Benjamin Gross - Böcker

In 1968 a team of scientists and engineers from RCA announced the creation of a new form of electronic display that relied upon an obscure set of materials known as liquid crystals. At a time when televisions utilized bulky cathode ray tubes to produce an image, these researchers demonstrated how liquid crystals could electronically control the passage of light. One day, they predicted, liquid crystal displays would find a home in clocks, calculators—and maybe even a television that could hang on the wall.  Half a century later, RCA’s dreams have become a reality, and liquid crystals are the basis of a multibillion-dollar global industry. Yet the company responsible for producing the first LCDs was unable to capitalize upon its invention. In The TVs of Tomorrow, Benjamin Gross explains this contradiction by examining the history of flat-panel display research at RCA from the perspective of the chemists, physicists, electrical engineers, and technicians at the company’s central laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey.  Drawing upon laboratory notebooks, internal reports, and interviews with key participants, Gross reconstructs the development of the LCD and situates it alongside other efforts to create a thin, lightweight replacement for the television picture tube. He shows how RCA researchers mobilized their technical expertise to secure support for their projects. He also highlights the challenges associated with the commercialization of liquid crystals at RCA and Optel—the RCA spin-off that ultimately manufactured the first LCD wristwatch. The TVs of Tomorrow is a detailed portrait of American innovation during the Cold War, which confirms that success in the electronics industry hinges upon input from both the laboratory and the boardroom.

This work assesses the various meanings attached to calls for police reform in the public discourse on social media, providing readers with a greater appreciation of the assumptions, empirical claims, and rhetorical nuances that underpin the current dialogue about police policy. Drawing upon an intersectional theoretical and mixed-methods approach, the authors look at what it means to "defund" or "abolish" the police, as well as the definition of community policing.The death of George Floyd in 2020 resulted in national and international protests during which some members of the public began to demand "abolishing" or "defunding" the police, ideas previously put forth in academic arenas. However, these public protests were often presented in rhetorical ways that differed from the academic roots of the ideas. This book takes a deep look into what it means to "defund" or "abolish" the police, drawing upon academic origins of the concepts while at the same time examining how the public has used Twitter to define and discuss these ideas. The authors identify frameworks built around the concepts, discuss facts and perspectives that have contributed to these ideas, and explain how quantitative methods can be used to illustrate the most prominent frames.This book incorporates both quantitative and qualitative means of research in an examination of Twitter and brings clarity to the conversation surrounding the "abolish the police", "defund the police", and "community policing" concepts. It is suitable for undergraduate to graduate-level college courses in criminology, sociology, policing, race in America, communication, social media, and research methods.

This work assesses the various meanings attached to calls for police reform in the public discourse on social media, providing readers with a greater appreciation of the assumptions, empirical claims, and rhetorical nuances that underpin the current dialogue about police policy. Drawing upon an intersectional theoretical and mixed-methods approach, the authors look at what it means to "defund" or "abolish" the police, as well as the definition of community policing.The death of George Floyd in 2020 resulted in national and international protests during which some members of the public began to demand "abolishing" or "defunding" the police, ideas previously put forth in academic arenas. However, these public protests were often presented in rhetorical ways that differed from the academic roots of the ideas. This book takes a deep look into what it means to "defund" or "abolish" the police, drawing upon academic origins of the concepts while at the same time examining how the public has used Twitter to define and discuss these ideas. The authors identify frameworks built around the concepts, discuss facts and perspectives that have contributed to these ideas, and explain how quantitative methods can be used to illustrate the most prominent frames.This book incorporates both quantitative and qualitative means of research in an examination of Twitter and brings clarity to the conversation surrounding the "abolish the police", "defund the police", and "community policing" concepts. It is suitable for undergraduate to graduate-level college courses in criminology, sociology, policing, race in America, communication, social media, and research methods.