Real Space: the Fate of Physical Presence in the Digital Age, on and Off Planet Online
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0O9Xv (Free) Real Space: The fate of physical presence in the digital age, on and off planet Online [0O9Xv.ebook] Real Space: The fate of physical presence in the digital age, on and off planet Pdf Free Paul Levinson *Download PDF | ePub | DOC | audiobook | ebooks Download Now Free Download Here Download eBook 2016-03-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.75 x 4.25 x .25l, .0 #File Name: 0415753775192 pages | File size: 51.Mb Paul Levinson : Real Space: The fate of physical presence in the digital age, on and off planet before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised Real Space: The fate of physical presence in the digital age, on and off planet: 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Gem of ReflectionBy Robert David STEELE VivasI am sorry to say that with all the reading I do, this is the first time I have come across Paul Levinson. This is a gem of a book, and I will attend to anything else he write, and hope to hear him in person someday.The author, the book, and by the authors account, California, converges four vectors:- Cyberspace where its just information, not "real"- Outer Space, where he believes we need to go- Inner Space, with hightened spiritual awareness being important- RealSpace, which only live beings with all their senses can engageI found this gem to be absorbing and it rounded out my Sunday morning reading quite nicely. Some bullets I took away:- No senses of smell, touch, taste in cyberspace- Knowledge is not Experience- Walking and talking are intertwined- Cell phone is antidote to Interent, restores ability to work in the real world and not be chained to a computer or cubicle- Makes care for business, not governments, to fund space exploration- Discusses robots as useful for some things but no substitute for humans- Discusses how much we missed in our evaluation of Mars until we actually had a real soil sample with traces of bacteria- Wants a World Spaceport Center at WTC site in NYC, adds chapter on terrorism and sspace.The selected bibliography, with annotation, is quite remarkable. I am only familiar with a third of what is catalogued there.This book helped me understand Jeff Bezos better, and that is always useful.The author buys into the myths of 9/11. This is disappointing.Some other books that his is a complement to:The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for AllThe Age of Missing InformationFog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of SpinLost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press 'Project Truth'The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the PastThe Lessons of HistoryForbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to PornographyVoltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the WestOne from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic OrganizationImagine: What America Could Be in the 21st Century3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A Good Guidebook Offering a Rationale for Human SpaceflightBy Roger D. LauniusThis is a helpful handbook for advocates of human spaceflight. In the summer of 2004 esteemed space scientist James A. Van Allen, asked the poignant question, "Is human spaceflight obsolete?" He added: "Does human spaceflight continue to serve a compelling cultural purpose and/or our national interest?...Risk is high, cost is enormous, science is insignificant. Does anyone have a good rationale for sending humans into space?" Paul Levinson has an answer, one that should at least prove convincing to those wanting to believe even if it might not convince James Van Allen.Levinson says essentially that while cyberspace made virtual exploration of almost anything possible it has also demonstrated an under-appreciated fact of the human existence, cyberspace is a pale comparison to reality. We continue to seek firsthand human experience to understand and experience the universe. He addresses the full range of rationales for spaceflight, suggesting that the human desire to experience and explore is what makes us fully human. This is a work of advocacy that is poignant and provocative, suggesting that our desire to fly in space is just as much spiritual and eternal as it is practical, political, economic, and military.3 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Status quo repackaged and overpricedBy KevHere is a book that seems always on the verge of making a difference, or at least a point, but never gets there. Why did the U.S. space program progress so slowly after the Moon landings while communication technology grew by leaps and bounds? That's Levinson's central question and I'll be damned if I know what his answer is after reading this book. Chapter 4 ends with the promise that chapter 5 will discuss it, but instead there's a discourse on California culture during the Space Age, and how Natural philosophy has only recently eclipsed moral and intellectual philosophy. Huh? I would have appreciated something prescriptive to connect the dots. The closest thing to an intellectual risk Levinson takes is to say that humans will gain a better picture of their place in the universe if they explore space personally, not just with robots. Oh, and perhaps NASA (he sees no serious alternative to government space programs) is not packaging the experience right. Really? There's not even enough in here to tell whether Levinson is wrong. The book is a charming mind-screw littered with historical nuggets, such as how Diego Columbus's books about his father's voyages of discovery became best-sellers. But for $27.95 suggested retail, I expected something a lot more bold and relevant. Is planet earth the end of the line, or is space itself the next stop?Cyberspace. It's incredible, taking us to any part of the planet we want to visit. But as Paul Levinson shows in his brilliant new book, when it comes to transport, we're still stuck in the past, preferring to take our bodies with us. Whether it's trains, yachts, scooters or pogo-sticks, we're compelled to keep moving, our movements curtailed only by the earth itself. In our imaginations however, we soar way past the limits of current technology. With a lucid but reflective style that takes in everything from robots and science fiction to religion and philosophy, Paul Levinson asks why there is a deep seated human desire to know what's 'out there'. Why, after getting a man on the moon, did the US space program develop so slowly? In a world where space is constantly repackaged, how do we know what real space is? Is our desire to get into space natural, or a religious craving, and is it a modern phenomenon, or did our ancestors also dream of escaping the clutches of Mother Earth? Jam-packed with exciting, innovative, even revolutionary thinking about our future, Realspace is essential reading for everyone who has ever sat at their desk, gazed into the distance and imagined boarding a space shuttle... "those interested in the relations between cyberspace, 'real space' and outer space, should relish this challenging and mind-opening read" --Publisher's Weekly"RealSpace is an essential, thought-provoking purchase." --Midwest Book "a gem of reflection" --Public Intelligence Blog"a rich, original, and sophisticated work that will be rewarding reading both for science fiction enthusiasts and for professionals in the history and sociology of science and technology" -- Edward Tenner, author of Why Things Bite Back..."engagingly humane and commonsensical."-Albert Borgmann, author of "Holding on to Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium ..."a rich, original, and sophisticated work that will be rewarding reading both for science fiction enthusiasts and for professionals in the history and sociology of science and technology."- Edward Tenner, author of "Why Things Bite Back ..."a lucid argument for injecting new passion into the exploration of outer space.He is one of our very best writers on technology because he presents the big picture."-Michael Heim, author of "The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality About the AuthorPaul Levinson's The Soft Edge (1997) and Digital McLuhan (1999) have been the subject of major articles in The New York Times and Wired and have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, and ten other languages. Digital McLuhan won the Lewis Mumford Award for Outstanding Scholarship, and Levinson's science fiction novel The Silk Code won the 2000 Locus Award for Best First Novel. Additional science fiction novels include Borrowed Tides (2001), The Consciousness Plague (2002), The Pixel Eye (2003), The Plot to Save Socrates (2006), Unburning Alexandria (2013), and Chronica (2014). He has appeared on 'Inside Edition', CNN, The History Channel, CSPAN, Fox News, NPR, the BBC, and the CBC. He was President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, 1998- 2001, and is Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City. 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