This volume is a departure from the customary Asimov approach to explaining-it-all—perhaps the doing of co-author Frenkel. First, the book is heavily focused on the business/economics of industrial robots (IRs). Then, it deals extensively with personalities, especially Joseph F. Engelberger, "Father of Industrial Robots" and founder of Unimation: a plain-speaking pioneer whose earthy remarks punctuate many chapters. On the other hand, there is less than usual how-it-works explanation; and since what's here is below par, that's just as well. (The reader risks becoming benumbed by, for example, a lengthy take-out on ways to operate a mechanical arm in three dimensions.) The Asimov touch is evident however, in the etymologies—Karel Capek's coining of the Czech word robota in his play R.U.R., the roots of words like automation—and the historical background: the literary and social history of robots from Hero of Alexandria to Frankenstein, from clockwork to feedback mechanisms to the present. There is a good discussion of persistent problems in developing sensors (visual, tactile); a smattering of theory on artificial intelligence; and a serious discussion of the impact of robotics on labor and society—flavored by Asimov's well-known Laws of Robotics (i.e., robots must obey human orders). The authors argue that the IR changes will be evolutionary, and should not cause massive layoffs of either blue or white collar workers. As state-of-the-art reportage on the current use of robots in materials handling, assembly, etc., the book provides a useful global picture, along with thoughtful analysis. For an array of robot topics, erratically handled, see Minsky, below.
Pub Date: June 6, 1985
ISBN: 9999861903
Page Count: -
Publisher: Harmony/Crown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1985
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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