The introspective engineer

The terms "technological fix" and "engineering" have become somewhat pejorative in recent years, applied to thoughtless short-term solutions that result in long-term problems. But in this elegantly reasoned and passionately argued book, Samuel Florman suggests that at this moment in history a few good technological fixes are just what the world needs. The profession of engineering is rarely the topic of serious public discussion. Multimedia, virtual reality, information superhighway - these are the buzzwords of the day. But real engineers, the people who conceive of computers and oversee…