The Closed World

Author : Paul N. Edwards
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 468 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 1996
Category : Computers
ISBN : 0262550288

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The Closed World by Paul N. Edwards Pdf

The Closed World offers a radically new alternative to the canonical histories of computers and cognitive science. Arguing that we can make sense of computers as tools only when we simultaneously grasp their roles as metaphors and political icons, Paul Edwards shows how Cold War social and cultural contexts shaped emerging computer technology--and were transformed, in turn, by information machines. The Closed World explores three apparently disparate histories--the history of American global power, the history of computing machines, and the history of subjectivity in science and culture--through the lens of the American political imagination. In the process, it reveals intimate links between the military projects of the Cold War, the evolution of digital computers, and the origins of cybernetics, cognitive psychology, and artificial intelligence. Edwards begins by describing the emergence of a "closed-world discourse" of global surveillance and control through high-technology military power. The Cold War political goal of "containment" led to the SAGE continental air defense system, Rand Corporation studies of nuclear strategy, and the advanced technologies of the Vietnam War. These and other centralized, computerized military command and control projects--for containing world-scale conflicts--helped closed-world discourse dominate Cold War political decisions. Their apotheosis was the Reagan-era plan for a " Star Wars" space-based ballistic missile defense. Edwards then shows how these military projects helped computers become axial metaphors in psychological theory. Analyzing the Macy Conferences on cybernetics, the Harvard Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory, and the early history of artificial intelligence, he describes the formation of a "cyborg discourse." By constructing both human minds and artificial intelligences as information machines, cyborg discourse assisted in integrating people into the hyper-complex technological systems of the closed world. Finally, Edwards explores the cyborg as political identity in science fiction--from the disembodied, panoptic AI of 2001: A Space Odyssey, to the mechanical robots of Star Wars and the engineered biological androids of Blade Runner--where Information Age culture and subjectivity were both reflected and constructed. Inside Technology series

Author : Christopher Payne
Publisher : National Geographic Books
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2009-09-04
Category : Photography
ISBN : 9780262013499

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Asylum by Christopher Payne Pdf

Powerful photographs of the grand exteriors and crumbling interiors of America's abandoned state mental hospitals. For more than half the nation's history, vast mental hospitals were a prominent feature of the American landscape. From the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth, over 250 institutions for the insane were built throughout the United States; by 1948, they housed more than a half million patients. The blueprint for these hospitals was set by Pennsylvania hospital superintendant Thomas Story Kirkbride: a central administration building flanked symmetrically by pavilions and surrounded by lavish grounds with pastoral vistas. Kirkbride and others believed that well-designed buildings and grounds, a peaceful environment, a regimen of fresh air, and places for work, exercise, and cultural activities would heal mental illness. But in the second half of the twentieth century, after the introduction of psychotropic drugs and policy shifts toward community-based care, patient populations declined dramatically, leaving many of these beautiful, massive buildings—and the patients who lived in them—neglected and abandoned. Architect and photographer Christopher Payne spent six years documenting the decay of state mental hospitals like these, visiting seventy institutions in thirty states. Through his lens we see splendid, palatial exteriors (some designed by such prominent architects as H. H. Richardson and Samuel Sloan) and crumbling interiors—chairs stacked against walls with peeling paint in a grand hallway; brightly colored toothbrushes still hanging on a rack; stacks of suitcases, never packed for the trip home. Accompanying Payne's striking and powerful photographs is an essay by Oliver Sacks (who described his own experience working at a state mental hospital in his book Awakenings). Sacks pays tribute to Payne's photographs and to the lives once lived in these places, “where one could be both mad and safe.”

Author : David Clay Large
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2009-06-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9780786748600

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And The World Closed Its Doors by David Clay Large Pdf

In this masterpiece of Holocaust literature, David Clay Large tells the wrenching story of Max Schohl, a German Jew who, in the midst of the Second World War, could not find a government that would allow his family to immigrate, despite wealth, education, and business and family connections. After repeated but fruitless efforts to gain entry first to the United States and then to Britain, Chile, and Brazil, Max died in Auschwitz and his wife and daughters were sent to hard labor in Wiesbaden. Much has been written about the West's unwillingness to attempt the rescue of tens of thousands of European Jews from the hands of the Nazis; now David Clay Large gives a human face to this tragedy of bureaucratic inertia and ill will. The youngest daughter of the Schohl family, today a seventy-four-year-old widow living in Charleston, South Carolina, has opened her family's records to Large: a unique collection of family letters and other documents chronicling the experiences of the Schohls and those who tried to bring them to England and America. From these papers Large has fashioned a gripping and intimate narrative of one family's efforts to escape the Holocaust in Europe and the inadequate response from abroad.

Author : Michel Blay
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 230 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : History
ISBN : 0226058352

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Reasoning with the Infinite by Michel Blay Pdf

Until the Scientific Revolution, the nature and motions of heavenly objects were mysterious and unpredictable. The Scientific Revolution was revolutionary in part because it saw the advent of many mathematical tools—chief among them the calculus—that natural philosophers could use to explain and predict these cosmic motions. Michel Blay traces the origins of this mathematization of the world, from Galileo to Newton and Laplace, and considers the profound philosophical consequences of submitting the infinite to rational analysis. "One of Michael Blay's many fine achievements in Reasoning with the Infinite is to make us realize how velocity, and later instantaneous velocity, came to play a vital part in the development of a rigorous mathematical science of motion."—Margaret Wertheim, New Scientist

Author : Alexandre Koyré
Publisher : SMK Books
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2008-05
Category : Cosmology
ISBN : 1604593687

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From the Closed World to the Infinite Universe by Alexandre Koyré Pdf

Time and again, when studying the history of scientific and philosophical thought in the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries-they are, indeed, so closely interrelated and linked together that, separated, they become ununderstandable-I have been forced to recognize, as many others have before me, that during this period human, or at least European, minds underwent a deep revolution which changed the very framework and patterns of our thinking and of which modern science and modern philosophy are, at the same time, the root and the fruit. This revolution or, as it has been called, this "crisis of European consciousness," has been described and explained in many different ways. Thus, whereas it is generally admitted that the development of the new cosmology, which replaced the geo- or even anthropocentric world of Greek and medieval astronomy by the heliocentric, and, later, by the centerless universe of modern astronomy, played a paramount role in this process, some historians, interested chiefly in the social implications of spiritual changes, have stressed the alleged conversion of the human mind from theoria to praxis, from the scientia contemplativa to the scientia activa et operativa, which transformed man from a spectator into an owner and master of nature; some others have stressed the replacement of the teleological and organismic pattern of thinking and explanation by the mechanical and causal pattern, leading, ultimately, to the "mechanisation of the world-view" so prominent in modern times, especially in the eighteenth century: still others have simply described the despair and confusion brought by the "new philosophy" into a world from which all coherence was gone and in which the skies no longer announced the glory of God.

Author : Lydia Kallipoliti
Publisher : Lars Muller Publishers/Storefront for Art and Architecture
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2018-09
Category : Architecture
ISBN : 3037785802

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The Architecture of Closed Worlds by Lydia Kallipoliti Pdf

What do outer space capsules, submarines, and office buildings have in common? Each is conceived as a closed system: a self-sustaining physical environment demarcated from its surroundings by a boundary that does not allow for the transfer of matter or energy. Contemporary discussions about global warming, recycling, and sustainability have emerged as direct conceptual constructs related to the study and analysis of closed systems. From the space program to countercultural architectural groups experimenting with autonomous living, this publication documents a disciplinary transformation and the rise of a new environmental consensus in the form of a synthetic naturalism. It presents an archive of 39 historical living prototypes from 1928 to the present that put forth an unexplored genealogy of closed resource regeneration systems. Prototypes are presented through unique discursive narratives with historical images, and each includes new analysis in the form of a feedback drawing that problematizes the language of environmental representation by illustrating loss, derailment, and the production of new substances and atmospheres.

Author : Kevin Peoples
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2017-10
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1925073408

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Trapped in a Closed World by Kevin Peoples Pdf

Disclaimer As at 1 September 2017, and in advance of publication, Trapped in a Closed World: Catholic Culture and Sexual Abuse, has officially been withdrawn from sale in Victoria, Australia due to current court proceedings. A lived expose of the poisonous clerical culture dominating life in a typical Catholic seminary in Australia in the 1960s, which links this culture to the clerical abuse highlighted in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The God Kevin Peoples met as a seminarian was not the God he knew and loved and wanted to serve. Trapped in a Closed World is his first-hand account of the harmful clerical culture that dominated Catholic seminary life in Australia in the 1960s - an endemic culture that still exists in some seminaries today. The Catholic beliefs taught date back to medieval times, and have made the Church hierarchical, misogynistic, and exclusive. For the young men training to be Catholic priests, this meant being 'special', being 'chosen' directly by God to serve the institution of the Holy Mother Church. Told with the tenderness and humour of a memoir, it nonetheless rigorously investigates the extreme beliefs and practices that paved the way for many Catholic priests to sexually abuse those in their care, and for the bishops to protect their clergy before victims. Ignorant and innocent at the time of the sexual abuse affecting the community outside the closed gates of St. Columba's, Springwood and his home Diocese, Ballarat, Victoria, Kevin makes up for lost time with this tour de force. This is more than just a memoir. It is an insightful and compelling examination of clerical culture and its link to sexual abuse in Catholic institutions.

Author : Herve Gallaire,Jack Minker
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 468 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2014-09-01
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1468433857

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Logic and Data Bases by Herve Gallaire,Jack Minker Pdf

Author : Ron Gonen
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2021-04-06
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780593191859

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The Waste-Free World by Ron Gonen Pdf

The next revolution in business will provide for a sustainable future, from founder, CEO and circular economy expert Ron Gonen Our take-make-waste economy has cost consumers and taxpayers billions while cheating us out of a habitable planet. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The Waste-Free World makes a persuasive, forward-looking case for a circular economic model, a “closed-loop” system that wastes no natural resources. Entrepreneur, CEO and sustainability expert Ron Gonen argues that circularity is not only crucial for the planet but holds immense business opportunity. As the founder of an investment firm focused on the circular economy, Gonen reveals brilliant innovations emerging worldwide— “smart” packaging, robotics that optimize recycling, nutrient rich fabrics, technologies that convert food waste into energy for your home, and many more. Drawing on his experience in technology, business, and city government and interviews with leading entrepreneurs and top companies, he introduces a vital and growing movement. The Waste-Free World invites us all to take part in a sustainable and prosperous future where companies foster innovation, investors recognize long term value creation, and consumers can align their values with the products they buy.

Author : Alexandre Koyré
Publisher : BEYOND BOOKS HUB
Page : 616 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2021-01-01
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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From the Closed World to the Infinite Universe by Alexandre Koyré Pdf

From the Closed World to the Infinite Universe by Alexandre Koyré is a profound exploration of the transition in scientific thought from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The book offers a detailed analysis of the philosophical and intellectual shifts that led to the conception of an infinite universe.

Author : Laurence Rees
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 466 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2009-04-28
Category : History
ISBN : 9780307378613

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World War II Behind Closed Doors by Laurence Rees Pdf

In this revelatory chronicle of World War II, Laurence Rees documents the dramatic and secret deals that helped make the war possible and prompted some of the most crucial decisions made during the conflict. Drawing on material available only since the opening of archives in Eastern Europe and Russia, as well as amazing new testimony from nearly a hundred separate witnesses from the period—Rees reexamines the key choices made by Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt during the war, and presents, in a compelling and fresh way, the reasons why the people of Poland, the Baltic states, and other European countries simply swapped the rule of one tyrant for another. Surprising, incisive, and endlessly intriguing, World War II Behind Closed Doors will change the way we think about the Second World War.

Author : Christine Carroll,Jody Eddy
Publisher : Running Press
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2012-10-02
Category : Cooking
ISBN : 9780762447077

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Come In, We're Closed by Christine Carroll,Jody Eddy Pdf

Peer behind the “closed” sign in the world’s greatest restaurants, and you may glimpse a packed table whose seats are elusive even to the most in-the-know diner: the daily staff meal. This insider’s look goes behind the scenes to share the one-of-a-kind dishes professional cooks feed each other. Join authors Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy as they share these intimate staff meal traditions, including exclusive interviews and never-before-recorded recipes, from twenty-five iconic restaurants including: Ad Hoc in Napa, California; Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain; The Fat Duck in London, England; McCrady's in Charleston, South Carolina; Uchi in Austin, Texas; Michel et Sébastien Bras in Laguiole, France; wd~50 in New York City, New York, and many more. Enjoy more than 100 creative and comforting dishes made to sate hunger and nourish spirits, like skirt steak stuffed with charred scallions; duck and shrimp paella; beef heart and watermelon salad; steamed chicken with lily buds; Turkish red pepper and bulgur soup; homemade tarragon and cherry soda; and buttermilk doughnut holes with apple-honey caramel glaze. It’s finally time to come in from the cold and explore the meals that fuel the hospitality industry; your place has been set.

Author : Frank Perlin
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 686 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2020-03-02
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004414921

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City Intelligible by Frank Perlin Pdf

Perlin conjoins philosophical and socio-cultural anthropologies to derive universal foundations of human reason in terms of which cultural difference may both logically and historically be understood. Global commodification before industrialisation offers abundant evidence for the translatability of all cultures.

Author : Fouad Sabry
Publisher : One Billion Knowledgeable
Page : 171 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2023-06-26
Category : Computers
ISBN : PKEY:6610000470549

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Closed World Assumption by Fouad Sabry Pdf

What Is Closed World Assumption In a formal system of logic that is used for the representation of knowledge, the closed-world assumption (often abbreviated as CWA) is the supposition that a statement that is true is also known to be true. Therefore, the inverse of this is true, which is that which cannot currently be verified as being accurate. Raymond Reiter is the author of a logical formalization of this assumption that bears the same name as this assumption. The open-world assumption (OWA), which holds that a lack of knowledge does not automatically entail that something is untrue, is the hypothesis that directly contradicts the closed-world hypothesis. The interpretation of the real semantics of a conceptual statement with the same notations of ideas is determined by the decisions made regarding CWA versus OWA. In most cases, a good formalization of natural language semantics is going to need an explicit revelation of whether the implicit logical underpinnings are based on CWA or OWA. This is because CWA and OWA are two distinct schools of logical thought. How You Will Benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Closed-world assumption Chapter 2: Frame problem Chapter 3: Propositional calculus Chapter 4: Inductive logic programming Chapter 5: Contradiction Chapter 6: Intuitionistic logic Chapter 7: Paraconsistent logic Chapter 8: Default logic Chapter 9: Method of analytic tableaux Chapter 10: Belief revision (II) Answering the public top questions about closed world assumption. (III) Real world examples for the usage of closed world assumption in many fields. (IV) 17 appendices to explain, briefly, 266 emerging technologies in each industry to have 360-degree full understanding of closed world assumption' technologies. Who This Book Is For Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of closed world assumption.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Wpro Publication
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9290614315

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Training Manual for Clinical Guidelines for Withdrawal Management and Treatment of Drug Dependence in Closed Settings by Anonim Pdf

"Companion v. to the WHO clinical guidelines for withdrawal management and treatment of drug dependence in closed settings" --P. vii.