Middle Tech

Middle Tech

Author: Paula Bialski

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2024-05-21

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 0691257175

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Why software isn’t perfect, as seen through the stories of software developers at a run-of-the-mill tech company Contrary to much of the popular discourse, not all technology is seamless and awesome; some of it is simply “good enough.” In Middle Tech, Paula Bialski offers an ethnographic study of software developers at a non-flashy, non-start-up corporate tech company. Their stories reveal why software isn’t perfect and how developers communicate, care, and compromise to make software work—or at least work until the next update. Exploring the culture of good enoughness at a technology firm she calls “MiddleTech,” Bialski shows how doing good-enough work is a collectively negotiated resistance to the organizational ideology found in corporate software settings. The truth, Bialski reminds us, is that technology breaks due to human-related issues: staff cutbacks cause media platforms to crash, in-car GPS systems cause catastrophic incidents, and chatbots can be weird. Developers must often labor to patch and repair legacy systems rather than dream up killer apps. Bialski presents a less sensationalist, more empirical portrait of technology work than the frequently told Silicon Valley narratives of disruption and innovation. She finds that software engineers at MiddleTech regard technology as an ephemeral object that only needs to be good enough to function until its next iteration. As a result, they don’t feel much pressure to make it perfect. Through the deeply personal stories of people and their practices at MiddleTech, Bialski traces the ways that workers create and sustain a complex culture of good enoughness.


Book Synopsis Middle Tech by : Paula Bialski

Download or read book Middle Tech written by Paula Bialski and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2024-05-21 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why software isn’t perfect, as seen through the stories of software developers at a run-of-the-mill tech company Contrary to much of the popular discourse, not all technology is seamless and awesome; some of it is simply “good enough.” In Middle Tech, Paula Bialski offers an ethnographic study of software developers at a non-flashy, non-start-up corporate tech company. Their stories reveal why software isn’t perfect and how developers communicate, care, and compromise to make software work—or at least work until the next update. Exploring the culture of good enoughness at a technology firm she calls “MiddleTech,” Bialski shows how doing good-enough work is a collectively negotiated resistance to the organizational ideology found in corporate software settings. The truth, Bialski reminds us, is that technology breaks due to human-related issues: staff cutbacks cause media platforms to crash, in-car GPS systems cause catastrophic incidents, and chatbots can be weird. Developers must often labor to patch and repair legacy systems rather than dream up killer apps. Bialski presents a less sensationalist, more empirical portrait of technology work than the frequently told Silicon Valley narratives of disruption and innovation. She finds that software engineers at MiddleTech regard technology as an ephemeral object that only needs to be good enough to function until its next iteration. As a result, they don’t feel much pressure to make it perfect. Through the deeply personal stories of people and their practices at MiddleTech, Bialski traces the ways that workers create and sustain a complex culture of good enoughness.


Water Technology in the Middle Ages

Water Technology in the Middle Ages

Author: Roberta J. Magnusson

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2001-12-04

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 080186626X

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Focusing attention on gravity-fed water-flow systems in medieval cities and monasteries, Water Technology in the Middle Ages: Cities, Monasteries, and Waterworks after the Roman Empire challenges the view that hydraulic engineering died with the Romans and remained moribund until the Renaissance. Roberta Magnusson explores the systems' technologies -- how they worked, what uses the water served -- and also the social rifts that created struggles over access to this basic necessity. Mindful of theoretical questions about what hastens technological change and how society and technology mutually influence one another, the author supplies a thoughtful and instructive study. Archeological, historical, and literary evidence vividly depicts those who designed, constructed, and used medieval water systems and demonstrates a shift from a public-administrative to a private-innovative framework -- one that argues for the importance of local initiatives. "The following chapters attempt to chart a course between the Scylla and Charybdis of technological and social determinism. While writing them, I have tried to strike a balance between the technical and human aspects of medieval hydraulic systems, and to remember that beneath the welter of documents and diffusion patterns, configurations and components, ordinances and expenditures, lie the perceptions, the choices, and often the plain hard work of individual men and women." -- from the Preface


Book Synopsis Water Technology in the Middle Ages by : Roberta J. Magnusson

Download or read book Water Technology in the Middle Ages written by Roberta J. Magnusson and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2001-12-04 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing attention on gravity-fed water-flow systems in medieval cities and monasteries, Water Technology in the Middle Ages: Cities, Monasteries, and Waterworks after the Roman Empire challenges the view that hydraulic engineering died with the Romans and remained moribund until the Renaissance. Roberta Magnusson explores the systems' technologies -- how they worked, what uses the water served -- and also the social rifts that created struggles over access to this basic necessity. Mindful of theoretical questions about what hastens technological change and how society and technology mutually influence one another, the author supplies a thoughtful and instructive study. Archeological, historical, and literary evidence vividly depicts those who designed, constructed, and used medieval water systems and demonstrates a shift from a public-administrative to a private-innovative framework -- one that argues for the importance of local initiatives. "The following chapters attempt to chart a course between the Scylla and Charybdis of technological and social determinism. While writing them, I have tried to strike a balance between the technical and human aspects of medieval hydraulic systems, and to remember that beneath the welter of documents and diffusion patterns, configurations and components, ordinances and expenditures, lie the perceptions, the choices, and often the plain hard work of individual men and women." -- from the Preface


The Frontiers of Management

The Frontiers of Management

Author: Peter F. Drucker

Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press

Published: 2010-07-15

Total Pages: 383

ISBN-13: 142217087X

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Every decision executives make today shapes the future of their organization - as well as that of the communities and society in which the organization operates. How to make choices that lead to the best possible future for all stakeholders? Look beyond the immediate crisis of the day - to the long-term implications of your decisions and actions. In the thirty-five essays comprising The Frontiers of Management, classic management thinker and teacher Peter Drucker offers advice. Each selection in this compelling collection is as fresh and relevant today as it was when written in the 1980s. With every essay, Drucker teaches by example- deftly demonstrating how to put current events in their larger historical context, how to pick the right people for a given task, how to think through an acquisition. The book provides not only durable examples of a great thinker's writing but a set of ever more urgently needed lessons on how business leaders today can understand the context of their own daily decisions - and make the wisest possible choices for the future. Timely and vivid, The Frontiers of Management remains a practical guidebook packed with enduring wisdom.


Book Synopsis The Frontiers of Management by : Peter F. Drucker

Download or read book The Frontiers of Management written by Peter F. Drucker and published by Harvard Business Review Press. This book was released on 2010-07-15 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every decision executives make today shapes the future of their organization - as well as that of the communities and society in which the organization operates. How to make choices that lead to the best possible future for all stakeholders? Look beyond the immediate crisis of the day - to the long-term implications of your decisions and actions. In the thirty-five essays comprising The Frontiers of Management, classic management thinker and teacher Peter Drucker offers advice. Each selection in this compelling collection is as fresh and relevant today as it was when written in the 1980s. With every essay, Drucker teaches by example- deftly demonstrating how to put current events in their larger historical context, how to pick the right people for a given task, how to think through an acquisition. The book provides not only durable examples of a great thinker's writing but a set of ever more urgently needed lessons on how business leaders today can understand the context of their own daily decisions - and make the wisest possible choices for the future. Timely and vivid, The Frontiers of Management remains a practical guidebook packed with enduring wisdom.


Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education

Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education

Author: Canada. Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education

Publisher:

Published: 1913

Total Pages: 680

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education by : Canada. Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education

Download or read book Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education written by Canada. Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 680 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Emerging Issues And Trends In Innovation And Technology Management

Emerging Issues And Trends In Innovation And Technology Management

Author: Alexander Brem

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2021-10-25

Total Pages: 457

ISBN-13: 9811247730

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This book is a compilation of papers published in International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management. The chapters in the book focus on recent developments in the field of innovation and technology management. Carefully selected on the basis of relevance, rigor and research, the chapters in the book take the readers through various emerging topics and trends in the field.Written in a simple and accessible manner, the chapters in this book will be of interest to academics, practitioners and general public interested in knowing about emerging trends in innovation and technology management.


Book Synopsis Emerging Issues And Trends In Innovation And Technology Management by : Alexander Brem

Download or read book Emerging Issues And Trends In Innovation And Technology Management written by Alexander Brem and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2021-10-25 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a compilation of papers published in International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management. The chapters in the book focus on recent developments in the field of innovation and technology management. Carefully selected on the basis of relevance, rigor and research, the chapters in the book take the readers through various emerging topics and trends in the field.Written in a simple and accessible manner, the chapters in this book will be of interest to academics, practitioners and general public interested in knowing about emerging trends in innovation and technology management.


The Industrial Worker in Ontario

The Industrial Worker in Ontario

Author: William Herbert Rutherford

Publisher:

Published: 1914

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis The Industrial Worker in Ontario by : William Herbert Rutherford

Download or read book The Industrial Worker in Ontario written by William Herbert Rutherford and published by . This book was released on 1914 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Report of the Commissioners

Report of the Commissioners

Author: Canada. Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education

Publisher:

Published: 1913

Total Pages: 680

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Report of the Commissioners by : Canada. Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education

Download or read book Report of the Commissioners written by Canada. Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 680 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Wörterbuch der Datentechnik / Dictionary of Computing

Wörterbuch der Datentechnik / Dictionary of Computing

Author: Vittorio Ferretti

Publisher: Springer-Verlag

Published: 2013-03-08

Total Pages: 1394

ISBN-13: 3642801315

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Der FERRETTI bietet mehr als eine Übersetzungshilfe für deutsche und englische Fachbegriffe. 92.000 Stichwörter mit Kurzdefinitionen und Synonymen machen diese aktuelle Teilausgabe des erfolgreichen "Wörterbuch der Elektronik, Datentechnik und Telekommunikation" zum einzigartig umfassenden Nachschlagewerk der gesamten Informatik. Die 44.000 deutschen und 48.000 englischen Einträge decken zusätzlich die Hauptbegriffe der angrenzenden Fachgebiete und des allgemeinen Sprachgebrauchs ab. Zu insgesamt 94 Fachgebieten lassen sich alle datentechnischen Fragen schnell und kompetent lösen - ein schier unerschöpflicher Fundus für jeden, der hier nachschlägt.


Book Synopsis Wörterbuch der Datentechnik / Dictionary of Computing by : Vittorio Ferretti

Download or read book Wörterbuch der Datentechnik / Dictionary of Computing written by Vittorio Ferretti and published by Springer-Verlag. This book was released on 2013-03-08 with total page 1394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Der FERRETTI bietet mehr als eine Übersetzungshilfe für deutsche und englische Fachbegriffe. 92.000 Stichwörter mit Kurzdefinitionen und Synonymen machen diese aktuelle Teilausgabe des erfolgreichen "Wörterbuch der Elektronik, Datentechnik und Telekommunikation" zum einzigartig umfassenden Nachschlagewerk der gesamten Informatik. Die 44.000 deutschen und 48.000 englischen Einträge decken zusätzlich die Hauptbegriffe der angrenzenden Fachgebiete und des allgemeinen Sprachgebrauchs ab. Zu insgesamt 94 Fachgebieten lassen sich alle datentechnischen Fragen schnell und kompetent lösen - ein schier unerschöpflicher Fundus für jeden, der hier nachschlägt.


Modern in the Middle

Modern in the Middle

Author: Susan Benjamin

Publisher: The Monacelli Press, LLC

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 1580935265

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The first survey of the classic twentieth-century houses that defined American Midwestern modernism. Famed as the birthplace of that icon of twentieth-century architecture, the skyscraper, Chicago also cultivated a more humble but no less consequential form of modernism--the private residence. Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929-75 explores the substantial yet overlooked role that Chicago and its suburbs played in the development of the modern single-family house in the twentieth century. In a city often associated with the outsize reputations of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the examples discussed in this generously illustrated book expand and enrich the story of the region's built environment. Authors Susan Benjamin and Michelangelo Sabatino survey dozens of influential houses by architects whose contributions are ripe for reappraisal, such as Paul Schweikher, Harry Weese, Keck & Keck, and William Pereira. From the bold, early example of the "Battledeck House" by Henry Dubin (1930) to John Vinci and Lawrence Kenny's gem the Freeark House (1975), the generation-spanning residences discussed here reveal how these architects contended with climate and natural setting while negotiating the dominant influences of Wright and Mies. They also reveal how residential clients--typically middle-class professionals, progressive in their thinking--helped to trailblaze modern architecture in America. Though reflecting different approaches to site, space, structure, and materials, the examples in Modern in the Middle reveal an abundance of astonishing houses that have never been collected into one study--until now.


Book Synopsis Modern in the Middle by : Susan Benjamin

Download or read book Modern in the Middle written by Susan Benjamin and published by The Monacelli Press, LLC. This book was released on 2020-09-01 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first survey of the classic twentieth-century houses that defined American Midwestern modernism. Famed as the birthplace of that icon of twentieth-century architecture, the skyscraper, Chicago also cultivated a more humble but no less consequential form of modernism--the private residence. Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929-75 explores the substantial yet overlooked role that Chicago and its suburbs played in the development of the modern single-family house in the twentieth century. In a city often associated with the outsize reputations of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the examples discussed in this generously illustrated book expand and enrich the story of the region's built environment. Authors Susan Benjamin and Michelangelo Sabatino survey dozens of influential houses by architects whose contributions are ripe for reappraisal, such as Paul Schweikher, Harry Weese, Keck & Keck, and William Pereira. From the bold, early example of the "Battledeck House" by Henry Dubin (1930) to John Vinci and Lawrence Kenny's gem the Freeark House (1975), the generation-spanning residences discussed here reveal how these architects contended with climate and natural setting while negotiating the dominant influences of Wright and Mies. They also reveal how residential clients--typically middle-class professionals, progressive in their thinking--helped to trailblaze modern architecture in America. Though reflecting different approaches to site, space, structure, and materials, the examples in Modern in the Middle reveal an abundance of astonishing houses that have never been collected into one study--until now.


Catching Up and Falling Behind

Catching Up and Falling Behind

Author: David A Dyker

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2004-07-05

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 1783260793

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In this collection of essays David A Dyker explores some of the most difficult and fascinating aspects of the process of transition from autocratic “real socialism” to a capitalism that is sometimes democratic, sometimes authoritarian. The stress is on the economic dimension of transformation, but the author sets the economic drama firmly within a political economy framework and a historical perspective. Trends in key economic variables are analysed against the background of the struggle between different social and political groups for power and command over resources. While the book pays due attention to topical issues like EU enlargement, the underlying perspective is a long-term one. Transition is viewed not as a set of once-and-for-all institutional changes or a process of short-term stabilisation, but as a historic opportunity to solve the inherited problem of poverty and underdevelopment in Central-East Europe and the former Soviet Union. The book ends with a critical assessment of how economics, as a discipline, has coped with the challenge of that historic opportunity. Contents:The Political Economy of TransitionTransition and the Global EconomyThe East European Countries and the European UnionTechnology and TransitionPatterns and ProspectsBy Way of Conclusion Readership: Social scientists with interest in transition countries; transition and East Europe specialists; public policy bodies and international aid communities; undergraduates who major in social science. Keywords:Nomenklatura Nationalism;Transition;Post-Socialist;Russian R&D;Former Soviet Union;Social Capability;Technology Absorption;EU Enlargement;Economic Development;Supply Networks;Central-East EuropeReviews:“Transition of the post-Communist states has become a primary area of research for a number of scholars, and David Dyker is one of the most experienced and productive author among them. His latest book proves this in a very clear way … the book of David Dyker is one of the best that was written on transition economies and it could be highly recommended to all who are interested in these issues of transition.”Dr Igor Yegorov National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine “This book attempts to interpret the economic and historical implications of transition within the framework of catching up industrialization, and this reviewer basically agrees with the auguments of the book. In sum it provides a basis for a detailed reconsideration of the concepts of catching up and social capability.”The Developing Economies


Book Synopsis Catching Up and Falling Behind by : David A Dyker

Download or read book Catching Up and Falling Behind written by David A Dyker and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2004-07-05 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this collection of essays David A Dyker explores some of the most difficult and fascinating aspects of the process of transition from autocratic “real socialism” to a capitalism that is sometimes democratic, sometimes authoritarian. The stress is on the economic dimension of transformation, but the author sets the economic drama firmly within a political economy framework and a historical perspective. Trends in key economic variables are analysed against the background of the struggle between different social and political groups for power and command over resources. While the book pays due attention to topical issues like EU enlargement, the underlying perspective is a long-term one. Transition is viewed not as a set of once-and-for-all institutional changes or a process of short-term stabilisation, but as a historic opportunity to solve the inherited problem of poverty and underdevelopment in Central-East Europe and the former Soviet Union. The book ends with a critical assessment of how economics, as a discipline, has coped with the challenge of that historic opportunity. Contents:The Political Economy of TransitionTransition and the Global EconomyThe East European Countries and the European UnionTechnology and TransitionPatterns and ProspectsBy Way of Conclusion Readership: Social scientists with interest in transition countries; transition and East Europe specialists; public policy bodies and international aid communities; undergraduates who major in social science. Keywords:Nomenklatura Nationalism;Transition;Post-Socialist;Russian R&D;Former Soviet Union;Social Capability;Technology Absorption;EU Enlargement;Economic Development;Supply Networks;Central-East EuropeReviews:“Transition of the post-Communist states has become a primary area of research for a number of scholars, and David Dyker is one of the most experienced and productive author among them. His latest book proves this in a very clear way … the book of David Dyker is one of the best that was written on transition economies and it could be highly recommended to all who are interested in these issues of transition.”Dr Igor Yegorov National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine “This book attempts to interpret the economic and historical implications of transition within the framework of catching up industrialization, and this reviewer basically agrees with the auguments of the book. In sum it provides a basis for a detailed reconsideration of the concepts of catching up and social capability.”The Developing Economies