Our Own Devices by Edward Tenner

Our Own Devices by Edward Tenner

This delightful and instructive history of invention shows why National Public Radio dubbed Tenner the philosopher of everyday technology. Looking at how our inventions have impacted our world in ways we never intended or imagined, he shows that the things we create have a tendency to bounce back and change us.

The reclining chair, originally designed for brief, healthful relaxation, has become the very symbol of obesity. The helmet, invented for military purposes, has made possible new sports like mountain biking and rollerblading. The typewriter, created to make business run more smoothly, has resulted in wide-spread vision problems, which in turn have made people more reliant on another invention--eyeglasses. As he sheds light on the many ways inventions surprise and renew us, Tenner considers where technology will take us in the future, and what we can expect from the devices that we no longer seem able to live without.

Edward Tenner, the former executive editor for physical science and history at Princeton University Press, is a visiting research fellow at Princeton University's Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences. He was awarded the A.B. from Princeton, as well as a Ph.D. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Chicago and has worked as a visiting researcher at Rutgers University and the Center for Advanced Studies. He was a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellow in 1991-92 and a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Fellow in 1995-96.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780375707070
ISBN 10	0375707077
Title	Our Own Devices
Author	Edward Tenner
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	2004-06-08
Number of pages	336
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.