Technology as Magic

What gives the mass media, particularly advertising and television, their extraordinary power over our lives, so that even the most jaded and sophisticated among us are troubled and fascinated by their allure? The secret, according to Richard Stivers, in this brilliant new book, lies in the curious relationship between technology and magic. Stivers argues the two are now related to one another in such a way that each has taken on important characteristics of the other. His contention is that our expectations for technology have become magical to the point that they have generated a multitude of imitation technologies that function as magical practices. These imitation technologies flourish in the fields of psychology, management administration, and the mass media, and their paramount purpose in human adjustment and control. Advertising and television programs, in particular, contain the key magical rituals of our civilization.In a fascinating analysis of television programming, Stivers shows how various genres--news, sports, game shows, soap operas, sitcoms, etc.--have their distinct mythological symbols. Through dramatized information, they symbolically connect consumer goods and services to desired outcomes--the utopian goals of success, happiness, and health--thus enveloping technology, both real and imitation, in a magical cocoon.

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Technologies of Magic

Technologies of Magic collects essays that investigate the coexistence of very old forms of thought--belief in ghosts, magic, spirits--and contemporary culture. Offering a new way of thinking about technology in today's world, this distinctive collection frames ghosts and magic as fundamentally performative--performing new kinds of cultural work in the world. Modern ghosts are not asked to identify themselves, but are instead made to account for the work they do.

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This Rough Magic

"Despite author's claim that the relation of technology and the arts is a new topic, it was a major concern for the avant-garde as well as Walter Benjamin and W.T. Adorno. Nevertheless, the consideration of technology in the making of magic realism is innovative"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

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The Magic of Innovation New Techniques and Technologies in Teaching Foreign Languages

This volume focuses on innovative approaches to teaching foreign language courses offered to non-language degree students. It includes essays related to the innovative use of ICTs, new developments in methodology, approaches to course and materials design, and the contribution of language theory to foreign language teaching. As the book brings together researchers and practitioners working in a variety of contexts, it provides detailed insight into ways the same challenges are dealt with in different educational environments. The ideas and experiences analysed in this collection of essays will appeal to anyone interested in the current trends in foreign language teaching and learning, particularly educationalists. The best practices in FLT that the book offers will be a source of inspiration for in-service teachers and course designers, while the theoretical backgrounds provided in each chapter will be valuable to pre-service teachers and stimulating to researchers.

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Global Magic

Modern thought on economics and technology is no less magical than the world views of non-modern peoples. This book reveals how our ideas about growth and progress ignore how money and machines throughout history have been used to exploit less affluent parts of world society. The argument critically explores a middle ground between Marxist political ecology and Actor-Network Theory.

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Networking and Information Technology Research and Development

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Magic Science Technology and Literature

In our scientifically and technologically orientated society magic has not vanished. However, this is quite the contrary. Literature, pictures, film, music and other art forms using magical themes and images are more popular than ever. The four parts of this volume, Magical Renaissance, Cultural Transformations, Scientific Perspectives, and Media Differences, illuminate the interface between magic, science, technology, and literature from Antiquity to the present day, providing theoretical frameworks on the one hand and case studies on the other. Taking into account wider socio-historical and cultural contexts, the contributions map out a complex field of artistic, scientific, philosophical, religious, historical and social discourses about magic. Jarmila Mildorf is Lecturer, Martin Windisch is Senior Lecturer, and Hans Ulrich Seeber is Professor Emeritus of English Literature at the University of Stuttgart (Germany).

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Learning and Leading with Technology

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Network World

For more than 20 years, Network World has been the premier provider of information, intelligence and insight for network and IT executives responsible for the digital nervous systems of large organizations. Readers are responsible for designing, implementing and managing the voice, data and video systems their companies use to support everything from business critical applications to employee collaboration and electronic commerce.

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PC Mag

PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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The Sacred Revival

In The Sacred Revival Kingsley Dennis describes a new form of energy that has entered our postindustrial epoch, fulfilling one of humanity's greatest needs--a connection with the transcendent. Now a new phase of development is emerging, a revival of an evolutionary, participatory-style consciousness. The Sacred Revival examines some of the sacred manifestations of this new age within social memes, popular culture, and revised projections of myth and magic. As we step further toward a planetary civilization where technologies are an extension of ourselves, Dennis discusses how each individual can act as a conscious agent in order to manifest their own sense of a sacred self, and how to influence and be a part of the grander sacred order. The Sacred Revival is an inspiring, thought-provoking, and forward-thinking examination of social, cultural, and personal development that is part of the newly unfolding era.

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Indistinguishable from Magic

An intergalactic adventure applies all the theories of modern technology--including antigravity machines, space warps, black holes, time machines, and reactionless drives--and presents fictionalized scenarios depicting their impact

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Technologies and Strategies for Addressing Global Warming

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Technology Against Terrorism

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PC Tech Journal

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An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Iron smelting Practices Among the Pangwa and Fipa in Tanzania

Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology 61 Series Editors: John Alexander and Lawrence Smith

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Telephone Magic

Shows how businesses can use the telephone for promotion, advertising, finding new clients, making sales, performing marketing research, and handling distribution, and discusses actual case studies

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Making Literacy Magic Happen

A collection of the best literacy articles from the online journal: Learning and leading with technology.

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Science and Magic The Search Begins

In a world where science is everything, humans rule the universe, and people no longer believe in magic. An earthling, Sam, who grew up believing that he is an orphan, dreams of finding true magic and the answer to life. His admission into Volgarth, a mysterious institution in the far-away planet of Tiron, brought hope into his life. He will meet new friends there; new territories and magical lore will be explored. But magic brings with it many mysteries and dangerous secrets. Strange secrets are associated with Sam and his past and it makes him special… but only if he can figure out what they are.

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Representational Technologies and the Discourse on Early Cinema s Apparatus

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