Books about Ubiquity from Amazon.com

Why do catastrophes happen? What sets off earthquakes, for example? What about mass extinctions of species? The outbreak of major wars? Massive traffic jams that seem to appear out of nowhere? Why does the stock market periodically suffer dramatic crashes? Why do some forest fires become superheated infernos that rage totally out of control?

Experts have never been able to explain the causes of any of these disasters. Now scientists have discovered that these seemingly unrelated cataclysms, both natural and human, almost certainly all happen for one fundamental reason. More than that, there is not and never will be any way to predict them.

Critically acclaimed science journalist Mark Buchanan tells the fascinating story of the discovery that there is a natural structure of instability woven into the fabric of our world. From humble beginnings studying the physics of sandpiles, scientists have learned that an astonishing range of things–Earth’s crust, cars on a highway, the market for stocks, and the tightly woven networks of human society–have a natural tendency to organize themselves into what’s called the “critical state,” in which they are poised on what Buchanan describes as the “knife-edge of instability.” The more places scientists have looked for the critical state, the more places they’ve found it, and some believe that the pervasiveness of instability must now be seen as a fundamental feature of our world.

Ubiquity is packed with stories of real-life catastrophes, such as the huge earthquake that in 1995 hit Kobe, Japan, killing 5,000 people; the forest fires that ravaged Yellowstone National Park in 1988; the stock market crash of 1987; the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs; and the outbreak of World War I. Combining literary flair with scientific rigor, Buchanan introduces the researchers who have pieced together the evidence of the critical state, explaining their ingenious work and unexpected insights in beautifully lucid prose.

At the dawn of this new century, Buchanan reveals, we are witnessing the emergence of an extraordinarily powerful new field of science that will help us comprehend the bewildering and unruly rhythms that dominate our lives and may even lead to a true science of the dynamics of human culture and history.


From the Hardcover edition..
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Earthquakes, market crashes, hurricanes, wars: are these random forces of nature, or foreseeable blips on the radar screen of history? In this lively book, science journalist Mark Buchanan introduces readers to a developing branch of science that looks for order in what seems to be utmost chaos.

In the late 1980s, three physicists set out to investigate the apparently inherent instability of complex systems. In a process that Buchanan illustrates by analogy with a sand pile, they discovered that these systems tend to arrive at a "critical state," after which point any random grain falling in just the right place can touch off an avalanche. So it is, Buchanan shows us, with the onset of world wars, economic shocks, traffic gridlock, and other dislocating events--all of which this new science may one day help predict.

In clear and vigorous prose, Buchanan brings readers insights from nonequilibrium physics, offering a new way of seeing the "fingers of instability" that poke through the world's fabric--and that in turn make it such an interesting place. --Gregory McNamee.
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Oversized 13" X 11.25" * Hardbound Exclusive Limited Edition with slip cover * Over 400 pages and 370 Photographs * Exclusive Photography by NFL Hall of Famer, Vernon J. Biever * A significant publication that chronicles the life of Al "Hoagy" Carmichael and the "Golden Age of Football".
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Mark Buchanan's writing always leaves you moved, stimulated, and convicted You will find yourself mulling it over days later and wishing for more. Most of us feel utterly ransacked: We're waylaid by endless demands and stifling routines. Even our vacations have a panicky, task-like edge to them. "If I only had more time," is the mantra of our age. But is this the real problem? Widle acclaimed author Mark Buchanan states that what we've really lost is "the rest of God-the rest God bestows and, with it, that part of himself we can know only through stillness." Stillness as a virtue is a foreign concept in our society, but there is wisdom in God's own rythm of work and rest. Sabbath is elixir and antidote. It is a gift for our sanity and wholeness-to prolong our lives, to enrich our relationships, to increase our fruitfulness, to make our joy complete. The gift of Sabbath is essential to our full humanity and faith, says Buchanan. here he helps us seek and receive anew the gift of Sabbath, this day of rest and play and replenishment. Far from being some starched and dour day only to be endured, Sabath is a day wide and bright brimming with laughter, enough to lend beauty to all our other days. Readers will be changed forever by this pivotal book..
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Information technology helps to improve the quality of healthcare by disseminating and systematizing knowledge of diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities as well as the organization and management of care. Unobtrusive, active, non-invasive technologies, including wearable devices, allow us to continuously monitor and respond to changes in the health of a patient. Such devices range from micro-sensors integrated in textiles, through consumer electronics, to belt-worn personal computers with head mounted displays. Such ubiquitous computing allows us to identify new ways of managing care that promises to be considerably easier in letting patients maintain their good health while enjoying their life in their usual social setting, rather than having to spend much time at costly, dedicated healthcare facilities. It may prove essential for ensuring quality of life as well as healthcare for increasingly aging societies..
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