Looks at ten central questions concerning humankind's relationship to technology, including "Does technology shape us, or do we shape it?" and "Are we using modern technology to create cultural unifor
Nye analyzes the transformation of the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls into tourist sites, the history of light shows at world's fairs, the New Deal programs designed to provide electricity to rural ar
A reconception of the sublime to include experiences of disaster, war, outer space, virtual reality, and the Anthropocene. We experience the sublime―overwhelming amazement and exhilaration―in at least seven different forms. Gazing from the top of a mountain at a majestic vista is not the same thing as looking at a city from the observation deck of a skyscraper; looking at images constructed from Hubble Space Telescope data is not the same as living through a powerful earthquake. The varieties of sublime experience have increased during the last two centuries, and we need an expanded terminology to distinguish between them. In this book, David Nye delineates seven forms of the sublime: natural, technological, disastrous, martial, intangible, digital, and environmental, which express seven different relationships to space, time, and identity. These forms of the sublime can be experienced at historic sites, ruins, cities, national parks, or on the computer screen. We find them in
How Americans adapted European royal illuminations for patriotic celebrations, spectacular expositions, and intensely bright commercial lighting to create the world's most dazzling and glamorous citie
The assembly line was invented in 1913 and has been in continuous operation ever since. It is the most familiar form of mass production. Both praised as a boon to workers and condemned for exploiting
Technology has long played a central role in the formation of Americans' sense of selfhood. From the first canal systems through the moon landing, Americans have, for better or worse, derived unity f
Where were you when the lights went out? At home during a thunderstorm? Preparing for air attack in World War II? In the Northeast in 1965, when the power failed from Toronto to the East coast? In Ne
Blackouts--whether they result from military planning, network failure, human error,or terrorism--offer snapshots of electricity's increasingly central role in Americansociety.
Looks at how General Electric has used photography in advertising and company publications, explains how these photos convey a corporate image, and identifies five target audiences
By viewing the corporation as a communicator, Image Worlds links the histories oflabor, business, consumption, engineering, and photography, providing a new perspective on one ofthe largest and most r
The mechanized assembly line was invented in 1913 and has been in continuous operation ever since. It is the most familiar form of mass production. Both praised as a boon to workers and condemned for
After 1776, the former American colonies began to reimagine themselves as a unified,self-created community. Technologies had an important role in the resulting national narratives, anda few technologi
A concise overview of this multidisciplinary field, presenting key concepts, central issues, and current research, along with concrete examples and case studies.The emergence of the environmental huma
