seething sweetly, still fighting for balance & breadth. Per Florman, Kent M. Black (then CEO of Rockwell International), a speaker at a 1993 ASEE conference, took a practically prevailing, if rarely openly stated, extreme position, essentially asking assembled engineering educators to not confuse/pollute his future minions with art or history knowledge or human communication skills. Black suggested that the ideal graduating engineer can pick up wider wisdom (develop personal interests?) later, after/between work, somehow. Perhaps via teevee? Difficult to guess. My own father, a land grant university mechanical engineer, was a bit lax in this zone, over his years. Others may do better. It is possible. But entry into an increasingly technical workplace typically leads to far more opportunity/incentive to learn additional tech than to ever learn any art or history at all. Florman elects not to bite, but he does preach a nice sermon:

"The problem is that some people, like Mr. Black (and I refer to him only because he expressed in a public forum what others mutter in private)--some people, then, think that communications skills can best be taught in technical report writing courses, while leadership can be inculcated by way of public speaking. I do not agree. The liberal arts are what fill out a person's education, helping turn narrowly focussed professionals into discerning citizens, intelligent communicators, and potential leaders. Courses in technical report writing are not only less effective than literature and history for improving communication skills; they are deadly dull."

Boss Black earns credit for his honesty, of course, but thoughtful engineers may recognize self-limitation created/imposed by arguments for narrowness. Samuel C. Florman must always finally be himself, a very good man & writer. His way of slicing through our prides & prejudices, though he may sometimes hesitate to be so straight, is our hope, both for sage application of technology itself & for nurturing of the broadly educated human beings with high levels of technical understanding & skill we need, now & in the future, in political/cultural/educational decision-making positions.

Florman has range, can vary his angle. In this book, as in Blaming Technology, he seeks primarily to entice the liberal artistic mob, mine by education/avocation, into an opening of sorts. I resist as noted, but may benefit from the challenge/exercise, which I recommend to fellow throwbacks. The Civilized Engineer (1987) is, essentially, an optimally-placed gentle kick in the head for practicing &, especially, educating engineers. I'm officially underqualified in those areas, though I do get my money by engineering, informally, learning as I go.

Average customer rating:
The Introspective Engineer
Samuel C. Florman
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTBU6A

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Time Is Short and the Water Rises: Operation Gwamba: The Incredible Sotry of How 10,000 Animals Were Rescued From Certain Death in a South American Rain Forest

Manufacturer: Tower Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Environmentalism | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0191341967

Product Description

Operation Gwamba is the story of how one man's daring and resourcefulness saved 10,000 forest animals from certain death. Operation Gwamba began when the International Society for the Protection of Animals learned that thousands of jungle animals were trapped behind the new Afobaka Dam in Surinam, formerly Dutch Guiana. The Society sent John Walsh, a field officer trained in rescue techniques by the Massachusetts SPCA. What followed was one of the 20th century's most extraordinary adventure stories. Fighting time, Walsh recruited native Bushnegroes, descendants of the rebellious slaves who had escaped to the jungle generations before. He learned their language and they became friends and allies. Ranged against him were a host of enemies, from vampire bats and piranha fish to torrential rains and jungle fever. And always there was the greatest enemy of all--the rising water that threatened to destroy man and animal.

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