It is common knowledge that televised political ads are meant to appeal to voters' emotions, yet little is known about how or if these tactics actually work. Ted Brader's innovative book is the first scientific study to examine the effects that these emotional appeals in political advertising have on voter decision-making. At the heart of this book are ingenious experiments, conducted by Brader during an election, with truly eye-opening results that upset conventional wisdom. They show, for example, that simply changing the music or imagery of ads while retaining the same text provokes completely different responses. He reveals that politically informed citizens are more easily manipulated by emotional appeals than less-involved citizens and that positive "enthusiasm ads" are in fact more polarizing than negative "fear ads." Black-and-white video images are ten times more likely to signal an appeal to fear or anger than one of enthusiasm or pride, and the emotional appeal triumphs over the logical appeal in nearly three-quarters of all political ads. Brader backs up these surprising findings with an unprecedented survey of emotional appeals in contemporary political campaigns. Politicians do set out to campaign for the hearts and minds of voters, and, for better or for worse, it is primarily through hearts that minds are won. Campaigning for Hearts and Minds will be indispensable for anyone wishing to understand how American politics is influenced by advertising today.

Campaigning for Hearts and Minds : How Emotional Appeals in Political Ads Work

Review

"Showcases the biologist's special talents for extrapolating global theories from arcane and detailed research... Enlightening and thought-provoking." -- Library Journal

Review

"A fascinating collection from one of the most influential thinkers of our time."--Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works and The Blank Slate

"A wonderful sample of the writings of one of our most distinguished evolutionists and a great champion of biodiversity. Wilson is also one of the broadest thinkers on the intellectual stage today. This is an especially important book for a time when science in the United States is under attack by forces seeking to reverse the enlightenment. "--Paul R. Ehrlich, author of Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect

"Edward Wilson is among the great scientists, thinkers, and authors of my lifetime. In this book he gathers and places in context his own key writings from 1949 to the present. The result is both a moving book, and a treasure for those interested in science and history"--Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel

Nature Revealed : Selected Writings, 1949-2006, by Edward O. Wilson

Every culture has its own word for this nothing. Synonymous with the idea of absolute space and time, the ether is an ancient concept that has continually determined our definition of environment, our relations to each other, and our ideas about technology. It has also instigated our desire to know something irrepressibly beyond all that.

In Ether, the histories of mysticism and the unseen merge with discussions of the technology and science of electromagnetism. Joe Milutis explores how the ideas of Anton Mesmer and Isaac Newton have manifested themselves as the inspiration for occult theories and artistic practices from Edgar Allan Poe’s works to today. In doing so, he demonstrates that fading in and out of scientific favor has not prevented the ether, a uniquely immaterial concept, from being a powerful force for material progress.

Milutis deftly weaves the origins of electrical science with alchemical lore, nineteenth-century industrialism with yogic science, and network space with dreams of the absolute. Linking the ether to phenomena such as radio noise, space travel, avant-garde film, and the rise of the Internet, he lends it an almost physical presence and currency. From Federico Fellini to Gilles Deleuze, Japanese anime to Italian Futurism, Jean Cocteau to NASA, Shirley Temple to Wilhelm Reich, Ether traverses geographical boundaries, spiritual planes, and the divide between popular and high culture.

Navigating more than three hundred years of the ether’s cultural and artistic history, Milutis reveals its continuous reinvention and tangible impact without ever losing sight of its ephemeral, elusive nature. The true meaning of ether, Milutis suggests, may be that it can never be fully grasped.

Ether : The Nothing That Connects Everything

Why do women stabilize our societies? Why can we enjoy and understand Shakespeare? Why are fruitflies uniform? Why do omnivorous eating habits aid our survival? Why is Mona Lisa’s smile beautiful? – Is there any answer to these questions? This book shows that the statement: "weak links stabilize complex systems" holds the answers to all of the surprising questions above. The author (recipient of several distinguished science communication prizes) uses weak (low affinity, low probability) interactions as a thread to introduce a vast variety of networks from proteins to ecosystems. Many people, from Nobel Laureates to high-school students have helped to make the book understandable to all interested readers. This unique book and the ideas it develops will have a significant impact on many, seemingly diverse, fields of study.

Weak Links : Stabilizers of Complex Systems from Proteins to Social Networks

To be useful, scientific research needs to be explained clearly to others--to colleagues, to administrators, to foundations and governmental bodies, and to the public. This thoroughly revised edition of the classic How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper gives beginning scientists and experienced researchers alike practical advice on writing about their work and publishing what they write. The core of the book consists of a "how-to" guide to writing and publishing research articles for scientific journals, explaining every step of the process, from choosing a suitable journal for your work to presenting the results and citing references. In addition to the information on writing for scientific journals, this book provides additional advice for the scientist of the 21st century: BL What ethical issues are important in scientific publishing? BL What should a scientist know about rights and permissions? BL How does a scientist write a grant proposal, or prepare progress reports for administrators? BL What should a scientist know to work well with the media, or to write for a general audience? All of this practical information makes How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper the essential guide that scientists need for succeeding in the competitive environment of today.

How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper

In September 2000, urban designer and self-proclaimed anti-architect David Greenberg launched an international competition to solicit innovative, ecological treehouse designs for implementation as hotels at far-flung resorts in Hawaii, China, Vietnam, and Fiji. Nearly 500 architects responded. This book compiles the top 99 designs, chosen by an esteemed panel of judges. One look at the fantastic structures presented here makes it clear this isn't Swiss Family Robinson territory: These treehouses are pure flights of fancy, many of which would look right at home in a science fiction film, but many of which are also ecological and use indigenous materials. Floor plans, computer-generated renderings, elevation plans, and scale models appear with the wildly creative designs, along with descriptive essays by the architects, bringing these high-tech, low-cost structures to life, and giving readers a look into an environmentally-friendly architectural future that is all too present.

Treehouses in Paradise : Fantasy Designs for the 21st-Century

TIME Magazine
"Kim Vicente puts human simplicity back into technology." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"This book can save lives. Strong words? Yes, but this is a strong book: engaging, easy to read, but carrying a powerful message. We have far too long neglected the human and social side of technology. ...Read this book: it can save lives."
–Donald A. Norman, author of The Design of Everyday Things

"This delightful and important book explains how we can at last reap the fruits of the recent revolution in technology. It should be required reading for all engineers."
–Steven Pinker, author of The Blank Slate and How the Mind Works

The Human Factor: Revolutionizing the Way People Live with Technology

From Publishers Weekly
A book about the history of the shipping container? At first, one has to wonder why. (An eventuality not lost on the author, who muses "What is it about the container that is so important? Surely not the thing itself...the standard container has all the romance of a tin can.") The catch, though, is that Levinson, an economist, "treats containerization not as shipping news, but as a development that has sweeping consequences for workers and consumers all around the globe." That latter statement drives this book, which is about the economic ramifications of the shipping container-from the closing of traditional (and antiquated) ports to the rise of Asia as the world's preeminent provider of inexpensive consumer goods (distributed, naturally, using mammoth shipping containers). Levinson maintains his focus on the economics of shipping vast quantities of merchandise, organizing the book into snappy, thematic chapters on different facets of shipping ("The Trucker," and "Union Disunion," for instance), an approach that lends itself well to spot-reading. Throughout, the writing is clean-more informal than rigidly academic (union boss Teddy Gleason is "a voluble Irishman born hard by the New York docks")-making the book suitable for casual readers as well as students looking for a different take on the evolution of 20th-century world economics.

The Box : How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger

From Publishers Weekly
Law professor and bioethicist Goodwin sheds much needed light in this disturbing examination of yet another failure of the American health care system: an organ donation process that leads to the sale of human organs. Despite some highly technical sections, the author artfully uses case law and tragic stories of people caught in the machinery of an organ marketplace that favors the well connected. Even readers well versed in current events are likely to be shocked by the prevalence of "presumed consent" legislation in 28 states that shifts the choice to donate away from potential donors —corneas, for instance, are routinely harvested by local coroners unless a specific prior refusal has been communicated (and sometimes even despite such a directive). The author does a good job of linking this country's history of medical scandals that victimized African-Americans to that community's misgivings about serving as either donors or seekers of a spot on the coveted transplant waiting lists. Her controversial recommendations, which include lifting the taboo on selling cadaveric organs to address the organ deficit, should spark much discussion.

Black Markets : The Supply and Demand of Body Parts

Fully revised and updated, the third edition of this celebrated Sierra Club Totebook is an information-packed guide to America's best-known national park--destination of more than four and a half million visitors annually.

Hiking the Grand Canyon provides detailed, authoritative descriptions of more than one hundred of the best trails--from easy, level day hikes along the Canyon's North and South Rims, to rigorous but rewarding rim-to-river and trans-canyon expeditions. Author and seasoned Grand Canyon adventurer John Annerino offers invaluable information to help visitors plan their trips, ensure their safety and comfort, and enhance their enjoyment of the Grand Canyon's natural wonders--including sage advice on hiking equipment and technique, clothing and food requirements, and map selection; vital information on water sources and on climate and weather; and tips on lodging and camping, as well as on how to book guided hiking, rafting, muleback and horseback trips, and climbing and caving expeditions. Also included are chapters on the park's natural history and geology and on its Native American history.

For adventurers familiar with the Canyon's many attractions and first-time visitors alike, this is the most "user friendly" and comprehensive guide available to one of our nation's premier natural wonders.

Hiking the Grand Canyon