A lively account of a controversial technology developed to mitigate earthquake risk and change how we live with threatening environments. The Sistema de Alerta Sísmica Mexicano is the world’s oldest public earthquake early warning system. Given the unpredictability of earthquakes, the technology was designed to give the people of Mexico City more than a minute to prepare before the next big quake hits. How does this kind of environmental monitoring technology get built in the first place? How does its life-saving promise align with reality? And who shapes modern risk mitigation? In ¡Alerta!, Elizabeth Reddy surveys this innovation to shed light on what it means to imagine a world where sirens could sound out an ¡alerta sísmica! at any moment—and what it would be like to live in such a world. Proponents of earthquake early warnings have long held that the technology can save lives and limit economic losses. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and archival data, Reddy conducts a thorough, qualitative analysis of these claims and considers the requirements and uses of the alert system. She embeds her study in a rich narrative of the engineers who designed the system in conjunction with contingent political and environmental conditions. The result demonstrates how addressing earthquake dangers is no small task: it means trying to change relationships between the environment, society, and technology. Doing so, she critiques universalist and techno-centric approaches to hazard risk mitigation and celebrates the potential of contextually appropriate and broadly supported efforts. ¡Alerta! takes readers on a vivid journey into the world of Mexican earthquake risk mitigation, with critical insights for anthropologists and science and technology studies scholars, as well as specialists in the geosciences, engineering, and emergency management.

Chronicles the history of the premier guitar maker and its Fender models from 1950 to 2000, profiling such instruments as the Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Precision Bass, while punctuating its timeline with musical highlights. Original.

A Reference Grammar of Spanish is a comprehensive handbook on the structure of the Spanish language. Keeping technical terminology to a minimum, it provides a detailed yet clear point of reference on all the intricacies of Spanish grammar, covering word order, parts of speech, verb use, syntax, gender, number, alphabet, and pronunciation. Accompanied by a wealth of carefully chosen examples, it looks at Spanish in Iberia, the USA, Mexico, and Argentina, and demonstrates the differences between these varieties. It is designed specifically with English-speaking learners in mind, and contains useful tools such as a glossary of terms, an index, and a detailed examination of different registers of the language. Clearly structured and systematically organised, this volume is set to become the standard guide to the grammar of contemporary Spanish, and will be an invaluable resource for teachers and students, as well as a practical supplement to textbooks and classroom study.

Scott Kelby, el hombre que revolucionó "el cuarto oscuro digital" con Manipula tus fotografías digitales con Photoshop, el libro pionero más premiado y vendido de todos, nos invita nuevamente a incursionar en la fotografía digital al develarnos los secretos de los fotógrafos profesionales más conocidos, y así sacar fotografías de alta calidad (es más fácil de lo que se piensa). He aquí la brillante premisa de este libro en palabras del propio Scott: "Imagínate que estamos tomando fotos juntos y de repente me dices: ‘Oye, ¿cómo le hago para que la flor quede bien enfocada pero el fondo fuera de foco?’” No me pondría a darte toda una cátedra de fotografía. En esa circunstancia, simplemente te diría: "coloca tu teleobjetivo zoom, ajústalo a una abertura de f/2.8, enfoca la flor y dispara". De eso se trata este libro: tú y yo tomando fotos, y yo contestando a todas tus preguntas, dándote consejos y compartiendo contigo todos los secretos que he aprendido, tal y como lo haría con un buen amigo, evitándote además el lastre de los tecnicismos. Este no es un libro de teoría, repleto de palabras técnicas y confusas, y de conceptos complicados. Este libro te indicará qué botón apretar, qué configuración usar y cuándo. Con cerca de 200 de los trucos más preciados del gremio fotográfico, este libro te ayudará a mejorar dramáticamente tus fotografías, haciéndolas más nítidas, más coloridas y mucho más profesionales. En cada página se desarrolla un concepto que te ayudará a mejorar la calidad de tus fotos. A cada vuelta de página te encontrarás con otra configuración, mecanismo o truco de profesional, que convertirá tus instantáneas en fotografías dignas de una galería. Si estás harto de sacar fotos que sólo se ven más o menos bien, y nunca como las que aparecen en las revistas de fotografía, entonces este es el libro que necesitas. Scott Kelby, the man who changed the "digital darkroom" forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography—how to take professional-quality shots using the same tricks today's top digital pros use (and it's easier than you'd think). Here’s how Scott describes this book’s brilliant premise: "If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, 'Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?' I wouldn't stand there and give you a photography lecture. In real life, I'd just say, 'Put on your zoom lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.' That's what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I've learned just like I would with a friend—without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak." This isn't a book of theory—full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With nearly 200 of the most closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade," this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time. Each page covers a single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you're tired of taking shots that look "okay," and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, "Why don't my shots look like that?" then this is the book for you.