Life S Operating Manual

How can we think of life in its dual expression, matter and experience, the living and the lived? Philosophers and, more recently, social scientists have offered multiple answers to this question, often privileging one expression or the other – the biological or the biographical. But is it possible to conceive of them together and thus reconcile naturalist and humanist approaches? Using research conducted on three continents and engaging in critical dialogue with Wittgenstein, Benjamin, and Foucault, Didier Fassin attempts to do so by developing three concepts: forms of life, ethics of life, and politics of life. In the conditions of refugees and asylum seekers, in the light of mortality statistics and death benefits, and via a genealogical and ethnographical inquiry, the moral economy of life reveals troubling tensions in the way contemporary societies treat human beings. Once the pieces of this anthropological composition are assembled, like in Georges Perec’s jigsaw puzzle, an image appears: that of unequal lives.

Set in a Paris apartment block, this novel describes in minute detail the lives of the inhabitants and the apartments they inhabit at a specific moment in time.

Just about everything today comes with an operating manual—from your computer to your car, from your cell phone to your iPad. Is it possible that Life comes with an operating manual as well? That’s the simple but powerful premise of Tom Shadyac’s inspiring and provocative first book. Written as a series of essays and dialogues, we are invited into a conversation that is both challenging and empowering. The question now is, can we discern what is written inside this operating manual and garner the courage to live in accordance with its precepts?

At Last! A Beginner’s Guide to Home Technology Water stains on your ceiling. Dents and cracks in your drywall. Radiators that hiss and gurgle all night long. It’s enough to make you cry out, “Why doesn’t my house come with an owner’s manual?” And now—finally!—it does. Through step-by-step instructions and helpful schematic diagrams, The Home Owner’s Manual explores hundreds of frequently asked questions: What’s the best way to fix a leaky faucet? When should I have my chimney cleaned? How can I reset a circuit breaker without electrocuting myself? Whatever your concerns, you’ll find the answers here—courtesy of licensed building contractor Dan Ramsey, who has taught the basics of renovation to thousands of homeowners.

One of Fuller’s most popular works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, is a brilliant synthesis of his world view. In this very accessible volume, Fuller investigates the great challenges facing humanity. How will humanity survive? How does automation influence individualization? How can we utilize our resources more effectively to realize our potential to end poverty in this generation? He questions the concept of specialization, calls for a design revolution of innovation, and offers advice on how to guide “spaceship earth” toward a sustainable future. Description by Lars Muller Publishers, courtesy of The Estate of Buckminster Fuller

At last—a beginner’s guide to feline technology! The cat parent’s guide to common kitty quirks and what they really mean—featuring useful diagrams and hilarious insights! Scratch marks on your furniture. Dead mice on your doorstep. Stray hairs all over your clothes. It’s enough to make you cry out, “Why doesn’t my cat have an owner’s manual?” And now—finally!—she does. Through step-by-step instructions and helpful schematic diagrams, The Cat Owner’s Manual explores hundreds of frequently asked questions: • Which breeds interface best with dogs? • How can I maintain a quality exterior finish? • And why does my model always drink from the bathtub? Whatever your concerns, you’ll find the answers here—courtesy of celebrated veterinarian Dr. David Brunner and acclaimed author Sam Stall. Together, they provide plenty of useful advice for both new and experienced cat owners.

From the author of The Architecture of Happiness, a thought-provoking look at the manic and peculiar position that news has achieved in our lives. What does the news do to our brains, our souls and our views of one another? We spend an inordinate amount of time checking on it. It molds how we view reality, we're increasingly addicted to it on our luminous gadgets, we check it every morning when we wake up and every evening before we sleep-and yet the news has rarely been the focus of an accessible, serious, saleable book-length study. Until now. Mixing snippets of current news with philosophical reflections, The News will blend the timeless with the contemporary, and bring the wisdom of thousands of years of culture to bear on our contemporary obsessions and neuroses. The News ranges across news categories-from politics to murders, from economics to celebrities, from the weather to paparazzi shows--in search of answers to the questions: "What do we want from this?" and "Is it doing us any good?" After The News, we'll never look at a celebrity story, the report on a tropical storm, or the sex scandal of a politician in quite the same way again.