Toy Theory

Toy Theory PDF Author: Seth Giddings
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262379007
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
A novel interpretation of the history and theory of technology from the perspective of toys, play, and play objects. Toy Theory addresses the relationships between toys and technology in two distinct but overlapping ways: first, as underexamined cultural artifacts and behaviors with significant technical attributes and, second, as playful and toylike dimensions of technology at large. Seth Giddings sets out a “toy theory” of technology that emphasizes the speculative, experimental, and noninstrumental in technological paradigms and argues that children’s playthings, rather than being the most ephemeral and inconsequential of technical devices, instead offer analytical and anthropological resources for understanding the materiality and imaginaries of technology over time. After defining toy theory in general and conceptual terms, Giddings examines different types of toys to explore shifting relationships between the microcosmic symbolic or mimetic content, material and technical constitution, and modes of play of toys and toy-related artifacts, on the one hand, and prevailing, macrocosmic, technological paradigms and imaginaries, on the other. Taking a broad historical and genealogical view, Giddings traces contemporary postdigital toy and play culture to precedents from the neolithic through to the Enlightenment to consumer culture from the early nineteenth century to the present day.

Toy Theory

Toy Theory PDF Author: Seth Giddings
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262379007
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

Get Book Here

Book Description
A novel interpretation of the history and theory of technology from the perspective of toys, play, and play objects. Toy Theory addresses the relationships between toys and technology in two distinct but overlapping ways: first, as underexamined cultural artifacts and behaviors with significant technical attributes and, second, as playful and toylike dimensions of technology at large. Seth Giddings sets out a “toy theory” of technology that emphasizes the speculative, experimental, and noninstrumental in technological paradigms and argues that children’s playthings, rather than being the most ephemeral and inconsequential of technical devices, instead offer analytical and anthropological resources for understanding the materiality and imaginaries of technology over time. After defining toy theory in general and conceptual terms, Giddings examines different types of toys to explore shifting relationships between the microcosmic symbolic or mimetic content, material and technical constitution, and modes of play of toys and toy-related artifacts, on the one hand, and prevailing, macrocosmic, technological paradigms and imaginaries, on the other. Taking a broad historical and genealogical view, Giddings traces contemporary postdigital toy and play culture to precedents from the neolithic through to the Enlightenment to consumer culture from the early nineteenth century to the present day.

The Pixar Theory

The Pixar Theory PDF Author: Jon Negroni
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780996396219
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"Every Pixar movie is connected. I explain how and possibly why." These are the words that began the detailed essay now known as "The Pixar Theory," which came out way back in 2013. It collected over 10 million views on Jon's blog alone, and was syndicated on Buzzfeed, Mashable, Huffpost, Entertainment Weekly, and more - generating over 100 million impressions and now translated into a dozen languages. Now, these thoughts and ideas first written by Jon Negroni have been fully realized inside this book, aptly named The Pixar Theory. In this book, you'll find an analysis of every single Pixar movie to date and how it tells a hidden story lurking behind these classic movies. You'll learn about how the toys of Toy Story secretly owe their existence to the events of The Incredibles. You'll learn about what truly happened to the civilization of cars from Cars before the events of WALL-E. And of course, you'll find out the possible truth for why "Boo" of Monsters Inc. is the most important Pixar character yet. Welcome to the Pixar Theory. Don't forget to fasten your imagination.

Mathematical Foundations of Information Flow

Mathematical Foundations of Information Flow PDF Author: Samson Abramsky
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 0821849239
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
This volume is based on the 2008 Clifford Lectures on Information Flow in Physics, Geometry and Logic and Computation, held March 12-15, 2008, at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The varying perspectives of the researchers are evident in the topics represented in the volume, including mathematics, computer science, quantum physics and classical and quantum information. A number of the articles address fundamental questions in quantum information and related topics in quantum physics, using abstract categorical and domain-theoretic models for quantum physics to reason about such systems and to model spacetime. Readers can expect to gain added insight into the notion of information flow and how it can be understood in many settings. They also can learn about new approaches to modeling quantum mechanics that provide simpler and more accessible explanations of quantum phenomena, which don't require the arcane aspects of Hilbert spaces and the cumbersome notation of bras and kets.

An Introduction to Particle Physics and the Standard Model

An Introduction to Particle Physics and the Standard Model PDF Author: Robert Mann
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439887608
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 616

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Book Description
An Introduction to the Standard Model of Particle Physics familiarizes readers with what is considered tested and accepted and in so doing, gives them a grounding in particle physics in general. Whenever possible, Dr. Mann takes an historical approach showing how the model is linked to the physics that most of us have learned in less challenging areas. Dr. Mann reviews special relativity and classical mechanics, symmetries, conservation laws, and particle classification; then working from the tested paradigm of the model itself, he: Describes the Standard Model in terms of its electromagnetic, strong, and weak components Explores the experimental tools and methods of particle physics Introduces Feynman diagrams, wave equations, and gauge invariance, building up to the theory of Quantum Electrodynamics Describes the theories of the Strong and Electroweak interactions Uncovers frontier areas and explores what might lie beyond our current concepts of the subatomic world Those who work through the material will develop a solid command of the basics of particle physics. The book does require a knowledge of special relativity, quantum mechanics, and electromagnetism, but most importantly it requires a hunger to understand at the most fundamental level: why things exist and how it is that anything happens. This book will prepare students and others for further study, but most importantly it will prepare them to open their minds to the mysteries that lie ahead. Ultimately, the Large Hadron Collider may prove the model correct, helping so many realize their greatest dreams ... or it might poke holes in the model, leaving us to wonder an even more exciting possibility: that the answers lie in possibilities so unique that we have not even dreamt of them.

Southern Baptist Seminary 1859-2009

Southern Baptist Seminary 1859-2009 PDF Author: Gregory A. Wills
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0199774129
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 582

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Book Description
Gregory Wills argues that Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has played a fundamental role in the persistence of conservatism, not entirely intentionally. Tracing the history of the seminary from the beginning to the present, Wills shows how its foundational commitment to preserving orthodoxy was implanted in denominational memory in ways that strengthened the denomination's conservatism and limited the seminary's ability to stray from it.

Picturing Quantum Processes

Picturing Quantum Processes PDF Author: Bob Coecke
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110710422X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 847

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Book Description
Quantum phenomena are explained through the language of diagrams, setting out an innovative visual method of presenting complex scientific theories. Focusing on physical intuition over mathematical formalism, and packed with exercises, this unique book is accessible to students and researchers across scientific disciplines, from undergraduate to Ph.D. level.

Neural Theories of Mind

Neural Theories of Mind PDF Author: William R. Uttal
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1000106195
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
In this fascinating book, William R. Uttal raises the possibility that, however much we learn about the anatomy and physiology of the brain and psychology, we may never be able to cross the final bridge explaining how the mind is produced by the brain. Three main classes of mind-brain theory are considered and rejected: field theories, because they are based on a superficial analogy; single cell theories, because they emerge from a massive uncontrolled experimental program; and neural net theories, because they are constrained by combinatorial complexity. To support his argument, Uttal explores the empirical and conceptual foundations of these theoretical approaches and identifies flaws in their fundamental logic. The author concludes that the problems preventing solution of the mind-brain problem are intractable, yet well within the confines of natural science.

Extensions and Restrictions of Generalized Probabilistic Theories

Extensions and Restrictions of Generalized Probabilistic Theories PDF Author: Jonathan Steinberg
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3658375817
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Book Description
Generalized probabilistic theories (GPTs) allow us to write quantum theory in a purely operational language and enable us to formulate other, vastly different theories. As it turns out, there is no canonical way to integrate the notion of subsystems within the framework of convex operational theories. Sections can be seen as generalization of subsystems and describe situations where not all possible observables can be implemented. Jonathan Steinberg discusses the mathematical foundations of GPTs using the language of Archimedean order unit spaces and investigates the algebraic nature of sections. This includes an analysis of the category theoretic structure and the transformation properties of the state space. Since the Hilbert space formulation of quantum mechanics uses tensor products to describe subsystems, he shows how one can interpret the tensor product as a special type of a section. In addition he applies this concept to quantum theory and compares it with the formulation in the algebraic approach. Afterwards he gives a complete characterization of low dimensional sections of arbitrary quantum systems using the theory of matrix pencils.

The Art and Science of Making the New Man in Early 20th-Century Russia

The Art and Science of Making the New Man in Early 20th-Century Russia PDF Author: Yvonne Howell
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350232866
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
The idea that morally, mentally, and physically superior 'new men' might replace the currently existing mankind has periodically seized the imagination of intellectuals, leaders, and reformers throughout history. This volume offers a multidisciplinary investigation into how the 'new man' was made in Russia and the early Soviet Union in the first third of the 20th century. The traditional narrative of the Soviet 'new man' as a creature forged by propaganda is challenged by the strikingly new and varied case studies presented here. The book focuses on the interplay between the rapidly developing experimental life sciences, such as biology, medicine, and psychology, and countless cultural products, ranging from film and fiction, dolls and museum exhibits to pedagogical projects, sculptures, and exemplary agricultural fairs. With contributions from scholars based in the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany and Russia, the picture that emerges is emphatically more complex, contradictory, and suggestive of strong parallels with other 'new man' visions in Europe and elsewhere. In contrast to previous interpretations that focused largely on the apparent disconnect between utopian 'new man' rhetoric and the harsh realities of everyday life in the Soviet Union, this volume brings to light the surprising historical trajectories of 'new man' visions, their often obscure origins, acclaimed and forgotten champions, unexpected and complicated results, and mutual interrelations. In short, the volume is a timely examination of a recurring theme in modern history, when dramatic advancements in science and technology conjoin with anxieties about the future to fuel dreams of a new and improved mankind.

The Death of Science

The Death of Science PDF Author: Andrew Holster
Publisher: Universal-Publishers
ISBN: 1627340769
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Modern science is in unprecedented crisis. It is a crisis at many levels, continuous with larger crises of modern society. It is a crisis for the vocation of the scientist working within the modern institutionalised structures of science. It is a crisis for our capacity to use science benevolently to help solve larger material, organisational, and ultimately political problems of the modern era. And it is a crisis for philosophy, for the role of natural science to help inform our world-view. The Death of Science is an account of deeper causes of this malaise. It starts by taking up the reins of López Corredoira's (2013) The Twilight of the Scientific Age, a recent critique that concludes with modern science on its death bed. It dissects key themes in detail, illustrated in the same frank style, drawing on personal examples. It starts with deep issues in the philosophy of science, recounting failed modern concepts of scientific progress, method and truth, going on to failures of peer review and gate-keeping as quality control systems, the domination of propaganda and marketing channels as the critical tools for professional success, and the major outcome for creative scientists themselves: the destruction of scientific creativity and exclusion of heterodox thinkers in this degraded environment. It connects the behavioural symptoms with a psycho-social analysis of the bureaucratic mode of organisation under which science, like all other modern vocations, is now subsumed. The account supports López Corredoira's appraisal, which sees a modern science industry driven by greed and ambition, repressing imagination and freedom, destructive of novelty and diversity of ideas, controlled by bureaucratic-academic power hierarchies. While science is irrevocably corrupted by its modern mass-institutionalisation, the true spirit of science can only be sustained by individuals with a real vocation as scientists, or natural philosophers, who seek understanding and meaning and wisdom, rather than technocratic specialisation and careers. But it is increasingly impossible for scientists to withstand forces of professional conformity, and maintain their personal sense of value. A number of current controversies in some core sciences are also discussed, and it is argued that the greatest revelations of real science are yet to come. While Establishment Science has locked itself into dogmatic paradigms, the failures of present theories show that we are really on the cusp of major revolutions, spanning sciences of physics and cosmology, information and intelligence, biology and evolution, and mind and consciousness. If these are realised, they will profoundly change our understanding of the nature of the world and ourselves. But any such revolutions challenge a Science Establishment locked into the self-interest of its power-brokers, and are unlikely to occur except through independent scientists working outside the institutional system. The book concludes with a brief discussion of the place of independent scientists.