Rise of the machines : the lost history of cybernetics / Thomas Rid
- Bib ID:
- 7014603
- Format:
- Book
- Author:
- Rid, Thomas, 1975-, author
- Description:
-
- Brunswick, Victoria : Scribe Publications, 2016
- ©2016
- xvi, 414 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm
- ISBN:
- 9781925321425 (paperback)
- Summary:
-
A sweeping exploration of man's relationship with machines, and the inventions and myths that shape our world. As lives offline and online merge even more, it is easy to forget how we got here. Rise of the Machines reclaims the spectacular story of cybernetics, a control theory of manand-machine and one of the twentieth century's pivotal ideas. Springing from the febrile mind of mathematician Norbert Wiener amid the devastation of World War II, the cybernetic vision underpinned a host of seductive myths of cyborgs, cyberculture, and cyberspace. Wiener's scheme slowly transformed computers from machines of assured destruction to engines of brilliant utopias. Cybernetics, in turn, triggered blissful cults and martial gizmos, The Whole Earth Catalog, and the U.S. Air Force's foray into virtual space. It continues to fuel anarchists and cyberwarriors today. Drawing on unpublished sources including interviews with hippies, anarchists, sleuths, and spies, Rise of the Machines offers an unparalleled perspective into our anxious embrace of technology.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Subject:
- Cybernetics -- History
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
You may copy under some circumstances, for example you may copy a portion for research or study. Order a copy through Copies Direct to the extent allowed under fair dealing. Contact us for further information about copying.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 2016
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
Request this item
Request this item to view in the Library’s reading room.