Book reviews

The Culture of Technology. By Arnold Pacey. Pp. 210. Basil Blackwell, Oxford. 1983. f 75.00.

We can send a man to the moon or con- struct an automated manufacturing system-yet our ability to control and man- age technology can be so primitive that there is now a real risk of mass destruction in a nuclear war that no-one can win.

In ‘The Culture of Technology’ Arnold Pacey has ranged globally and historically in his analysis of technologies. The result is a very convincing case that the relationships between technology, society, and the eco- nomy are exceedingly complex. Furth- ermore, despite what industries and govern- ments might claim, the march of technology is by no means pre-destined. There are invariably many options on how any tech- nology can be introduced and applied. Much of our trouble with technology can be traced to attempts to find a single standar- dised right answer, such as an all-electric economy.

Pacey concludes that if we are to cope with technology effectively then the approach should be based on the sound ecological principles of flexibility and di- versity.

In a short review, it is impossible to do full justice to the stimulation and originality of the author. The book should be recom- mended reading for anyone involved in making decisions on technology, whether in government, industry, or academia.

J. V. Wheelock

Society and the New Technology. By Kenneth Ruthven. Pp. 68. Cambridge University Press. 7983. Paperback f2.50.

This is a basic guide to the subject of ‘the new technology’, defined here essentially as microelectronics and its applications. The primary emphasis is on fact rather than theory. A simple account is given of what the technology consists of, together with its implications for industry, commerce, and administration. There is a brief examination of the controversy concerning microelectro- nics and employment; some of the possible implications for education and for democra- cy are spelled out; the final chapter offers a cursory treatment of the relevance of mic- roelectronics for the Third World, interna- tional politics, and the arms race.

As an introductory reader for students in secondary and further education, the book is admirable in many ways. It is well writ- ten, clearly presented, and has excellent illustrations. Unfortunately there are only 20 references, very limited ones at that, so it

Endeavour, New Series, Volume 8, No. 2, 1984. 01e&s327/84 ooQo+50 @I 1984 Pergrmon Pmss. Printed in Great Britain

is very restricted as a resource for further study. A major weakness is that we are offered only the smallest glimmer of insight into the dynamics of technical change. ‘The technology produces the possibilities, but we make the choices’ (p 41). But who produces the technology, how and why?

Tom Kitwood

Japan Science and Technology Outlook. Pp. 246. Fuji Corporation, Tokyo. 1983. $65.00 ($72 by airmail).

The next major event in a long series of international expositions that began with the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 is Tsukuba Expo ‘85, to be staged in Japan from March to September next year. It will occupy a lOO-hectare site adjacent to Tsuku- ba Science City, and it is hoped to attract some 20 million visitors. Its theme will be the interaction between modern science- based societies and the environment. It will certainly ensure that over the next year or two international interest will be even more sharply focused on Japan.

Such an event always generates a wealth of promotional literature, much of it trivial and ephemeral, but intending visitors and all interested in the achievements and future plans of Japanese science and technology, will find this book a veritable mine of useful background information succinctly display- ed, much of it in tabulated form. Published by the Fuji Corporation, it is based on the latest white paper of the Japanese Science and Technology Agency but shorn, for the benefit of foreign readers, of irrelevant and repetitious sections. It ranges widely, from space research to deep-sea diving, from a survey of research activity in the universities to an analysis of patent applications, from advanced ceramics to disaster prevention.

Understandably, the emphasis is on Japanese successes, but the book is very far from being self-satisfied. Thus it points out that while Japan’s technological trade ba- lance has improved steadiiy from 1973 it is still in the red: this is in contrast to France, UK, and USA which are all in the black. It points out, too, that in many areas of pure research Japan lags behind the advanced nations of Europe and, in particular, USA. Taking Nobel Prizes as an index, Japan gained only four over the period 1901-82, out of a total of 355: this puts her bottom of the international league, just below Belgium and Italy and far below USA (126) and UK (63).

Trevor I. Williams

Lightning, Auroras, Nocturnal Lights, and Related Luminous Phenomena. Compiled by William R. Corliss. Pp. 242. Sourcebook Project, Glen Arm, Md. 1982. $11.95.

This interesting and unusual book is aptly subtitled ‘a catalog of geophysical anoma- lies’. It presents numerous vivid and original accounts of observations of a variety of optical phenomena, occurring in the atmos-

phere. Thus it lies at the diffuse and uncer- tain boundary between accepted and ques- tionable science. Amongst the subjects cov- ered are aurora1 pillars, aurora1 odours, auroras and silken threads, ball lightning, mountain-top glow, St Elmo’s fire, volcano lights, tornado lights, bead lightning, light- ning figures, phosphorescent wheels, and nocturnal lights. The following description of miniature ball lightning was recorded in Baltimore in 1824. “Mrs Ames was standing on a rug during a thunderstorm with her hand at her waist, one finger more or less extended. I was about five feet away and noticed the air between her finger and the floor was quivering so that it looked just like the hot air over a field. I noticed something rise slowly from the floor up towards her finger and then there was for an instant a small oblong fireball about the size of a pecan attached to her finger. It was not very bright and appeared to shine through a haze. There came a flood of lightning out- side and the fireball disappeared.’ This vivid account is characteristic of many in this fascinating book.

J. Latham

The Cambridge Deep-Sky Album. By Jack Newton and Philip Teece. Pp. 726. Cambridge University Press. 7983. f9.95 ($19.95).

We are used to seeing the spectacular, immensely-detailed photographs of star- clusters and nebulae taken with very large telescopes. This new album is quite diffe- rent. All the photographs were taken by an amateur astronomer, Jack Newton, with his 16-inch telescope in British Columbia. Con- sequently, the views resemble those obtained visually with telescopes of what may be termed ‘amateur’ size. Some of the nebulae, in particular, are so faint in the pictures that one has to look hard for them; but this is not intended as a criticism-in fact, it is extremely informative. There is a brief description of the equipment used, and a good text by another amateur astronomer, Philip Teece.

This is an excellent and very worthwhile book. It deserves to have a wide circulation-and the pictures are beautifully reproduced.

Patrick Moore

The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Atmospheres. By Ann Henderson- Sellers. Pp. 236. Adam Hilger, Bristol. 1983. f 19.50.

The current exploration of the planetary atmospheres in our solar system has demon- strated a wide range of differing properties of these objects. The evolution of a planet and its atmospheres are a complex interac- tion between continuous physical and che- mical processes. As a consequence,adetailed understanding of these basic properties can provide an insight into the evolutionary history of a planet.

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