"Smil presents the long history and modern infatuation with invention and innovation. Meticulous as always, these vast realms of human ingenuity are organized into sensible categories: inventions that went from welcome to undesirable, inventions that dominate and missed the mark, inventions we still dream about, and lastly, the exaggerations, myths, and wise expectations for innovations we need most"--

"The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods. The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines--on punishment of death--and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction....

"From a top scientist and the creator of the hugely popular web comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, a hilariously illustrated investigation into future technologies--from how to fling a ship into deep space on the cheap to 3D organ printing. What will the world of tomorrow be like? How does progress happen? And why do we not have a lunar colony already? What is the holdup? In this smart and funny book, celebrated cartoonist Zach Weinersmith and...

"Did you know that flowers, insects, and birds can help predict the weather? Near her lighthouse home, Sophie reads the signs and sounds a warning: 'Storm's coming!'"--

"Bestselling author and illustrator Ron Barrett, who forecasted the weather in the classic picture book, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, now predicts how--thanks to climate change and other unpleasantries--the world will end! With research and really scary text by Jim Parry, THE TOP 10 AS WE HIT BOTTOM is a darkly humorous collection of 'Top Ten' lists that highlights the predicament global warming and other impending catastrophes have put us into....

Rohit Bhargava and his team of Non-Obvious trend curators reveal ten revolutionary new Megatrends that are transforming how we work, play and live. This revised 10th anniversary edition of Non-Obvious also offers an unprecedented look behind the scenes at the author's signature Haystack Method for identifying trends, and how you can learn to curate and predict trends for yourself.--adapted from book jacket

"Renowned political scientist Ian Bremmer draws lessons from global challenges of the past 100 years--including the pandemic--to show how we can respond to three great crises unfolding over the next decade. In this revelatory, unnerving, and ultimately hopeful book, Bremmer details how domestic and international conflicts leave us unprepared for a trio of looming crises--global health emergencies, transformative climate change, and the AI revolution....

Gale Presents: Udemy is an online learning platform that provides instruction for adults who want to upskill for a new job, advance in their current profession, or deepen a personal interest. This top collection, curated from courses from Udemy.com and powered by Udemy for Business, gives users access to relevant skills training, helping them achieve success at work and in life. Before enrolling, users can review key information about a course, its...

"Many thinkers believe that the next transformational change in human organization will be the onset of human-level artificial intelligence (the 'singularity'), and that the most likely method of achieving this will come through brain emulations or "ems": the ability to scan human brains and program their connections into ever faster computers. Taking this as his starting point, Hanson describes what a world dominated by these ems will be like" --...