Koncocoo

Best Robotics & Automation

The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies
Digital technologies—with hardware, software, and networks at their core—will in the near future diagnose diseases more accurately than doctors can, apply enormous data sets to transform retailing, and accomplish many tasks once considered uniquely human. These include revamping education so that it prepares people for the next economy instead of the last one, designing new collaborations that pair brute processing power with human ingenuity, and embracing policies that make sense in a radically transformed landscape. “Offers important insights into how digital technologies are transforming our economy, a process that has only just begun.”. - Reid Hoffman, cofounder/chairman of LinkedIn and coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Start-up of You. I’ll encourage all of our entrepreneurs to read it, and hope their competitors don’t.”. - Marc Andreessen, cofounder of Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz. Long after the financial crisis and great recession have receded, the issues raised in this important book will be central to our lives and our politics.”. - Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University.
Reviews
"The Second Machine Age gives many examples of specific technologies like robots, AI and autonomous cars, and also lots of data showing how the economy is being transformed. The authors also make a strong argument that the way economists measure things, especially in terms of GDP, no longer does a good job of capturing what prosperity really means in the information age. There are lots of policy suggestions including reforming education to pay teachers more but also make them accountable, jump starting entrepreneurship, better job matching technologies, investing more in basic scientific research, upgrading national infrastructure, expanding skilled immigration, implementing smarter taxes, expanding the earned income tax credit (EITC), etc."
"There'll be nothing earth-shattering here for readers who follow technology trends or even who read WIRED magazine, but the book looks at all these things through a somewhat different lens (its impact on human work) than the tech press usually does, and I didn't find myself skimming even when they were covering developments with which I'm already very familiar. Their short-term prescriptions are sensible enough (basically: take steps to encourage general economic growth) but, as the authors themselves point out, these won't address the underlying problem, identified by Keynes among others, of technological change outpacing the ability of large segments of the workforce to retrain for new jobs."
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Make: Electronics: Learning Through Discovery
--Hans Camenzind, inventor of the 555 timer (the world's most successful integrated circuit), and author of Much Ado About Almost Nothing: Man's Encounter with the Electron (Booklocker.com). --Tom Igoe, author of Physical Computing and Making Things Talk. A new shopping guide and a simplified range of components, will minimize your investment in parts for the projects. A completely new section on the Arduino shows you how to write properly structured programs instead of just downloading other people's code. Projects have been reworked to provide additional features, and the book has been restructured to offer a step-by-step learning process that is as clear and visually pleasing on handheld devices as it is on paper. Hans Camenzind, inventor of the 555 Timer (the world's most successful integrated circuit chip), said that "This is teaching at its best!" He is the author of the highly successful introductory hands-on book, Make:Electronics, and is writing a sequel to that book in addition to volumes 2 and 3 of the Encyclopedia of Electronic Components.
Reviews
"I was an engineering student in college (although not electrical engineering) so I was always kind of upset that after spending countless nights of my life doing all sorts of crazy math problems with respect to circuits, I didn't know something as simple as how a relay works, or how to build anything except maybe a simple circuit with a lightbulb and a resistor. This won't make you an expert in electronics, it is definitely on the simple side of things (like algebraic simplifications of mathematical models that are actually rooted in calculus or differential equations), but that's exactly what I was looking for. Seems steep but if you plan on making use of your new-found knowledge for the foreseeable future, you will be using these tools well after you've worked through this book."
"Perfect book for beginners."
"Great book for someone just starting in electronics."
"Challenge his tech skills without been overwhelming."
"great book for learning the basics."
"Fun book, I plan on buying a ket to try out the expereiments."
"Informative yet simple."
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Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
New York Times Best Seller How will Artificial Intelligence affect crime, war, justice, jobs, society and our very sense of being human? The rise of AI has the potential to transform our future more than any other technology—and there’s nobody better qualified or situated to explore that future than Max Tegmark, an MIT professor who’s helped mainstream research on how to keep AI beneficial. “Original, accessible, and provocative….Tegmark successfully gives clarity to the many faces of AI, creating a highly readable book that complements The Second Machine Age ’s economic perspective on the near-term implications of recent accomplishments in AI and the more detailed analysis of how we might get from where we are today to AGI and even the superhuman AI in Superintelligence …. Enjoy the ride, and you will come out the other end with a greater appreciation of where people might take technology and themselves in the years ahead.” —Science “This is a compelling guide to the challenges and choices in our quest for a great future of life, intelligence and consciousness—on Earth and beyond.” —Elon Musk, Founder, CEO and CTO of SpaceX and co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors “All of us—not only scientists, industrialists and generals—should ask ourselves what can we do now to improve the chances of reaping the benefits of future AI and avoiding the risks. This is the most important conversation of our time, and Tegmark’s thought-provoking book will help you join it.” —Professor Stephen Hawking, Director of Research, Cambridge Centre for Theoretical Cosmology “Tegmark’s new book is a deeply thoughtful guide to the most important conversation of our time, about how to create a benevolent future civilization as we merge our biological thinking with an even greater intelligence of our own creation.” —Ray Kurzweil, Inventor, Author and Futurist, author of The Singularity is Near and How to Create a Mind. “Being an eminent physicist and the leader of the Future of Life Institute has given Max Tegmark a unique vantage point from which to give the reader an inside scoop on the most important issue of our time, in a way that is approachable without being dumbed down.” —Jaan Tallinn, co-founder of Skype “This is an exhilarating book that will change the way we think about AI, intelligence, and the future of humanity.” —Bart Selman, Professor of Computer Science, Cornell University “The unprecedented power unleashed by artificial intelligence means the next decade could be humanity’s best—or worst. Though the topics he covers—AI, cosmology, values, even the nature of conscious experience—can be fairly challenging, he presents them in an unintimidating manner that invites the reader to form her own opinions.” —Nick Bostrom, Founder of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, author of Superintelligence. "Tegmark’s book, along with Nick Bostrom’s Superintelligence, stands out among the current books about our possible AI futures....Tegmark explains brilliantly many concepts in fields from computing to cosmology, writes with intellectual modesty and subtlety, does the reader the important service of defining his terms clearly, and rightly pays homage to the creative minds of science-fiction writers who were, of course, addressing these kinds of questions more than half a century ago.
Reviews
"Much more quickly than many anticipated, machine learning (a subset of AI) systems have defeated the best human Go players, are piloting self-driving cars, usefully if imperfectly translating documents, labeling your photos, understanding your speech, and so on. But he’s also got a lifetime of experience thinking carefully, rigorously, generally (and entertainingly to boot) about the “big picture” of what is possible, and what is not, over long timescales and cosmic distances (see his last book!). Finally, he's played an active and very key role (as you can read about in the book’s epilogue) in actually creating conversation and research about the impacts and safety of AI in the long-term. Chapter 1 lays out why AI is suddenly on everyone’s radar, and very likely to be extremely important over the coming decades, situating present-day as a crucial point within the wider sweep of human and evolutionary history on Earth. This raises a lot of rich, important, and extremely difficult questions that not that many people have thought through carefully (another in-print example is the excellent book by Bostrom). Chapter 6 exhibits Tegmark’s unique talent for tackling the big questions, looking at the *ultimate* limits and promise of intelligent life in the universe, and how stupefyingly high the stakes might be fore getting the next few decades right. (And I should also mention the prologue, which gives an fictional but less *science*fictional depiction of an artificial superintelligence being used by a small group to seize control of human society. It’s possible that real, general artificial intelligence (AGI) is 100 or more years away, a problem for the next generation, with large but manageable effects of “narrow” AI to deal with over a span of decades."
"Tegmark covers the spectrum of physics, cosmology, and artificial intelligence with the clarity and enthusiasm I haven’t witnessed since we were all glued to our televisions in the 1980s watching Carl Sagan unwrap the mysteries of the cosmos. Max Tegmark, a professor at MIT, is brilliant, creative, and rational, giving him that rare ability to explain the complex and mind-boggling to the rest of us. The primary purpose of the book, in Tegmark’s words, is to invite all of us to participate in setting goals for the development of artificial intelligence and, indeed, the future of scientific inquiry. As Tegmark clearly notes, there is no consensus in the AI community as to when, if ever, an intelligent machine capable of both learning and improving it’s own physical structure and performance, his definition of Life 3.0, will be created. Once it comes into existence, however, he makes a very convincing case that it will be too late to start thinking about aligning the machine’s goals with our own. Because language itself is a human convention that we invented, I am naturally skeptical of any written or oral explanation of anything that claims to be final and complete. I do feel, however, that he is sincerely receptive to dialogue—even insistent on it—and that makes him the voice we need to move forward in our pursuit of understanding and the wonders, like AI, that knowledge will put at our doorstep."
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Best Mechanical Engineering

The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies
Digital technologies—with hardware, software, and networks at their core—will in the near future diagnose diseases more accurately than doctors can, apply enormous data sets to transform retailing, and accomplish many tasks once considered uniquely human. These include revamping education so that it prepares people for the next economy instead of the last one, designing new collaborations that pair brute processing power with human ingenuity, and embracing policies that make sense in a radically transformed landscape. “Offers important insights into how digital technologies are transforming our economy, a process that has only just begun.”. - Reid Hoffman, cofounder/chairman of LinkedIn and coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Start-up of You. I’ll encourage all of our entrepreneurs to read it, and hope their competitors don’t.”. - Marc Andreessen, cofounder of Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz. Long after the financial crisis and great recession have receded, the issues raised in this important book will be central to our lives and our politics.”. - Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University.
Reviews
"The Second Machine Age gives many examples of specific technologies like robots, AI and autonomous cars, and also lots of data showing how the economy is being transformed. The authors also make a strong argument that the way economists measure things, especially in terms of GDP, no longer does a good job of capturing what prosperity really means in the information age. There are lots of policy suggestions including reforming education to pay teachers more but also make them accountable, jump starting entrepreneurship, better job matching technologies, investing more in basic scientific research, upgrading national infrastructure, expanding skilled immigration, implementing smarter taxes, expanding the earned income tax credit (EITC), etc."
"There'll be nothing earth-shattering here for readers who follow technology trends or even who read WIRED magazine, but the book looks at all these things through a somewhat different lens (its impact on human work) than the tech press usually does, and I didn't find myself skimming even when they were covering developments with which I'm already very familiar. Their short-term prescriptions are sensible enough (basically: take steps to encourage general economic growth) but, as the authors themselves point out, these won't address the underlying problem, identified by Keynes among others, of technological change outpacing the ability of large segments of the workforce to retrain for new jobs."
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Best Automation Engineering

Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future
Top Business Book of 2015 at Forbes. One of NBCNews.com 12 Notable Science and Technology Books of 2015 What are the jobs of the future? “A careful and courageous examination of automation and its possible impact on society.” — Kirkus Reviews “In Rise of the Robots , Ford coolly and clearly considers what work is under threat from automation.” — New Scientist. “Compelling and well-written In his conception, the answer is a combination of short-term policies and longer-term initiatives, one of which is a radical idea that may gain some purchase among gloomier techno-profits: a guaranteed income for all citizens. The book is both lucid and bold, and certainly a starting point for robust debate about the future of all workers in an age of advancing robotics and looming artificial intelligence systems.” —ZDNet. Ford's analysis, in a somewhat crowded field of similar books, offers a sobering assessment of how technology (robotics, machine learning, AI, etc.). is reshaping labor markets, the composition of growth, and the distribution of income and wealth, and calls for enlightened political and policy leadership to address coming, accelerating disruptions and dislocations.” — Bloomberg Business , Timothy Adams. Martin Ford's Rise of the Robots captures why these shifts are related and what challenges this might pose to our conventional economic and social infrastructures.” — Bloomberg Business , Andy Haldane. “Few captured the mood as well as Martin Ford in The Rise of the Robots , the winner of the FT and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, which painted a bleak picture of the upheavals that would come as ever-greater numbers of even highly skilled workers were displaced by machines.” — Financial Times. “Lucid, comprehensive and unafraid to grapple fairly with those who dispute Ford's basic thesis, Rise of the Robots is an indispensable contribution to a long-running argument.” — Los Angeles Times. Ford lucidly sets out myriad examples of how focused applications of versatile machines (coupled with human helpers where necessary) could displace or de-skill many jobs His answer to a sharp decline in employment is a guaranteed basic income, a safety net that he suggests would both cushion the effect on the newly unemployable and encourage entrepreneurship among those creative enough to make a new way for themselves. “Martin Ford has thrust himself into the center of the debate over AI, big data, and the future of the economy with a shrewd look at the forces shaping our lives and work. Rise of the Robots goes far beyond the usual fear-mongering punditry to suggest an action plan for a better future.” —Cathy N. Davidson, Distinguished Professor and Director, The Futures Initiative, The Graduate Center, CUNY and author of Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn.
Reviews
"I realized that, as the technology of AI advanced, a point would be reached in which intelligent software and general-purpose robots could perform all tasks (both mental and physical) that are currently achievable only by highly educated humans. At one time I toyed with writing a book about my concerns regarding intelligent automation and its future effect on political and economic systems but Martin Ford has a done a 100-times better job that I could have ever done. I only have two complaints about Ford's book: (a) the title sounds a bit too much like a title for a pulp-fiction work and so I fear that not enough people will read it and (b) the first 75 pages consist of a standard summary of current economic facts and principles and so I fear that some readers may quit reading his book before they get to the really interesting parts, which in my opinion, start after page 75."
"I can't finish most books because it so long winded."
"Amazing Economics book."
"Mr. Ford clearly expands on a evolving threat of technology changing how supply and demand define society."
"The author brings to the table the realities and inevitable rise of technology replacing manual labor force."
"The job, the life style, the socialization type- everything is changing and I never thought to connect automatization of everyday life with robots."
"Good book."
"This is a very comprehensive account of the advances being made in the field of robotics."
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Best Remote Sensing

The Backup Asset: A Gripping Espionage Thriller
An engaging and unsettling page-turner, The Backup Asset explores the fascinating world of espionage and counter-intelligence, featured against a backdrop of cutting-edge technology and keenly depicted political conjunctures. Putting her life on the line and risking everything she has, Alex is relentless in her quest, taking readers on a breathtaking roller coaster ride in this fast-paced, engrossing espionage technothriller. and guessing the final outcome, much like a tight and unpredictable race to the White House.” - Carole P. Roman. “This story has one of the best plots I’ve read in a long time.” - Joan A. Adamak. “From the beginning to the last page her novel manages to keep reader’s attention, delivering intrigue, thrill and suspense ” - Denis Yukosav. “A thriller with a political agenda that conceals powerful influence, the perfect play for global conspiracy” - Pennie Mae Cartawick. “An impressive amount of suspense throughout.” - Kirkus Reviews. -- "It's fascinating to read about Alex..."-- "What I really liked about the novel is the strong female character that Alex is; she's fierce, capable, determined, intelligent and relatable too."
Reviews
"There's a foe bent on destroying western life and there's an easy means of doing so, but it isn't that obvious until around a quarter through the book, and that's when the pace picks up. Leslie Wolfe uses a contemporary scenario (the Ukraine and ISIS) with a Russian leader who appears to be very much like the current Russian leader."
"What started out as a free read has turned into one of the better written books I have read in a while."
"Update: Chapter 75: Day at the Spa, first chapter has the mistake."
"Very interesting story with sci tech events and believable characters even if some were one dimensional."
"Wolfe is becoming my favorite author."
"An entertaining read, moved along quickly."
"Great character development."
"I was all set for another great Alex Hoffman tale and discovered my book ended in mid-flight - literally - with the plane being hijacked by the co-pilot."
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Best Holography

Basics of Holography
It begins with the theory of holographic imaging, the characteristics of the reconstructed image, and the various types of holograms. It covers the theory of holographic imaging, the practical aspects of holography including methods of producing different types of hologram for displays, and the most important applications of holography, including holographic interferometry.
Reviews
"fascinating and highly detailed."
"A comprehensive bibliography and references to original papers identify sources of additional information.Numerical problems and their solutions are provided at the end of each chapter to clarify the principles discussed and give the reader a feel for the numerical aspects of each topic. Chapters 1 through 3 review image formation by a hologram, the characteristics of the reconstructed image, and the basic types of holograms while the next three chapters discuss available light sources, the characteristics of hologram recording media, and practical recording materials. Chapters 7 through 9 describe methods for the production of different types of holograms for displays, including multicolor holograms, and methods for making copies of holograms, as well as a chapter decribing the production of computer-generated holograms."
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Best Imaging Systems Computer Engineering

Amazon Echo: 2017 Edition - User Guide and Manual - Learn It Live It Love It
Amazon Echo: The Ultimate Guide To Amazon Echo – 2017 Edition offers actionable information about this amazing voice-driven device! Amazon Echo: The Ultimate Guide To Amazon Echo – 2017 Edition explains how you can best use the Echo’s wealth of powerful features: Setting Up Your Echo for the First Time Interacting Verbally with Alexa Setting Up Pandora on Your Echo Connecting your Google Calendar to Your Echo Amazon Echo IFTTT Channel Advice Fun (and Sleepy time) Echo Activities for Kids! When you download Amazon Echo: The Ultimate Guide To Amazon Echo – 2017 Edition , you’ll find out how to engage with Alexa and maximize your use of her powerful skills.
Reviews
"This guide step by step explains every function of echo and does it much more than devices guide itself."
"I've had my Echo for two weeks and thought I had it figured out, pretty well."
"Good book to learn how to work with Amazon Echo."
"This book gave me a good summary of the Echo."
"There is a lot of outdated material, but it was cheap enough that I did get my money's worth."
"I ordered and started reading through this book before my Echo arrived."
"Without this book, you'll NEVER know all that this doohickey can do!!"
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