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The Shape and Size of the Earth: A Historical Journey from Homer to Artificial Satellites
by Dino BoccalettiThis book describes in detail the various theories on the shape of the Earth from classical antiquity to the present day and examines how measurements of its form and dimensions have evolved throughout this period. The origins of the notion of the sphericity of the Earth are explained, dating back to Eratosthenes and beyond, and detailed attention is paid to the struggle to establish key discoveries as part of the cultural heritage of humanity. In this context, the roles played by the Catholic Church and the philosophers of the Middle Ages are scrutinized. Later contributions by such luminaries as Richer, Newton, Clairaut, Maupertuis, and Delambre are thoroughly reviewed, with exploration of the importance of mathematics in their geodetic enterprises. The culmination of progress in scientific research is the recognition that the reference figure is not a sphere but rather a geoid and that the earth’s shape is oblate. Today, satellite geodesy permits the solution of geodetic problems by means of precise measurements. Narrating this fascinating story from the very beginning not only casts light on our emerging understanding of the figure of the Earth but also offers profound insights into the broader evolution of human thought.
The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design
by Lance HoseyDoes going green change the face of design or only its content? The first book to outline principles for the aesthetics of sustainable design, The Shape of Green argues that beauty is inherent to sustainability, for how things look and feel is as important as how they're made. In addition to examining what makes something attractive or emotionally pleasing, Hosey connects these questions with practical design challenges. Can the shape of a car make it more aerodynamic and more attractive at the same time? Could buildings be constructed of porous materials that simultaneously clean the air and soothe the skin? Can cities become verdant, productive landscapes instead of wastelands of concrete? Drawing from a wealth of scientific research, Hosey demonstrates that form and image can enhance conservation, comfort, and community at every scale of design, from products to buildings to cities. Fully embracing the principles of ecology could revolutionize every aspect of design, in substance and in style. Aesthetic attraction isn't a superficial concern -- it's an environmental imperative. Beauty could save the planet.
The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World
by Dean RobbinsHow did the first people explore the land they lived on? How did civilizations expand their boundaries and chart courses into new lands? Learn about the history of cartography across cultures in this ode to mapmaking through the ages.Join history's first mapmakers as they explore the wonders of the world! In these pages, you&’ll find the tools ancient people used to depict their surroundings, methods different cartographers developed to survey new lands, and how we&’ve arrived at modern mapmaking today. Above all else, the thread that runs throughout thousands of years of civilization is the spirit of exploration that helps us measure the shape of things around us, the world we all share.
The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician's Search for the Universe's Hidden Geometry
by Shing-Tung Yau Steve NadisA Fields medalist recounts his lifelong effort to uncover the geometric shape—the Calabi-Yau manifold—that may store the hidden dimensions of our universe.Harvard geometer Shing-Tung Yau has provided a mathematical foundation for string theory, offered new insights into black holes, and mathematically demonstrated the stability of our universe. In this autobiography, Yau reflects on his improbable journey to becoming one of the world’s most distinguished mathematicians. Beginning with an impoverished childhood in China and Hong Kong, Yau takes readers through his doctoral studies at Berkeley during the height of the Vietnam War protests, his Fields Medal–winning proof of the Calabi conjecture, his return to China, and his pioneering work in geometric analysis. This new branch of geometry, which Yau built up with his friends and colleagues, has paved the way for solutions to several important and previously intransigent problems.With complicated ideas explained for a broad audience, this book offers not only insights into the life of an eminent mathematician, but also an accessible way to understand advanced and highly abstract concepts in mathematics and theoretical physics.“The remarkable story of one of the world’s most accomplished mathematicians . . . Yau’s personal journey—from escaping China as a youngster, leading a gang outside Hong Kong, becoming captivated by mathematics, to making breakthroughs that thrust him on the world stage—inspires us all with humankind’s irrepressible spirit of discovery.” —Brian Greene, New York Times–bestselling author of The Elegant Universe“An unexpectedly intimate look into a highly accomplished man, his colleagues and friends, the development of a new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly uncommon mind.” —The Boston Globe“Engaging, eminently readable. . . . For those with a taste for elegant and largely jargon-free explanations of mathematics, The Shape of a Life promises hours of rewarding reading.” —American Scientist
The Shaping of Greenland’s Resource Spaces: Environment, Territory, Geo-Security (Routledge Studies of the Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development)
by Mark NuttallThe book examines ideas about the making and shaping of Greenland’s society, environment, and resource spaces. It discusses how Greenland’s resources have been extracted at different points in its history, shows how acquiring knowledge of subsurface environments has been crucial for matters of securitisation, and explores how the country is being imagined as an emerging frontier with vast mineral reserves. The book delves into the history and contemporary practice of geological exploration and considers the politics and corporate activities that frame discussion about extractive industries and resource zones. It touches upon resource policies, the nature of social and environmental assessments, and permitting processes, while the environmental and social effects of extractive industries are considered, alongside an assessment of the status of current and planned resource projects. In its exploration of the nature and place of territory and the subterranean in political and economic narratives, the book shows how the making of Greenland has and continues to be bound up with the shaping of resource spaces and with ambitions to extract resources from them. Yet the book shows that plans for extractive industries remain controversial. It concludes by considering the prospects for future development and debates on conservation and Indigenous rights, with reflections on how and where Greenland is positioned in the geopolitics of environmental governance and geo-security in the Arctic. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental anthropology, geography, resource management, extractive industries, environmental governance, international relations, geopolitics, Arctic studies, and sustainable development.
The Shaping of Us: How Everyday Spaces Structure our Lives, Behaviour, and Well-Being
by Lily Bernheimer"You are going to be transported by what Bernheimer has to say. You'll make different decisions and figure out how your brain is working and what should be prioritized in your life" Jo Good, BBC LondonWhat makes everyday spaces work, how do they shape us, and what do they say about us?The spaces we live in - whether public areas, housing, offices, hospitals, or cities - mediate community, creativity, and our very identity, making us who we are. Using insights from environmental psychology, design, and architecture, The Shaping of Us reveals the often imperceptible ways in which our surroundings influence our behaviour.Wide-ranging and global examples cover the differences between personalities and nationalities, explore grass-roots and mainstream efforts to build environments promoting well-being, and look ahead to what will become of us if we don't listen closely to what we know is good for us.You will learn whether you are a natural 'prospector' or 'refuger' in the office environment, what roundabouts and stoplights say about British and American culture, whether you are guilty of NIMBYism or being drawn to 'ruin porn', and how the half-house may be a common sight in the near future.The environments we inhabit define our identities - from the earliest moments of our evolution to the worlds we build around ourselves.
The Shareholder Action Guide: Unleash Your Hidden Powers to Hold Corporations Accountable
by Andrew Behar“A valuable call to action for small shareholders to change the ways big corporations do business.”—Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor Want to make misbehaving corporations mend their ways? You can! If you own their stock, corporations have to listen to you. Shareholder advocate Andrew Behar explains how to exercise your proxy voting rights to weigh in on corporate policies—you only need a single share of stock to do it. If you've got just $2,000 in stock, Behar shows how you can go further and file a resolution to directly address the board of directors. And even if your investments are in a workplace-sponsored 401(k) or a mutual fund, you can work with your fund manager to purge corporations from your portfolio that don't align with your values. Illustrated with inspiring stories of individuals who have gone up against corporate Goliaths and won, this book informs, inspires, and instructs investors how to unleash their power to change the world.
The Shark Book
by Steve Jenkins Robin PageCaldecott Honor–winning team Steve Jenkins and Robin Page explore the astonishing lives of sharks in this brilliantly illustrated picture book. Perfect for Shark Week and all year round, this ode to the notorious ocean predator with more than four hundred species will blow you out of the water!Sharp teeth, super senses, and those infamous fins—what's not to love about sharks? Caldecott Honor–winning team Steve Jenkins and Robin Page explore one of the world's most notorious—and fearsome—animals. Learn what makes a shark a shark, what sharks like to eat, and how these predators of the deep have evolved. Ever wonder which shark is the smallest? Or the fastest? Even the most deadly? You'll find your answers in The Shark Book, with countless others. In this magnificently illustrated picture book, celebrate one of the worlds oldest species that has continued to capture our imaginations and astonish us for thousands of years.
The Shark's Paintbrush: Biomimicry and How Nature is Inspiring Innovation
by Jay HarmanThe wave of the future has been around since the beginning of times: it's called Nature. Let inventor and entrepreneur Jay Harman introduce you to stunning solutions to some of the world's thorniest problems. Why does the bumblebee have better aerodynamics than a 747? How can copying a butterfly wing reduce the world's lighting energy bill by 80%? How will fleas' knees and bees' shoulders help scientists formulate a near-perfect rubber? Today an interdisciplinary and international group of scientists, inventors and engineers is turning to nature to innovate and find elegant solutions to human problems. The principle driving this transformation is called biomimicry, and Harman shares a wide range of examples of how we're borrowing from natural models to invent profitable, green solutions to pressing industrial challenges. Aimed at a business audience, aspiring entrepreneurs, environmentalists and general science readers, The Shark's Paintbrush reflects a force of change in the new global economy that does more than simply gratify human industrial ambition; it teaches us how to live in harmony with nature and opens bright opportunities for a better future.
The Sherrington-Kirkpatrick Model
by Dmitry PanchenkoThe celebrated Parisi solution of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model for spin glasses is one of the most important achievements in the field of disordered systems. Over the last three decades, through the efforts of theoretical physicists and mathematicians, the essential aspects of the Parisi solution were clarified and proved mathematically. The core ideas of the theory that emerged are the subject of this book, including the recent solution of the Parisi ultrametricity conjecture and a conceptually simple proof of the Parisi formula for the free energy. The treatment is self-contained and should be accessible to graduate students with a background in probability theory, with no prior knowledge of spin glasses. The methods involved in the analysis of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model also serve as a good illustration of such classical topics in probability as the Gaussian interpolation and concentration of measure, Poisson processes, and representation results for exchangeable arrays.
The Shipping Forecast Puzzle Book
by Alan ConnorAttention all Shipping Forecast fans. Set sail on a voyage unlike any other...Each day, millions tune in to hear the Shipping Forecast's unique cadence and poetry, words thatturn our island landscape into something strangeand magical. It's almost like a puzzle to be solved...The Shipping Forecast Puzzle Book tests your general knowledge and lateral thinking through a series of fiendish puzzles, in which all the answers can be found on a map as place names on the coasts or in the seas. For example:· An eagle's under this· What a Komodo Dragon really is· Near where someone was horribly cruel to 343 felinesAnd because your voyages trace the shapes of letters of the alphabet, that's just the beginning...With a foreword by Zeb Soanes, the voice of the Shipping Forecast, and fully illustrated with specially commissioned maps, The Shipping Forecast Puzzle Book will help make you a Master of the quizzing world.
The Shipping Forecast: Celebrating 100 Years
by Meg ClothierThere’s a sea lover in every Brit.The Shipping Forecast on Radio 4 has been keeping people in tune with the gloriously fickle British weather for a century, and capturing our hearts and imaginations along the way.Celebrating a hundred years since the first broadcast, this book takes you to the heart of what the Shipping Forecast means to us as a nation. Each of the ten chapters brings you on a fascinating exploration of a different area of our British maritime history, from stormy weather up above to the seabed far below, and from fishing boats and battleships to the songs and poems inspired by the forecast.This joyous book invites you to sail away into the enchanting world of the forecast, and is the perfect companion for anyone curious about our great British skies and seas.
The Shock of the Anthropocene: The Earth, History and Us
by David Fernbach Christophe Bonneuil Jean-Baptiste FressozDissecting the new theoretical buzzword of the "Anthropocene" The Earth has entered a new epoch: the Anthropocene. What we are facing is not only an environmental crisis, but a geological revolution of human origin. In two centuries, our planet has tipped into a state unknown for millions of years. How did we get to this point? Refuting the convenient view of a "human species" that upset the Earth system, unaware of what it was doing, this book proposes the first critical history of the Anthropocene, shaking up many accepted ideas: about our supposedly recent "environmental awareness," about previous challenges to industrialism, about the manufacture of ignorance and consumerism, about so-called energy transitions, as well as about the role of the military in environmental destruction. In a dialogue between science and history, The Shock of the Anthropocene dissects a new theoretical buzzword and explores paths for living and acting politically in this rapidly developing geological epoch.
The Short Guide to International Development (Short Guides)
by Nick SageInternational development is a vibrant, interdisciplinary area of the social sciences. This Short Guide offers a uniquely succinct and balanced account of this politically charged subject. It distils both the classic and newer debates together in a clear framework and illustrates them with contemporary examples. Designed to introduce a wide readership to international development, the book: • considers how far the field has been reconfigured over time and to what extent it is likely to change in the future; • reviews contemporary topics including tourism, migration and digital technologies; • includes distinctive international case studies and examples. By providing a succinct evaluation of competing approaches to, and perspectives on, the idea and practice of international development, this book offers students across the social sciences a distinct and invaluable introduction to the field.
The Short Guide to Sustainable Investing (Doshorts Ser.)
by Cary KrosinskyThe vast majority of invested assets do not consider environmental, social or governance (ESG) factors. Socially responsible investing (SRI) emerged to address these challenges, but it remains largely deployed in "negative strategies" such as sector screening, and continues to be a small investment niche, largely due to perceptions about potential underperformance.Sustainable investing is a new, more positive investment construct, described as "an investment discipline that explicitly considers future social and environmental trends in financial decision making, in order to provide the best risk-adjusted and opportunity-directed returns for investors. By anticipating these trends ahead of the market, sustainable investing seeks to identify 'predictable surprises' that can help maximize value over the long term."This concise guide by one of the sector's leading experts: Disentangles the terminology around SRI and describes a new, positive, opportunities-oriented paradigm for sustainable investing Showcases funds and strategies that are delivering outperformance within ecological limitsSets out the key megatrends and scenarios which investors need to consider, and Offers a practical guide to constructing a sustainable portfolio. This is absolutely essential reading for investors, fund managers and analysts who need to get up to speed on sustainable investing.
The Short Works of John Habraken: Ways of Seeing / Ways of Doing (Open Building)
by Stephen H. Kendall John R. DaleThis book offers, for the first time, access to the chronological arc of John Habraken’s writing in a single collection. Few architects or scholars have so consistently and patiently pursued such a humane and culturally vital set of radical questions related to the behaviour of the built environment as N. John Habraken. From the publication of his first book in 1960, he has quietly helped redraw the map of architectural research, education, practice, design methods and theory. His insights lead us to a better understanding of how the built field works, contributing to the development of methods enabling professionals to contribute to its coherence and resilience. Following an introductory essay by the editors, placing Habraken’s work in context, this collection is organized in two sections and further organized around a number of specific themes: The Built Field; Role of the Architect; Control; Sharing Forms; Examples of Ways of Doing; Open Building; Tools; and Cultivating the Built Environment. A series of interviews with the author enable him to reflect on his journey of inquiry, research, advocacy and teaching – and the relationship between ways of seeing and ways of doing. Offering theoretical perspectives and methodological ways forward, this book will be of interest to architects, planners and urban designers tackling the challenges of the contemporary built environment that Habraken identifies, as well as educators and students.
The Short, Sad Story of Steller's Sea Cow
by Karen De FoyThe Steller's sea cow, a cousin to the manatee, was hunted to extinction just 27 years after it was discovered. Another century passed before humans realized the need to preserve endangered species. Today scientists are working to ensure its cousin, the Florida manatee, doesn’t meet the same fate.
The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move - From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants (The Shortest History Series)
by Ian GoldinFrom the Silk Roads to the Berlin Wall, discover the globe-turning history of human migration. “Provides essential context to one of today’s most polarizing debates . . . engrossing and instructive—a must-read.”—Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group We are a species in motion—from the first steps of Homo sapiens across Africa to America’s “melting pot.” And when we move—in search of better things, or against our will—our beliefs and skills clash and combine, reshaping society time and again. In this visionary Shortest History of Migration, Ian Goldin uncovers key moments of cultural exchange while carefully examining empire, slavery, and war. Throughout, we meet famous explorers (Zheng He), exiles (Pablo Neruda), and everyday people in extraordinary circumstances: a Jewish man saved by the Kindertransport, a Japanese gardener who blossomed in Mexico City. Today, freedom of movement is being curtailed, even as climate change and conflict mobilize people everywhere around the world. Goldin reminds us that passports at every border are a modern invention (he traces the “birth of big brother” to World War I), revealing the folly of trying to halt migration—and proposing commonsense policy instead. A gripping chronicle of want and wanderlust, this is a moving portrait of humanity—in every sense of the word. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.
The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting
by Brant MacDuffAt the intersection of hunting and conservation, a man shares his personal journey from staunch anti-hunter to compassionate, ethical hunter, weaving together a larger history of humans, animals, the environment, and our food systems.The Shotgun Conservationist doesn&’t teach us how to hunt, it explores why we should hunt. As public lands remain imperiled, factory farms pollute the earth and subject animals to inhumane conditions, and global uncertainty presses us all to be more self-sufficient, there has never been a better time to take up hunting. Writer, natural historian, and public speaker Brant MacDuff has done just that. An avid animal lover and raised as a non-hunter, MacDuff started his journey intending to investigate the claim that &“hunting is conservation.&” So convinced, he now holds a hunting license in four states and gives lectures on the positive impact it has on conservation efforts nationwide. Armed with years of experience in the field and a deep love for the natural world, MacDuff tells the provocative, humorous, and insightful story of how he became a hunter. Along the way, readers meet a cast of colorful characters and learn the firsthand research that helped change Brant&’s mind. You may not book a hunting trip after reading The Shotgun Conservationist, but you&’ll have a new perspective on and appreciation for those that do.
The Sierra Nevada: A Mountain Journey
by Tim PalmerThis book presents a natural history of the Sierra Nevada that brings the land, the people, and the surrounding communities to life.
The Significance of Sámi Rights: Law, Justice, and Sustainability for the Indigenous Sámi in the Nordic Countries (Routledge Research in Polar Regions)
by Dorothée Cambou Øyvind RavnaThis book examines the significance of the rights of the Sámi people and analyses the issues raised by the recognition and implementation of these rights in the Nordic countries. Written together by Sámi and non-Sámi experts, the book adopts a human rights approach to examine the adequacy of law and policies that seek to protect the culture and livelihood of Sámi communities in their traditional lands and territories. The book discusses contemporary legal and jurisprudential developments in the field of Sámi rights. It examines the processes and challenges in the recognition and implementation of these rights, particularly in relation to the governance of their traditional land and resources. The book will be of particular interest to legal scholars, political scientists, experts in the field of Indigenous peoples’ rights, governmental authorities, and members of Indigenous communities. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
The Silent Wastewater Problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (SpringerBriefs in Water Science and Technology)
by Joan Nyika Megersa Olumana DinkaThis book seeks to explore the critical but very influential challenge of wastewater management from a global perspective and to specifics in SSA region where the subject is under researched. The book will detail on the production trends, the treatment approaches used currently and those proposed in a circular economy among other management approaches that can enhance sustainable wastewater management while prioritizing reuse and recovery of the resource. The book is a need of the hour since only a few studies have addressed the production trends and management of wastewater in SSA region as Onu et al. (2023) noted. The aim is to close the research gap and infuse theory from successful case studies of other regions of the world into practice in SSA. Ultimately, with sustainable wastewater management, access to safe water and sanitation can be enhanced in line with realization of sustainable development goal (SDG) 6. The book will be useful to environmental pollution regulators, researchers, and practitioners among other stakeholders with a role in wastewater treatment and management.
The Silver Lining: The Benefits of Natural Disasters
by Seth R. ReiceFloods, fires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes--we are quick to call them ''natural disasters.'' But are they? Did the great fires that swept Yellowstone in 1988 devastate the park, or did they just ravage our image of the park as a fixed, unchanging national treasure? This lucid, lively book reveals the shortsightedness behind conceiving of such events as disastrous to nature. Indeed, Seth Reice contends, such thinking has led to policies that have done the environment more harm than good--the U.S. Forest Service's campaign against natural forest fires and the Army Corps of Engineers' flood prevention program are examples. He points out ways in which we can better address the wide range of environmental problems humanity faces at the dawn of the new millennium. Reice argues, in terms refreshingly nontechnical yet scientifically sound, that the traditional, equilibrium paradigm--according to which ''stability'' produces healthier ecosystems than does sudden, sweeping change--is fundamentally flawed. He describes a radically different model of how nature operates, one that many ecologists and population biologists have come to understand in recent years: a concept founded on the premise that disturbances help create and maintain the biodiversity that benefits both the ecosystem and ourselves. Reice demonstrates that ecosystems need disturbances to accomplish indispensable tasks such as the production of clean air and water. He recommends changes in environmental management to incorporate the essential role of natural disturbances. This book shows that every tornado's funnel cloud, every forest fire's billowing cloud of smoke, has tremendous benefits for the ecosystem it impacts. As anyone concerned with man's impact on the environment will appreciate, this is the cloud's real silver lining.
The Six New Rules of Business: Creating Real Value in a Changing World
by Judy SamuelsonThe rules of business are changing dramatically. The Aspen Institute's Judy Samuelson describes the profound shifts in attitudes and mindsets that are redefining our notions of what constitutes business success.Dynamic forces are conspiring to clarify the new rules of real value creation—and to put the old rules to rest. Internet-powered transparency, more powerful worker voice, the decline in importance of capital, and the complexity of global supply chains in the face of planetary limits all define the new landscape. As executive director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, Judy Samuelson has a unique vantage point from which to engage business decision makers and identify the forces that are moving the needle in both boardrooms and business classrooms. Samuelson lays out how hard-to-measure intangibles like reputation, trust, and loyalty are imposing new ways to assess risk and opportunity in investment and asset management. She argues that "maximizing shareholder value" has never been the sole objective of effective businesses while observing that shareholder theory and the practices that keep it in place continue to lose power in both business and the public square. In our globalized era, she demonstrates how expectations of corporations are set far beyond the company gates—and why employees are both the best allies of the business and the new accountability mechanism, more so than consumers or investors. Samuelson's new rules offer a powerful guide to how businesses are changing today—and what is needed to succeed in tomorrow's economic and social landscape.
The Sixth Element: How Carbon Shapes Our World
by Theodore P. Snow Don BrownleeA cosmic perspective on carbon—its importance in the universe and our livesWhen we think of carbon, we might first think of a simple element near the top of the periodic table: symbol C, atomic number 6. Alternatively, we might think of something more tangible—a sooty piece of coal or a sparkling diamond, both made of carbon. Or, as Earth&’s temperature continues to rise alarmingly, we might think of the role carbon plays in climate change. Yet carbon&’s story begins long ago, far from earthly concerns. In The Sixth Element, astronomers Theodore Snow and Don Brownlee tell the story of carbon from a cosmic perspective—how it was born in the fiery furnaces of stars, what special chemical and physical properties it has, and how it forms the chemical backbone of the planets and all life as we know it. Foundational to every part of our lives, from our bodies to the food, tools, and atmosphere that sustain our existence, carbon is arguably humankind&’s most important element.Snow and Brownlee offer readers the ideal introduction to the starry element that made our world possible and shapes our lives. They first discuss carbon&’s origin, discovery, and unique ability to bond with other elements and form countless molecules. Next, they reveal carbon&’s essential role in the chemical evolution of the universe and the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, planets, and life, and then, more generally, its technological uses and its influence on Earth&’s climate. Bringing readers on a historical, scientific, and cross-disciplinary journey, The Sixth Element illuminates the cosmic wonder that is carbon.