Speed: How it Explains the World | 誠品線上

Speed: How it Explains the World

內容簡介

內容簡介 這是國際暢銷書作家 Vaclav Smil 的全新力作 《SPEED》，探討速度如何影響地球上生命與世界的方方面面——從地質作用的漫長推移，到生物短暫的一生，再到光速的驚人極限，以及如叉角羚、信天翁等動物在進化中展現的速度適應力。「沒有哪位作家的新書比他更令我期待。」 ——比爾·蓋茨「或許沒有哪位學者能像 Smil 一樣，用數字描繪世界的圖景。」 ——《衛報》Smil 以獨特的數據視角和嚴謹分析，揭示速度、自然與人類創新的複雜聯繫，並以反直覺的觀點挑戰常識：侵蝕作用竟可能加速山脈的生長；現代生活並非如我們所想般「空前加速」——例如手機的普及（1983 年為 0%，2002 年達 90%）耗時 19 年，與收音機（22 年）、彩色電視（24 年）、微波爐（17 年）的擴散速度相近。書中從地球歷史的宏大時間尺度，到當代生活的節奏脈動，探討速度如何被測量、受到哪些理論極限制約，以及這些限制如何塑造社會。《SPEED》 不僅是一場跨越自然與人文的知識之旅，也是一部促使讀者重新審視周遭世界中「速度角色」的啟發性作品。'There is no author whose books I look forward to more' Bill Gates‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ GuardianExplore how speed influences every aspect of life on Earth, from the slow grind of geological processes and the fleeting lifespans of organisms to the astonishing speed of light and the remarkable adaptations of creatures like the swift antelope and the soaring albatross. In this ambitious and wide-ranging ideas book, internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil uncovers the intricate connections between speed, nature, and human innovation.With counterintuitive insights, such as how erosion actually accelerates mountain growth, Smil challenges long-held myths. For example, Smil debunks the notion that our modern lives are accelerating at an unprecedented pace: the rapid adoption of mobile phones – from 0% in 1983 to 90% in 2002 (19 years) – is like the spread of earlier technologies such as radio (22 years), colour television (24 years) and even microwave ovens (17 years).In SPEED, Smil combines his trademark compelling statistics with insightful analysis to take readers on a captivating journey through the vast timescales of Earth’s history and the complexities of modern life. He explains how we measure speed and reveals the theoretical limits that shape our societies, offering a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that define our world. This eye-opening book encourages readers to see speed’s vital role in everything around us.

作者介紹

作者介紹 Vaclav SmilVaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of over forty books on topics including energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy. No other living scientist has had more books (on a wide variety of topics) reviewed in Nature. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, in 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers.

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最佳賣點

最佳賣點 : 國際暢銷書作家 Vaclav Smil 的全新力作 《SPEED》，探討速度如何影響地球上生命與世界的方方面面——從地質作用的漫長推移，到生物短暫的一生，再到光速的驚人極限，以及如叉角羚、信天翁等動物在進化中展現的速度適應力。