A penetrating look at near-future disruption as truly autonomous vehicles arrive. For decades we have dreamed of building an automobile that can drive itself. But as that dream of autonomy draws close, we are discovering that the driverless car is a red herring. When self-driving technology infects buses, bikes, delivery vans, and even buildings…a wild, woollier, future awaits. Technology will transform life behind the wheel into a high-def video game that makes our ride safer, smoother, and more efficient. Meanwhile, autonomous vehicles will turbocharge our appetite for the instant delivery of goods, making the future as much about moving things as it is about moving people. Giant corporations will link the automated machines that move us to the cloud, raising concerns about mobility monopolies and privatization of streets and sidewalks. The pace of our daily lives and the fabric of our cities and towns will change dramatically as automated vehicles reprogram the way we work, shop, and play. Ghost Road is both a beacon and a warning; it explains where we might be headed together in driverless vehicles, and the choices we must make as societies and individuals to shape that future.

"A runaway trolley is speeding down a track" So begins what is perhaps the most fecund thought experiment of the past several decades since its invention by Philippa Foot. Since then, moral philosophers have applied the "trolley problem" as a thought experiment to study many different ethical conflicts - and chief among them is the programming of autonomous vehicles. Nowadays, however, very few philosophers accept that the trolley problem is a perfect analogy for driverless cars or that the situations autonomous vehicles face will resemble the forced choice of the unlucky bystander in the original thought experiment. This book represents a substantial and purposeful effort to move the academic discussion beyond the trolley problem to the broader ethical, legal, and social implications that autonomous vehicles present. There are still urgent questions waiting to be addressed, for example: how AVs might interact with human drivers in mixed or "hybrid" traffic environments; how AVs might reshape our urban landscapes; what unique security or privacy concerns are raised by AVs as connected devices in the "Internet of Things"; how the benefits and burdens of this new technology, including mobility, traffic congestion, and pollution, will be distributed throughout society; and more. An attempt to map the landscape of these next-generation questions and to suggest preliminary answers, this volume draws on the disciplines of philosophy, sociology, economics, urban planning and transportation engineering, business ethics and more, and represents a global range of perspectives.

Winner of the Rachel Carson Award for Excellence in Environmental Journalism Finalist for the NYPL Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism Finalist for the Reading the West Book Award in Nonfiction Finalist for the Colorado Book Award Named a Best Book of the Year by the New York Times, The New Yorker, Science News, Smithsonian Magazine, and Kirkus Reviews "A powerhouse of a book…comprehensive and engaging." —David Gessner, Washington Post An eye-opening account of the global ecological transformations wrought by roads, from the award-winning author of Eager. Some 40 million miles of roadways encircle the earth, yet we tend to regard them only as infrastructure for human convenience. While roads are so ubiquitous they’re practically invisible to us, wild animals experience them as entirely alien forces of death and disruption. In Crossings, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb travels throughout the United States and around the world to investigate how roads have transformed our planet. A million animals are killed by cars each day in the U.S. alone, but as the new science of road ecology shows, the harms of highways extend far beyond roadkill. Creatures from antelope to salmon are losing their ability to migrate in search of food and mates; invasive plants hitch rides in tire treads; road salt contaminates lakes and rivers; and the very noise of traffic chases songbirds from vast swaths of habitat. Yet road ecologists are also seeking to blunt the destruction through innovative solutions. Goldfarb meets with conservationists building bridges for California’s mountain lions and tunnels for English toads, engineers deconstructing the labyrinth of logging roads that web national forests, animal rehabbers caring for Tasmania’s car-orphaned wallabies, and community organizers working to undo the havoc highways have wreaked upon American cities. Today, as our planet’s road network continues to grow exponentially, the science of road ecology has become increasingly vital. Written with passion and curiosity, Crossings is a sweeping, spirited, and timely investigation into how humans have altered the natural world—and how we can create a better future for all living beings.

With a growing population and increased mobility, global societies are facing the urgent need to transition to sustainable transportation solutions. However, the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is hindered by challenges, from limitations in battery technology to the scarcity of charging infrastructure. These obstacles impede progress toward a cleaner future and limit EVs' potential economic and social benefits. Solving Fundamental Challenges of Electric Vehicles offers a comprehensive roadmap to navigate the complexities of EV adoption. It delves into critical issues such as battery technology advancements, charging infrastructure development, and policy and regulatory frameworks. The book empowers stakeholders to overcome these challenges and accelerate the transition to electric mobility by providing insights into innovative solutions and breakthrough technologies.

More than any other technology, cars have transformed our culture. Cars have created vast wealth as well as novel dreams of freedom and mobility. They have transformed our sense of distance and made the world infinitely more available to our eyes and our imaginations. They have inspired cinema, music and literature; they have, by their need for roads, bridges, filling stations, huge factories and global supply chains, re-engineered the world. Almost everything we now need, want, imagine or aspire to assumes the existence of cars in all their limitless power and their complex systems of meanings. This book celebrates the immense drama and beauty of the car, of the genius embodied in the Ford Model T, of the glory of the brilliant-red Mercedes Benz S-Class made by workers for Nelson Mandela on his release from prison, of Kanye West's 'chopped' Maybach, of the salvation of the Volkswagen Beetle by Major Ivan Hirst, of Elvis Presley's 100 Cadillacs, of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and the BMC Mini and even of that harbinger of the end - the Tesla Model S and its creator Elon Musk. As the age of the car as we know it comes to an end, Bryan Appleyard's brilliantly insightful book tells the story of the rise and fall of the incredible machine that made the modern world what it is today.

The SAGE Handbook of Human-Machine Communication has been designed to serve as the touchstone text for researchers and scholars engaging in new research in this fast-developing field. Chapters provide a comprehensive grounding of the history, methods, debates and theories that contribute to the study of human-machine communication. Further to this, the Handbook provides a point of departure for theorizing interactions between people and technologies that are functioning in the role of communicators, and for considering the theoretical and methodological implications of machines performing traditionally ‘human’ roles. This makes the Handbook the first of its kind, and a valuable resource for students and scholars across areas such as communication, media and information studies, and computer science, as well as for practitioners, engineers and researchers interested in the foundational elements of this emerging field. Part 1: Histories and Trajectories Part 2: Approaches and Methods Part 3: Concepts and Contexts Part 4: Technologies and Applications

The Church’s New Front Door introduces Christians to the critically important concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, an era that will be dominated by powerful technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced robotics. While the Fourth Industrial Revolution is powered by technological developments, it has far-reaching political, socio-economic, ethical, and spiritual implications as well. To be missional, the church needs to be relevant; and in order to be relevant in the twenty-first century, believers must engage with novel technologies and the impact they are having on areas like work, education, and healthcare. Each chapter includes discussion questions and suggestions for further reading, making this book an accessible resource for diverse audiences, including church members, ministry leaders, and students at Christian colleges and seminaries. Whether you agree or disagree with the author’s description of how our world might change in the next ten to twenty years—this book will make you think!

AI and Popular Culture sheds light on how artificial intelligence has changed our world and helps you to understand where it might take us next.

"A thoughtful, practical read about the future of the flexible office."—Adam Grant “Office shock” is an abrupt, unsettling change in where, when, how, and even why we work. In this visionary book, three prominent futurists argue that the office is both a place and a process—offices and officing—with a new range of choices, including what they call the emerging officeverse. To see the possibilities with fresh eyes, we must use future-back thinking to ask, What is the purpose of your officing? What are the outcomes—especially regarding climate—you want to achieve? With whom do you want to office? How will you augment your intelligence? Where and when will you office? How will you create an agile office? Traditional offices were often unfair, uncomfortable, uncreative, and unproductive. This book explores how to seize this great opportunity to transform office work.

After darkness, there is always light In a time of increasing uncertainty, Rethink offers a guide to a much-needed global 'reset moment', with leading international figures giving us glimpses of a better future after the pandemic. Each contribution explores a different aspect of public and private life that can be re-examined - from Pope Francis on poverty and the Dalai Lama on the role of ancient wisdom to Brenda Hale on the courts and Tara Westover on the education divide; from Elif Shafak on uncertainty and Steven Pinker on Human Nature to Xine Yao on masks and Jarvis Cocker on environmental revolution. Collectively, they offer a roadmap for positive change after a year of unprecedented hardship. Based on the hit BBC podcast, and with introductions by presenter and journalist Amol Rajan, Rethink gives us the opportunity to consider what a better world might look like and reaffirms that after darkness there is always light. RETHINK List of contributors WHO WE ARE Carlo Rovelli - Rethinking Humanity Pope Francis - Rethinking Poverty Peter Hennessy - Rethinking Democracy Anand Giridharadas - Rethinking Capitalism Jared Diamond - Rethinking a Global Response Ziauddin Sardar - Rethinking Normality The Dalai Lama - Rethinking Ancient Wisdom C.K. Lal - Rethinking Institutions Jarvis Cocker - Rethinking an Environmental Revolution Clare Chambers - Rethinking the Body Steven Pinker - Rethinking Human Nature Tom Rivett-Carnac - Rethinking History Jonathan Sumption - Rethinking the State WHAT WE DO David Skelton - Rethinking Industry Emma Griffin - Rethinking Work Caleb Femi - Rethinking Education Gina McCarthy - Rethinking Activism Tara Westover - Rethinking the Education Divide Kwame Anthony Appiah - Rethinking the Power of Small Actions Charlotte Lydia Riley - Rethinking Universities K.K. Shailaja - Rethinking Development Samantha Power - Rethinking Global Governance KT Tunstall - Rethinking the Music Industry Rebecca Adlington - Rethinking the Athlete's Life Brenda Hale - Rethinking the Courts Nisha Katona - Rethinking Hospitality Katherine Granger - Rethinking the Olympics David Graeber - Rethinking Jobs James Harding - Rethinking News Carolyn McCall Rethinking Television HOW WE FEEL Mohammad Hanif - Rethinking Intimacy H.R. McMaster - Rethinking Empathy Carol Cooper - Rethinking Racial Equality Paul Krugman - Rethinking Solidarity Amonge Sinxoto - Rethinking Safety Reed Hastings - Rethinking Togetherness Kang Kyung-wha - Rethinking Accountability Lucy Jones - Rethinking Biophilia Colin Jackson - Rethinking Our Responsibility for Our Health Mirabelle Morah - Rethinking Ourselves Nicci Gerrard - Rethinking Old Age Brian Eno - Rethinking the Winners Jude Browne - Rethinking Responsibility Elif Shafak Rethinking Uncertainty HOW WE LIVE Amanda Levete - Rethinking How We Live Niall Ferguson - Rethinking Progress David Wallace-Wells - Rethinking Consensus Margaret MacMillan - Rethinking International Cooperation HRH The Prince of Wales - Rethinking Nature Onora O'Neill - Rethinking Digital Power Matthew Walker - Rethinking Sleep Henry Dimbleby - Rethinking How We Eat Eliza Manningham-Buller - Rethinking Health Inequality Pascal Soriot - Rethinking Medical Co-operation Xine Yao - Rethinking Masks George Soros - Rethinking Debt Mariana Mazzucato - Rethinking Value Douglas Alexander - Rethinking Economic Dignity WHERE WE GO Peter Frankopan - Rethinking Asia Stuart Russell - Rethinking AI DeRay McKesson - Rethinking the Impossible V.S. Ramachandran - Rethinking Brains Seb Emina - Rethinking Travel Aaron Bastani - Rethinking an Aging Population Rana Foroohar - Rethinking Data Anthony Townsend - Rethinking Robots