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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Pulse: The Coming Age of Systems and Machines Inspired by Living Thingsby Robert Frenay
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Pulse is not about dance music, not about heart rates, and not about electromagnetic fields. What it does describe is a sea change in human affairs, a vast and fundamental shift that is about to transform every aspect of our lives. Written in lively prose for lay readers, Pulse shows how ideas that have shaped Western science, industry, and culture for centuries are being displaced by the rapid and dramatic rise of a "new biology": by human systems and machines that work like living things. In Pulse, Robert Frenay details the coming world of: • Emotional computers • Ships that swim like fish • Hard, soft, and wet artificial life • Money that mimics the energy flows in nature • Evolution at warp speed And these are not blue-sky dreams. By using hundreds of vivid and concrete examples of cutting-edge work, Frenay showcases the brilliant innovations and often colorful personalities now giving birth to a radical new future. Along the way, he also offers thoughtful conclusions on the promises (and dangers) of our transformation to the next great phase of “human cultural evolution.” Review:"The computer HAL in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey is infamous for its dispassion, but former Audubon contributing editor Frenay tells readers that computers with emotions will arrive sooner than we may feel comfortable with. In this wide-ranging look at how biology and technology are being integrated in almost every area of human invention, Frenay writes of virtual communities and societies that are springing up online, some with economic systems that mimic those of the real world. Scientists have already created virtual life forms that have developed 'sex' all by themselves and are exhibiting evolutionary traits. In the book's most original chapter, the author explains why some economists even advocate using biological metaphors to explain adaptive behaviors in our sophisticated interest rate — based economies. Occasionally the author throws his net rather wide, scooping up more topics than he can discuss adequately, and some of this material has been addressed better by other writers. Still, readers well versed in science who want to avoid future shock will encounter unusual matters on the frontiers of science that may be coming soon to a computer, merchant or medical facility near you." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Synopsis:Written in lively prose for lay readers, "Pulse" shows how ideas that have shaped Western science, industry, and culture for centuries are being displaced by the rapid and dramatic rise of a "new biology"--by human systems and machines that work like living things. About the AuthorRobert Frenay is a freelance writer and former contributing editor to Audubon magazine. Pulse is his first book. He divides his time between New York City and upstate New York. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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