Non Fiction Book Reviews #4

THE BOOK IN AMERICA

by Richard W. Clement

What is the book? The book has been the most convenient form for the transmission of education and education. It is easy to transport and needs no external power source for operation. Richard W. Clement traces the story of the book in America from 1638 to today and shows the role that books have played in the creation of our nation and society with the story of the authors, printers, and publishers who created the books and the story of the readers who have shaped their culture in response to what they have read. Using the sources from the Library of Congress Richard W. Clement offers portraits of titans of publishing such as Isaiah Thomas, Matthew Carey, Henry Holt, Frank N. Doubleday, Alfred A. Knopf, and others. Also portrayed is Mason Locke Weems, one of the greatest book salesman of all times who sold tens of thousands of books. Included are rare images of the first book printed in America, the first American cookbook, Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn; and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. The book represents our culture and for the United States is a cornerstone of our democracy. A fascinating look at the history of the book that will give you a better understanding of the book. Do read!

THE MICROPROCESSOR:

A BIOGRAPHY

by Michael S. Malone

Just what is the microprocessor? Without the microprocessor the digital revolution could of never taken place. Without the microprocessor there would be no personal computer, no communications revolution, few of the daily miracles in medical care, in industry, transportation, and home life that we've come to expect from technology. It has been over twenty-five years since the microprocessor was invented. The Intel 4004 microprocessor is the world's first "computer on a chip," and from that our lives have changed. Just how important is the microprocessor? When you wake up in the morning the clock radio goes off, the water heater keeps the water warm, the lights keep you from stumbling around, , the microwave cooks your breakfast, the remote control allows to turn on the television, you check your watch, hook on your beeper and cell phone, and into our car that uses over ten microprocessors. Need money? Go to the ATM. At the office, turn on your personal computer, use the telephone, send a fax, use the copier, check the clock, and do so much more. Back at home you might play a video game, play a CD on your stereo, watch TV, use your computer, and so do much more. As you can see, the microprocessor is everywhere in our lives. An amazing book that is both educational and entertaining. So read!

HOW TO WRITE:

ADVICE AND REFLECTIONS

by Richard Rhodes

There are countless books about how to write. But so many of them deal with the technical part of writing, the mechanics of writing, not the person doing the writing. Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winner, gives a primer on writing unlike the other books. Rhodes gives practical advice on writing with his own insights into the craft. He looks at why a person dares to write, where to begin, and how to tell the story. Rhodes covers the concerns of all writers: finding your voice, researching your subject, the business and process of writing, including getting your manuscripts published. Rhodes also includes stories of the sources of inspiration and a memoir of his life. Frank and honest, Rhodes writes about his difficult childhood and how writing acted as a form of therapy. As a writer of fiction and non fiction that ranges from traumatized persons to atomic weapons, Rhodes truly understands the craft of writing and conveys this information to the budding writer in a clear and concise way. A good tool.

24 HOURS IN CYBERSPACE:

PAINTING ON THE WALLS OF THE DIGITAL CAVE

created by Rick Smolan & Jennifer Erwitt

What is going on today is a revolution like none other. For the first time the term "global village" can be used. What is causing this revolution is the World Wide Web. Ten years ago it was the realm of researchers, but not now. Today, millions of ordinary people all over the world are getting wired. In this digital revolution the web is being use by people throughout the world for work, entertainment, and education. How are they doing it? What impact has cyberspace had on peoples personal lives, on peoples financial lives, and their relationships with family and friends? On February 8, 1996 Rick Solomon and the team responsible for the Day in the Life books set out to create a one day "digital snapshot" of people and the affect cyberspace has had on their lives. On a single day, 150 professional photojournalists armed with both film and digital cameras captured how cyberspace is affecting people throughout the world. From 200,000 photographs the best were chosen and with stories and a collector's CD-ROM is included. A fascinating book that shows how the computer and the World Wide Web has impacted all out lives.

HAL'S LEGACY:

2001's COMPUTER AS DREAM AND REALITY

edited by David G. Stark

HAL became operations on January 12, 1997 at Urbana, Illinois and you what HAL did. Thirty years ago Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kurbrick imagined a supercomputer with artificial intelligence, lip reading, speech recognition, common sense reasoning, the ability to recognize and display emotion, and engage in human-machine interaction. All this would happen in the year 1997. It is now 1997, how close are we to the future that Clarke and Kurbrick envisioned? In this book are essays by leading scientists about the technologies that would be critical to build a computer like HAL in 1997. A look at computer ethics and our responsibilities in "When HAL Kills, Who's to Blame" by Daniel C. Dennett. The work ahead to provide sight for computers in "Eyes for Computers" by Azirel Rosenfield. Teaching computers how to understand the meaning what humans say in "When Will HAL Understand What We Are Saying" by Raymond Kurzweil. Developing reliable computing and fault tolerance in "Foolproof and Incapable of Error?' by Ravishankar K. Iyer, and others. Informative and written in non-technical language, this book is a good read with a forward from Arthur C. Clarke.

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