false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173308212m/271491.jpg 271491 2 <p>Design pervades our lives. Everything from drafting a PowerPoint presentation to planning a state-of-the-art bridge embodies this universal human activity. But what makes a great design? In this compelling and wide-ranging look at the essence of invention, distinguished engineer and author Henry Petroski argues that, time and again, we have built success on the back of failure--not through easy imitation of success.</p><p> <i>Success through Failure</i> shows us that making something better--by carefully anticipating and thus averting failure--is what invention and design are all about. Petroski explores the nature of invention and the character of the inventor through an unprecedented range of both everyday and extraordinary examples--illustrated lectures, child-resistant packaging for drugs, national constitutions, medical devices, the world's tallest skyscrapers, long-span bridges, and more. Stressing throughout that there is no surer road to eventual failure than modeling designs solely on past successes, he sheds new light on spectacular failures, from the destruction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940 and the space shuttle disasters of recent decades, to the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001.</p><p> Petroski also looks at the prehistoric and ancient roots of many modern designs. The historical record, especially as embodied in failures, reveals patterns of human social behavior that have implications for large structures like bridges and vast organizations like NASA. <i>Success through Failure</i>--which will fascinate anyone intrigued by design, including engineers, architects, and designers themselves--concludes by speculating on when we can expect the next major bridge failure to occur, and the kind of bridge most likely to be involved.</p> 263207 2006 Success through Failure: The Paradox of Design total:18|5:1|4:5|3:7|2:5|1:0| 18 56 41 4 2 0 false false Fri Mar 13 10:17:21 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 15 09:49:44 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 13 10:17:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Apr 07 07:17:37 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 07:20:28 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 true false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Nov 24 14:50:03 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 14 19:55:57 -0800 2007 2 0 false false Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Aug 08 11:07:10 -0700 2008 Wed Dec 31 07:47:01 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Thu Nov 12 15:27:20 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 12 15:27:20 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 10 01:34:19 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 10 01:34:19 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 06 14:55:37 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 14:55:37 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri Oct 02 12:07:18 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 02 12:07:18 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 02 06:32:17 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 02 06:32:17 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sat Sep 19 08:20:04 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 07:07:46 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 08:20:04 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Sep 07 06:26:54 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 06:26:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 01 17:17:58 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 17:17:58 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Aug 30 14:26:20 -0700 2009 Thu Nov 19 16:18:10 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Aug 07 08:45:14 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 08:45:14 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jul 17 01:42:54 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 01:42:54 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Jul 10 10:53:12 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 10:53:12 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jun 10 07:25:12 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 07:25:12 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Feb 20 11:53:54 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 21:26:37 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jan 12 21:21:40 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 21:21:42 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Dec 26 14:54:16 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 26 14:54:16 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=271491