Daniela Rus, a leading roboticist and computer scientist, explores how we can use a new generation of smart machines to help humankind. There is a robotics revolution underway. A record 3.1 million robots are working in factories right now, doing everything from assembling computers to packing goods and monitoring air quality and performance. A far greater number of smart machines impact our lives in countless other ways—improving the precision of surgeons, cleaning our homes, extending our reach to distant worlds—and we’re on the cusp of even more exciting opportunities. In The Heart and the Chip, roboticist Daniela Rus and science writer Gregory Mone provide an overview of the interconnected fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, and reframe the way we think about intelligent machines while weighing the moral and ethical consequences of their role in society. Robots aren’t going to steal our jobs: they’re going to make us more capable, productive, and precise. At once optimistic and realistic, Rus and Mone envision a world in which these technologies augment and enhance our skills and talents, both as individuals and as a species—a world in which the proliferation of robots allows us all to be more human.
An exciting introduction to the true potential of AI from the director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Imagine a technology capable of discovering new drugs in days instead of years, helping scientists map distant galaxies and decode the language of whales, and aiding the rest of us in mundane daily tasks, from drafting email responses to preparing dinner. Now consider that this same technology poses risks to our jobs and society as a whole. Artificial Intelligence is no longer science fiction; it is upending our world today. As advances in AI spark fear and confusion, The Mind’s Mirror reminds us that in spite of the very real and pressing challenges, AI is a force with enormous potential to improve human life. Computer scientist and AI researcher Daniela Rus, along with science writer Gregory Mone, offers an expert perspective as a leader in the field who has witnessed many technological hype cycles. Rus and Mone illustrate the ways in which AI can help us become more productive, knowledgeable, creative, insightful, and even empathetic, along with the many risks associated with misuse. The Mind’s Mirror shows readers how AI works and explores what we, as individuals and as a society, must do to mitigate dangerous outcomes and ensure a positive impact for as many people as possible. The result is an accessible and lively exploration of the underlying technology and its limitations and possibilities—a book that illuminates our possible futures in the hopes of forging the best path forward.
SYSTEM SOFTWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS: Concepts and Methodology is intended to offer a systematic treatment of the theory and practice of designing and implementing system software.The two volumes systematically develop and apply the systems methodology for software development. For that the concept of a system is analysed and various types of systems used in computer science are systematized into a concept of an ad hoc system that is suitable as a mechanism for software development. The kernel of this methodology consists of a systematic approach for ad hoc systems development (specification, implementation, validation). The hardware and the software of a computer system are specified as ad hoc systems. Examples from various architectures, languages, and operating systems are provided as illustrations. Problems and their suggested solutions are provided at the end of each chapter. Further readings and a list of references conclude each chapter.These volumes are self-contained and may be used as textbooks for an introductory course on system software and for a course on operating system. However, a broad spectrum of professionals in computer science will benefit from it.
SYSTEM SOFTWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS: Concepts and Methodology is intended to offer a systematic treatment of the theory and practice of designing and implementing system software.The two volumes systematically develop and apply the systems methodology for software development. For that the concept of a system is analysed and various types of systems used in computer science are systematized into a concept of an ad hoc system that is suitable as a mechanism for software development. The kernel of this methodology consists of a systematic approach for ad hoc systems development (specification, implementation, validation). The hardware and the software of a computer system are specified as ad hoc systems. Examples from various architectures, languages, and operating systems are provided as illustrations. Problems and their suggested solutions are provided at the end of each chapter. Further readings and a list of references conclude each chapter.These volumes are self-contained and may be used as textbooks for an introductory course on system software and for a course on operating system. However, a broad spectrum of professionals in computer science will benefit from it.
SYSTEM SOFTWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS: Concepts and Methodology is intended to offer a systematic treatment of the theory and practice of designing and implementing system software.The two volumes systematically develop and apply the systems methodology for software development. For that the concept of a system is analysed and various types of systems used in computer science are systematized into a concept of an ad hoc system that is suitable as a mechanism for software development. The kernel of this methodology consists of a systematic approach for ad hoc systems development (specification, implementation, validation). The hardware and the software of a computer system are specified as ad hoc systems. Examples from various architectures, languages, and operating systems are provided as illustrations. Problems and their suggested solutions are provided at the end of each chapter. Further readings and a list of references conclude each chapter.These volumes are self-contained and may be used as textbooks for an introductory course on system software and for a course on operating system. However, a broad spectrum of professionals in computer science will benefit from it.
SYSTEM SOFTWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS: Concepts and Methodology is intended to offer a systematic treatment of the theory and practice of designing and implementing system software.The two volumes systematically develop and apply the systems methodology for software development. For that the concept of a system is analysed and various types of systems used in computer science are systematized into a concept of an ad hoc system that is suitable as a mechanism for software development. The kernel of this methodology consists of a systematic approach for ad hoc systems development (specification, implementation, validation). The hardware and the software of a computer system are specified as ad hoc systems. Examples from various architectures, languages, and operating systems are provided as illustrations. Problems and their suggested solutions are provided at the end of each chapter. Further readings and a list of references conclude each chapter.These volumes are self-contained and may be used as textbooks for an introductory course on system software and for a course on operating system. However, a broad spectrum of professionals in computer science will benefit from it.
SYSTEM SOFTWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS: Concepts and Methodology is intended to offer a systematic treatment of the theory and practice of designing and implementing system software.The two volumes systematically develop and apply the systems methodology for software development. For that the concept of a system is analysed and various types of systems used in computer science are systematized into a concept of an ad hoc system that is suitable as a mechanism for software development. The kernel of this methodology consists of a systematic approach for ad hoc systems development (specification, implementation, validation). The hardware and the software of a computer system are specified as ad hoc systems. Examples from various architectures, languages, and operating systems are provided as illustrations. Problems and their suggested solutions are provided at the end of each chapter. Further readings and a list of references conclude each chapter.These volumes are self-contained and may be used as textbooks for an introductory course on system software and for a course on operating system. However, a broad spectrum of professionals in computer science will benefit from it.
An exciting introduction to the true potential of AI from the director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Imagine a technology capable of discovering new drugs in days instead of years, helping scientists map distant galaxies and decode the language of whales, and aiding the rest of us in mundane daily tasks, from drafting email responses to preparing dinner. Now consider that this same technology poses risks to our jobs and society as a whole. Artificial Intelligence is no longer science fiction; it is upending our world today. As advances in AI spark fear and confusion, The Mind’s Mirror reminds us that in spite of the very real and pressing challenges, AI is a force with enormous potential to improve human life. Computer scientist and AI researcher Daniela Rus, along with science writer Gregory Mone, offers an expert perspective as a leader in the field who has witnessed many technological hype cycles. Rus and Mone illustrate the ways in which AI can help us become more productive, knowledgeable, creative, insightful, and even empathetic, along with the many risks associated with misuse. The Mind’s Mirror shows readers how AI works and explores what we, as individuals and as a society, must do to mitigate dangerous outcomes and ensure a positive impact for as many people as possible. The result is an accessible and lively exploration of the underlying technology and its limitations and possibilities—a book that illuminates our possible futures in the hopes of forging the best path forward.
This book studies the properties of imperative clauses in the context of a theory of Universal Grammar. The analysis, based on data from a wide range of languages, accounts for patterns in the interaction of imperative mood with phenomena like negation, restrictions on grammatical subjects, and the possibility of embedding imperative clauses.
This book tells the remarkable story of the decline and revival of the Russian Orthodox Church in the first half of the twentieth century and the astonishing U-turn in the attitude of the Soviet Union’s leaders towards the church. In the years after 1917 the Bolsheviks’ anti-religious policies, the loss of the former western territories of the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union’s isolation from the rest of the world and the consequent separation of Russian emigrés from the church were disastrous for the church, which declined very significantly in the 1920s and 1930s. However, when Poland was partitioned in 1939 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Stalin allowed the Patriarch of Moscow, Sergei, jurisdiction over orthodox congregations in the conquered territories and went on, later, to encourage the church to promote patriotic activities as part of the resistance to the Nazi invasion. He agreed a Concordat with the church in 1943, and continued to encourage the church, especially its claims to jurisdiction over émigré Russian orthodox churches, in the immediate postwar period. Based on extensive original research, the book puts forward a great deal of new information and overturns established thinking on many key points.
SYSTEM SOFTWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS: Concepts and Methodology is intended to offer a systematic treatment of the theory and practice of designing and implementing system software.The two volumes systematically develop and apply the systems methodology for software development. For that the concept of a system is analysed and various types of systems used in computer science are systematized into a concept of an ad hoc system that is suitable as a mechanism for software development. The kernel of this methodology consists of a systematic approach for ad hoc systems development (specification, implementation, validation). The hardware and the software of a computer system are specified as ad hoc systems. Examples from various architectures, languages, and operating systems are provided as illustrations. Problems and their suggested solutions are provided at the end of each chapter. Further readings and a list of references conclude each chapter.These volumes are self-contained and may be used as textbooks for an introductory course on system software and for a course on operating system. However, a broad spectrum of professionals in computer science will benefit from it.
Based on ethnographic work in a Moldovan winemaking village, Wine Is Our Bread shows how workers in a prestigious winery have experienced the country’s recent entry into the globalized wine market and how their productive activities at home and in the winery contribute to the value of commercial terroir wines. Drawing on theories of globalization, economic anthropology and political economy, the book contributes to understanding how crises and inequalities in capitalism lead to the ‘creative destruction’ of local products, their accelerated standardization and the increased exploitation of labour.
This book is the result of the first two-year work of Working Group 1 of the network “LUDI – Play for children with disabilities”. LUDI is an Action (2014-2018) financed by COST; it is a multidisciplinary network of more than 30 countries and almost 100 researchers and practitioners belonging to the humanistic and technological fields to study the topic of play for children with disabilities within the framework of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (WHO, 2001).The principal objective of this book is to bring the LUDI contribution to the important topic of play in children with disabilities, because today an international consensus on the definition of play and disabilities is still lacking. The process of ensuring equity in the exercise of the right to play for children with disabilites requests three actions: to approach this topic through a “common language”, at least all over Europe; to put play at the centre of the multidisciplinary research and intervention regarding the children with disabilities; to grant this topic the status of a scientific and social theme of full visibility and recognized authority. Children with disabilities face several limitations in play, due to several reasons: impairments; playgrounds, toys and other play tools that are not accessible and usable; environments and contexts that are not accessible nor inclusive; lack of educational awareness and intentionality; lack of specific psycho-pedagogical and rehabilitative competence; lack of effective intervention methodologies. Moreover, disabled children’s lives are dominated by medical and rehabilitative practices in which play is always an activity aiming to reach an objective or to provoke an improvement; play for the sake of play is considered a waste of time. The concept of play for the sake of play strongly refers to the distinction between play activities and play-like activities. Play activities are initiated and carried out by the player (alone, with peers, with adults, etc.) for the only purpose of play itself (fun and joy, interest and challenge, love of race and competition, ilinx and dizziness, etc.). They have of course consequences on growth and development, but these consequences are not intentionally pursued. Play-like activities are initiated and conducted by an adult (with one or more children), in educational, clinical, social contexts; they are playful and pleasant, but their main objective is other than play: e.g., cognitive learning, social learning, functional rehabilitation, child's observation and assessment, psychological support, psychotherapy, etc. This book, then, contributes to a clear distinction between play and play-like activities that, hopefully, will bring to new developments in play studies.
Based on documents found principally in the Soviet archives recently opened to the public, Stumbling Its Way through Mexico is an invitation to rethink the history of Communism in Mexico and Latin America.
Post-revolutionary Mexico's establishment of diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union recognized their shared commitment to working-class people and asserted Mexican sovereignty in defiance of the United States. This work reveals the history and consequenc
Surrogate motherhood is expanding all over the world. Debates rage over how public policy should consider the signing away of the parental rights of birth mothers in favor of a 'commissioning' couple or an individual. In this book, Daniela Danna describes the situation in English-speaking countries and worldwide, from California to Greece, presenting the legal alternatives regulating (or not) these peculiar exchanges. Should surrogacy remain a private agreement? Should it be treated as an enforceable contract? Are surrogate mothers workers? What happens inside the countries that have chosen different ways of handling this new and controversial matter? And, the most important question of all: How can we live in this era of new techno-medical possibilities and try to stay human? Can we resist commodification in the field of human relations concerning procreation? Contract Children discusses the different ways available to obtain a child through surrogate motherhood. It is fundamental reading for anyone wanting to be involved in the surrogacy process. It gives prospective surrogate mothers and infertile couples the background information necessary for their own informed decision. It is also an essential instrument for policy makers and activists in the field of women's rights, social justice, and children's rights. The question of how to publicly deal with surrogate motherhood touches upon our social vision of motherhood, ultimately marking the position of women in contemporary society.
Transylvania has some of the most valuable monuments of medieval architecture in Europe: the easternmost churches built in Romanesque style, Cistercian monasteries, Gothic buildings, and fortified churches. This book explores archaeological sources to bring to light the hidden past of these monuments.
Modern Hindu Traditionalism addresses Hindu traditions that resisted contact with both Neo-Hindu thought and views of “classical” Hinduism perceived to be outmoded. This book provides an in-depth understanding of Modern Hindu Traditionalism through the case study of the Rāmānandī order (sampradāya) and the portrait of the Jagadguru Rāmānandācārya Rāmnareśācārya. This guru belongs to the ancient tradition of the Rāmānandī order, which is active at the present time and the biggest Vaiṣṇava religious order in Northern India. Analyzing the historical evolution of the Rāmānandī order, the author shows how different centers have undergone different changes over the centuries, and focuses on the independence struggle of a group of Rāmānandīs from the Rāmānūjīs, which led to the creation of the role of Jagadguru Rāmānandācārya and the construction of the Śrī Maṭh. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, this book casts light on figures and processes central to the development of Hinduism in the twentieth and twenty-first century and consequently describes the role of religion in contemporary Indian society. The author examines the role religious institutions and their leaders have in the everyday life of individuals, how they interact with and in the society, and how they approach and interpret social and political issues. The Rāmānandīs’ use of new methods of communication, in particular social media, is an innovative part of the study. A welcome innovation in the studies of South Asian religion, this book will be of interest to historians, anthropologists, and scholars of Hinduism and religion and politics.
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