In the Science Sourcebook series, a clear and sensible approach to the wonders and mysteries of virtual reality, including its history and some possible scenarios for the future. Grady compares the state of virtual reality to the situation of television in its earliest years: Everyone thought it was great, but it was wildly expensive, and the technology had not yet caught up to the possibilities. He takes a tour through virtual reality's history, and describes its current uses, still in their infancy, in medicine, architecture, business, science, and, of course, fun and games. He writes quite accurately about the function of virtual realityessentially to fool the mind and body into creating a multidimensional experience from computers, software, and devices. While he doesn't delve deeply into the philosophical questions raised by this fascinating medium, he does mention them, and presents a coherent picture of the technology to date. (b&w illustrations, photographs, index, not seen, glossary, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8160-3605-5
Page Count: 169
Publisher: Facts On File
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1998
. Adamson is revered as one of the pioneers of the endangered animal movement; Neimark, though capturing much of Adamson’s milieu and the events of her life, paints her as a talented, but impulsive, moody woman. Growing up in Austria between world wars, Adamson trained as a pianist and as an artist. At 18, while attending a ball, she is carried off by a masked “apache” who declares, “You are mine.” The author burbles: “She felt the strength of his arms and the gritty warmth of his body.” That’s only one instance where the lack of source notes is keenly felt; readers will have to digest some astonishing information unaided. Although her romantic interlude lasts two years, her lover’s identity remains concealed (readers will have to suppose that she knew who he was, even if they don’t); Adamson, pregnant and abandoned, has an abortion, becomes a patient of Sigmund Freud, marries twice, and has two miscarriages before meeting her third husband, George Adamson, a gamekeeper in Kenya, who brings home three orphaned lion cubs. The many anecdotes comprising this biography are interesting, but without citations, leave readers unsettled; what is the possible source for Adamson’s dramatic death scene following a confrontation with a disgruntled ex-employee? “Blood seeped from her, but she felt no regrets. She had always chosen risk over safety. She would not, even now, be victim to fear.” (bibliography, index) (Biography. 12-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201368-7
Page Count: 118
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
This entry in the Milestones in Discovery and Invention series presents clear, if uninspired, stories of medical technology, supplemented by many anecdotes and resource information. Defining medical technology as ``inventions that put science to practical use,'' Yount (Twentieth-Century Women Scientists, 1995, etc.) presents information on the discovery or invention and development of anesthesia, antiseptics, X rays, blood transfusions, artificial and human organ transplants, and medical imaging techniques. Boxed features present useful and intriguing information but classify it too narrowly to be helpful. Another flaw is the often arbitrary inclusion of definitions in the main text, which chops up the discussion. An overview of the world of inventors and medical breakthroughs offers the instructive aspects of competition and ambition and shows the importance of observation and scientific experiment. Yount also treats controversial subjects with intelligence and balance. It's not immediately clear how the book might be used in the curriculum, but there is valuable and fascinating information for researchers here. (b&w photos and diagrams, index, not seen, notes, chronologies, further reading) (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8160-3568-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Facts On File
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1997
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