Machine Man

Machine Man
Author: Max Barry
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2011-08-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307743225

Scientist Charles Neumann loses a leg in an industrial accident. It's not a tragedy. It's an opportunity. Charlie always thought his body could be better. He begins to explore a few ideas. To build parts. Better parts. Prosthetist Lola Shanks loves a good artificial limb. In Charlie, she sees a man on his way to becoming artificial everything. But others see a madman. Or a product. Or a weapon. A story for the age of pervasive technology, Machine Man is a gruesomely funny unraveling of one man's quest for ultimate self-improvement.

Machine Man

Machine Man
Author: Tom DeFalco
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release:
Genre: Comic books, strips, etc
ISBN:

La Mettrie: Machine Man and Other Writings

La Mettrie: Machine Man and Other Writings
Author: Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 1996-04-18
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780521478496

Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709-51), author of Machine Man (1747), was the most uncompromising of the materialists of the eighteenth century, and the provocative title of his work ensured it a succès de scandale in his own time. It was however a serious, if polemical, attempt to provide an explanation of the workings of the human body and mind in purely material terms and to show that thought was the product of the workings of the brain alone. This fully annotated edition presents an English translation of the text together with the most important of La Mettrie's other philosophical works translated into English, and Ann Thomson's introduction examines his aims and the scandalous moral consequences which he drew from his materialism.

Man vs. Machine

Man vs. Machine
Author: Karsten Müller
Publisher: SCB Distributors
Total Pages: 662
Release: 2018-10-30
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 1941270972

Man vs. Machine Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace. It may sound quaint today, but not so long ago, computers battled humans for supremacy at the game of chess. The challenge of building a computer program capable of defeating the best of human-kind at chess was one of the original grand challenges of the fledgling field of artificial intelligence. On one side were dedicated scientists and hobbyists who invested decades of effort developing the software and hardware technology; on the other side were incredibly talented humans with only their determination and preparation to withstand the onslaught of technology. The man versus machine battle in chess is a landmark in the history of technology. There are numerous books that document the technical aspects of this epic story. The human side is not often told. Few chess players are inclined to write about their man-machine encounters, other than annotating the games played. This book brings the two sides together. It tells the stories of many of the key scientists and chess players that participated in a 50-year research project to advance the understanding of computing technology. “Grandmaster Karsten Müller and Professor Jonathan Schaeffer have managed to describe the fascinating history of the unequal fight of man against machine in an entertaining and instructive way. It evoked pleasant and not so pleasant memories of my own fights against the monsters. I hope that their work gives you as much pleasure as it has given me.” – From the Foreword by Vladimir Kramnik, 14th World Chess Champion

Jennifer Government

Jennifer Government
Author: Max Barry
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2004-01-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 140007634X

A wickedly satirical and outrageous thriller about globalization and marketing hype, Jennifer Government is the best novel in the world ever. "Funny and clever.... A kind of ad-world version of Dr. Strangelove.... [Barry] unleashes enough wit and surprise to make his story a total blast." --The New York Times Book Review "Wicked and wonderful.... [It] does just about everything right.... Fast-moving, funny, involving." --The Washington Post Book World Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card--as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale--and everything must go.

Man a Machine ; And, Man a Plant

Man a Machine ; And, Man a Plant
Author: Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Publisher: Hackett Publishing
Total Pages: 100
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780872201941

The first modern translation of the complete texts of La Mettrie's pioneering L'Homme machine and L'Homme plante, first published in 1747 and 1748, respectively, this volume also includes translations of the advertisement and dedication to L'Homme machine. Justin Leiber's introduction illuminates the radical thinking and advocacy of the passionate La Mettrie and provides cogent analysis of La Mettrie's relationship to such important philosophical figures as Descartes, Malebranche, and Locke, and of his lasting influence on the development of materialism, cognitive studies, linguistics, and other areas of intellectual inquiry.

To Be a Machine

To Be a Machine
Author: Mark O'Connell
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2017-02-28
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0385540426

“This gonzo-journalistic exploration of the Silicon Valley techno-utopians’ pursuit of escaping mortality is a breezy romp full of colorful characters.” —New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) Transhumanism is a movement pushing the limits of our bodies—our capabilities, intelligence, and lifespans—in the hopes that, through technology, we can become something better than ourselves. It has found support among Silicon Valley billionaires and some of the world’s biggest businesses. In To Be a Machine, journalist Mark O'Connell explores the staggering possibilities and moral quandaries that present themselves when you of think of your body as a device. He visits the world's foremost cryonics facility to witness how some have chosen to forestall death. He discovers an underground collective of biohackers, implanting electronics under their skin to enhance their senses. He meets a team of scientists urgently investigating how to protect mankind from artificial superintelligence. Where is our obsession with technology leading us? What does the rise of AI mean not just for our offices and homes, but for our humanity? Could the technologies we create to help us eventually bring us to harm? Addressing these questions, O'Connell presents a profound, provocative, often laugh-out-loud-funny look at an influential movement. In investigating what it means to be a machine, he offers a surprising meditation on what it means to be human.

The Male Machine

The Male Machine
Author: Marc Feigen Fasteau
Publisher: Delta
Total Pages: 260
Release: 1975
Genre: Psychology
ISBN:

God, Man, and The Machine

God, Man, and The Machine
Author: Daniel Strasel
Publisher: Daniel Strasel
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2013-09-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0985996439

Synopsis: An uninteresting man of mistaken importance struggles to understand his role in life. This imaginative and thought-provoking book of quips, reflections, and antagonisms reads in the spirit of science fiction. The author deems it “philosofiction”. Δ * * * The year is 2066. Silverberg, the world’s youngest and undisputedly most powerful country, generally entertains only the most prominent visitors and immigrants. However, this year it has intentionally attracted an otherwise uninteresting young man of average station. When the powers that lured him cannot find him, the hunt begins. Misunderstanding his importance, multiple operatives of high station and various loyalties race to find him. As time progresses, the intensity thickens. Those who join this man find their own lives disrupted and changed forever, swept up by the storm surrounding him. While he means no harm to anybody, his pursuers will not rest until he is found and destroyed. It is only a matter of time. Bombarded with varying opinions about the truth, this man struggles for discernment and understanding, but what he believes cannot save him - or can it? * * * Pragmatic dogma, theology, and atheology collide and argue in the background as we follow this unhero through a quick, comedic, dark, and philosophical journey of determining what he is - deciding between God, Man, and The Machine. This 316 page volume includes maps, art, footnotes, appendices, and more. Δ Phi·los·o·phy Investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods. Fic·tion A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact.