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I came into this book hoping for an interesting read on airships and perhaps an enlightening thesis on pathological technologies that we should inoculate ourselves against. The airship history is a smooth, enjoyable read except for the utter contempt Regis constantly has for everything airship. After this he lays into Project Plowshare (nuclear warheads for civilian uses), the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC), and the 100 year starship (his singular 'current' pathological tech example).
The disappointment for me was that he neglects to mention how fixed wing aircraft have suffered from this (Spruce Goose, anyone?) along with ocean liners and warships. Also, why more airship material is at the end of the book is beyond me. Readers may want to skip the 'other pathological tech' sections and read the "6 Hindenburgs" part first. I'll continue with the other examples here:
Project Plowshare was a good example and one of the few sections I rather enjoyed.
The section on the SSC was a little jarring in that he fully acknowledges that other colliders were on budget and gave good science, the main problem with the SSC was the ballooning budget and mismanagement and the need to fund other areas of science with limited resources. But, for example, LIGO cost a pretty penny and only employed a small 'elite' group as do many astronomy projects yet I would say this is well spent science money, despite the risks. His argument that the SSC should not have even been given a chance just rings a little hollow.
And then we come to something more current, I was hoping he would use all the vigor and contempt he had for airships and pick on something significant in modern technology. Instead ... he goes after the 100 year spaceship, barely a blip on the scientific radar full of mostly harmless humans musing about interstellar travel. Yes Ed, we can see that interstellar travel should not be given huge amounts of funding, but where is the *meat* in this book? Don't leave us with all this hindsight 20/20 stuff about airships and then not have the courage to go after something significant in the modern era!
Overall, it was an OK read. If you are reading this primarily for the airship history, it will be interesting. Wait for some real meat on pathological technology, however.
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (September 8, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0465065945
- ISBN-13: 978-0465065943
- Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 15 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#2,019,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1602 in Aviation History (Books)
- #2079 in History of Engineering & Technology
- #3672 in History of Technology
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