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What archetypes emerge from prominent episodes of product launches? This essay examines a set of episodes in information technology history that led to significant changes in industry leadership. It highlights that, in all of these instances, there is an example of a "visionary" archetype—an individual or a set of leaders who promulgate a unique view for addressing a business opportunity, which they use as they launch a new product. These archetypes are couched as insiders or outsiders depending on the firm's status before the new product launch, and incumbent market leaders are insiders. The narrative arc is similar, as the visionary first encounters resistance and crises, must overcome challenges, and usually has to overcome skeptics via a product launch that gains market acceptance. However, the narratives of insiders and outsiders differ systematically based on their market position, leading to asymmetric approaches to market competition. This review stresses the importance of visionaries in industrial change brought about by product entry. It raises questions about integrating such narratives into the analysis of significant changes in market structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass constructions at the turn of the century The period of high modernism (ca. 1880–1970) goes hand in hand with technical developments of the industrial revolution, which leads from handicraft production to the industrial mass production of glass. The further development of manufacturing processes and the dimensions and qualities of the glass panes now available had a considerable influence on the development of glass constructions and profiles. Using selected examples, this article traces the development of flat glass applications from 1880 to 1920 in order to demonstrate changes in glass construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis article explores issues of gender imbalance in the historical record of the period of technological development of the internet. It revisits the approach by authors, mostly women, who have criticised the lack of representation of women in the recorded history of technologies. It suggests that women in the period 1980s – 2000s may have been considered as not relevant to the technological record of that period because they were mostly working in invisible support roles, or leading on governance and commercial development matters. Overcoming centuries of discriminatory treatment women enablers have made significant contributions to the growth of new technology organisations but their involvement has been largely hidden from view by gatekeepers seeking to focus on and celebrate the mostly male led engineering and information technology achievements. Illustrated with exemplars from women collected especially for this article, it recommends further study about the roles of the women enablers to complement the already well documented histories in the era of the internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation studies scholars use the concept of ‘spillovers’ to explain how ideas and people move among firms and industries and how regions form industrial clusters. Historians of technology use different vocabularies, but are interested in similar exchanges. This special issue explores spillovers specifically from (and to) oil firms. Oil touches all of social life, including non-oil technologies, but historians of technology and innovation studies scholars have not grasped its ubiquity. Within history of technology, oil history is a circumscribed subfield that has drawn little attention to non-oil technological activity performed or supported by oil actors, while historians of non-oil and non-energy technologies do not sufficiently acknowledge that the technologies that they write about are shaped by their energetic context. Within innovation studies, meanwhile, oil is also a relatively minor topic, despite substantial R&D within that industry alone. Yet oil was crucial for many canonical technologies of interest to both history of technology and innovation studies, including nuclear power, computing, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and scientific instrumentation. Technological activity within an oil economy/society bears that fuel’s mark. More generally, tracing oil and other energetic spillovers shows that different modes of energy production afford different modes of technological activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author index from the journal "Technology & Culture" for Volume 65 (2024) offers a comprehensive list of authors, titles, and reviewers of books and articles on diverse topics such as media, cultural history, and scientific agriculture. The reviews provide insights into global perspectives on technology and culture, covering subjects like gendered labor, global health, energy transition, and regional histories of technology. Each review offers a critical analysis of the content, contributing to a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between technology, society, and culture. [Extracted from the article]

For the first four decades of the twentieth century premature babies in the United States were primarily treated in infant incubators not in hospitals but in a public setting—at the Coney Island amusement park. Although incubators are now an indispensable medical device their origins lie in public exhibitions rather than a professional medical environment. This article uncovers the longer history behind this unusual episode in neonatal care and technology. Offering the first comprehensive account of the early history of the infant incubator it traces how these devices were first developed and showcased at exhibition sites across Europe in the 1890s. A comparative study of these exhibitions in Europe and the United States from 1890 to 1943 highlights significant differences in how industry science education and spectacle interacted in each country. Moreover it examines the changing relationship between public displays and professional medicine during this period illustrating how technology developed in public spaces before transitioning into the professional medical domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses how the notion of "diffusionism" has functioned as a straw man in the history of technology. This has prevented it from becoming fully global and symmetrical. In contrast the second section of this article offers an example of what a symmetrical account of the global history of technology might look like using the case of chlorination in the early twentieth century. Focusing on London Bogotá and Jersey City it shows that chlorination was initially rejected in each of these places but was later adopted in all of them for economic reasons after discussions that took the same form. It concludes by suggesting that global histories of technology must treat North and South East and West center and periphery and metropole and colony symmetrically drawing out similarities and differences based on the available evidence without assuming them in advance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay reviews the 2022 American film How to Blow Up a Pipeline examining its significance for historians of technology. The film highlights do-it-yourself technologies the experiences of marginalized technology users and the environmental consequences of infrastructures. Central to the discussion is the film's dystopian portrayal of infrastructure which drives the characters to take extreme measures such as the bombing of an oil pipeline to raise awareness about climate change. While the film might seem to advocate for radical action this review suggests that it offers historians an opportunity to engage with broader social issues and reflect on the methodological challenges within the history of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cotton Textile Technology is the property of Cotton Textile Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The surge in demand for 3D MOSFETs, such as FinFETs, driven by recent technological advances, is explored in this review. FinFETs, positioned as promising alternatives to bulk CMOS, exhibit favorable electrostatic characteristics and offer power/performance benefits, scalability, and control over short-channel effects. Simulations provide insights into functionality and leakage, addressing off-current issues common in narrow band-gap materials within a CMOS-compatible process. Multiple structures have been introduced for FinFETs. Moreover, some studies on the fabrication of FinFETs using different materials have been discussed. Despite their potential, challenges like corner effects, quantum effects, width quantization, layout dependencies, and parasitics have been acknowledged. In the post-planar CMOS landscape, FinFETs show potential for scalability in nanoscale CMOS, which leads to novel structures for them. Finally, recent developments in FinFET-based sensors are discussed. In a general view, this comprehensive review delves into the intricacies of FinFET fabrication, exploring historical development, classifications, and cutting-edge ideas for the used materials and FinFET application, i.e., sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wikipedia's influence in shaping public perceptions of science underscores the significance of scientists being recognized on the platform, as it can impact their careers. Although Wikipedia offers guidelines for determining when a scientist qualifies for their own article, it currently lacks guidance regarding whether a scientist should be acknowledged in articles related to the innovation processes to which they have contributed. To explore how Wikipedia addresses this issue of scientific "micro-notability," we introduce a digital method called Name Edit Analysis, enabling us to quantitatively and qualitatively trace mentions of scientists within Wikipedia's articles. We study two CRISPR-related Wikipedia articles and find dynamic negotiations of micro-notability as well as a surprising tension between Wikipedia's principle of safeguarding against self-promotion and the scholarly norm of "due credit." To reconcile this tension, we propose that Wikipedians and scientists collaborate to establish specific micro-notability guidelines that acknowledge scientific contributions while preventing excessive self-promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The buzzword "smart borders" captures the latest instantiation of media technologies constituting state bordering. This article traces historical techniques of knowledge-production and decision-making at the border, in the case of Ellis Island immigration station, New York City (1892–1954). State bordering has long been enabled by media technologies, engulfed with imaginaries of neutral, unambiguous, efficient sorting between desired and undesired migrants—promises central to today's "smart border" projects. Specifically, the use of "proxies" for decision-making is traced historically, for example, biometric or biographic data, collected as seemingly authentic and neutral stand-ins for the migrant. Techniques of selecting, storing, and correlating proxies through media technologies demonstrate how public health anxieties, eugenics, and scientific technocracy of the Progressive Era formed the context of proxies being entrusted to enable decision-making. This pre-digital history of automation reveals how the logics and politics of proxification endure in contemporary border regimes and automated media at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Film Studies is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The currently accepted narrative on the prehistory of bronze alloying technology follows deterministic, outdated assumptions of technological progression that ignore the role of contextual and performance factors in the decision-making processes, thus neglecting human agency. In essence, it is expected that newer techniques were overarchingly more advanced than older ones and hence replaced them. The validity of this narrative should be challenged and revised. A critical analysis of worldwide literature exposed that, contrary to predictions of the accepted theory, (1) the oldest alloying techniques persisted for centuries after newer ones were invented, and (2) several techniques usually coexisted in the same contexts. We hypothesised that these counterintuitive findings could be explained by differences in performance between techniques, (dis)advantageous at different settings. To obtain empirical information on the performance of techniques and test for behaviourally relevant performance differences between them, a series of alloying experiments were conducted. The results show that all techniques can produce objects of broadly equivalent quality while offering different trade-offs during production. Therefore, every technique—or a combination—can be advantageous under certain conditions, and there are no grounds to support a linear trajectory of substitution. These results debunk the traditional narrative and predict that co-smelting and cementation techniques were more frequently practiced in the past than hitherto assumed. Our propositions prompt a readjustment of explanatory models of bronze production organisation, trade, and consumption while opening unexplored research paths for archaeology and the history of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A brain‐to‐brain interface (BBI), defined as a combination of neuroimaging and neurostimulation methods to extract and deliver information between brains directly without the need for the peripheral nervous system, is a budding communication technique. A BBI system is made up of two parts known as the brain–computer interface part, which reads a sender's brain activity and digitalizes it, and the computer–brain interface part, which writes the delivered brain activity to a receiving brain. As with other technologies, BBI systems have gone through an evolutionary process since they first appeared. The BBI systems have been employed for numerous purposes, including rehabilitation for post‐stroke patients, communicating with patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, locked‐in syndrome and speech problems following stroke. Also, it has been proposed that a BBI system could play an important role on future battlefields. This technology was not only employed for communicating between two human brains but also for making a direct communication path among different species through which motor or sensory commands could be sent and received. However, the application of BBI systems has provoked significant challenges to human rights principles due to their ability to access and manipulate human brain information. In this study, we aimed to review the brain–computer interface and computer–brain interface technologies as components of BBI systems, the development of BBI systems, applications of this technology, arising ethical issues and expectations for future use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The closure of Sydney's Powerhouse Museum has sparked debates about the removal of its largest exhibit, the Catalina seaplane Frigate Bird II. Despite its limited historical significance, the aircraft has become popular among the public. Australian public museums have generally shown disinterest in aviation history, with only one original aircraft acquired in the past 25 years. The museum's interpretation of the plane's pilot and flight has been mythologized, and the significance of the aircraft is being questioned. The article suggests that when the Catalina returns, a display based on evidence-based research should be presented. [Extracted from the article]

Until recently Western military history has concentrated on battles, technology, and the biographies of great generals. The roots of this tradition of history writing lie in the Ancient Greeks and this orientation has carried through to the present. Military historians studying other cultures, like China's, have usually tried to make very different traditions of commemorating war match or fit into the Western tradition. Although there is no established Chinese tradition of military history writing, an implicit tradition embedded in its extensive historiography suggests an emphasis on conflicts between military systems rather than specific weapons, battles, or individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, our aim is to discuss some necessary and urgent questions about the pedagogical practices and digital technologies in the teaching History in actuality. For this, we rescue some aspects such as teaching training, the criticism in the use of technological questions and the connection between pedagogical practices and technological questions. The methodology used was the bibliographical research, including some authors who present your reflections on the themes discussed. As a results, we observe that the reflection on this question should be concentrated in the History teaching training in actuality, when should be discussed these questions in order to an actualized formation of professors. As a conclusion, we highlight the necessity of the History teacher to reflect constantly on your practices including the technological questions, in order to promote, then, a scholar citizen formation more significant, consciousness, and contemporary discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This text aims to present the theoretical and methodological foundations that underlie the project titled 'Portal Clio HD - Digital Collection of Historical Sources and Objects for Teaching and Research in History,' and to outline the set of already cataloged data. It is an initiative grounded in the principles of Digital History, with the purpose of dynamically and permanently establishing a collection of exclusively digital historical sources, addressing various thematic axes, and making them available for public consultation. More specifically, the proposal of Portal Clio HD is to safeguard documents of exclusively digital origin, such as online press publications and narratives disseminated on blogs and social media platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. The temporal scope of data collection began in 2019 and has no established endpoint. Currently, source collection focuses on the following thematic axes: human rights, historical and scientific denialism, education, diversity and contemporary conflicts. The portal also provides various dossiers, articles, and books resulting from the intersection of history and digital technologies. In summary, the project aims to contribute to the development of historical research and history education, as well as to the training of teacher-researchers committed to the diverse issues that characterize contemporaneity and demand historical analysis and interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the memory theatres in Robert Fludd’s major work Utriusque cosmi historia (History of both worlds), focusing in particular on their epistemological and artistic relevance. My recent research into Fludd’s manuscripts has revealed that the British philosopher invested his personal skills in the art of drawing, in order to materialise his ideas for images. He created appealing designs for his books, which worked as visualisations of his philosophical texts, both allusively and didactically. In this article, I develop my earlier findings by arriving at the conclusion that Fludd also used skills in the art of memory to create and organise his ideas for images. Most notably, Fludd preferred round and square shapes, corresponding to the shapes that he applied in his “Ars memoriae”. I conclude the article by exploring the further historical reception and development of Fludd’s hermetic art of memory, showing the shift from mnemonics as a competency in Renaissance arts and sciences to mnemonics as an artistic subject and method in modern and contemporary fine arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until the 18th century, human history used a technology that had been going on for thousands of years and was characterised by its mechanical features, and social life was shaped accordingly. This process, which has been going on for thousands of years, witnessed significant changes in the 19th century, especially in transport technologies - railways and steamships - and this century witnessed the birth of today's modern technology. This process, which started in the field of transport, continued to gain momentum with developments in the fields of chemistry and electricity. In the 19th century, a period of rapid change and transformation, Ottoman society, as a technology importer, imported this technology from abroad. The product range and volume of the technology imported from abroad varied according to the years and the needs of the society. At this point, our research will try to examine how and in what way the Ottoman Empire, as a technology importer, used the imported technology by selecting samples from different neighbourhoods of Anatolia. As it is known, railways and steamships are among the most important technologies imported from the early period. Firstly, the use and effects of these transport technologies in the late Ottoman society will be investigated, and then the use and spread of agricultural tools such as threshing machines and ploughs will be emphasised depending on the developments in the agricultural field. Then we will focus on sewing machines, which had a significant impact on household production and became visible in the second half of the 19th century. Our research will try to investigate the use of technology in the late Ottoman society through such examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to lift water by means of appropriate equipment is a global phenomenon and has preoccupied all cultures since earliest times. While most basic methods (for example, the bailing with some kind of container by means of a sweep well or a windlass) were shared all over the world, local conditions and crafting skills produced regional developments of more sophisticated devices. This essay examines the impact of the strategically motivated Jesuit transfer of knowledge about the suction-lift pump from the West to China in the early seventeenth century. There, in the face of constant drought disasters, more efficient implements to get hold of well water would seem to have been desperately needed. The nevertheless sluggish adoption of this innovative, though not yet fully mature, hydraulic technology by the responsible Chinese scholar-officials highlights some of the reasons for the emergence of the Great Divergence between China and the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Technology marks the maturity of the philosophy of technology, which has lagged behind the history of technology as a distinct field. The book's thirty-two chapters span almost seven hundred pages, written by thirty-four authors from twelve countries. Shannon Vallor, professor of philosophy at University of Edinburgh, edited the volume and wrote its excellent introduction, which provides a historical framing that is largely absent from the rest of the volume. Although many of the remaining chapters are quite strong, the volume as a whole suffers from an unevenness that reflects the conceptual disunity of the field. Nevertheless, the volume shows the value of this field for historians of technology, especially as an alternative to the stale STS theories that many historians of technology draw on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Artnodes is the property of Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Artnodes is the property of Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki is the property of Polska Akademia Nauk, Instytut Historii Nauki and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Caroline Catherine Hannaway, a historian of medicine, passed away in 2024. She was born in Melbourne, Australia, and studied the history and philosophy of science at the University of Melbourne. She later pursued graduate studies at the Institute of the History of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Hannaway's research focused on French medicine, and she completed her Ph.D. dissertation on the Société Royale de Médicine of Paris. She made significant contributions to the field as the editor of the Bulletin of the History of Medicine and through her work with federal history of medicine programs. Hannaway received the Genevieve Miller Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for the History of Medicine in 2015. [Extracted from the article]

Historians have thoroughly documented the development of mercury-based silver refining in Spanish America in the late sixteenth century, and its use for over 300 years on an industrial scale unknown in Europe. However, we currently lack any consensus about the significance of this technology in the global history of knowledge. This article critically reassesses the invention and improvement of this refining method with the aim of addressing two interrelated issues. Firstly, how experiential knowledge and practical skills in silver refining were deliberately harnessed to solve a specific technical problem. Secondly, how economic incentives and patronage set the stage for empirical practices and a collaborative culture that facilitated the widespread use of this novel technique. In so doing, this article places silver refining within the theoretical constructs and historiography of useful knowledge, and bridges narratives that have remained largely isolated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AI has become the poster child for a certain kind of thinking which holds that some technologies can become objective, independent and emergent entities which can evolve beyond the control of their creators. This thinking is not new however. It is a product of certain philosophical ideas such as materialism, a common-sense world of objective and independent objects, a correspondence theory of truth, and so forth, which are centered around the pre-eminence of science, epistemology, and logical reasoning, among others, as the supremely valid modes of engaging experience. This paper aims to critically examine the synthesis of the development program for AI to be found in the writings of computer scientist John McCarthy (1927–2011). McCarthy has been called one of the founding fathers of AI. First, some of the main themes which recur in his writings from as early as the mid nineteen fifties in the Dartmouth proposal, up to his late writings, are considered. A discussion of the goals that such a program implies, follows, in terms of society's relation with AI based technology and the nature and purpose of AI itself. These implications are arguably related to social control and are also moral. Ultimately, McCarthy's idea that AI is and can be built upon a paradigm of reasoning and logic so as to simulate a perfectly rational abstraction of human thinking is shown to be motivated by his view that AI systems should be controlled, as servants. This understanding of human thinking is questionable, however, given current research on human irrationality, as well as on the argumentative role of reasoning. And yet, the process of development toward the unachievable goal of controllable, rational, logical AI systems, has handily come to serve as a blind for increasing techno-corporate control of society, with techno-corporate interests displacing blame for devaluations and harms caused by their push to develop the technology to AI systems which they can conveniently 'lose control of.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds light on a West African technological landscape of the early twentieth century that transcended the boundaries of various West African population groups and natural environments. The conceptual framework of technological landscape employed in this study serves to explore the everyday spaces and details of trade and transport activities of merchants from Northern Nigeria, as well as the engagement of forest dwellers in Côte d'Ivoire in the trade of gold and other natural resources they cultivated, harvested and produced in the forest. Building on archival materials from Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire, the paper considers various historical actors who have often been neglected in history of technology narratives but who are certainly relevant in West African (transport) history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional games are an indispensable tool in education and cultural transmission, offering users immersive experiences that facilitate learning through engagement and direct experience. The aim of this study was to design and implement an advanced cutscene sequencer in Unity 3D, targeted at educational and cultural games, to assist game developers in producing cinematic interludes, which are a key narrative element in games. The project methodology encompassed a detailed process of planning, design, and implementation. This involved the comprehensive use of various tools, including Unity 3D for game development, C# for scripting, Visual Studio for integrated development, Git for version control, Blender for 3D modeling, Substance Painter for texturing, and Audacity for audio editing. These tools collectively facilitated the development of a robust cutscene sequencer system designed to create engaging and dynamic narrative scenes. The project's results indicate that the use of an advanced sequencer can significantly impact the efficiency and creativity of the game and educational material creation process, offering developers the opportunity to explore practically unlimited viewing perspectives. This tool enables the creation of rich and diverse visual experiences, which is crucial for engaging and educating players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invention of the wheel is widely credited as a pivotal moment in human history, yet the details surrounding its discovery are shrouded in mystery. There remains no scholarly consensus on key questions such as where, how and by whom this technology was originally invented. In this study, we employ state-of-the-art techniques from computational structural mechanics to shed light on this long-standing puzzle. Based on this analysis, we propose a probable path along which the wheel evolved via a sequence of three major innovations. We also introduce an original computational design algorithm that autonomously generates a wheel-and-axle system using an evolutionary process that offers insight into the way in which the first wheels likely evolved nearly 6000 years ago. Our analysis provides new supporting evidence for the recently advanced theory that the wheel was invented by Neolithic miners harvesting copper ore from the Carpathian Mountains as early as 3900 BC. Moreover, we show how the discovery of the wheel was made possible by the unique physical features of the mine environment, whose impact was analogous to the selective environmental pressures that drive biological evolution.

The article from Diplomatic History introduces various contributors in the field of history, highlighting their academic backgrounds, research interests, and publications. The contributors come from diverse institutions in the United States and around the world, focusing on topics such as environmental history, U.S.-Mexican Borderlands, American Revolution, and international relations. Their work spans a wide range of historical periods and geographical regions, showcasing the richness and diversity of historical scholarship in academia. [Extracted from the article]

"Sounding Human: Music and Machines, 1740–2020" by Deirdre Loughridge explores the historical and evolving relationship between humans and machines in the creation and perception of music. The book delves into various case studies, spanning from Enlightenment France to contemporary America, to challenge the dichotomy between human and machine music. Through analyses of automata, hybrids, analogies, personification of musical instruments, and posthumanist sensibilities in pop music, Loughridge offers a nuanced perspective on the complex interplay between humans and machines in musical expression. The book encourages historians of technology to reconsider their understanding of human-machine relations and provides a fresh examination of the intersections between technology, music, and culture. [Extracted from the article]

"Ecological by Design: A History from Scandinavia" by Kjetil Fallan explores the emergence of an ecological design culture in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway in the 1950s and 1960s. The book discusses the shift in furniture production towards sustainability and local materials, highlighting the environmental and social concerns that drove this change. Through thematic case studies and a wide-ranging geographical perspective, Fallan connects the development of ecological design to broader sustainability debates, making the book relevant to scholars in environmental history, technology, and sustainability studies. [Extracted from the article]

"States of Cultivation: Imperial Transition and Scientific Agriculture in the Eastern Mediterranean" by Elizabeth R. Williams, published by Stanford University Press in 2023, explores the contrasting approaches to controlling nature between late Ottoman and French mandate rule in Syria and Lebanon. The book delves into the development of scientific agriculture and its links to political economies, politics of space, and different imperial frameworks. Williams draws from a variety of archival sources to highlight the different visions and interests of various actors involved in shaping agricultural policies in the region. The narrative presented in the book sheds light on the transition from Ottoman to French rule and the impact of these changes on agricultural practices and local communities in the Eastern Mediterranean. [Extracted from the article]

With new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and application scenarios constantly emerging, AI technology has become widely used in astronomy and has promoted notable progress in related fields. A large number of papers have reviewed the application of AI technology in astronomy. However, relevant articles seldom mention telescope intelligence separately, and it is difficult to understand the current development status of and research hotspots in telescope intelligence from these papers. This paper combines the development history of AI technology and difficulties with critical telescope technologies, comprehensively introduces the development of and research hotspots in telescope intelligence, conducts a statistical analysis of various research directions in telescope intelligence, and defines the merits of these research directions. A variety of research directions are evaluated, and research trends in each type of telescope intelligence are indicated. Finally, according to the advantages of AI technology and trends in telescope development, potential future research hotspots in the field of telescope intelligence are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In several companies throughout the world, blockchain technology is gaining greater attention and implementation. In this article, first of all, we conduct an in-depth survey of blockchain technology, focusing on its history, phases, types, technologies, consensus algorithms, frameworks, and layers. Further, it describes its extensive list of applications for blockchain in several industries, including asset management, stock exchange, healthcare, insurance, digital identity, data storage and management, IoT, supply chain, voting, DNS services, etc. Blockchain has various advantages, including decentralisation, anonymity, immutability, integrity, auditability, and transparency. These features encourage the adoption of blockchain in every sector. In spite of these advantages, it has some challenges which as not letting it to accepted by common people. In this paper, we describe those challenges into two categories: security and attacks on blockchain and explain them thoroughly. Unlike other blockchain documents that focus on topics like cryptocurrencies, IoT, and security, this paper highlights the cutting-edge advancements and widespread implementation of blockchain technology, particularly in areas beyond digital currencies. Finally, it discusses the potential future research areas and objectives for blockchain technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]