Bucky Works : Buckminster Fuller's Ideas for Today

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Often alluded to as a 20th-century Leonardo da Vinci, R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) was a visionary of the modern age. As an architect, inventor, engineer, writer, mathematician, and educator, his utopian humanism was evident in the way he devoted his life to designing objects, including buildings and cars, that would solve many of the problems of modern living. He was an early proponent of geodesic domes--semispherical structures made up of incredibly light and extremely strong triangular components--which he recommended for economical and energy-efficient housing and other purposes. An entire chapter in this engaging book is devoted to domes; other chapters cover Fuller's far-reaching ideas on the Dymaxion House, Dymaxion Transportation, Synergetics, and Megastructures. ("Dymaxion" was a term Fuller coined to describe getting the most output from minimal input of energy and materials.) With more than 200 black-and-white photos and drawings, this is a wonderfully nontechnical introduction to and celebration of the man, his remarkable inventions, and their modern-day relevance.

Book Description

"A pleasure to read." -Architectural Review

"A wonderful, nontechnical introduction to one of this century's most fascinating minds." -Whole Earth Review

"Original . . . [and] valuable, because it describes . . . Fuller's original techniques." -Architectural Record.

Architect, mathematician, engineer, inventor, visionary humanist, educator, inspirational orator, and bestselling author, R. Buckminster Fuller has been rightly called "the 20th-century Leonardo da Vinci." Written by a fellow inventor who worked with Fuller for more than three decades, BuckyWorks is an inspiring celebration of the man, his ideas, his inventions -and his legacy for our future. Featuring over 200 photographs and drawings, plus dozens of fascinating excerpts from Fuller's lectures and conversations with the author, this book offers a breathtaking inside look at one of the truly great minds of our time.

J. BALDWIN is an inventor and teacher who worked under, with, and for R. Buckminster Fuller for more than three decades. He served as an editor of the Whole Earth Catalog and the Whole Earth Review for 25 years.

Customer Reviews:

Bucky's Ideas In Comprehensible Format.......2007-08-23

I've been interested in the ideas and work of Buckminster Fuller for a long time but whenever I've tried to read his books I can't get through them, they're too dense for me. J. Baldwin has a clear and concise writing style which he enhances with illustrative photographs. His book really shows the practical applications of Bucky's work. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

This is the book for learning total design and about the man himself.......2006-10-09

I bought tis book several years ago based on a recommendation as a good intro th Buckys work. This book is a gem for all of those who are inclined to engineering and design, not only because of the explanations and ilustrations, but also as testimonial to the thought of the great genius.

Im still amazed that Bucky's thought have not been embraced by us modern citizens.

I am trying to introduce a revolutionary solar coating here in Venezuela [..], I think of the aluminum domes built in Ghana that used natural convection for cooling, and people thoight they were in fact to cold!!! sustainable development has been around longer than we thought, are we ever going to strat smelling the coffee???

A Man Before His Time.......2006-01-21

Inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller, "Bucky," died in l983 at age 88. He is known the world over for his invention of the geodesic dome. The author of this book knew him for 31 years.

Bucky, as he was known to everyone, (except his wife of 66 years) was not a college graduate, yet he received 47 honorary degrees during his lifetime. His influence on architectural and product designing was--and still is--tremendous.

This book is of interest not only as a tribute to his inventiveness, but for detailing why many of his concepts, to this day, have not been accepted. The full-page cartoon on page 20 is a classic example of his frustration. It depicts an automobile being made on the driveway of a home. Bucky argued for years how ridiculous it is that we build houses 'from scratch' on a house lot. If we built cars that way, as the cartoon shows, they would cost $300,000! It should be noted that the American Institute of Architects (AIA), in 1928, passed a resolution "...on record as inherently opposed to any peas-in-a-pod-line reproducible designs." Others, sewer system builders, carpenters, electricians, etc., indicated they too would oppose home-building innovations.

One reason the geodesic dome concept succeeded was that the military did not need to consult zoning and codes when it needed a transportable light weight and super strong structure for a mountain top or an Arctic location.

You will be amazed at how much his 1934 car designs resemble today's vans. Equally amazing is his "traveling cartridge," a small car transportable by air or rail. No need to rent a car. It could even be used as a sleeping unit.

His "Triton City" was designed as a floating city (100,000 people) for Tokyo Bay. You see variations of this idea almost every year and it is invariably presented as a new idea. His "Fly's Eye" dome is now under commercial development and you may be seeing into the future when scanning this section of the book.

An example of the tremendous respect for Fuller's concepts can be seen in the naming of the 60-atom carbon molecule discovered in the early 1970s. It is called "buckminsterfullerene" and is often referred to as "Buckyball." Its soccer-ball-pentagon-hexagon pattern very much relates to Fuller's icosahedron-based constructions.

Fuller maintained that the entire universe, from atoms to galaxies, "is make made up of islands of compression in a continuous sea of tension." This "tensegrity" concept may even apply to biological cells according to a recent (1993) paper by Dr. Ingber.

As the author often notes, Fuller--as a person and as a designer--had his faults. However his accomplishments and his influence on others far outshine his failures. Many inventors can relate to the problems due to being "before your time" and to the difficulty of displacing the "established way" of doing something.

This book is crammed with photos, many never before published. Buy it, enjoy it. Donate it to your local school library. There is a whole new generation out there that can be inspired by it.

When do we declare victory in The Industrial Revolution?.......2000-12-16

Buckminster Fuller has fascinated me since my teens because of his borderline science-fictional ideas and his quest to use technology to provide for 100% of humanity -- which unfortunately is a moving target during an era of population growth. Baldwin's book doesn't quite satisfy my curiosity about the current state of Fuller's posthumous work, since he gives me the impression that it's stuck somewhere back in the post-Hippie 1970's. I certainly hope that the field has advanced further along than the dumbed-down "Whole Earth Catalogs" version which celebrated geodesic model kits and "sustainable" (i.e., voluntarily hardship-inducing) technologies.

What I would like to see in a proper review of Fuller's legacy includes (a) mathematicians' assessment of his synergetic geometry, which is more radically anti-Euclidean than non-Euclidean in that it rejects the whole Greek paradigm of "abstraction" from physical objects; (b) economists' assessment of his argument that with proper resource use and rational design decisions we really could take care of 100% of humanity; (c) a discussion of why, if Fuller's goal is indeed practical, after 250 years of industrial and technological progress we've devolved from objectively useful work -- making and moving stuff on farms, in mines and in factories -- into to a situation where we hold absurd, time-wasting and nonproductive "jobs" in "services" (which sociologist Daniel Bell characterized as postindustrial "games between persons"), while billions of other humans don't even have the basics for a materially decent life; (d) and why this goal isn't on the agenda of any major politician or other world-recognized and respected figure.

In other words, I find implicit in Fuller's work the question, "When do we declare victory in the Industrial Revolution, and go on our long-overdue vacation that futurists used to call 'The Postindustrial Leisure Society'?" Although Baldwin supplied me with some useful information on "Buckminster Fuller's Ideas for Today," it wasn't quite what I wanted.

okay i haven't actually read this book..........2000-11-30

I haven't actually read this book but JB is my professor and a fascinating human. Everyday of class is a treat to listen to his life experiences and stories. He was a student of Fuller and clearly understands his theories and has furthered them in ways that would make Bucky proud.

Bucky Works: Buckminster Fuller's Ideas for Today

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Bucky Works: Buckminster Fuller's Ideas for Today
J. Baldwin
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GRB6GE

Book Description

Pottery is an art of essentials: earth, water, and fire, guided by the human element of spirit. Zen is also concerned with the basics: the training of the mind and body, the ultimate craftsmanship of the soul. Zen and the Art of Pottery explores the links between pottery and Zen, between art, life, and spirit. This unique book is at once a celebration of pottery, the art and its traditions, and a hands-on guide to its methods. The first chapters discuss principles and practice, discipline and tradition—the Zen potter's attitudes to life and work. Later chapters translate those ideas into practical potting techniques, presenting both rudimentary and advanced lessons. The book also includes photographs and descriptions of pots by the author, his Japanese master, his students, and by a number of renowned modern potters.

Customer Reviews:

useful for westerners studying pottery in japan.......2004-02-27

I'll just refer you to a review in Pottery Making Illustrated: http://www.potterymaking.org/zen.html

sounds like the book would be especially useful for people who are studying pottery in japan and need an explanation for all the strange new tools and so on.

Average customer rating:
Mystery of beauty and Zen: An anthology
Henry Joe
Manufacturer: Archie Bray Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006R40LW

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How Do You Photograph People?
Leigh Wiener
Manufacturer: Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0670381209

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The Sustainability Advantage: Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line (Conscientious Commerce)
Bob Willard
Manufacturer: New Society Publishers
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Binding: Hardcover

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The Triple Bottom Line: How Today's Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success -- and How You Can Too

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ASIN: 0865714517

Book Description

Corporations are under increasing pressure from customers, investors, employees, legislators, banks, and insurance companies to embrace social and environmental responsibility. But Wall Street demands quarterly results, a stringent return on investment, and a short payback period. Up until now, there's been very little evidence expressed in business language showing the benefits of the "triple bottom line" relevant to the short and long-term priorities of senior executives. So how can these seemingly incompatible goals be accomplished at the same time?

Written in the pragmatic language of business leaders by a senior manager at Big Blue, The Sustainability Advantage shows that the business benefits of sustainable development strategies are quantifiable and real - and executives do not have to be tree-hugging environmental activists to reap these benefits.

Each of the seven sustainability strategies presented in this practical guide are easy to grasp, yet powerful enough to lead to significant business opportunities, from reducing hiring and retention costs and improving productivity, to decreasing expenses and increasing revenue and shareholder value. Executives will especially appreciate a unique spreadsheet into which they can insert their own data to see for themselves whether the business case for sustainable initiatives is a profitable one for their company.

The Sustainability Advantage: Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line. (Book Review).(Book Review): An article from: CMA Management

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The Sustainability Advantage: Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line. (Book Review).(Book Review): An article from: CMA Management
Anne Papmehl
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from CMA Management, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2003. The length of the article is 865 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Sustainability Advantage: Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line. (Book Review).(Book Review)
Author: Anne Papmehl
Publication: CMA Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2003
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 77 Issue: 3 Page: 44(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Practical Information

The Guide to Retail Business Planning: The Complete Handboo

The Guide to Retail Business Planning: The Complete Handbook for Creating a Winning Plan for Any Retail Business
Warren G. Purdy
Manufacturer: Inc. Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Developed exclusively for the owners and managers of retail businesses.

Customer Reviews:

Practical Information.......2001-08-06

THis book is helpful, especially when it came to doing the financials for my business plan. Some of the sample forms needed to be a bit larger, but besides that, an excellent choice for a beginning retailer.

The Guide to Retail Business Planning: The Complete Handboo.......2000-03-05

Great Book! Everyone was very impressed with my business plan when it was finished. It covered everything you need to include in your plan. The first bank I went to accepted my plan.

Book Description

Should parents who give up their children for adoption continue to have access to them? Should children be allowed to divorce their parents? What about children with AIDS? Should confidentiality be maintained when they are mainstreamed in regular classrooms and nursery schools? In Debating Children's Lives, experts from diverse backgrounds--from social scientists to law professors--address these and other timely issues in a debate format. As the editors point out, there are at least two sides to every issue, and the best road to understanding is to be introduced to all points of view. For each point in question and each opinion, one or more proponents present their cases and also provide a brief rejoinder. Among the other topics addressed are grandparent rights, parental notification on abortion, and parental leave. The cogent arguments presented in Debating Children's Lives will build critical thinking skills and spark class debate for courses on children, adolescents, families, social policy, and social services.

Book Description

All variations and markings are covered in this the third book in a multi-volume series. , over 100 b/w photographs, 8 1/2" x 11"

Customer Reviews:

Japan's 'Tojo' the barrel shaped Ki-44 Shoki fighter.......2002-10-17

Up till the date I bought this book (way back in 1978) I only knew about this plane because I had built a 1:72 model of it from Tamiya, if my memory serves me right. This book provided me with some background and development history, but above all it shows what a remarkable variety of painting schemes were used by the Japanse Army Air Force in their different theatres of operation. Though the quality of the -many- photographs leaves something to be desired at times, they are the real thing, and Mr. Bueschel must have gone through many lengths in acquiring them from their Japanese sources.
The original Osprey book was published in the early 1970's and the value and demand was apparently such that Schiffer books has republised it, and they claim theirs is the revised and updated version of this book, one of the all-time Osprey classics about Japanese aviation.

Book Description

A Sailor's Guide to Life" chronicles memorable quotations in an easy-to-read style. "A Sailor's Guide to Life" provides inspiring, thoughtful and humorous messages from entertainers, athletes, scientists, politicians, clerics, writers and renegades. You'll find inspirational quotes from Shakespeare to Hemingway, Larry Bird to Arnold Palmer, Captain Cook to Hal Roth, "Famous Amos" to Ray Kroc, Lincoln to Churchill, and Hippocrates to Star Wars' Yoda.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful.......2000-05-03

The collections in this book are heartwarming and inspiring. The quotes and quips give warm the heart and give hope to the spirit. I loved it!

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Newlywed basics

Easy to read! Practical advice.

Great lists

The Only Financial Guide New Couples Will Ever Need

A must for the newly engaged woman!

For Richer Not Poorer: The Newlywed's Financial Survival Guide
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Binding: Paperback

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Contributing editor for Elegant Bride and former financial columnist for Modern Bride magazine Deborah Wilburn offers timely advice for couples who are preparing for the big day but want to start planning for the rest of their lives. Once the honeymoon is over, most people have no idea how they are going to handle their money. There's no better time than the present for newlyweds to get real about their finances and figure out how acheive future financial stability.

Including easy--to-do exercises and worksheets, this accessible guide offers down-to-earth advice on:

- Planning a dream wedding without creating a big, fat financial nightmare
- Coming clean about one's financial past and tackling debt
- Discussing money attitudes: his and hers
- Navigating sticky money situations
- Merging bank accounts...or not
- Saving for the house, the kids, and retirement
- Taking out insurance, filing taxes, and setting goals for the future

Customer Reviews:

Newlywed basics.......2007-04-12

This book was not very informative. The sections contained a lot of what I thought was common sense topics that didn't need to be laid out in detail in a book. I have found that there are to many other better books out there for newlyweds.

Easy to read! Practical advice........2006-02-28

This book was great for giving practical advice on how to manage your finances while you are also in the process of combining (or not combining) finances with your future spouse.

Great lists.......2005-12-23

Although my husband and I are both well versed in basic finances and have been married more than a year and a half, we still found valuable information in this book. In particular, the second half includes many lists, such as
-what should be kept in a safe deposit box
-what papers do you need to keep for taxes/other reasons, and for how long

While there are many books written at this level about basic finances, this book is special because it is directed specifically at two people who are making (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime decisions about whether to add each others names to credit cards, whether they can afford to buy a first home, etc. I would highly recommend this book as a refresher, even if you feel you already know about money.

The Only Financial Guide New Couples Will Ever Need.......2005-10-20

This book covers all the important money issues that couples have to resolve, whether they like it or not, if they want to build a sound and trusting financial future together-and it does so in the most down to earth, non-threatening and engaging way. The author's humor, generosity and honesty in sharing some of the ways she and her husband have managed and mismanaged their own finances over the course of their marriage really sets this book apart from other dry and mechanical books on finance. Many of the issues the author guides readers through are not easy ones to confront, but again, her humor, honesty and sweet humanity are the teaspoon of sugar that helps the medicine go down in the most delightful way. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

A must for the newly engaged woman!.......2005-09-10

This is a great book!!

I bought it even before I got engaged because my boyfriend (now fiance) and I couldn't decide how to conduct our finances once we eventually got married.

Not only does this book give suggestions on different ways to combine assets and pay bills, but it talks about how to realistically plan your wedding budget, what you need to do legally after you get married (like where to go to change your name and in what order), how to save for a house down-payment, retirement, insurance, taxes, and estate planning. It is very readable and has great examples of do's and don'ts.

I highly recommend this book to any woman or couple who would like to know what the difference is between a 401k, IRA, Roth IRA, and a pension. For those who want to know what to do if she is a saver and he is a spender (or vice versa).

I really enjoyed it and you will too!

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How to Acheive Peak Performances with a Relaxed Mind

A Sport Psychology Workbook for Riders
Ann S. Reilly
Manufacturer: J. A. Allen & Company, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

An expert in the field of sport psychology outlines mental strategies that will help riders attain peak performance.

Customer Reviews:

How to Acheive Peak Performances with a Relaxed Mind.......2000-09-10

At last a really significant book in the field of sports psychology for riders! Ms.Reilly, a Phd highly regarded in her field, offers coping methods for riders to deal with the pressures of performance. Reilly explains the traditional pitfalls that beset competitors and offers techniques that relax and focus the mind. Exercises are provided to help riders overcome perfectionism, set realistic goals, design performance routines and develop self confidence.Having worked with riders of all ages and abilities, from children to professionals, she draws on her vast experience and shares the method that she has developed to maximize the rider's talents using positive, reinforcing thinking. Reilly shows how a calm mental attitude will produce safer and more effective rides leading to peak performance. Treat yourself to a book that will make competing fun!

Book Description

Each year Linda Crowsey, completely revises the values and adds all-new colour photos to produce an entirely new book. The alphabetical listings are updated to include nearly every Madame Alexander doll. Sizes, dates, and current values for every doll, as well as the showcase of photos assist the collector in identification.

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Very helpful

Great for 'transplanted' residents

Month-by-Month Gardening in the Carolinas: Revised Edition: What to Do Each Month To Have a Beautiful Garden All Year (Month-By-Month Gardening in the Carolinas)
Bob Polomski
Manufacturer: Cool Springs Press
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Binding: Paperback

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4-color photography and illustrations to demonstrate cultural practices
Covers all major plant categories
Specific advice for every month of the year
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Customer Reviews:

Very helpful.......2007-02-11

This book is very helpful. It contains easy to read info and presented in a manner that even the beginner garder can use as a refrence.

Great for 'transplanted' residents.......2007-01-11

This book is valuable for people new to this geographic area. It gives specific gardening tasks for each month. Being new to the area, I found this to be an indispensible resource.

Book Description

Robinson has an exceptional sense of poetic cadence. Her poetry, raps, rocks, shimmies, bumps and sometimes grinds with emotion, life and vitality. Her free verse-rhyming style is easy to read, clear and lively.

Customer Reviews:

Tell It Like It Is.......2002-11-05

Empowering your mind and soul becomes the essence of Sharmel Robinson's Freed by Love "Nothing But The Drama". The book is a powerful poetic autobiography that is written with such intensity it evokes emotions from the depth of your soul.

Ms. Robinson's main inspiration for her poetry comes from Mary J. Blige, however, other artists that have also inspired her writings are Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, and Macy Gray. When reading "Freed by Love" you will definitely focus on the wide range of day to day situations that Shar interprets through her poetry and the turmoil that bought her full circle to make her an empowered woman today. No words are lost but versed so poetically, you will reap the benefits and enjoy the depth of her presentations.

I was very impressed with her poetic style and outlay of words that ring true to every situation revolving around relationships, marriages, infidelity, abuse, lying, and making the wrong and right choices. This is not a book that you can skim through and pick out certain poems to read; you must read from the beginning to the end. Shar Robinson brings it home by reminding us that we must first love God and self.

A book of poems written in this magnitude could not have been any better; she has blown away the secular norm of poetry. Freed by Love, "Nothing But The Drama" is definitely a must read that will not disappoint you, but will empower you and Sharmel Robinson is definitely a poetess to watch. I look forward to reading her future works.

Reviewed by Kalaani

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