Foreword by Dennis Smith, author of 17 books including the bestsellers Report from Engine Co. 82 and Report From Ground ZeroConcrete: We use it for our buildings, bridges, dams, and roads. We walk on it, drive on it, and many of us live and work within its walls. But very few of us know what it is. We take for granted this ubiquitous substance, which both literally and figuratively comprises much of the modern civilization's constructed environment; yet the story of its creation and development features a cast of fascinating characters and remarkable historical episodes. Concrete Planet delves into this history, opening readers' eyes at every turn.In a lively narrative peppered with intriguing details, author Robert Courland describes how some of the most famous personalities of history became involved in the development and use of concreteâincluding King Herod the Great of Judea, the Roman emperor Hadrian, Thomas Edison (who once owned the largest concrete cement plant in the world), and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Courland points to recent archaeological evidence suggesting that the discovery of concrete directly led to the Neolithic Revolution and the rise of the earliest civilizations. Much later, the Romans achieved high production standards for making concrete, showcasing their achievement in iconic buildings like the Coliseum and the Pantheon. Amazingly, with the fall of the Roman Empire, the secrets of concrete manufacturing were lost for over a millennium.As Courland explains, when concrete was rediscovered in the late eighteenth century, it was viewed as an interesting novelty or, at best, a specialized building material suitable only for a narrow range of applications. It was only toward the end of the nineteenth century that the use of concrete exploded. During this rapid expansion, industry lobbyists tried to disguised the fact that modern concrete had certain defects and critical shortcomings. It is now recognized that modern concrete, unlike its Roman predecessor, gradually disintegrates with age. Compounding this problem is another distressing fact: the manufacture of concrete cement is a major contributor to global warming.Concrete Planet is filled with incredible stories, fascinating characters, and an array of noteworthy facts and intriguing insights into this ubiquitous substance that forms the basis of our infrastructure.
Price : $17.16
$17.16
Show Detail »
Written by a seasoned professional with more than 50 years experience in manufacturing, the new third edition of this widely used text and self-training manual has been expanded to include many new and revised worksheets designed to facilitate the reader's ability to form a mental picture from a drawing. Blueprint Reading Basics reviews the subject in great detail using many illustrations and examples, as well as thoroughly reviewing all other aspects of print reading. It includes industry standards, practices, and copies of industrial prints throughout, providing a balanced presentation of blueprint reading theory and industry applications. And it is the perfect text for students taking blueprint reading, machine shop, or tool and die courses, as well as machinists, mechanics, technicians, and inspectors. Each chapter thoroughly covers one subject and contains an introduction, a detailed review of the subject, illustrations, review questions, and worksheets with short and specific questions. Many worksheets can be completed after studying one subject, meaning they can be reviewed before studying the entire chapter. Discussions of mathematics, engineering theories, drafting techniques and machine shop practices are kept to a minimum. All exercises can be used as teaching aids and have been classroom tested. Stresses practical concerns through questions designed to reinforce techniques of calculating dimensions. Written in a nontechnical and easy-to-understand manner.
Price : $23.18
$23.18
Show Detail »
Buckminster Fuller (1895â1983) was an architect, engineer, geometrician, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, inventor of the famous geodesic dome, and one of the most brilliant thinkers of his time. For more than five decades, he set forth his comprehensive perspective on the worldâs problems in numerous essays, which offer an illuminating insight into the intellectual universe of this renaissance man. These texts remain surprisingly topical even today, decades after their initial publication. While Fuller wrote the works in the 1960âs and 1970âs, they could not be more timely: like desperately needed time-capsules of wisdom for the critical moment he foresaw, and in which we find ourselves. Long out of print, they are now being published again, together with commentary by Jaime Snyder, the grandson of Buckminster Fuller. Designed for a new generation of readers, Snyder prepared these editions with supplementary material providing background on the texts, factual updates, and interpretation of his visionary ideas. Initially published in 1969, and one of Fullerâs most popular works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth is a brilliant synthesis of his world view. In this very accessible volume, Fuller investigates the great challenges facing humanity, and the principles for avoiding extinction and âexercising our option to make it.â How will humanity survive? How does automation influence individualization? How can we utilize our resources more effectively to realize our potential to end poverty in this generation? He questions the concept of specialization, calls for a design revolution of innovation, and offers advice on how to guide âspaceship earthâ toward a sustainable future. And it Came to Pass â Not to Stay brings together Buckminster Fullerâs lyrical and philosophical best, including seven âessaysâ in a form he called his âventilated proseâ, and as always addressing the current global crisis and his predictions for the future. These essays, including âHow Little I Knowâ, âWhat I am Trying to Doâ, âSoft Revolutionâ, and âEthicsâ, put the task of ushering in a new era of humanity in the context of âalways starting with the universe.â In rare form, Fuller elegantly weaves the personal, the playful, the simple, and the profound. Utopia or Oblivion is a provocative blueprint for the future. This comprehensive volume is composed of essays derived from the lectures he gave all over the world during the 1960âs. Fullerâs thesis is that humanity â for the first time in its history â has the opportunity to create a world where the needs of 100% of humanity are met. This is Fuller in his prime, relaying his urgent message for earthiansâ critical moment and presenting pioneering solutions which reflect his commitment to the potential of innovative design to create technology that does âmore with lessâ and thereby improves human lives . . . âThis is what man tends to call utopia. Itâs a fairly small word, but inadequate to describe the extraordinary new freedom of man in a new relationship to universe - the alternative of which is oblivion.â Buckminster Fuller.
Price : $11.98
$11.98
Show Detail »
Take a close-up look at Benjamin Franklin, a jack-of-all-trades who served his country well. Interviews with experts and lively writing deliver the accurate reporting you expect from TIME For Kids®. Historical reproductions and contemporary photographs capture the life of this ingenious man and show how he made life better and safer for Americans today. Read about more remarkable Americans:
Price : $3.99
$3.99
Show Detail »
Ray Kurzweil is the inventor of the most innovative and compelling technology of our era, an international authority on artificial intelligence, and one of our greatest living visionaries. Now he offers a framework for envisioning the twenty-first century--an age in which the marriage of human sensitivity and artificial intelligence fundamentally alters and improves the way we live. Kurzweil's prophetic blueprint for the future takes us through the advances that inexorably result in computers exceeding the memory capacity and computational ability of the human brain by the year 2020 (with human-level capabilities not far behind); in relationships with automated personalities who will be our teachers, companions, and lovers; and in information fed straight into our brains along direct neural pathways. Optimistic and challenging, thought-provoking and engaging, The Age of Spiritual Machines is the ultimate guide on our road into the next century.
Price : $12.24
$12.24
Show Detail »
When Tom Tate hears that Wilbur and Orville Wright are building a flying machine, he can t wait to try it. Tom s dad thinks it s dangerous. Some people think the Wrights are crazy. Can Tom help the brothers get their dream off the ground? Author: George SheaPages: 48, PaperbackPublisher: Harper Collins PublishersISBN: 0-06-444215-2
Price : $3.99
$3.99
Show Detail »
Life is getting better—and at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and violence are down — all across the globe. Though the world is far from perfect, necessities and luxuries alike are getting cheaper; population growth is slowing; Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before. The pessimists who dominate public discourse insist that we will soon reach a turning point and things will start to get worse. But they have been saying this for two hundred years. Yet Matt Ridley does more than describe how things are getting better. He explains why. Prosperity comes from everybody working for everybody else. The habit of exchange and specialization—which started more than 100,000 years ago—has created a collective brain that sets human living standards on a rising trend. The mutual dependence, trust, and sharing that result are causes for hope, not despair. This bold book covers the entire sweep of human history, from the Stone Age to the Internet, from the stagnation of the Ming empire to the invention of the steam engine, from the population explosion to the likely consequences of climate change. It ends with a confident assertion that thanks to the ceaseless capacity of the human race for innovative change, and despite inevitable disasters along the way, the twenty-first century will see both human prosperity and natural biodiversity enhanced. Acute, refreshing, and revelatory, The Rational Optimist will change your way of thinking about the world for the better.
Price : $17.54
$17.54
Show Detail »
Around noon on January 15, 1919, a group of firefighters was playing cards in Boston's North End when they heard a tremendous crash. It was like roaring surf, one of them said later. Like a runaway two-horse team smashing through a fence, said another. A third firefighter jumped up from his chair to look out a window-"Oh my God!" he shouted to the other men, "Run!"A 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses had just collapsed on Boston's waterfront, disgorging its contents as a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that at its outset traveled at 35 miles an hour. It demolished wooden homes, even the brick fire station. The number of dead wasn't known for days. It would be years before a landmark court battle determined who was responsible for the disaster.
Price : $10.88
$10.88
Show Detail »
Sustainability has become a buzzword in the last decade, but its full meaning is complex, emerging from a range of different sectors. In practice, it has become the springboard for millions of individuals throughout the world who are forging the fastest and most profound social transformation of our timeâthe sustainability revolution.The Sustainability Revolution paints a picture of this largely unrecognized phenomenon from the point of view of five major sectors of society:Community (government and international institutions) Commerce (business) Resource extraction (forestry, farming, fisheries etc.) Ecological design (architecture, technology) Biosphere (conservation, biodiversity etc.)The book analyzes sustainability as defined by each of these sectors in terms of the principles, declarations and intentions that have emerged from conferences and publications, and which serve as guidelines for policy decisions and future activities. Common themes are then explored, including:An emphasis on stewardship The need for economic restructuring promoting no waste and equitable distribution An understanding and respect for the principles of nature The restoration of life forms An intergenerational perspective on solutionsConcluding that these themes in turn represent a new set of values that define this paradigm shift, The Sustainability Revolution describes innovative sustainable projects and policies in Colombia, Brazil, India and the Netherlands and examines future trends. Complete with a useful resources list, this is the first book of its kind and will appeal to business and government policymakers, academics and all interested in sustainability.Andrés R. Edwards is an educator, author, media designer and environmental systems consultant who has specialized in sustainability topics for the past 15 years. The founder and president of EduTracks, an exhibit design and fabrication firm specializing in green building and sustainable education programs for parks, towns and companies, he lives in northern California.
Price : $11.32
$11.32
Show Detail »
A very interesting and insightful look at America's role in a Globalized world!!
Price : $16.10
$16.10
Show Detail »
Top Search
Last Search
