From café culture to home schooling, remote community networks, and smart cities, Wi-Fi is an invisible but fundamental element of contemporary life. Loosely regulated, low-cost, and largely overlooked by researchers, this technology has driven the rise of the smartphone and broadband internet, and is a vital element in the next wave of automation. Thomas, Wilken, and Rennie provide the first comprehensive account of the social and cultural consequences of Wi-Fi, highlighting the ways in which it has changed our homes, communities, and cities. They discuss its origins as an experimental technology, the conflicts generated around its ownership and control, and the ideas and expectations attached to it by technologists, activists, and entrepreneurs. The authors reveal the ways in which Wi-Fi is an inherently social and political technology, animated by conflicting aspirations for local, public, and community control, and defined by private and corporate interests. As this book shows, Wi-Fi has extended and intensified our online lives while also promising a more inclusive internet. Wi-Fi is essential reading for students and scholars of media and communication, as well as anyone who wants a better understanding of this ubiquitous and influential technology.

Alex Hills traveled Alaska by bush plane and snow machine, braving extreme weather and rough terrain to bring telephone service to small villages across the big state. Then he developed a new public radio station to serve the people of Alaska’s huge northwest region. In Finding Alaska’s Villages Alex tells the story of how he helped the state’s telecom pioneers bring about an innovation that would forever change rural Alaska. It took some innovative technical work — and some convincing of government officials and corporate executives — to make it happen. The innovation was the introduction of the small satellite earth stations that would eventually make needed telecommunication services — two-way medical communication, a phone in every house and business, and radio and live television programs — available in Alaska’s villages.

The brainchild of founder Tim Westergren, Pandora Internet Radio is a Web-based service that provides a unique, personalized music stream to each listener. Utilizing a wealth of information supplied to a database by trained music analysts, Pandora responds to listeners' musical tastes, playing songs that share characteristics with their favorite songs or artists. This title tells the fascinating story of how Westergren's innovative company developed out of his personal interests and experiences. Enhanced with sidebars, fact sheets, and a timeline, it details Westergren's journey in bringing Pandora from concept to reality in the digital marketplace.

At 36,000 feet, Wi-Fi converts our airline seats to remote offices. It lets us read email in airports, watch video in coffee shops, and listen to music at home. Wi-Fi is everywhere. But where did it come from? Wi-Fi and the Bad Boys of Radio takes us back to when the Internet was first gaining popularity, email took ten minutes to load up, and cell phones were big and unwieldy. But Alex Hills had a vision: people carrying small handheld devices that were always connected. His unwavering purpose was to change the way we use the Internet. After being a teenage "ham operator" and bringing radio, TV and telephone service to the Eskimos of northern Alaska, Dr. Hills led a small band of innovators to overcome "the bad boys of radio" - the devilishly unpredictable behavior of radio waves - and build the network that would become the forerunner to today's Wi-Fi. "I know of no one so capable of telling the Wi-Fi story and explaining so clearly how the technology works. Alex Hills is certain to capture the public imagination with this new book." Jim Geier, Principal Consultant, Wireless-Nets, Ltd. and Wi-Fi author "Alex Hills has contributed to the developing world and to developing advanced wireless technology at one of the world's most tech-savvy universities. Working on both frontiers, Dr. Hills pioneered wireless Internet and launched a revolution in the way the world communicates. His story of how we "cut the cord" begins in a place where there were no cords to begin with -- remote Alaska." Mead Treadwell, Lieutenant Governor of Alaska and former Chair, United States Arctic Research Commission Alex Hills is Distinguished Service Professor of Engineering & Public Policy and Electrical & Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Hills is frequently invited to speak at conventions, conferences, university seminars, corporate training sessions, and community events. His talks, with their vivid stories and clear explanations of technology, have been well-received by audiences throughout the United States and in more than twenty foreign countries. An inventor with eleven patents, Dr. Hills can write and speak in technical jargon. But in his writing, as in his talks, he speaks to everyone -- technical specialists and the public alike. People of all backgrounds have been fascinated by his contributions to Scientific American and IEEE Spectrum magazines -- articles that explain technology in a style that is clear to any reader.

Boys' Life is the official youth magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. Published since 1911, it contains a proven mix of news, nature, sports, history, fiction, science, comics, and Scouting.

Popular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve their technology and their world. The core belief that Popular Science and our readers share: The future is going to be better, and science and technology are the driving forces that will help make it better.

How to separate facts from fake science in the Disinformation Age: “Cuts through the chaos . . . sure to keep you laughing while also keeping you thinking.” —Matt Candeias, PhD, author of In Defense of Plants We live in an era when scams, frauds, fake news, fake stories, fake science, and false narratives are everywhere. Fortunately, you don’t need a BS in Science to spot science BS. This guide from educator Dave Farina, aka YouTube’s Professor Dave, is a playful yet practical investigation of popular opinions and consumer trends that permeate our society. Shoppers insist on “organic” everything even if they’re unable to define the term. Healers and quantum mystics secure a foothold alongside science-based medicine in an unregulated and largely unchallenged landscape. Misleading marketing is used to sell you products and services that range from ineffectual to downright dangerous. With the knowledge gained from Dave Farina’s simple explanations of basic scientific principles, you can learn to spot misinformation and lies on the internet before they spot you. Learn the real science behind such semi-controversial subjects as drugs, vaccines, energy, and biotechnology—and most importantly, arm yourself with the critical-thinking skills everyone needs in a world filled with nonsense. “Scientific literacy is our best defense in an age of increasing disinformation.” —Kellie Gerardi, aerospace professional and author of Not Necessarily Rocket Science

Lester Calvin isn’t your typical detective. He knows cigars, he knows Tampa, but mostly, he knows people who can help solve problems. As he likes to put it, he’s “a guy, who knows a guy.” But when a beautiful woman walks in and drops a load of cash into his lap for doing absolutely nothing, he lands into a world of trouble, that even his connections might not be able to get him out of. The stakes have never been higher, as Lester must discover who this woman is, and why so many people want to find her. And he needs to act fast, because he just became a target.

Sports talk in America has evolved from small-time barroom banter into a major media smorgasbord that runs 24/7 on TV and radio. With hundreds of billions of dollars generated annually by pro and college teams in major markets nationwide, sports fans across the country are more dedicated than ever to their teams. And when it comes to sports talk -- especially all-sports radio -- it's all about entertainment, information, prognostication, analysis, rankings, and endless discussion. Prominent sports-media figures in each of the three target cities -- Cleveland, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. -- engage in this phenomenon with a compilation of sports lists sure to delight as well as stir up debate within these already-buzzing sports communities. List topics include: What were the most lopsided trades in local sports history? Who were the most overrated athletes to play in our town? What local athlete had the best appearance in TV or film? What was the most heartbreaking loss in local sports history? What was the greatest single play in local sports history? Who are our team's most hated rivals? Plus dozens of "guest" lists contributed by famous local sports and entertainment celebrities. Not only does Detroit host major pro sports teams -- the Lions (NFL), the Red Wings (NHL), the Tigers (MLB), and the Pistons (NBA) -- the area also includes prominent college sports programs such as the University of Michigan. Detroit's fans are some of the most educated and fanatical in the country, thanks to the work of long-time commentators Mike Stone and Art Regner.