Following the smashing success of Material World 1 and Material World 2, the third edition in this series, Material World 3: Innovative Materials for Architecture and Design, offers another hundred-plus materials and semi-finished products carefully selected by matériO, the library of emerging materials. Highlighting this exclusive collection, which covers materials with a wide variety of properties and aesthetic qualities, are modular, undulating wall coverings, fish-skin leathers, photovoltaic textiles, and LED lighting systems powered by wafer-thin batteries. Material World 3 promises to satisfy the demand among architects, designers, and students for product information, technical specifications, and suggestions for ways in which to use the latest fascinating materials and finishes. Above and beyond inspiration, the reader finds the names, addresses, phone numbers, and websites of suppliers—all the information needed to contact and purchase every item featured in the book. The team at matériO—intent on informing readers about materials and convinced that innovation emerges largely from maximizing the use of materials and technologies through in-depth knowledge—summarizes fifteen basic concepts to help novices gain a better understanding of this complex topic and to point out, even to the more well-informed reader, aspects of materials that are often overlooked. What do FSC, COV, Cradle to Cradle, and oxo-degradable mean? What are Damascus steel, float glass, and electroluminescence? What’s the story behind the invention of nylon, or of Velcro? Find the answers to these and many other relevant questions in Material World 3. Taken as a whole, these features make Material World 3 a virtually encyclopedic survey of exciting materials and finishes for use in interior design and architecture.

Computers have changed so much since the room-filling, bulky magnetic tape running monsters of the mid 20th century. They now form a vital part of most people's lives. And they are more ubiquitous than might be thought - you may have more than 30 computers in your home: not just the desktop and laptop but think of the television, the fridge, the microwave. But what is the basic nature of the modern computer? How does it work? How has it been possible to squeeze so much power into increasingly small machines? And what will the next generations of computers look like? In this Very Short Introduction, Darrel Ince looks at the basic concepts behind all computers; the changes in hardware and software that allowed computers to become so small and commonplace; the challenges produced by the computer revolution - especially whole new modes of cybercrime and security issues; the Internet and the advent of 'cloud computing'; and the promise of whole new horizons opening up with quantum computing, and even computing using DNA--