Hero of Alexandria had a great idea. In the first century ad, Hero’s design of the fi rst steam engine was ingenious and workable. Indeed, classical scholars have argued that it could have been combined with other inventions of the era to create a steam locomotive and railroad, transforming commerce and military affairs in the ancient...

Database-backed Web pages provide many advantages for libraries: users get accurate and up-to-date information in real time, and site maintenance and data publishing are much easier. As appealing an idea as database-backed pages are, the “how-tos” of creating them remain a mystery to many librarians.

This hands-on...

Small Signal Audio Design is a unique guide to the design of high-quality circuitry for preamplifiers, mixing consoles, and a host of other signal-processing devices. Learn to use inexpensive and readily available parts to obtain state-of-the-art performance in all the vital parameters of noise, distortion, crosstalk and so on....

This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date look at problem solving research and practice over the last fifteen years. The first chapter describes differences in types of problems, individual differences among problem-solvers, as well as the domain and context within which a problem is being solved. Part one describes six kinds...

This is the first book that provides a comprehensive review of the entire area of artificial cells. The author, a pioneer of the field, invented the first artificial cells some 50 years ago and has continued to carry out active research in this field. Since then, there have been explosive research activities around the world on artificial...

Communication systems have existed for thousands of years. A postal system, with relays of riders to deliver messages, was used in Ancient Persia (now Iran) as long ago as the 6th century BC. Until the 1800s, sending post in this way was the only method of long-distance communication. The time it took for a message to be received depended on...

Impossible? Not according to nationally bestselling author Stephen M. Pollan. As he says in this new and empowering book, "You don't have to accept your current work situation. You can be in control of your job and your stream of income, so you're never again subject to the whims,...