Collaborative democracy—government with the people—is a new vision of governance in the digital age. Wiki Government explains how to translate the vision into reality. Beth Simone Noveck draws on her experience in creating Peer-to-Patent, the federal government's first social networking initiative, to show how technology can connect the expertise of the many to the power of the few. In the process, she reveals what it takes to innovate in government.

Launched in 2007, Peer-to-Patent connects patent examiners to volunteer scientists and technologists via the web. These dedicated but overtaxed officials decide which of the million-plus patent applications currently in the pipeline to approve. Their decisions help determine which start-up pioneers a new industry and which disappears without a trace. Patent examiners have traditionally worked in secret, cut off from essential information and racing against the clock to rule on lengthy, technical claims. Peer-to-Patent broke this mold by creating online networks of self-selecting citizen experts and channeling their knowledge and enthusiasm into forms that patent examiners can easily use.

Peer-to-Patent shows how policymakers can improve decisionmaking by harnessing networks to public institutions. By encouraging, coordinating, and structuring citizen participation, technology can make government both more open and more effective at solving today's complex social and economic problems. Wiki Government describes how this model can be applied in a wide variety of settings and offers a fundamental rethinking of effective governance and democratic legitimacy for the twenty-first century.

This is your opportunity to learn about the nuts-and-bolts of architectural engineering. You will be introduced to all of the members of the building design team. You will learn what the architectural, civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineers contribute to the building design process. Whether you are a student, a professional in another engineering field, or an engineer already involved in building design, this book will help you to better understand how the building design team functions in order to create functional, attractive buildings of all types. And it will prepare you to join the team!

What exactly is smart grid? Why is it receiving so much attention? What are utilities, vendors, and regulators doing about it? Answering these questions and more, Smart Grids: Infrastructure, Technology, and Solutions gives readers a clearer understanding of the drivers and infrastructure of one of the most talked-about topics in the electric utility market―smart grid. This book brings together the knowledge and views of a vast array of experts and leaders in their respective fields.

Key FeaturesDescribes the impetus for change in the electric utility industryDiscusses the business drivers, benefits, and market outlook of the smart grid initiativeExamines the technical framework of enabling technologies and smart solutionsIdentifies the role of technology developments and coordinated standards in smart grid, including various initiatives and organizations helping to drive the smart grid effortPresents both current technologies and forward-looking ideas on new technologiesDiscusses barriers and critical factors for a successful smart grid from a utility, regulatory, and consumer perspectiveSummarizes recent smart grid initiatives around the worldDiscusses the outlook of the drivers and technologies for the next-generation smart grid

Smart grid is defined not in terms of what it is, but what it achieves and the benefits it brings to the utility, consumer, society, and environment. Exploring the current situation and future challenges, the book provides a global perspective on how the smart grid integrates twenty-first-century technology with the twentieth-century power grid.

CRC Press Authors Speak

Stuart Borlase speaks about his book. Watch the video

Entering the second decade of the 21st Century, it is clear that the successful advancement of sustainable design offers a powerful means for transforming the built environment. Visionary design practitioners play pivotal roles applying their extensive knowledge, skills and insight with resolve to many of the political, economic, cultural and environmental challenges of our time.

The Ecological Engineer: Glumac is the second book in a series that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the pioneering work of one of North America s leading MEP sustainable design firms. For forty years, Glumac has redefined integrated project delivery and energy efficiency for some of the most iconic high-performance buildings in the world. Today its engineers are charting new territory with innovative strategies for air, water, light, comfort and energy that continue to push the boundaries of green architecture.

Now, for the first time, The Ecological Engineer: Glumac offers a comprehensive look at the unique projects, processes and personalities behind the success of this award-winning firm.

The artist's most unforgettable images come together in an exquisite study of his life and work. This comprehensive and provocative monograph traces the influences on Magritte's art while 400 illustrations show the full range of his work. Not only the well-known paintings but also lesser-known murals, photographs, sculptures, and commercial works are represented. 400 illustrations, 110 in full-color.

Renaissance Studies, Art, Italian Renaissance Art, Architecture, Sculptures

A timely portrait of the work of an architect who expanded the vocabulary of modern architecture.

Eero Saarinen and Balthazar Korab constitute a unique team in the history of architecture: Saarinen, the mid-twentieth-century architect who challenged the architectural conventions of his time; and Korab, an architect in Saarinen's office whose perceptive photographs reveal the brilliance of Saarinen's work.

This visual sourcebook illustrates nineteen Saarinen commissions in photographs drawn from Korab's archive, providing multiple views of the buildings themselves and some views of their construction and of architectural models that were critical to their design. Images of Saarinen's office and home provide personal ambience, and an introductory essay positions Saarinen's work within the broader context of his time.

Seen in detail, such earlier works as the General Motors Technical Center (1948-56) or the Miller house (1953-57) show departures from orthodox modernism; Saarinen's assured handling of new materials and new building functions impart lasting value to his career, as seen in the Trans World Airlines Terminal (1956-62) and Dulles International Airport (1958-63), which have become iconic images. 800; 464 pages of color

From the soaring silhouette of the Eiffel Tower to the grandeur of Fountainbleau castle, from the legendary light and colors of the seaside town of Saint-Tropez to the sweeping landscapes of France's wine-growing regions, France has a great wealth of architectural, artistic, and natural resources, as well as a long and storied history. Hundreds of full-color photographs take young readers on a whirlwind tour of this glorious country, from its sophisticated cities to its rustic villages to its picturesque seaside. Supplemented by a lively, kid-friendly text, this volume brings to life the unparalleled culture, history, and natural beauty of France.

This is the most thorough and revealing study ever of one of Michelangelo's most beautiful, dramatic, and debated works of art: the Florence Pietà. The artist designed the monumental statue late in life for his own tomb, but after a decade of intermittent labor he badly damaged the work, which was later repaired by an assistant. Jack Wasserman, the book's editor and main author, enlists the expertise of scholars Timothy Verdon and Franca Trinchieri Camiz, sculptor Peter Rockwell, and three teams of scientists to understand a work of extraordinary emotional power. By examining all aspects of the statue's depiction of Christ and of his physical relationship to the other figures, especially the Virgin, this book brings to life Michelangelo's great struggle to give conclusive form to his own relationship to God—a relationship unmistakably reflected in the artist's representation of himself as the bearded man supporting Christ.

Through an unprecedented multidisciplinary approach that combines technical, historical, archival, and interpretive analysis, the book clarifies and revises the history of the Pietà from its inception to its reception through the centuries. For the first time ever, a computer-generated virtual model is used to study a major work of art by revealing previously unimaginable detail and perspectives, including the extent of the initial repairs and subsequent alterations made to the sculpture. Numerous illustrations reveal the Pietà in rich detail and an accompanying CD-ROM provides access to the digital imagery while expanding the book's technical and scientific content.

Wasserman reaches a striking conclusion about why Michelangelo mutilated the statue, a conclusion sure to inspire lively debate. He seeks to resolve a host of other questions such as: What religious message did Michelangelo seek to convey? Is the Pietà a "pietà" at all? As all lovers of art will appreciate, this book, by providing a fresh, systematic, and comprehensive investigation of this magnificent work, represents a vital key to understanding Michelangelo's entire oeuvre.

Book by Black, David

A hundred of the world's finest photographers have captured on film the diversity and passion of the Italian people, from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean. This tenth book in the award-winning "Day in the Life" series is soon to be featured on "CBS This Morning" and "ABC World News Tonight". 200 photographs.

. with dustjacket, large format, 1992 clean bright copy