Life for early humans wasn't easy. They may have been able to walk on two feet and create tools 4 million years ago, but they couldn't remember or communicate. Fortunately, people got smarter, and things got better. They remembered on-the-spot solutions and shared the valuable information of their experiences. Clubs became swords, caves became huts, and fires became ovens. Collectively these new tools became technology. As the 21st century unfolds,...

"Generation Robot covers a century of science fiction, fact and, speculation--from the 1950 publication of Isaac Asimov's seminal robot masterpiece, I, Robot, to the 2050 Singularity when artificial and human intelligence are predicted to merge. Beginning with a childhood informed by pop-culture robots in movies, in comic books, and on TV in the 1960s to adulthood where the possibilities of self-driving cars and virtual reality are daily conversation,...

One of the first champions of the positive effects of gaming reveals the dark side of today's digital and social media. Today's schools are eager to use the latest technology in the classroom, but rather than improving learning, the new e-media can just as easily narrow students' horizons. Education innovator James Paul Gee first documented the educational benefits of gaming a decade ago in his classic What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning...

Wearable technology is a Modern Engineering Marvel! In this engaging title, readers will explore this history of wearable technology from the wristwatch to the Walkman to the eye-cam! The Father of Wearable Computing, Steve Mann, is featured, and a colorful infographic shows the functions and features of a smart watch. Readers will learn about the future of wearable technology from impact sensors in football helmets to clothing that can detect dehydration....

The question of our time: can we reclaim our lives in an age that feels busier and more distracting by the day? We have all found ourselves checking email at the dinner table, holding our breath while waiting for Outlook to load, or sitting hunched in front of a screen for an hour longer than we intended. Mobile devices and the web have invaded our lives, and this is a big idea book that addresses one of the biggest questions of our age: can we...

Photographs and text explore such inventions as the wheel, gears, levers, clocks, telephones, and rocket engines.

In today's wired world, robots are everywhere, from movies, in space, as part of computer games--maybe even walking among us. This is a look at their rise: how they've developed over time, from early sketches to terrifying battlebots and factory operatives, to the latest AIs running free from their workshops. Presented chronologically, this robot history explores landmark robots that have captured the imagination, including creations from popular...

Examines the origins and growth of Google, its founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and how the company rose to the top of the market.

Text and numerous detailed illustrations introduce and explain the scientific principles and workings of hundreds of machines.

The gripping story of the most important overlooked commodity in the world -- sand -- and the crucial role it plays in our lives. After water and air, sand is the natural resource that we consume more than any other -- even more than oil. Every concrete building and paved road on Earth, every computer screen and silicon chip, is made from sand. From Egypt's pyramids to the Hubble telescope, from the world's tallest skyscraper to the sidewalk below...