Author: Max Barry Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 0307743225 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 289
Book Description
Scientist Charles Neumann loses a leg in an industrial accident. It's not a tragedy. It's an opportunity. Charlie always thought his body could be better. He begins to explore a few ideas. To build parts. Better parts. Prosthetist Lola Shanks loves a good artificial limb. In Charlie, she sees a man on his way to becoming artificial everything. But others see a madman. Or a product. Or a weapon. A story for the age of pervasive technology, Machine Man is a gruesomely funny unraveling of one man's quest for ultimate self-improvement.
Author: Julien Offray de La Mettrie Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 9780521478496 Category : Philosophy Languages : en Pages : 216
Book Description
Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709-51), author of Machine Man (1747), was the most uncompromising of the materialists of the eighteenth century, and the provocative title of his work ensured it a succès de scandale in his own time. It was however a serious, if polemical, attempt to provide an explanation of the workings of the human body and mind in purely material terms and to show that thought was the product of the workings of the brain alone. This fully annotated edition presents an English translation of the text together with the most important of La Mettrie's other philosophical works translated into English, and Ann Thomson's introduction examines his aims and the scandalous moral consequences which he drew from his materialism.
Author: Julien Offray de La Mettrie Publisher: Hackett Publishing ISBN: 9780872201941 Category : Philosophy Languages : en Pages : 100
Book Description
The first modern translation of the complete texts of La Mettrie's pioneering L'Homme machine and L'Homme plante, first published in 1747 and 1748, respectively, this volume also includes translations of the advertisement and dedication to L'Homme machine. Justin Leiber's introduction illuminates the radical thinking and advocacy of the passionate La Mettrie and provides cogent analysis of La Mettrie's relationship to such important philosophical figures as Descartes, Malebranche, and Locke, and of his lasting influence on the development of materialism, cognitive studies, linguistics, and other areas of intellectual inquiry.
Author: Max Barry Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 140007634X Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 431
Book Description
A wickedly satirical and outrageous thriller about globalization and marketing hype, Jennifer Government is the best novel in the world ever. "Funny and clever.... A kind of ad-world version of Dr. Strangelove.... [Barry] unleashes enough wit and surprise to make his story a total blast." --The New York Times Book Review "Wicked and wonderful.... [It] does just about everything right.... Fast-moving, funny, involving." --The Washington Post Book World Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card--as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale--and everything must go.
Author: Karsten Müller Publisher: SCB Distributors ISBN: 1941270972 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 480
Book Description
Man vs. Machine Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace. It may sound quaint today, but not so long ago, computers battled humans for supremacy at the game of chess. The challenge of building a computer program capable of defeating the best of human-kind at chess was one of the original grand challenges of the fledgling field of artificial intelligence. On one side were dedicated scientists and hobbyists who invested decades of effort developing the software and hardware technology; on the other side were incredibly talented humans with only their determination and preparation to withstand the onslaught of technology. The man versus machine battle in chess is a landmark in the history of technology. There are numerous books that document the technical aspects of this epic story. The human side is not often told. Few chess players are inclined to write about their man-machine encounters, other than annotating the games played. This book brings the two sides together. It tells the stories of many of the key scientists and chess players that participated in a 50-year research project to advance the understanding of computing technology. “Grandmaster Karsten Müller and Professor Jonathan Schaeffer have managed to describe the fascinating history of the unequal fight of man against machine in an entertaining and instructive way. It evoked pleasant and not so pleasant memories of my own fights against the monsters. I hope that their work gives you as much pleasure as it has given me.” – From the Foreword by Vladimir Kramnik, 14th World Chess Champion
Author: Various Publisher: Marvel Entertainment ISBN: 1302489267 Category : Comics & Graphic Novels Languages : en Pages : 443
Book Description
A military machine with a soul, a thinking computer in the form of a man, X-51 is the Machine Man! Abel Stack gave a government-created robot a human face, nurturing the man inside the machine and calling him son. But Stack's death left that son, Aaron, alone and running for his life. The military wants to strip him apart, mankind doesn't understand him - but in exploits crafted by two of the medium's greatest talents, he'll still redefine humanity. Few comic books were lucky enough to be graced by the work of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. COLLECTING: MACHINE MAN (1978) #1-19; INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #235-237.
Author: Meghan O'Gieblyn Publisher: Anchor ISBN: 0525562710 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 305
Book Description
A strikingly original exploration of what it might mean to be authentically human in the age of artificial intelligence, from the author of the critically-acclaimed Interior States. • "At times personal, at times philosophical, with a bracing mixture of openness and skepticism, it speaks thoughtfully and articulately to the most crucial issues awaiting our future." —Phillip Lopate “[A] truly fantastic book.”—Ezra Klein For most of human history the world was a magical and enchanted place ruled by forces beyond our understanding. The rise of science and Descartes's division of mind from world made materialism our ruling paradigm, in the process asking whether our own consciousness—i.e., souls—might be illusions. Now the inexorable rise of technology, with artificial intelligences that surpass our comprehension and control, and the spread of digital metaphors for self-understanding, the core questions of existence—identity, knowledge, the very nature and purpose of life itself—urgently require rethinking. Meghan O'Gieblyn tackles this challenge with philosophical rigor, intellectual reach, essayistic verve, refreshing originality, and an ironic sense of contradiction. She draws deeply and sometimes humorously from her own personal experience as a formerly religious believer still haunted by questions of faith, and she serves as the best possible guide to navigating the territory we are all entering.
Author: W.L. Smith Publisher: Xlibris Corporation ISBN: 1477178953 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 219
Book Description
Imagine . . . a new lease on life? New York City , the near future: John Smith is a simple, 46-year-old artist who is lives a semi-reclusive existence in NYC. Stricken with cancer, Smiths undergoes a dramatic change when he falls prey to a covert, cutting-edge government project. Now, with his body suddenly cancer-free but his mind in chaos, John Smith sets out to find the answers to the questions about his new life. But when he falls in love with a beautiful young woman, his search for the truth takes an unusual twist. Suddenly willing to accept things as they are, Smith tries to put his past behind him and live a simple and normal existence. On his trail, however, is an evil, sadistic U.S. government whose sights are set on global domination, and those plans require the involvement of Smith as well as his new found extraordinary abilities. The greatest sci-fi novels in existence are actually blunt social commentaries in sleek clothing, and W.L. Smiths debut novel is no different. In a stunning debut offering, W.L. Smith pens a tale that mirrors the qualities of the greatest sci-fi novels in existence: an intricate storyline laden with compelling characters, brisk momentum, and a scathing commentary on human society. A powerful fable about human societys dark future, and the essence of human life, MACHINE MAN: GENESIS, is one explosive, thought-provoking thriller; one that could soon find its way to the movie theaters in the near future. You can order a copy of MACHINE MAN: GENESIS at this online bookstore: Xlibris.com ISBN13 (TP) : 978-1-4257-9758-4 ISBN13 (HB) : 978-1-4257-9768-3
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Author: Max Barry
Author: Tom DeFalco
Author: Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Author: Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Author: Max Barry
Author: Karsten Müller
Author: Various
Author: Andrew Lindsay
Author: Meghan O'Gieblyn
Author: W.L. Smith