(re-printed in November 2007 with an impressive Names and Subjects index) The author's personal website ,which is devoted entirely to his book, is accesible at: www.theinformationstory.com. "A topical review of the book, by SIX OF ONE (the prisoner appreciation society), is given under Preview. Other reviews of the book as well as more background to the book, may be reached at the author's blog: aphilosophyofinformation.wordpress.com. A Philosophy of Information by Bernard Smith tells us how Information Technology (IT) is changing our lives and may be our species. It warns us of many of its dangers which we ignore at our peril. The book should be of interest to everyone using IT .Indeed because, for human beings, information is exactly the same thing as memory; the book should also be of interest to everyone concerned with human mind and memory. Our memory is the start of our consciousness and is at the heart of our existence. Like computer memory; our memory may be held in many places; not only in the brain where it is processed but in the body and beyond. The right and proper uses of our memory are examined, as are sometimes less laudable connections like dreaming. Minor aberrations of the mind such as compulsion and eccentricity are also considered, as is serious mental illness. Human memory is shown to be an important part of meditation, as well as a basis for Faith and similar disciplines. The role of memory in manifestations of the paranormal and in the “appearance” of ghosts is also examined. The effects of IT on global warming are discussed and are identified possibly as great a danger to the environment as are the world’s vast emissions of carbon.
In this exciting new spin on the memoir, Bernie Smith takes the opportunity of a world cruise with his beloved wife Judy to reflect on his past, his professional success and his personal philosophy on life and faith, both in quiet moments by himself and in conversations with fellow passengers on the trip. From a hardscrabble upbringing on Long Island, Smith eventually became a great success in the field of computer programming. It all started when he was accepted into Fairfield Prep in Connecticut even though his family could scarcely afford it, where the Jesuits taught him about faith in God that reinforced his childhood Catholicism and sustained him for the rest of his life. From there, he achieved all the status symbols a young boy from humble roots could hope for: an executive title, a mansion, a wife and kids. But it all began to seem much less important after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer that nearly killed him in middle age. While recuperating in Florida, Bernie met Judy, a ray of Southern sunshine who gave his life new meaning. Instead of being afraid of germs, health problems and other threats to his health and wealth, Bernie undertakes a new adventure - all the while bringing with him the lessons and wisdom from his past.
Bernard Smith is widely recognised as one of Australia's leading intellectuals. Yet the recognition of his work has been partial, focused on art history and anthropology. Peter Beilharz argues that Smith's work also contains a social theory, or a way of thinking about Australian culture and identity in the world system. Smith enables us to think matters of place and cultural imperialism through the image of being not Australian so much as antipodean. Australian identities are constructed by the relationship between core and periphery, making them both European and Other at the same time. This 1997 work is a book-length analysis of Bernard Smith's work and is the result of careful and systematic research into Smith's published works and his private papers. It is both an introduction to Smith's thinking and an important interpretive argument about imperialism and the antipodes.
Encompassing movements from post-impressionism to post-modernism, eminent and widely published art historian Bernard Smith has written a sweeping history, a reformulation of art history in the twentieth century.
Having served as a member of the Allied Forces' Occupation of Japan, Bernard Smith has produced a book about the time he spent in Japan in 1946 in the city of Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, both of which cities are located on the east coast of Japan alongside its beautiful Inland Sea. Except for his rather mystifying visit to Tokyo in the summer of 1946, his entire book is based almost entirely on his personal diary, and notes which he wrote while aboard his homeward bound ship at the end of his tour of duty at the end of that year, crucially when the events he describes were still very fresh in his mind. He writes about the utter devastation and despair under which people were living after the horrors of Hiroshima, about the Japanese peoples' response to the Allied Occupation, and the resilience and fortitude with which they faced up to their troubles. As opposed to formal and official documents, Bernard Smith writes about human suffering and the harsh conditions under which people were living. He tells us of his meetings with families, with whom he found relaxation from the gloom and with whom he became very friendly. He also describes how the people faithfully continued to follow their traditional Japanese customs and culture, the observance of which he believes sustained them and helped them begin their ultimate recovery.
Smith's scrutiny of the pictorial and documentary evidence results in some surprising findings. He argues that the obligation science placed on art to provide information was a factor in the triumph of Impressionism during the late nineteenth century. He points out, for example, that William Hodges, Cook's official artist on his second voyage to the Pacific, was one of the first artists to adopt plein-air methods of painting. Describing the impact of the Pacific world on burgeoning English Romanticism, Smith tells of the crucial influence of Cook's astronomer, William Wales, on S.T. Coleridge's imaginative development. He describes how John Webber's apparently documentary art was fashioned to suit political concerns. He examines critically the relevance of Edward Said's Orientalism for our understanding of European perceptions of the Pacific
Mahogany Soul" is a book of poetry that chronicles E. Bernard Smith's spiritual journey through life, love and the pursuit of happiness. The first of many books to come from this talented author, "Mahogany Soul" is filled with words of inspiration, love and relatable material that is sure to move your spirit, challenge your mind and touch your heart. Whether you are a fan of Poetry, Spoken Word or simply good literature this book will deliver! Enjoy.
Pam and Martin visit Cambridge. Pam takes a photo, but a man walks in front of her. Later Martin sees a picture of a man in a newspaper. The police want this man. Is he the same man? And where is he now? Does Pam's photo have the answers?
The joy of sailing for the do-it-yourself shipbuilder. Feel the power of a motorless waterborne machine that can make better than 43 knots in a 15-knot wind. Read this book and emulate the writer, Bernard Smith, as he moves design art toward the ultimate "sailing" machine. A beautiful book that will give you years of contemplative pleasure
Following art historian Bernard Smith's award-winning autobiographical account of his earlier life ("The Boy Adeodatus: the portrait of a lucky young bastard", first published in 1984) he now reflects on life in the 1940s. Themes recalling the period before the family departed for England in September 1948 include; courtship and marriage; forebodings of war and attitudes to Communism and Fascism; political involvement in cultural activities with artists and emigre European-trained art historians anxious to promote modern art and knowledge of art history (not taught in universities at that time) and early employment at the Art Gallery of New South Wales pioneering the arrangement of travelling exhibitions for regional centres. Smith's formative training as an art historian and critic is the important and recurring theme of this book. It encompasses his encounters at London's Courtauld and Warburg Institutes with art historians Anthony Blunt, Ernst Gombrich, Rudolf Wittkower and many others; his introduction to art historical methodologies and insights (such as Gombrich's insistence on the linkage between image and concept); and his obligatory 'grand tours' of a range of European cities and their museums, art works and architectural monuments.
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