Published: New York, 2005 Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil (MIT class of 1970) defines the Singularity as “a future period during which the pace of technological change will be so rapid, its impact so deep, that human life will be irreversibly transformed.” This prediction is based on the idea that information technology develops exponentially, and that this development occurs at a predictable rate, resulting in accelerating returns. Given such an exponential rate of growth, Kurzweil, in considering our future, argues that we won’t experience one hundred years of technological advance in the twenty-first century; we will witness on the order […]

Published: New York, 2004 The theory of everything – not to be confused with unified field theory, which is related but different – has been the Holy Grail of theoretical physics for centuries. The successful theory would explain all physical phenomena in the universe, making it possible, in theory, to predict the outcome of any experiment. “And while it will likely be expressed through abstract mathematics,” Dan Falk suggests, “the ideas at the heart of the theory may turn out to be extremely simple – so simple, in fact, that the essence of the theory can be written on a […]

Published: New York, 2003 “The idea of a publication that changes format and continually morphs and redefines itself is intriguing” – Variety Intriguing and continually morphing in every imaginable way, Visionaire is an art and fashion publication issued in numbered, limited editions, three times a year since 1991. For each issue, artists, photographers, and fashion designers work with Visionaire‘s editors to interpret a particular theme and produce a volume in a format that’s unique to that issue – and generally unlike any format encountered in a traditional print publication. Each volume is visually rich and pretty irresistible; you want to […]

Published: Zurich, 2002 Santiago Calatrava is among the most celebrated architects working today. His bridges don’t merely span gaps between two points, and his buildings don’t merely enclose space. All of Calatrava’s structures are highly sculptural and dramatic, and they sometimes test the limits of technology. Fear not; he is also a structural engineer. But that’s not all. Calatrava creates designs for opera, ballet, and theater; he paints; he sculpts. His work in all its variety has been the subject of exhibitions in major museums worldwide. Calatrava’s soaring, winged design for the transportation hub at the World Trade Center site […]

Published: Karachi, Pakistan, 2001 Known locally as the “City of Lights,” Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. In 2001, to promote awareness of the rich cultural heritage of the city, KaravanKarachi (now KaravanPakistan) was formed as a community and youth outreach program. In support of the program’s festivals and heritage activities held in September of that year, communication design students at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and the School of Visual Studies, University of Karachi, created Karachi, Sentenced: The Architecture of the City in Typography. The […]

Published: New York, 1999 (paperback: 2000) More than a decade after it was hailed as an instant classic upon publication, John W. Dower’s Embracing Defeat remains an enduring masterpiece. There are countless reasons for this, but perhaps the most immediately striking is that the book is as succinct as it is exhaustive. An analysis of a devastated Japan in the aftermath of World War II, the book gives a rich and nuanced account of both victor and vanquished in under 700 pages. Utilizing an enormous array of Japanese sources, Dower illuminates the effects of the six-year American occupation from all […]

Published: Upper Saddle River, N.J., 1999 The end is near! Or perhaps more accurately, the end seems always to be right around the corner … and it was always thus. Astronomer John of Toledo predicted the end would occur in September 1186. London astronomers foresaw an Earth-destroying deluge on February 1, 1524. Jacques Bernoulli forecast the arrival of a massive comet that would end things on May 19, 1719. American psychic John Ballou Newbrough spread the word about our impending demise in 1947. More recently, the Y2K problem – a scare for the new millennium – cast a spotlight on […]

Published: New York, 1998 One of the most notable figures in contemporary science fiction can be found right on the MIT campus. Joe Haldeman, who teaches several different courses in MIT’s Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies, has received multiple honors for his published work. In 2010 he was named the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master, an award bestowed by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to a living author in recognition of lifetime achievement in the literary genres of science fiction and fantasy. In receiving this award, Haldeman joined the ranks of such luminaries as Robert A. […]

Published: Ashland, Ore., 1997 Surely you’ve heard of Richard Feynman! Library shelves groan under the weight of books by and about the illustrious theoretical physicist. In addition to his towering scientific contributions, he was an expert safecracker, player of the bongos and the frigideira, visual artist (pseudonym “Ofey”), fan of Tuvan throat singing, and prankster extraordinaire. You couldn’t make this guy up – though “Richard Feynman” has also been a character on screen and on Broadway. It’s not everyone who’s been played by both Alan Alda (in QED at Lincoln Center) and Matthew Broderick (in the bio-pic Infinity). A Nobel […]

Installed (and premiered): Cambridge, Mass., 1996 Situated at the east end of the Hayden Library building, MIT’s Lewis Music Library is one of the most popular destinations on campus. With its outstanding collection of scores, recordings, and books, the library is among the MIT Libraries’ busiest locations. The Lewis Music Library serves a distinguished music faculty and a student body known for its musical prowess. The library also proudly offers some of the comfiest seating at the Institute. Roughly two hundred years ago, Goethe famously said, “I call architecture frozen music.” The Lewis Music Library takes Goethe’s metaphor and turns […]