Review: Engines of Our Ingenuity 77
| The Engines Of Our Ingenuity | |
| author | John Lienhard |
| pages | 262 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| rating | 8/10 |
| reviewer | Jon Katz |
| ISBN | 0-19-513583-0 |
| summary | How technology and creativity have affected history. |
In a timely and very entertaining new book, mechanical engineer and radio commentator John Lienhard recounts the history of human invention and the ways in which technology and ingenuity have affected human history, from the genetic mishap that created wheat, to the monks who built the first mechanical clocks, to the rise of modern computing.
For centuries engineers were a marginalized species, toiling away to design and build the modern world even though few people understood or appreciated what they did. But a few particularly literate engineers -- technologist/writers like Samuel Florman -- created a small but potent literary genre devoted to technology and its impact on society. John Lienhard's "Engines of Our Ingenuity" is a worthy example of this genre -- the author is a mechanical engineer and professional writer -- recounting the history of the world's tinkerers and technologists, from Archmides and his screw pump to the monks who came up with mechanical clocks (an artifact of medieval monasteries) to modern engineers.
Lienhard (who hosts an NPR radio program on technology and creativity believes that technology is a mirror of humanity, and his book is a highly readable affirmation of that theory. He writes about technology with humor, insight and a reservoir of historical perspective. He also warns about the dangers of unthinking technology, and of the technological hubris epidemic in America.
But Lienhard also chronicles one of the world's earliest genetic mishaps -- the accidental creation of modern what by starving farmers. This and other anecdotes provide a bit of pause in the age of the Human Genome Project, when it seems as if the tools to bend evolution's rules are close at hand.
Fittingly, he also refers to the Code of Hammurabi, one of the first codified systems of law, dating back to the days of Babylonian dominance. That code dictated that if a mason constructed a building which collapsed and killed the owner, the mason would be summarily executed. Imagine the bloodbath if modern engineers and inventors were held accountable that way.
"Getting things right is a far bigger worry in today's dense technology than it was thousands of years ago," Linehard writes. "Yet while we do not threaten to amputate surgeon's hands or kill engineer's children, our resulting technologies are still surprisingly safe. Only one person in ten million dies each year from the structural failure of a building. And tens of millions of Americans safely make commercial flights between the rare fatalities that do occur."
Lienhard also traces in Enginesthe strange ways in which technologies evolve -- like the fact that telephone companies took decades to figure out that people's interest in phones was primarily social, not commercial.
He offers an inventive take on the rise of the computer which, he suggests, basically invented itself. "We instinctively build machines that resonate with us," he says. "The technologies of writing and printing each altered the way in which we see the world. Each opened our eyes to the expanded possibilities they presented to us. Each profoundly changed our civilization."
This is not only an entertaining but an informative and useful book in a world in which technology has become a central social, cultural and economic force. Few people really want to talk much about it, or understand its history. Lienhard trains his sights on the intersection of technology and culture, and there could hardly be a more timely, entertaining or relevant book on the subject, especially for people who care about technology and it's impact on society.
Purchase this book at ThinkGeek.
You are a bad, bad boy Timothy. (Score:1)
Re:What could possibly more fun? (Score:1)
Filtering is when someone decides they don't won't to read your work.
Filtering is about choice. Censorship is about restriction of choice.
Only in your simple mind are they the same thing.
Many have chosen not to read your work. Ask yourself why. Your arrogance will undoubtedly lead you to believe it is because your ideas are too radical and dangerous for the drooling neanderthal masses.
The truth, however, is that we the drooling neanderthal masses find your writing pretentious, your ideas poorly-reasoned, and your motives self-serving.
What was that first sentence? Does the term "run-on" mean anything to you? Good writing is about communication and clarity. For you, however, writing is about proving your intellectual superiority. It's like listening to a person at a party brag about her SAT score. It gets old fast.
Just for once, quit trying to impress people and get to the point. Maybe then there will be no more need for a "Katz filter".
To counter that irony... (Score:1)
That's what I did. I find it much more entertaining to read the anti-katz comments than to actually read what he wrote.
Unfortunately, I don't get to read much anti-katz stuff since I have the filter on.
Sounds like me (Score:1)
Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:1)
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seumas.com
What could possibly more fun? (Score:1)
...that watching these people shriek and howl and jump up and down cause their censor/filters got circumvented..I've got to figure out a way to do this daily.
Re:Please! Stop with the puerile Katz-bashing (Score:1)
If I'm on a plane and my seat neighbour is a very talkative bore, am I censoring him if I use earplugs or an earphne stereo or just fall asleep so as not to be drawn into his morose chat? Am I censoring him if I advise other passengers not to pay attention to this moron?
Re:Please! Stop with the puerile Katz-bashing (Score:1)
For the record: 1) I do filter Katz stories, because they generally don't interest me and a flood of meaningless discussion ensue them; 2) I was not particularly pissed off by this book review, because the subject at hand interests me, but still I see how people who have a strong beef with Katz find this very annoying.
Hear, hear! (Score:1)
I filter out Katz gas for a reason. Having his 'work' snuck in by another author is an underhanded tactic, just like the recent story [slashdot.org] anout anti-drug riders burried in bankrupcy legislation.
Slashdot: You're supposed to be on the side of light, not darkness... Or do you get paid for every Kat'z article that we read?
Re:When I was in engineering school (Score:1)
Re:Actually (Score:1)
Since no one reads Katz anymore they're going to start charging you a point of karma each time your Katz filter is invoked. The hope is that either people will start reading Katz again, or else the overall quality of comments will go up as people struggle to ensure that they have enough karma in the kitty the next time one of Katz' drooling rants gets posted.
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Independent poll! (Score:1)
a) Yes
b) No
c) I browse as an AC.
d) Please tell me more about the Katz filter!
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Actually (Score:1)
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why is it... (Score:1)
Re:Reading what you write (Score:1)
And while I'm on the topic, who thinks that Slashdot should hire a proofreader/editor for about $30K a year to make sure that they don't look like subliterates? Alternatively, a copy of Strunk and White is about $6.95. Hey, it's not like I'm asking for a factchecker or anything.
Re:Independent poll! (Score:1)
Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:1)
Fortune Fun (Score:1)
Coincidentally on the bottom of the page when I read your post. Thought it was funny. Thought you might too.
-nme!
Wait a minute (Score:1)
the word "bloodbath" (Score:1)
I am upset at Katz, flaming even, because he implies that if all the irresponsible engineers and inventors were rounded up and executed, there would be a bloodbath. There may be iresponsible engineers and inventors, but I don't think there are many.
That's a slur against my profession, nearly every engineer I went to school with or know is conscientious of their responsibilities. Unlike say, a journalist, where one can make provocative statements with little basis in fact just to make a name. The idea that an engineer would design a dangerous building or vehicle just for attention is repugnant, yes this is a standard journalistic practice.
George
good thing I'm not a web page designer though (Score:1)
Re:Actually (Score:1)
Re:Actually (Score:1)
Re:When I was in engineering school (Score:1)
So why are you getting all upset now and flaiming Katz? I'm not a Katz fan, nor do I particularly dislike him. But here you go flaiming and he really said nothing that goes against what you said, did he? He was merely commenting on society and it's correlation with technology and development. He was making a statement that both society and technology have changed by citing an old set of laws that would be very out of place today. He acknowledges that engineers make mistakes. That's why when bridges fall down, you can file suit, but no one is executed. Or if my car's brakes fail, I crash, and get hurt, I might sue the car company, but most likely 1 in 10,000 parts could be faulty and there is no particular "blame."
So from examing both your statement, and Katz's review, you get on his case over nothing. I think you missed his point.
For Fucks sake (Score:1)
do i have to make it so i don't see your posts either timothy?
Re:When I was in engineering school (Score:1)
I filter katz (Score:1)
We have alot of hypocrites on Slashdot (Score:1)
So many people here whine and complain about how their rights to free speech are being threatened, and yet they condemn Mr. Katz for just about everything he says. Why don't you turn on your filters and mind your own &^#% business!!
End Of Line
Crank (Score:1)
Re:We have alot of hypocrites on Slashdot (Score:1)
So now I apparently need to filter out Timothy as well. Soon I'll have filtered out all of Slashdot and will only see the slashboxes.
Oh well, the animated DustPuppy image is fun to watch:)
also on CD! (Score:1)
i got one for my dad last father's day. i know you can get them pretty easily here in houston (where the show is produced), not sure where else.
Agreed (Score:1)
Re:Hypocrisy on parade.. (Score:1)
There's no irony here. Just as my right to swing my fist ends at your nose, your right to free speech does not imply a requirement that anyone listen to you. While plenty of people here advocate free speech, nobody advocates coercing someone into listening to crap they aren't interested in.
I won't make a big deal out of this, but... (Score:1)
the answer is: (Score:1)
parens (Score:1)
My only filter is to filter Katz out... (Score:1)
A.
Re:We have alot of hypocrites on Slashdot (Score:1)
Re:Please! Stop with the puerile Katz-bashing (Score:1)
Don't get me wrong, you certainly have a right to disagree, but don't get any illusions about your view being the majority view. You are merely one of a few vocal fellas. Ease up a bit, take a deep breath, and just take it in and move on if you think it is total crap. Others wish to discuss intelligently, not hear "KATZ YOU SUCK" 15 times.
Having restored his crank... (Score:1)
Refrag
Re:Wow, that's new (Score:1)
Re:The real reason Katz makes no sense (Score:1)
"Mechanical engineer and Radio Commentator" (Score:1)
About Katz (Score:1)
katz (Score:1)
That's Katz in a nutshell.
wish
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Re:Hmm (Score:1)
Perhaps this means we can expect a Merchant/Ivory film next year that stars Emma Thompson as a strong-willed mechanical engineer in the 19th Century.
Re:Independent poll! (Score:1)
Watching the Katz/NoKatz struggle (Score:1)
A thought: Can Taco add a tool to automatically extract offtopic flamebait into a special page one slashbox? That way we could watch battles like this all day!
sulli
Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:1)
For those who converse instead of yell, Dr. Lienhard's radio show and a related class at the University of Houston introduces us many interesting views, and forces us to think critically. For instance, could the Oxygen atom have been "discovered" before we believed in atoms? What relationship exists, if any, exists between the plague and the printing press? Was the loom the first computer controlled industrial device? Dr. John Lienhard is a very intelligent and diverse person. He offers a unique perspective of history. This perspective elevates technical class to their proper place.
It is my personal opinion that we respect and understand how things got to be the way they are. One of the best ways to do this is to understand where the history of thier development. This book should provide much information to help us attain that goal.
Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:1)
Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:1)
I should add that this is not the first time the Katz filter has been circumvented, either. It has been done at least three times in the nine months or so that I have had the Katz filter on.
Re:Reading what you write (Score:1)
Hmm (Score:1)
The would probably round out my actual PAPER reading for a while...
Then its back to the CRT monitor that has been burning my eyes for so long!
WOOHOO!
-Sarkdas A book is all fine and good but nothing beats it like a book that you can read in between killing shadowrun chars =D)
Nice. (Score:1)
Assuming that the reviewer is not on drugs, this sounds like an extremely entertaining read. With the current non-fiction saturation of books like "Nailbiting for dummies", this is a refreshing change.
gitm
Reading what you write (Score:1)
"Getting things right is a far bigger worry in today's dense technology than it was thousands of years ago," Linehard writes. "Yet while we do not threaten to amputate surgeon's hands or kill engineer's children, our resulting technologies are still surprisingly safe. Only one person in ten million dies each year from the structural failure of a building. And tens of millions of Americans safely make commercial flights between the rare fatalities that do occur."
I have a tip for you - when you write a new paragraph, try to read what you wrote in the previous one first and see if anything there goes completely against what you're writing. This kind of thing doesn't really make you look any smarter.
Then again, I guess it's not possible to look much dumber.
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The horrible mutant merge of a Slashdot "author" and a famous "philosopher", out to create a better type of steel through horrible writing!
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Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:2)
I mean, damn... don't be so paranoid. You're acting just like Katz! *grin*.
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seumas.com
Hypocrisy on parade.. (Score:2)
The irony is just too wonderful..people on a site like this bouncing off the ceiling cause they couldn't filter out a writer they don't like. Has to go into one of the books..Mmmm...
How bout blocking software for the filters? (Score:2)
Re:Transcripts Available (Score:2)
Here are just a few of my favorite episodes of the Engines of our Ingenuity:
- No. 833: FERMAT'S LAST STAND [uh.edu], in which Dr. Lienhard examines the solution to Fermat's Last Stand... and concludes we may have lost something in its proof
- No. 157: THOMAS CRAPPER [uh.edu], in which Dr. Lienhard debunks the myth that Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet.
- No. 984: FAILED CONSERVATION? [uh.edu], in which Dr. Lienhard points out the counterintuitive relationship between efficiency and consumption.
Those of us who live near the University of Houston, where Engines is produced, are lucky to have been able to hear this radio program for many years. May it continue many more.--Jim
Re:Actually (Score:2)
Start meta-moderating, and maybe you'll get a chance to straighten it out.
Visit the FAQ linq at the upper left of the main
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Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:2)
That's the same thing I thought when I started hearing the radio shows. The show is pretty good, however, and I don't necessary have a problem with John Katz' articles either :P
Slashdot Irony (Score:2)
Shortly thereafter, we have a Jon Katz article posted by timothy. I assume this was done so his writing could slip in under my Katz filter.
Bloodbath (Score:2)
Finally a use for the DMCA: no more excecutions!
Being with you, it's just one epiphany after another
Review by who? (Score:2)
Please mark these as posted by Jon Katz so that my Katz filter would work.
I've long since stopped complaining about his bad writing, recycled opinions and weak overall composition, since I finally just filtered him out. I've been much happier since then, but if he gets to post around my filters, I get to complain.
Re:When I was in engineering school (Score:2)
So should the engineers be held accountable, or the government officials?
I've been bothered for some time about the differences between the concept of professionalism in engineering, and the lack of any such concept in the management and bureaucratic fields. Engineers take tests and work under the guidance of qualified mentors in order to obtain a Professional Engineer license. This is so they can "sign off" on designs that people's lives depend on, putting their qualification and reputation on the line. I'm not sure of all the legalities in terms of being sued for engineering malpractice, but there is certainly the risk of losing one's license if a design turns out to be flawed, or a calculation incorrect.
Managers and bureaucrats seem to get a pass on this kind of structured responsibility. While they often have more power than engineers, their profession is "too uncertain", "too difficult", etc, for them to be held accountable when they screw up. Of course they can be fired, at least managers in private industry can be fired (I'm not so sure about government bureaucrats), but they aren't held up to the same professional standard as engineers. It's almost like politics, where good intentions and sincerity seem to be more important than having a good plan, or actual results.
Please! Stop with the puerile Katz-bashing (Score:2)
Idiot. I doubt that even a significant minority of the regular readers of
Re:When I was in engineering school (Score:2)
Another Example for you: The Interstate 5, Cal Highway 14 Interchange. The Sylmar Quake in '71 knocked it down, a photo of the wreckage was even featured on one of the Doobie Brothers albums (can't remember which one). They rebuilt it the exact same way, and what do you know, it fell down the on the next big quake that came in the area, Northridge in '94. Now that's not just bad design, thats reimplementation of a failed design. We should be knee deep in the heads of Caltrans engineers after that.
Radio show transcripts (Score:3)
Anyway, he's done a bazillion of these shows, and I'm guessing they were the primary source material for the book (which I haven't read). Fortunately, the transcripts (all 1500+) are available on the web [uh.edu]. They're interesting reading and good for at least a few hours of time wastage.
Transcripts Available (Score:3)
There are transcripts [uh.edu] of the show available at the University of Houston.
Re:We have alot of hypocrites on Slashdot (Score:3)
Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:3)
2 Offtopic
1 Insightful
1 Interesting
First of all, the review was written by Jon Katz. Jon Katz' writings are an ongoing issue on slashdot. The reality is that slashdot likes posting Katz' work BECAUSE it is controversial. Some find him interesting. Some find him pretentious and self-indulgent.
The Katz filter was designed so that people who find Katz' writing style grating (such as myself) could choose to not see Katz postings. This was supposed to cut down on complaints about Katz' writing style and his tendency to state opinions as though they were commonly accepted facts (an all-too-common trait among modern pop editorialists).
By posting a Katz article under timothy's name, Slashdot has bypassed the Katz filter. Therefore, complaints about Katz are FAIR GAME on this article and are hardly offtopic. You guys fired the first shot, not us.
I don't give a flying fsck about my Karma anymore, but what we have here are moderators moderating based on personal opinions of Katz and/or me. That isn't how it's supposed to work, guys.
Read this book... (Score:3)
Re:Slashdot Irony (Score:3)
While I dislike the work of JonKatz, this is not the issue. The important argument in this thread is that in their preferences, many people have specified that they do not want Katz articles, but on at least three occasions, the
My suggestion for repairing this problem is very simple. If Katz is not going to be the author of all his articles, he should at least be his own subject, just like Science, BSD, etc. -- subjects can also be filtered. Better yet, get another commentator (one with a clue) and make a "commentary" subject that people could choose to filer out, or simply watch and see how the two compare.
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Here here! (Score:3)
Just when thought it was safe to read Slashdot...
Katz!!!
Wow, that's new (Score:3)
Didn't know he was running a bookstore now...
Old Media (Score:4)
After all, we all know that closed source Old Media books are full of stupid bugs, like bad grammar, typos, and people not closing brackets. Conversely, Open Media never has these problems because "With enough eyeballs all typos are shallow".
So, let's have no more of this Old Media. Why wasn't this book submitted under that GPL-like license for books? Where's the website? I mean, this one person OWNS ALL THE RIGHTS TO THIS BOOK. Come on guys wake up! Did you know that most US schools have 100% of their library books under restrictive licenses enforced by greedy publishing companies and authors who won't share their code! We have to change this, because even though almost all publishing companies are pretty nice and let you photocopy stuff for personal use, THEY MIGHT BE BOUGHT UP BY MICROSOFT AT ANY TIME and then Bill would take our books away!
Come and join Open Media books project to work on our Open Media implementation of all the books ever written. We are currently working on "See Spot Run" and have implemented most letters apart from vowels. This should be ready for alpha release soon.
When I was in engineering school (Score:5)
This idea was stressed and reinforced when I was taking engineering classes. We realized we had responsibilities akin to a doctor, except a doctor has a hard time killing hundreds of people at one time.
Now, I may be an old fart, but this was only 15 years ago, I can't imagine it has changed much (BS Aerospace, 1988).
So, Mr. Katz, I'm having trouble imagining the bloodbath, can you name a few? The double decker highways collapsing in Oakland or Japan? I'm sure a foolish company put in an earthquake resistant bid for those, and I'm sure they weren't the low bidder. Some government official decided those highways didn't need to be earthquake resistant, maybe we should execute them.
You might want to execute the builders too, if you use shitty materials, the best design in the world won't help.
Oh yeah, Salon has a review on a similar book, Collapse, when buildings fall [salon.com]
down.
Also, could we extend your analogy to journalists? Can we execute a journalist if a suicidal teen reads their work?
Of course, engineers and inventors aren't held accountable that way, but then, the only people that are held accountable with a penatly of death are poor, retarded minorities (unless you live in an enlightened country).
George