About the Book
A World Perspective through 21st Century Eyes
- - by R.K. Koslowsky, BSEE
As a community of citizens of the twenty-first century we are fortunate to have emerged from the biological evolution of the past million years and the cultural evolution of the past ten thousand years. We have enjoyed an abundance of time and freedom to explore the ‘why’ and ‘how’ things work and continue to push the limits of the present technological evolution. This book is not a history textbook nor a science history book. It is not a treatise on philosophy or theology. Rather, it is a book on the major themes in the evolution of humanity and the impact of science thereto. It is a book with the major theme adressing the impact of science on society; one in which the technical community has not had time to digest and reflect upon during the past fifty years.
With the time pressures of the day and in the specializations in which we operate, there is precious little surplus energy available to us for leisure activity of our choosing. I trust that this treatment will sketch a broad outline that the scientific and technological community has had on society over the past five thousand years and potential areas where further impacts will be made in the next one hundred years. To this effort, I believe the reader will find his or her surplus energy well spent.
An engineer, to which my life’s training was aimed, is expected to have a complete and thorough knowledge of some subjects. This is true for most of us in the technical community, therefore, it is also true that most of us choose not to write about many topics of which we are not master. I feel this separation of subjects and isolation of scientists and technologists does a disservice to others in other disciplines, who look for different views in order to maintain a balanced perspective on the myriad of issues confronting them each day. Thus, those of us who have grown-up in the Western Culture without a technical education, may find this discussion exciting in the different way it is broached. Just as an engineer appreciates the beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge and the precision of the clock, the inspiration from watching the setting sun, reading a biblical passage or viewing a Bouguereau painting can motivate and enlighten that same engineer. In this way, I aim to provide the reader, either technical or non-technical, with an appreciation of the evolving world from the viewpoint of one who has been technically trained. I cannot reproduce the sunset, paint or sing to inspire, but I hope these insights motivate you to pause and consider your area of expertise, with the aim for you to contribute that which has inspired and motivated you.
Questions About the Book
Q - How did you organize your book?
A - My book is organized in three parts.
Part I focuses on the biological and cultural evolution of humankind, from the appearance of homo sapiens to the end of the colorful eighteenth century. The notion of a balanced society is introduced as well as the availability of surplus energy.
Part II addresses the application of scientific knowledge in the nineteenth century and the flourishing of technological innovation. Science was migrating from a leisure activity to a profession.
Part III investigates the material impact of science and the rapid technological evolution of the twentieth century. The notion of ‘sciencecology’ is recognized, as humanity no longer seeks to dominate nature but looks to coexist and share earth’s finite natural resources.
Q - What areas of science do you review?
A - In Part II I pay particular attention to the new scientific discipline of electricity, the maturing discipline of chemistry, and the blossoming discipline of biology.
| This electrostatic generator, known as the Wimshurst Machine, is a “static” machine made by James Wimhurst in 1884. It was the largest one he ever built. The generator produced a spark that could cross a fourteen-inch gap. Electrostatic generators where used in the laboratory to study electricity and its properties. |  |
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Chemistry emerged from the qualitative milieu of alchemy. As a scientific discipline its newly found quantitative attributes moved laboratory discoveries into the arena of mass production. Witness the emergence of glassmaking, brewing, tanning, and dyeing.
Concurrent medical advances and introduction of vaccinations significantly increased human longevity in the blossoming field of biology. This scientific discipline was no longer a static system of classification but a dynamic field of inquiry jumpstarted by Charles Darwin's seminal work on natural selection.
Quality of life was increasing for a greater proportion of the population due to scientific discovery, application of science to industry, and an increasing level of energy consumption.
In Part III I explore the disciplines of communication, transportation, and physics.
Electricity spawned the field of distance communications. Geography was no longer isolating as the telegraph and telephone enabled instantaneous one-to-one communication. Time delays in moving information were obliterated. Broadcast communications, embodied in radio and television, enabled one-to-many communications. The emergence of the computer and the internet expanded the scope of democracy with many-to-many communications found in chat rooms and websites. This world wide web phenomenon allowed anyone from anywhere access to information at anytime.
The transportation discipline took off with the energy contained in the stored sunlight of oil. Fixed wing flight eliminated distance barriers and an entire industry devoted to air travel emerged.
Airspeed increased rapidly as propeller-powered planes gave way to jet-powered airliners. The Concorde was the only commercial jet that exceeded the sound barrier.
Personal mobility was strengthened not only with the introduction of the railway, but with the affordable automobile. The resulting democritization of mobility meant anyone could travel when and where they wanted. The leisure industry emerged with an ever increasing level of surplus energy. Personal independence was being achieved at a rate never seen before in human history.
Physics was reinvigorated in the twentieth century with discoveries at both the macro and micro level. Einstein’s theory of relativity changed humanity’s view of space and time while particle physic discoveries led to the harnessing of nuclear power. Once again, scientific discovery had unleashed technological innovation and an ever increasing level of energy consumption.
 | Sundials have always kept pretty accurate time during the day. Today, sundials are perceived as curiosity pieces. They are quite reliable for the accuracy they deliver, relying on the sun to sweep across the sundial face. On the left is a sundial found in St. Maarten in the Caribbean and on the right is a sundial located in Oxford, England. |  |
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 | This sun dial is found in the southwest corner of the garden of Grace Hudson's Sun House in Ukiah, California. |
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 | Winnipeg, Manitoba is home to this sundial found in the English Garden of Assiniboine Park. |
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Q - What do you mean by "stability" in your writings?
A - Stability in society begins with the individual. Families must be nurturing, churches must reinforce morals, schools must educate by ensuring critical thinking skill development, sports must instill a positive spirit of cooperation and competition, arts must teach the power of expression, community clubs must develop individual interests, government must ensure safety, stability, and infrastructure support, nature continues to teach us that change is a constant, and experience must be afforded to instill wisdom in judgment and choices. If an individual can strive to achieve aspects of these traits, he or she, and the society in which they influence others, will become or remain stable.
Addressing Technological Issues through the Power of the Short Story
During the last half of 2006, Rob penned a couple of short stories looking at the dangers of one of the most important foodstuffs in human history - corn - and the unleashing of element 17 - chlorine - through industrial chemistry. The short story is an effective medium to impart relevant information in as short a time as possible. As Washington Irving said in 1824, "...but in these shorter writings, every page must have its merit." And with this guidance in mind, Rob wrote "Chloromaton" and "Cornbot." If I have been successful with my first two published short stories, then, as Irving goes on to say, "...their very brevity, make them frequently recurred to."In, Chloromaton, The Double Life of Element 17 Rob was inspired by Joe Thornton's book "Pandora's Poison," which highlights the good and evil aspects of chlorine. Chloride salts are natural and sustain life while chlorine gas, used to produce organochlorines, is artificial and can destroy life. Enjoy Rob's incarnation of the chlorine wars, set in the legal confines of the deposition process; Chloromaton, The Double Life of Element 17.
Rob's short story, Cornbot: Corn, Life, and the Bottom Line was completed in October 2006. It was inspired by Michael Pollan's book "Omnivore's Dilemma," which provides a compelling argument against the world of corn that has come to rule our diets in the 21st century. Be sure to take in Rob's short story, set in Iowa, as two environmental extremists consider use of violence as a means to secure social change; Cornbot: Corn, Life, and the Bottom Line. As one reader, a retired nurse commented, "Very interesting and informative. Great story! You described accurately the basic dangers of high fructose corn syrup. It is certainly contributing to obesity and the resulting complications.”
Educational Talks
Coming Soon!"The Drivers for the Biological, Cultural, and Technological Evolutions"
A presentation on the power of genes, memes, and bytes that drive the concurrent evolutions of humanity.
Coming Soon!
"Microbiology, the Science that Saves"
A presentation on the rise of this science in the 19th century and its impact during the 20th century.
Now Available!
'What is a Scientific Instrument?'
This talk is suitable for high school senior science classes and undergraduate physics classes.
It features six key areas of scientific instrumentation including timetelling, measurement, observational, experimental, didactic and models.
This compound binocular microscope is one example of an observational scientific instrument. The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry houses this microscope.
Now Available!
About 'A World Perspective'
This presentation answers the Top 12 Questions readers have posed regarding the “Impact of Science and Technology on Society.”
In this 45 minute presentation, the importance of a balanced society (stability, fairness, and rich culture) is reinforced. The need to avoid centralization of power (be it government, transportation, energy, communications, and more) and the notion of ‘sciencecology,’ which is technical innovation without environmental destruction, is addressed. In an ever-increasing technological society, it is critical to understand at least one area of science so that one can challenge the rationale of associations, corporations, or governments. And finally, the notion that science has a positive impact on society when, knowledge is shared, applications raise the overall quality of life, and overall energy consumption is increased, is highlighted. As Peter Drucker says, “knowledge flows through technology but resides in people.”
Now Available!
Presentation on Innovation and Utility with Cerent
A one hour presentation targeted at marketing professionals about how a great product idea can be propoerly positioned to define a market segment and thereby gain rapid market acceptance.
It will be shown that the introduction of the MSPP was a catalyst for innovation in the telecommunications network and how its utility won acceptance from telecoms on a global scale. Today, the MSPP market has become a multi-billion dollar business. This case study illustrates how innovation and utility leads to market acceptance.
The presentation lasts for 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes for questions. A copy of the November 2005 paper presented at the Connexions Conference in London, England is provided.
IGI Publishing also commissioned a chapter on the Cerent experience to be penned for their June 2008 Handbook of Research on Computer Mediated Communications.
Author reading from MacBook - so psychedelic!
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