History of Technology
Last updated: April 24, 2024
A lot of our interviews inevitably touch on the history of technology or books that relate to the history of technology. But we have a few interviews that are specifically related to the subject.
Chris Goodall recommends his best books on Energy Transitions, including Energy and Civilisations: A History by Vaclav Smil and The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power, by Daniel Yergin as well as Solar Revolution: The Economic transformation of the Global Energy Industry by Travis Bradford and The Planet Remade by Oliver Morton.
Ante Shoda also looks at energy transition in his best books on Engineering, recommending Ausgerpowert: Das Ende des Olzeitalters als Chance (Exploited: The end of the age of oil as an opportunity) by Marcel Hanggi. Shoda also recommends Power Speed and Form: Engineers in the Making of the Twentieth Century by David P. Billington and David P. Billington Jr. as a great introduction to the technological innovations that made the modern world possible. And he makes a similar case for In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations that Changed the World by Ian Stewart.
The historian Joseph Corn, who specialises in the social and cultural history of technology chooses his best books exclusively on Aviation History and how early expectations for that particular technology have been either exceeded or defeated.
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1
Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence
by Kate Crawford -
2
The Planet Remade
by Oliver Morton -
3
Learning by Doing: The Real Connection between Innovation, Wages, and Wealth
by James Bessen -
4
The Ministry for the Future: A Novel
by Kim Stanley Robinson -
5
How Solar Energy Became Cheap: A Model for Low-Carbon Innovation
by Gregory F. Nemet
The Best Books on Tech, recommended by Azeem Azhar
The Best Books on Tech, recommended by Azeem Azhar
Technology is already running our lives and unless regulations are updated to keep up, it could upend our way of life completely, warns Azeem Azhar, entrepreneur, investor, and creator of the Exponential View newsletter. Here, he recommends his five top tech books to help us navigate the near future, from a technical tome to a science fiction novel.
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1
The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets
by Henk Tennekes -
2
Cosmos
by Carl Sagan -
3
In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World
by Ian Stewart -
4
Power Speed and Form: Engineers in the Making of the Twentieth Century
by David P. Billington and David P. Billington & Jr -
5
Ausgepowert: Das Ende des Olzeitalters als Chance
by Marcel Hänggi
The best books on Engineering, recommended by Ante Shoda
The best books on Engineering, recommended by Ante Shoda
What should a budding engineer—or even an experienced one—read for a better understanding of the science and trade? And how does engineering help make our lives better every day? Ante Shoda, an engineer for Honda Racing in California, recommends the best books for a fundamental understanding of engineering.
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1
Energy and Civilization: a History
by Vaclav Smil -
2
The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power
by Daniel Yergin -
3
Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air
by David J C MacKay -
4
Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry
by Travis Bradford -
5
The Planet Remade
by Oliver Morton
The best books on Energy Transitions, recommended by Chris Goodall
The best books on Energy Transitions, recommended by Chris Goodall
The switch to sources of energy other than oil and gas is now well under way, but how long will it be before we can rely on them for the bulk of the world’s power—if ever? Renewable energy expert Chris Goodall gives us a thought-provoking reading list to think about both past and future ‘energy transitions.’
The best books on Aviation History, recommended by Joseph Corn
The historian and author pilots us through a century of aviation, from the excitement that greeted the first airplanes to the transformative role of World War II.
