Engelska

<b>'There is no author whose books I look forward to more' Bill Gates<br/><br/>'There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil' <i>Guardian</i></b><br/><br/>Explore 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.<br/><br/>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).<br/><br/>In <i>SPEED</i>, 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.

On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union begins its countdown: "ten, nine, eight, seven . . . ". From the steppes of Kazakhstan, the first human in history - the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - launches into space.<br/><br/>In that moment, another countdown begins. Who could have imagined that just three decades - a single generation - would separate the USSR's crowning achievement from the collapse of the Soviet empire? In <i>The Dark Side of the Earth</i>, legendary dissident journalist Mikhail Zygar tells the inside story of one of history's most epochal transitions.<br/><br/>Drawing on interviews with hundreds of key players, he traces the fortunes of an army of unwitting protagonists, from renegade artists and paranoid nuclear scientists to the young Vladimir Putin. The end of the USSR undoubtedly set the stage for today's vengeful return. But as Gagarin looks down from the stars at his home world, is Russia's fate already written?

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