The Biology of Computer Life

The Biology of Computer Life PDF Author: SIMONS
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1468480502
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
The doctrine of computer life is not congenial to many people. Often they have not thought in any depth about the idea, and it necessarily disturbs their psychological and intellectual frame of reference: it forces a reappraisal of what it is to be alive, what it is to be human, and whether there are profound, yet un expected, implications in the development of modern com puters. There is abundant evidence to suggest that we are wit nessing the emergence of a vast new family of life-forms on earth, organisms that are not based on the familiar metabolic chemistries yet whose manifest 'life credentials' are accumulating year by year. It is a mistake to regard biology as a closed science, with arbitrarily limited categories; and we should agree with Jacob (1974) who observed that 'Contrary to what is imagined, biology is not a unified science'. Biology is essentially concerned with living things, and we should be reluctant to assume that at anyone time our concept and understanding of life are complete and incapable of further refinement. And it seems clear that much of the continuing refinement of biological categories will be stimulated by advances in systems theory, and in particular by those advances that relate to the rapidly expanding world of computing and robotics. We should also remember what Pant in (1968) said in a different context: 'the biological sciences are unrestricted . . . and their investigator must be prepared to follow their problems into any other science whatsoever.

The Invisible Computer

The Invisible Computer PDF Author: Donald A. Norman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780262640411
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
This text argues that companies must start with an understanding of people in relation to the development of products: user needs first, technology last - the opposite of how things are done now.

Invisible Engines

Invisible Engines PDF Author: David S. Evans
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262550687
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
Harnessing the power of software platforms: what executives and entrepreneurs must know about how to use this technology to transform industries and how to develop the strategies that will create value and drive profits. Software platforms are the invisible engines that have created, touched, or transformed nearly every major industry for the past quarter century. They power everything from mobile phones and automobile navigation systems to search engines and web portals. They have been the source of enormous value to consumers and helped some entrepreneurs build great fortunes. And they are likely to drive change that will dwarf the business and technology revolution we have seen to this point. Invisible Engines examines the business dynamics and strategies used by firms that recognize the transformative power unleashed by this new revolution—a revolution that will change both new and old industries. The authors argue that in order to understand the successes of software platforms, we must first understand their role as a technological meeting ground where application developers and end users converge. Apple, Microsoft, and Google, for example, charge developers little or nothing for using their platforms and make most of their money from end users; Sony PlayStation and other game consoles, by contrast, subsidize users and make more money from developers, who pay royalties for access to the code they need to write games. More applications attract more users, and more users attract more applications. And more applications and more users lead to more profits. Invisible Engines explores this story through the lens of the companies that have mastered this platform-balancing act. It offers detailed studies of the personal computer, video game console, personal digital assistant, smart mobile phone, and digital media software platform industries, focusing on the business decisions made by industry players to drive profits and stay a step ahead of the competition. Shorter discussions of Internet-based software platforms provide an important glimpse into a future in which the way we buy, pay, watch, listen, learn, and communicate will change forever. An electronic version of this book is available under a Creative Commons license.

Your Computer Is on Fire

Your Computer Is on Fire PDF Author: Thomas S. Mullaney
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 026253973X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
Technology scholars declare an emergency: attention must be paid to the inequality, marginalization, and biases woven into our technological systems. This book sounds an alarm: we can no longer afford to be lulled into complacency by narratives of techno-utopianism, or even techno-neutrality. We should not be reassured by such soothing generalities as "human error," "virtual reality," or "the cloud." We need to realize that nothing is virtual: everything that "happens online," "virtually," or "autonomously" happens offline first, and often involves human beings whose labor is deliberately kept invisible. Everything is IRL. In Your Computer Is on Fire, technology scholars train a spotlight on the inequality, marginalization, and biases woven into our technological systems.

The Elements of Computing Systems

The Elements of Computing Systems PDF Author: Noam Nisan
Publisher:
ISBN: 0262640686
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
This title gives students an integrated and rigorous picture of applied computer science, as it comes to play in the construction of a simple yet powerful computer system.

The Invisible Link

The Invisible Link PDF Author: Michael Y. Yoshino
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262240253
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
A sogo shosha is like no other type of company. "The Invisible Link "provides a systematic and well-balanced description that covers virtually all aspects of sogo shosha operations, from finance to personnel.The sogo shosha is not defined by the products it handles or even by the services it performs, for it offers a broad and changing array of goods and functions. Its business goals are equally elusive, for maximization of profits from each transaction is clearly not the major goal, at either the operating or philosophical level. The sogo shosha could be broadly defined as a large, diversified, multinational enterprise engaged primarily in trading. Yet it is a uniquely Japanese business operation whose structural and strategic dynamics have no close counterparts in North America and Europe.There are only nine sogo shosha in Japan - six of them of major significance - and the largest employs fewer than 15,000. Among them, they handle about one-half of all of Japan's exports and imports. The sogo shosha typically deal in bulk in products that are highly standardized and technologically unsophisticated - raw materials, commodities, intermediary products. A large sogo shosha will finance, develop, manufacture and/or carry over 20,000 different items, "from noodles to missiles" as one slogan has it."The Invisible Link "gives detailed coverage to such topics as historical evolution of the sogo shosha, strategic responses and competitive dynamics, culture and organization, administrative structures and processes, human resource systems, career outcomes, interunit and interfirm coordination, sectional and network organization, and emerging challenges as the nature of the Japanese economy changes.M. Y Yoshino is Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. Two of his books, "Japan's Managerial System" and "The Japanese Marketing System," were published by The MIT Press. Thomas B. Lifson is an Associate in the Program on US-Japan Relations at Harvard University.

The Creepy Computer Mystery

The Creepy Computer Mystery PDF Author: Elizabeth Levy
Publisher: Cartwheel Books
ISBN: 9780590603225
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
Three friends who call themselves "Invisible Inc." must solve a mystery when they receive a cryptic e-mail.

Matchmoving

Matchmoving PDF Author: Tim Dobbert
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 078215073X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Master the Art and Science of Matchmoving Written by a matchmoving expert, this book is much more than a technical primer. It helps you think like a pro so that you can find the right solution for your matchmoves, no matter how tricky. You'll also find coverage of tasks that commonly go hand-in-hand with matchmoving, along with advice on the contributions you can make on the set of a live-action shoot. Whether you're a student or professional, Matchmoving: The Invisible Art of Camera Tracking gives you the knowledge and perspective you need to quickly and successfully solve every matchmove. Coverage includes: Understanding how matchmove programs work Perspective matching Getting optimal 2D tracking data Calibrating/solving cameras Using automatic tracking Fitting matchmoves into a CG set Mastering matchamation techniques Modeling from matchmoves Troubleshooting bad matchmoves Multi-purposing matchmove data

Seeing the Invisible

Seeing the Invisible PDF Author: Michel Henry
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1847064469
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Provides a unique, philosophical interpretation of a significant twentieth-century painter - Wassily Kandinsky.

How I Became One of the Invisible

How I Became One of the Invisible PDF Author: David Rattray
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Authors
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
This collection of stories and essays reveals the erudite as well as the adventurous side of David Rattray, whose writing lies at the conjunction of travel and wisdom, where the spiritual informs the sinful.

The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games

The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games PDF Author: Felipe Pepe
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781999353308
Category : Computer games
Languages : en
Pages : 528

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Book Description
Reviews over 400 seminal games from 1975 to 2015. Each entry shares articles on the genre, mod suggestions and hints on how to run the games on modern hardware.