Washoe County Library System

"We embraced the mediated life-from Facetune and Venmo to meme culture and the Metaverse-because these technologies offer novelty and convenience. But they also transform our sense of self and warp the boundaries between virtual and real. What are the costs? Who are we in a disembodied world? In The Extinction of Experience, Christine Rosen investigates the cultural and emotional shifts that accompany our embrace of technology. In warm, philosophical...

"An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible--a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not, accomplish. We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don't know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our...

"A new industrial revolution has begun. Like mechanization or electricity before it, artificial intelligence will touch every aspect of our lives--and cause profound disruptions in the balance of global power, especially among the AI superpowers: China, the United States, and Europe. Autonomous weapons expert Paul Scharre takes readers inside the fierce competition to develop and implement this game-changing technology and dominate the future"-- Provided...

"Tech visionary Reid Hoffman shares his unique insider’s perspective on an AI-powered future, making the case for its potential to unlock a world of possibilities. Superagency offers a roadmap for using AI inclusively and adaptively to improve our lives and create positive change. While acknowledging challenges like disinformation and potential job changes, the book focuses on AI’s immense potential to increase individual agency and create better...

The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancementprecisionin a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future. The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established,...

''OffHave you ever asked yourself how the inventions, gadgets, and devices that surround us actually work? Discover the hidden workings of everyday technology with this graphic guide. How Technology Works demystifies the machinery that keeps the modern world going, from simple objects such as zip fasteners and can openers to the latest, most sophisticated devices of the information age, including smartwatches, personal digital assistants, and driverless...

An expert tech writer discusses the forces and trends that will revolutionize daily life through the upcoming technological advances of the next thirty years.

"Welcome to the Future of Work You've heard the buzz about Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), and how they are going to redefine how we work and earn. But when you peel away the hype and tech jargon, what are they really? How do they operate, why do they matter, and how can we thrive in this brave new world of work? Think of it like this: DAOs are your ticket to making collective decisions using smart contracts that automatically execute...

Set in a blighted Nevada outpost in 2007, a telepathic father and daughter lead a group of media outlaws in resistance against a corporate/governmental "New Electronic Order" that threatens to use the earth's magnetosphere to "bulk erase" the brains of every human on the planet. The only way to save humanity is to uncover a secret lodged in an old episode of the 1950s series Science in Action. A montage of fact and fiction, the film combines live-action...

"Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems, and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can avoid the most dire effects of the climate crisis. Gates says, "We can work on a local,...