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Communication: From Pheromones to the Internet and Beyond
Max Swanson presents a clear, concise and comprehensive description of communication, from primitive pheromones to sophisticated social networks to future breakthroughs. He answers many questions about the social, cultural and political implications of communication. How do pheromones and the five senses work? In what clever ways do animals and insects communicate? How did languages develop? Why is education so important? Who were the great scientists, and what were their discoveries? How was wireless communication invented? What led to the development of computers, the Internet and smart phones? Why did television become dominant? How do the visual arts inspire people? Why do humans celebrate music and dancing? What are the secrets of effective socializing? When and why did democracies become popular? Why is organized religion losing support in favor of spirituality? How can miscommunication be controlled? In the future, can biofeedback be the answer to overmedication? Why was mapping the human genome such a breakthrough? Will gene therapy and stem cell organ replacement become commonplace? How will mapping the human microbiome improve health? Can nanotechnology do miracles? Will artificial intelligence be realized? Will we communicate with extraterrestrials? When will world government become a reality? These questions and many more are answered here.
- GenresNonfictionScience
312 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 21, 2018
In Communications: From Pheromones to the Internet and Beyond, Max Swanson, a long-time researcher with Atomic Energy of Canada, and physics prof at the U of North Carolina, offers a wide-ranging overview of communication, from unicellular beasties to complex organisms, from humans to machines, from proximate to distant, from the physical to the abstract, from then to now and from now to the future. Along the way he looks at communication as it pertains to religion, politics, education, government and marketing. He casts an eye on self and spiritual communication as well. He has clearly given the subject a lot of thought and presents myriad ways in which communication occurs, including, but not limited to sight, touch, sound, feel, language and even ways of communication that might not seem obvious, such as DNA. There are significant and valid points raised here. One is the importance of education for females. Another is the danger of concentrating media control in too few hands. Yet another looks at the historical experience of nations that base their education systems on testing to the exclusion of all else.
I had very mixed feelings about Communication. It is unclear to me who the intended audience is. It comes across as equal parts fascinating and obvious. There are plenty of jaw-dropping items, where you are pleading for Swanson to tell you more, tucked in between sections that make one want to wonder aloud "yeah, and?" Here is one of the latter, on the relative merits of information vs misinformation.
However, as a springboard for investigation of its composite elements Communication is marvelous. Have a class of 12th graders read this and there is huge potential that each will come across something that stimulates their curiosity. They won't so much be able to satisfy it here as be prompted to a journey that might lead somewhere exciting, even if they do that search on handheld communication devices, and have to occasionally be zapped with tasers whenever they text someone or resume that game of Angry Birds. Here is one of the fun items:
I am sorry to report that much of Communication reads like a text book, and is sorely lacking in the sort of humor that someone like Mary Roach brings to science to grease the intellectual in-ports. But there are also many fun items to be found here, no question. The issue is balancing the delight of taking in the juicy bits with the not-so-exciting other elements. Bottom line for me is that I am glad I read it. I learned some new things, which is like heroine to me, and that made trudging through the rest an acceptable cost. It might be for you too.
This review is cross-posted at Cootsreviews.com
Posted April 11, 2014
I received this book through the GR FirstReads program.
I had very mixed feelings about Communication. It is unclear to me who the intended audience is. It comes across as equal parts fascinating and obvious. There are plenty of jaw-dropping items, where you are pleading for Swanson to tell you more, tucked in between sections that make one want to wonder aloud "yeah, and?" Here is one of the latter, on the relative merits of information vs misinformation.
Wild swings in the stock markets and the global economy are due in large part to panic or euphoria caused by inadvisable spin of financial news, whether good or bad. On the other hand, timely worldwide flow of information facilitates the realistic evaluation of news, the distribution of goods, the coordination of health maintenance, and timely warnings of disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.Duh-uh.
However, as a springboard for investigation of its composite elements Communication is marvelous. Have a class of 12th graders read this and there is huge potential that each will come across something that stimulates their curiosity. They won't so much be able to satisfy it here as be prompted to a journey that might lead somewhere exciting, even if they do that search on handheld communication devices, and have to occasionally be zapped with tasers whenever they text someone or resume that game of Angry Birds. Here is one of the fun items:
In Egypt, thousands of years before the Christian era, giant obelisks may have provided a unique and innovative long-range communication system. By striking these obelisks, priests in Luxor and other religious centers could have created resonant sounds heard many kilometers away.If you are thinking, as I did, that this sounds like a fab idea for an action/adventure novel, sorry, it has already been taken. Damn! Maybe as an element in a video game? And another:
Most humans are capable of hearing sounds with a frequency between 20 hertz ad 20,000 hertz (cycles per second) and volume greater than 5-15 decibels. [Are decibels digital temptresses?] Hearing is best in the frequency range between 1,000 and 5,000 hertz. Some very low frequency sounds cannot be consciously heard, but are accompanied by a vague feeling of unease when in their presence. This feeling may be associated with the phenomenon of ghosts.Seems like he buried the lead there, slipping in an item we could use a bit more on, but it is off to the next topic straight away.
I am sorry to report that much of Communication reads like a text book, and is sorely lacking in the sort of humor that someone like Mary Roach brings to science to grease the intellectual in-ports. But there are also many fun items to be found here, no question. The issue is balancing the delight of taking in the juicy bits with the not-so-exciting other elements. Bottom line for me is that I am glad I read it. I learned some new things, which is like heroine to me, and that made trudging through the rest an acceptable cost. It might be for you too.
This review is cross-posted at Cootsreviews.com
Posted April 11, 2014
I received this book through the GR FirstReads program.
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March 24, 2014 Pre-review
Review
As a biochemistry major I was very interested in learning more about pheromones. I have previously read Zoo by James Patterson (if you haven't you definitely should) and since then I have become intrigued by pheromones. It makes me wonder if dogs can really smell fear, and how they communicate among themselves. I also have found myself wondering how much of a role pheromones play in our human lives. Are we more or less attracted to someone because of pheromones? I hope this book will provide me with an answer.
I am so thrilled to have won the Goodreads Giveaway for this book. As someone who is interested in research as a future career I find that I like learning about many different areas of science. I don't know what I would like to study later in life, so for now I am indulging all of my interests until I find the field that I would like to specialize in. This book can't arrive any sooner!
Review
I think that this was a very informative book. It jumped around a lot for my tastes and I think that there were too many topics trying to be covered under one short book. It was filled with a lot of good information. I will probably refer to it at a later date. I would say a lot of my curiosity was satisfied, but not all of my questions were answered.
January 19, 2014
This is a professional editorial evaluation:
The manuscript is very well organized and covers an impressive range of communication topics and issues. The writing is clear, tight and very readable, despite the technical subject matter.
Anecdotes, such as the one about the acacia trees, giraffes and ants and Luna the lonely orca provide an excellent break from the science apart from being highly interesting.
The conclusions at the end of each chapter really tie things together. Excellent idea.
- (This book) could become a seminal work in the field of communication. I believe this work would be of importance to anyone interested in not only the communication field but also sociology, psychology, social anthropology, advertising, etc. Your target market is quite large when you look at the global scale you have addressed and the breadth of issues related to communication in its many forms.
The manuscript is very well organized and covers an impressive range of communication topics and issues. The writing is clear, tight and very readable, despite the technical subject matter.
Anecdotes, such as the one about the acacia trees, giraffes and ants and Luna the lonely orca provide an excellent break from the science apart from being highly interesting.
The conclusions at the end of each chapter really tie things together. Excellent idea.
- (This book) could become a seminal work in the field of communication. I believe this work would be of importance to anyone interested in not only the communication field but also sociology, psychology, social anthropology, advertising, etc. Your target market is quite large when you look at the global scale you have addressed and the breadth of issues related to communication in its many forms.
February 4, 2014
"A page -turner ", a tour-de-force, more than a treatise on communication, a real textbook on natural and life science viewed from that manifestation of interdependence. I was impressed by the author’s monumental research undertaking and the way he was able to translate all of this into a highly accessible and pleasantly readable exposition. Historical and encyclopaedic, lots of knowledge packed in that book! I found answers for many questions that I had kept in my mind for a long time. I learned a lot, something new every page. The book ought to be made mandatory at the college level. That knowledge would provide students an unforgettable basis to understanding the fundamentals of life and our universe.
Jacqueline Leclerc
March 14, 2014
Fascinating. Highly recommend. A source of information for anyone interested in all types of communication from the communication techniques of ants to the future of man and the world. Insightful. Well-researched, understandable and interesting. Lucidly written and informative. Enjoyable reading. Excellent.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews