{"product_id":"9780743229517","title":"Gearheads : The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eGearheads\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Brad Stone\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the early nineties, a visionary special-effects guru named Marc Thorpe conjured a field of dreams different from any the world had seen before: It would be framed by unbreakable plastic instead of cornstalks; populated not by ghostly ballplayers but by remote-controlled robots, armed to the steely teeth, fighting in a booby-trapped ring. If you built it, they'd come all right.... \u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eGearheads, Newsweek\u003c\/i\u003e technology correspondent Brad Stone examines the history of robotic sports, from their cultish early years at universities and sci-fi conventions to today's televised extravaganzas -- and the turmoil that threatened the whole enterprise almost from the beginning. \u003cbr\u003e By turns a lively historical narrative, a legal thriller, and an exploration of a cultural and technological phenomenon, \u003ci\u003eGearheads\u003c\/i\u003e is a funny and fascinating look at the sport of the future today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003eSteven Levy author of \u003ci\u003eCrypto\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHackers\u003c\/i\u003e On one level, \u003ci\u003eGearheads\u003c\/i\u003e is a book about robots -- fearsome, heavily armed, and in some cases questionably legal machines -- and the talented mechanical artists who build them. But Brad Stone has also written a moving narrative about dreams, and how they're dashed.\u003cbr\u003eWill Wright robot builder and creator of the bestselling video games \u003ci\u003eSimCity\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Sims\u003c\/i\u003e This fascinating story not only chronicles the birth of a new sport, but also the explosive confrontation between its creator and his business partner. The violence of this struggle exceeds anything seen in the robot arena, but somehow a vibrant community manages to crystallize from the ashes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780743229517\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40945013719246,"sku":"9780743229517","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/O_f1634cf1-4cd6-472c-9e84-5b36f42a7036.jpg?v=1646057225","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780743229517","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}