Rik Smits's Books

The Art of Verbal Warfare

By: Rik Smits

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A funny and fascinating exploration of our reliance upon swear words, insults, and the artfully placed expletive, damn it. We use salty or artful language to win arguments, slander, cheat, and bully, as well as to express feelings of joy or frustration by swearing or “blowing off steam.” Rik Smits delves into the magic of oaths and profanity, art and advertising, the lure of fake news and propaganda, as well as invective and off-color jokes the world over. This book shows why conversation dies in crowded elevators and what drives us to curse at our laptops. The Art of Verbal Warfare is, when all is said and done, the story of how we can get through life without coming to physical blows.

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Page Count

529

Publisher

Reaktion Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1789145937

ISBN 13

9781789145939

Dawn

The Origins of Language and the Modern Human Mind

By: Rik Smits

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Dawn

The Origins of Language and the Modern Human Mind

By: Rik Smits

In this work, originally published in Dutch, Rik Smits theorizes that language could not have developed originally as a system of communication. It is, instead, the result of combining separate abilities, each of which developed independently to aid the survival of early humans. Lacking strength and speed, man relies on wisdom for survival. Smits theorizes that human skills in calculation and estimation continued to develop until they were sufficient to accommodate a system as complex as grammar. Only after our linguistic ability emerged could humans think logically and share our reasoning with others, at which point almost everything we now call culture began to flourish. Smits concludes that language cannot have long predated the invention of agriculture in the Middle East, some 14,000 years ago. The huge advance in civilization represented by language made abstract powers of reasoning indispensable for the first time, along with highly developed concepts of identity, past, present, and future, all of which rely upon language. This explanation of the origins of language throws new light on cave paintings by Cro-Magnon man, whose masterpieces date from about 40,000 to 15,000 years ago. Anatomically Cro-Magnons were modern humans, but they had no language in the modern sense. Their absence of language gave them no true sense of individual identity. This translation was made possible by a grant from the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

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Page Count

361

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351523597

ISBN 13

9781351523592

The Puzzle of Left-handedness

By: Rik Smits

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The Puzzle of Left-handedness

By: Rik Smits

Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama have both signed bills into law with their left hands. And being left-handed certainly did not hold back the artistic achievements of Michelangelo or Raphael. And the dexterous guitar playing of Jimmi Hendrix may only have been aided by his southpaw tendencies. Left-handedness, in fact, would appear to be no big deal. Yet throughout history, it has been associated with clumsiness and generally dubious personality traits like untrustworthiness and insincerity. Even the Latin word for left, sinister, has ominous connotations. In The Puzzle of Left-handedness, Rik Smits uncovers why history has been so unkind to our lefthanded forebears. He carefully puts together the pieces of the puzzle, presenting an array of historical anecdotes, strange superstitions, and weird wives’ tales. Smits explains how left-handedness continues to be associated with maladies of all kinds, including mental retardation, alcoholism, asthma, hay fever, cancer, diabetes, insomnia, depression, and criminality. Even in the enlightened twenty-first century, left-handedness still meets with opposition—including from one prominent psychologist who equates it with infantile negativism, similar to a toddler’s refusal to eat what’s on his plate, and another who claims that left-handed people have average lifespans that are nine years shorter than those who favor the right hand. As Smits reminds us, such speculation is backed by little factual evidence, and the arguments presented by proponents of right-handedness tend to be humorously absurd. The Puzzle of Left-handedness is an enlightening, engaging, and entertaining odyssey through the puzzles and paradoxes, theories and myths, of left-handed lore. Chock full of facts and fiction, it’s a book to be read with both hands.

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Page Count

306

Publisher

Reaktion Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1861899742

ISBN 13

9781861899743

Semiconductor Power Devices

Physics, Characteristics, Reliability

By: Josef Lutz,Heinrich Schlangenotto,Uwe Scheuermann,Rik De Doncker

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Semiconductor Power Devices

Physics, Characteristics, Reliability

By: Josef Lutz,Heinrich Schlangenotto,Uwe Scheuermann,Rik De Doncker

Halbleiter-Leistungsbauelemente sind das Kernstück der Leistungselektronik. Sie bestimmen die Leistungsfähigkeit und machen neuartige und verlustarme Schaltungen erst möglich. In dem Band wird neben den Halbleiter-Leistungsbauelementen selbst auch die Aufbau- und Verbindungstechnik behandelt: von den physikalischen Grundlagen und der Herstellungstechnologie über einzelne Bauelemente bis zu thermomechanischen Problemen, Zerstörungsmechanismen und Störungseffekten. Die 2., überarbeitete Auflage berücksichtigt technische Neuerungen und Entwicklungen.

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Page Count

723

Publisher

Springer

Published Date

ISBN 10

3319709178

ISBN 13

9783319709178

Dawn

The Origins of Language and the Modern Human Mind

By: Rik Smits

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Dawn

The Origins of Language and the Modern Human Mind

By: Rik Smits

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

361

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351523597

ISBN 13

9781351523592

The Art of Verbal Warfare

By: Rik Smits

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The Art of Verbal Warfare

By: Rik Smits

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

529

Publisher

Reaktion Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1789145937

ISBN 13

9781789145939

Book's by Rik Smits

The Art of Verbal Warfare

The Art of Verbal Warfare

Dawn

Dawn

The Puzzle of Left-handedness

The Puzzle of Left-handedness

Semiconductor Power Devices

Semiconductor Power Devices

Dawn

Dawn

The Art of Verbal Warfare

The Art of Verbal Warfare

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