The pinball effect : how renaissance water gardens made the carburetor possible, and other journeys through knowledge

The Pinball Effect Takes The Reader On Many Different Journeys Through The Web Of Knowledge. Knowledge, It Turns Out, Has Many Unforeseen And Surprising Effects. The Book, For Instance, Owes Its Existence To German Jeweler Johannes Gutenberg's Getting The Date Wrong One Day In The Fifteenth Century. James Burke, Author And Host Of The Highly Rated Documentary Series Connections 2, Draws Upon Years Of Research To Examine The Intrigues And Surprises On The Journey Through Knowledge, A Trip With All The Twists And Turns Of A Detective Story. Ultimately, The Larger Picture That Emerges Has Far-reaching And Important Implications For The Future, Revealing Why The Fundamental Mechanism Of Change Is The Way Things Come Together And Connect. To Add To The Excitement, The Pinball Effect Has Been Designed To Be Read Interactively: Throughout The Book, Cross-chapter References Mimic Computer Hypertext Hot Links And Allow Readers To Leap From One Chapter To Another. The Result Is A Fascinating Tour Through History's Most Dramatic Innovations. Making Waves -- Revolutions -- Photo Finish -- Better Than The Real Thing -- Hot Pickle -- Flexible Response -- High Time -- Getting It Together -- The Big Spin -- Something For Nothing -- Sentimental Journey -- Déjà Vu -- Separate Ways -- Routes -- New Harmony -- Whodunit? -- Sign Here -- Bright Ideas -- Echoes Of The Past -- One Word. James Burke. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [287]-292) And Index.

using 100s Of Fascinating Examples, James Burke Shows How Old Established Ideas In Science And Technology Often Lead To Serendipitous And Amazing Modern Discoveries And Innovations.

publishers Weekly

picking Up The Theme Of His Bestselling Connections And Utilizing Cross-chapter Margin References That Imitate Computer Hypertext, Burke Investigates The Dynamic Interplay Of Scientific Discovery, Technological Innovation And Social Change In A Dizzying, Mind-expanding Adventure That Explores The Crosscurrents Of History. One Chapter Follows A Trail From Slavery In America To English Quaker Abolitionist Sampson Lloyd's Nail-making Business To German-american Immigrant Engineer John Roebling's Wire Suspension Bridges (including The Brooklyn Bridge) To Rustproofing With Cadmium To Nuclear Reactors. Accident, Luck, Greed, Ambition And Mistakes Abound As Scientific American Columnist Burke Tries To Demonstrate The Interconnectedness Of All Things. Another Typical Chapter Unravels The Serendipitous Interactions Among Cyrus Dalkin's Invention Of Carbon Paper, Edison's Telephone (which Used Sooty Carbon Black In The Transmitter), The Rise Of Suburbs, X-ray Crystallography And Dna. Often As Maddening As A Pinball Game, This Nevertheless Unique And Exciting Odyssey May Change The Way You Look At The World. Photos. (aug.)

The pinball effect is a metaphor of the seemingly random routes a pinball traces. Human knowledge will unadvertedly unleash unexpected consecuences: new inventions or discoveries now possible because someone shared an idea. * Subtitle: HOW RENAISSANCE WATER GARDENS MADE THE CARBURETTOR POSSIBLE AND OTHER JOURNEYS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE. Phew!! Explores how simple changes in one century can have far-reaching implications in another. IT doesn't matter where you begin a journey on the great web of change.