In Jacquard's Web, James Essinger tells the story of some of the most brilliant inventors the world has ever known, in this fascinating account of how a hand-loom invented in Napoleonic France led to the development of the modern information age. Essinger, a master story-teller, describes how Joseph-Marie Jacquard's loom enabled the silk-weavers of Lyons to weave fabrics 25 times faster than had previously been possible. The device used punched cards, which stored instructions for weaving whatever pattern or design was required. These cards can very reasonably be described as the world's first computer programs. Indeed, Essinger shows through a series of remarkable and meticulously researched historical connections--connections never before investigated--that the Jacquard loom kick-started a process of scientific evolution which would lead directly to the development of the modern computer. The book examines a wealth of extraordinary links between the nineteenth-century world of weaving and today's computer age: for example, modern computer graphics displays are based on exactly the same principles as those employed in Jacquard's special woven tableaux. Jacquard's Web also introduces some of the most colorful and interesting characters in the history of science and technology: the modest but exceptionally dedicated Jacquard himself; the brilliant but temperamental Victorian polymath Charles Babbage, who dreamed of a cogwheel computer operated using Jacquard cards; and the imaginative and perceptive Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron's only legitimate daughter. Attractively illustrated and compellingly narrated, Jacquard's Web is an engaging and delightful volume. It is an impressive case of historical detective work, one that will leave the reader mesmerized.

Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age

Science & Math

ESSINGER, James

History & Philosophy

Oxford University Press

Circuits from silk? Today's technophiles probably have no idea how much today's computer technology owes to the invention of one ingenuous textile manufacturer in nineteenth-century France. Here, master storyteller James Essinger shows through a series of remarkable and meticulously researched historical connections how the Jacquard loom kick-started a process of scientific evolution which would lead directly to the development of the modern computer.Jacquard's 1804 invention, a loom which used punch cards with stored instructions for weaving different patterns and designs, enabled the master silk-weavers of Lyons to weave fabrics 25 times faster than the competition. Here, Essinger reveals the plethora of extraordinary links between that innovation in weaving and today's computer age, introducing us to the intriguing and colorful people who paved the way. The book concludes by bringing the story completely up-to-date with the latest developments in the World Wide Web and the fascinating phenomenon of artificial intelligence.Attractively illustrated and compellingly narrated, Jacquard's Web presents an eye-opening and scarcely known history that will prove fascinating to readers of popular science, especially those interested in the history of science, technology, and computing, as well as professional scientists, historians, and students.

JACQUARD'S WEB:HOW HAND-LOOM LED BIRTH INFO AGE PAPER: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age

History

(Pearson Education) Text providing guidance on solving problems of Internet security and authentification, with in-depth case studies based on original research from industry and commerce. Includes details about key vendors of security solutions, and explains how to protect an organization against fraud. Softcover.

Internet Trust

Business & Money

Management & Leadership

Addison-Wesley

Many managers dream of setting up on their own. But few really understand the implications or know how they should go about it. This book takes the reader through every aspect of setting up and operating a consultancy which can generate a high income. It begins by taking a look at if you really are suited to the rigours of self-employment - both from a personal stance and a business position. Once you have decided to set yourself up, the book goes step-by-step through all the practical issues involved in setting up from equipment to literature to terms of business. The book looks in detail at the financial issues of how much you can charge for your service and what you can do to control your costs. Key features include: A step-by-step approach, shows you how much to charge for your service and how to control your costs, covers the topic of winning new business and making pitches, shows you how to get through the first six months - the toughest period of any business, rounds off by examining if and how you should go about expanding the business. Readership: Managers and all those looking to go self-employed and run their own consultancy.

Starting a High-Income Consultancy

Financial Times Management

"An informative, entertaining and thought-provoking treatment of the challenges and the benefits of achieving a successful career as a professional management consultant. Full of practical advice for novice and veteran consultants. Should also be read by those who are contracting with consultants and want to get a better perspective of what to expect - and demand - in terms of quality and professionals. Take it from one who has been a consultant for most of his 20-year career. In their wide ranging and amusing discourse - from Shakespeare to Howard Stern to Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof - Dembitz and Essinger have written a truly inspiring book on what consulting can and should be all about. If only they had not revealed so many of our 'secrets for success'!" Joseph Rosen, Managing Director, Enterprise Technology Corporation, New York "Breakthrough Consulting stands out from other books on the subject for its sheer breadth, detail, inspiration and pragmatism. The consultancy industry is booming and the time has never been better for everyone to learn more about it - be it those considering entering it; for those in it who need a wake-up call to freshen-up their own approach, through to those running their own consultancies and looking for their own exit strategies. From the first page you realize that the authors are drawing upon an immense amount of real world first-hand experience. Either as a full read or for those wishing to dip into it, there is something here for everyone." Julian Goldsmith, Managing Director, European Corporate Practice, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, former founder and Managing Director of Sector Public Relations (now part of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, part of the WPP Group plc) The first book of its kind, it provides a comprehensive insight into every aspect of what makes a successful consultant and breaks down the barriers of mystique to give a true vista of one of the world's fastest growing professions. Read the book, and prepare to make your experience pay. The consulting industry is a business phenomenon. Over the past 20 years it has enjoyed growth rates that are unprecedented within any industrial and commercial sector, and shows no signs of slowing. By looking at the consultancy industry, from its origins to the present day, and assessing the reasons for its growth and impact on the modern business world, Dembitz and Essinger give a unique insight into what it takes to be, and become, a consultant. With an infectious love of their jobs, the authors provide a comprehensive insight into every aspect of what makes a consultant, and a consulting business, successful. They will help you assess your potential, start up your business and drive it forward. Highly readable, Breakthrough Consulting emphasizes the need for the right attitude as much as a need to adhere to the right procedures and approaches to consultancy. It is the first book to ask many of the world's leading consulting firms, including Andersen Consulting, Deloitte &amp; Touche and PricewaterhouseCoopers, detailed and probing questions about their activities and attitudes to consulting as a profession. Not only will you be shown what needs to be done, but you will be encouraged to enjoy it and its rewards. You will be urged to find your passion and to live it. So, if you want to discover whether consultancy is for you, now is the chance to make a breakthrough. Alex Dembitz is the founder of the international strategic consultancy IDOM, which played a major role in bringing Western standards of business administration to businesses in Central and Eastern Europe. After unprecedented growth, IDOM merged with Deloitte &amp; Touche, thus allowing Alex to concentrate on his private consultanting to fast-growing organizations. He specializes in helping start-up companies and lecturing for several of the world's leading business schools. James Essinger is an international business writer and consultant whose clients have included Dow Jones, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, NCR and Unisys. He has also written for many international journals including the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. He has published more than 30 books about management, consultancy and getting the most out of computers. Both authors have never regretted becoming consultants .

Breakthrough Consulting: So You Want to Be a Consultant? Turn Your Expertise into a Successful Consulting Business

Dembitz, Alex

Industries

Financial Times/Prentice Hall

Global custody is both a major international industry and a set of services relating to the administration of investments made outside the country the investor is located in. This is a book for the desktop, not the bookshelf. It will provide state-of-the-art information to make the most of global custody.

Global Custody: The Industry, the Strategies and the Competitive Opportunities

Economics

Ft Pr

Within the world of banking, customer's needs have not changed, nor has the basic nature of the banking services they require. However, the way the banks meet these needs, and the framework within which services are delivered, have altered beyond recognition in the last twenty years alone. Banks have had to adapt to a host of new phenomena ranging from regulatory issues, risk management and new technology to globalization, consolidation and branding. The Future of Banking presents the opinions and predictions of the chief operators within the banking industry; the people dealing with these phenomena, and leading change. At a time when the financial environment has never been more volatile, this book offers invaluable insight and interpretation from the most knowledgeable people in the business. It features interviews with each of these practitioners, and provides an analytical summary of the current and future trends and concerns highlighted by them.

The Future of Banking

Engler, Henry

Welcome to the illogical, idiosyncratic, outrageous linguistic phenomenon known as the English language. The story of how this ragtag collection of words evolved is a winding tale replete with intriguing accidents and bizarre twists of fate. In this eye-opening, fabulously entertaining book, James Essinger unlocks the mysteries that have confounded linguists and scholars for millennia. From the sophisticated writing systems of the ancient Sumerians through the tongue twisters of Middle English, the popular National Spelling Bee, and the mobile phone text-messaging of today, Spellbound chronicles the fascinating history of English spelling, including insights about the vast number of words English has borrowed from other languages (“orange,” “vanilla,” and “ketchup,” to name a few), and how their meanings differ from country to country. Featuring a lively cast of characters ranging from the fictional to the historically noteworthy (Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, Shakespeare, Bill Gates), this affectionate tribute to English spelling shows why our whimsical, capricious common language continues to hold us spellbound.

Spellbound: The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Delta

The names Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace are synonymous with pioneering computer science and engineering, their work on the Analytical Engine shifting paradigms and sparking the advent of the computer age in which our society is now based. The one seemingly a stereotypically repressed Englishman, while the other would become an early feminist icon. Without Ada there would have been no Charles, and it is through their ever-strengthening friendship that history was made. James Essinger tells the fascinating story of the gradually intensifying friendship that formed between Charles and Ada, interweaving it with tales of their outstanding professional collaboration. Using personal letters to and from the duo, the true feelings behind their unique friendship are revealed for the first time, adding personality, warmth and passion to the partnership that changed the world.

Charles & Ada: The Computer's Most Passionate Partnership

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

The History Press

A comprehensive, objective guide to the major financial information vendors and the products that they sell. It compiles a comprehensive listing of branded products or services that includes financial information feeds, front-office decision support systems, trading systems, and administration systems. Also included are the major areas of application, compatibility with local area networks, and types of instruments that are covered by the product or service (equities, bonds, etc.). For traders, brokers, and investment managers. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

The Global Directory of Financial Information Vendors

Rosen, Joseph

Irwin Professional_Pub

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Books by ESSINGER, James