The Cutting Edge: An Encyclopedia of Advanced Technology

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The Cutting Edge An Encyclopedia of Advanced
Technology

• Patricia Howitz
• Library 150
• Winter 2005
• Week 7

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• Call Number
• 603 C991 2000
• Hardbound

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Bibliography

• Publisher Oxford New York Oxford
  University Press, 2000.
• Description 360 p. ill. 26 cm.
• Notes"Produced by the Moschovitis Group,
  Inc."--T.p. verso.

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Arrangement

• The encyclopedia is arranged alphabetically by
  topic. At the end of each entry there are lists
  of related topics, bibliographies, including
  books, and journals, and Web sites.

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Scope and Intended Purpose

• An authoritative, easy-to-use guide to the
  advanced systems and techniques that are
  making--or will soon make--a major impact on our
  lives, in such areas as computing,
  communications, biotechnology, medicine, national
  defense, space, education, entertainment, and the
  environment. The Cutting Edge includes 120
  original entries that go far beyond basic
  technological information to include the history
  of a technology, how it works, its present

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• applications and the issues--ethical, legal,
  environmental, political, scientific--which
  surround it. It serves a wide audience, from high
  school students and their teachers in science and
  social studies courses to college undergraduates
  and general readers who want to know not only how
  a new technology works--but also understand its
  historical context and the potential impact on
  our lives. Amazon.com.

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Special Features

• Raises issues and debates on each new technology
  topic.
• Offers websites to pursue further research.

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Authority

• Booklist The discussions on "Issues and
  Debates" point out questions regarding the use of
  a technology. Some of the entries, such as Food
  irradiation or Genetic testing, show a
  pro-implementation bias. The writing is not too
  technical and is suitable for the general adult
  reader. Because these technologies are rapidly
  developing, the contributors

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• are careful to indicate when the information
  was gathered. This volume's coverage differs
  from that of other short technology encyclopedias
  such as The Facts On File Encyclopedia of
  Science, Technology, and Society RBB Ap 15 99
  or the second edition of Gale's World of
  Scientific Discovery (1999) because the focus is
  on the technology and questions surrounding its
  implementation. It will be a very useful addition
  to science and technology collections.

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What is Nanotechnology and should I be concerned
about this technology?

• Nanotechnology is miniature technology-on the
  scale of a nanometer (one-billionth of a meter).
  It was started in December 1959, when Richard
  Feynman offered two prizes of 1000 -- One
  prize for the first working motor occupying less
  than 1/64 cubic inch and the other for writing,
  which was to be miniaturized down to 1/25,000 of
  the normal size. An engineer claimed the first
  prize by building a motor using traditional
  watchmaking skills.

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• (In the 1989, with the help of the Atomic force
  microscope, Don Eigler wrote IBMs name on 25
  atoms of xenon). The technology ranges from
  computing to medicine and environmental
  engineering and will completely change life as we
  know it today. Nanotechnology also has the
  potential to become a threat as a weapon of mass
  destruction on a scale larger than the threat of
  nuclear war.

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Personal Impression

• Because the book was published in the year
  2000, I consider the information outdated and no
  longer cutting edge. I believe relevant
  websites can offer much more information on new
  technologies.
• I also thought it was interesting that this
  reference book was produced by the the
  Moschovitis Group, Inc. They are a technology
  management group and I believe they could have
  been influential in contributing a bias to the
  discussion on issues concerning the
  technologies.

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Website Search

• The website of Nanotechnology Now was created
  to serve the information needs of business,
  government, academic, and public communities with
  the intention of becoming the most informative
  and current free collection of "nano" reference
  material. The site covers related future
  sciences, issues, news, events, and general
  information, and it is a place for stimulating
  debate, and research information.
• http//www.nanotech-now.com/n
  ano_intro.htm

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The End