As thinking machines make more decisions on our behalf, they can enrich, enable, and influence our lives. Whether in medicine, money, or love, technologies powered by forms of artificial intelligence are playing an increasingly prominent role in our lives. How do we ensure they make the most beneficial choices for us? And if one person benefits at another's expense, who gets to decide what's best? The increasing use of AI raises critical questions about our values, cultures, economies, and power relationships. And the answers may depend upon your race, gender, age, behavior, and nationality. In clear and accessible prose, Olaf Groth and Mark Nitzberg explore the history of intelligent technology, revealing how close we are to designing machines that have some sort of consciousnessand that we must now decide how to give those machines a conscience. Simultaneously thrilling and provocative, Solomons Code raises difficult questions that need to be considered given the speed of technological development.
“Time” is the most commonly used noun in the English language; it’s always on our minds and it advances through every living moment. But what is time, exactly? Do children experience it the same way adults do? Why does it seem to s...
The essential guide to radiation: the good, the bad, and the utterly fascinating, explained with unprecedented clarity.Earth, born in a nuclear explosion, is a radioactive planet; without radiation, life would not exist. And while radiation can be d...
"Meet the new Stephen Hawking . . . The Order of Time is a dazzling book." --The Sunday TimesFrom the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, a concise, elegant exploration of time.Why do we remember the past and not the future? What d...
From a brilliant new literary voice comes a groundbreaking exploration of how trails help us understand the world—from tiny ant trails to hiking paths that span continents, from interstate highways to the Internet.
In 2009, while thru-hikin...
“An imperative how-to for creativity.” —Nick Offerman Adam Savage—star of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters and one of the most beloved figures in science and tech—shares his golden rules of creativity, from finding...
Physics professor, bestselling author, and dynamic storyteller James Kakalios reveals the mind-bending science behind the seemingly basic things that keep our daily lives running, from our smart phones and digital “clouds” to x-ray machi...
Narrator: Jonathan Todd Ross Published: 05/16/2017
Why the force that keeps our feet on the ground holds the key to understanding the nature of time and the origin of the universe.Gravity is the weakest force in the everyday world yet it is the strongest force in the universe. It was the first force...
The explosive story of America's secret post-WWII science programs, from the author of the New York Times bestseller Area 51In the chaos following World War II, the U.S. government faced many difficult decisions, including what to do with the Third...
Knowledge of the basic ideas and principles of science is fundamental to cultural literacy. But most books on science are often too obscure or too specialized to do the general reader much good.Science Matters is a rare exception-a science book for ...
