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HARMONY

Name: HARMONY
Author: Arno Penzias
ISBN: 0-88730-742-8

BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY, AND LIFE AFTER PAPERWORK

by Arno Penzias ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 26, 1995

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A world-class scientist's upbeat appreciation of what the rapid gains in computer and communications technology could mean in the workplace. Before assessing where commercial enterprise may be headed in the wake of the so-called information revolution, Penzias (Ideas and Information, 1989) reviews where it has been. To begin with, the Nobel laureate in physics observes that mass manufacturing (which swamped cottage industry in the 19th century) eventually gave way, in the second half of the 20th century, to a shift in emphasis from quantity to quality. This latter period, dating back only to the late 1970s, has been marked by team-based rather than hierarchical business organizations, value derived from performance rather than volume, and associated manifestations of fundamental change. At hand, according to the author (who's director of research at AT&T's Bell Laboratories) is an era of harmony in which humankind could make ever more effective and productive use of the machines at its disposal. He doesn't deny the convulsive displacements that have resulted from swift advances in technology, and he sees little long-term future for the drones who earn their livings by running errands between computer-based systems—e.g., retrieving facsimile transmissions or routing documents. But Penzias, ever the optimist here, does argue that continuous retraining, new work styles, and related adjustments could actually enhance job markets as the Global Village installs an information infrastructure that promises to create one vast, integrated network. By the same token, he's outspokenly, albeit vaguely, bullish about the prospect of breakthrough goods and services that would be easy to use and would improve the ties that bind human beings one to another. An authoritative, user-friendly perspective on the shape of things to come on a small planet.

Pub Date: April 26, 1995

ISBN: 0-88730-742-8

Page Count: 192

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1995

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.