Talks at Google

Author Mary Pilon visits Google to discuss her book, "The Monopolists". The book reveals the unknown story of how the classic board game Monopoly came into existence, the reinvention of its history by Parker Brothers and multiple media outlets, the lost female originator of the game, and one man's lifelong obsession to tell the true story about the game's questionable origins. Most people think Monopoly was invented by an unemployed Pennsylvanian who sold his game to Parker Brothers during the Great Depression in 1935 and lived happily--and richly--ever after. That story, however, is not exactly true. Ralph Anspach, a professor fighting to sell his Anti-Monopoly board game decades later, unearthed the real story, which traces back to Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers, and a forgotten feminist named Lizzie Magie who invented her nearly identical Landlord's Game more than thirty years before Parker Brothers sold their version of Monopoly. Her game--underpinned by morals that were the exact opposite of what Monopoly represents today--was embraced by a constellation of left-wingers from the Progressive Era through the Great Depression, including members of Franklin Roosevelt's famed Brain Trust.  A fascinating social history of corporate greed that illuminates the cutthroat nature of American business over the last century, "The Monopolists" reads like the best detective fiction, told through Monopoly's real-life winners and losers. Originally published in April of 2015. Visit http://youtube.com/TalksAtGoogle/ [https://youtu.be/-CpE8K4ts6s?si=dlozj_OiVT1B77xQ] to watch the video.

Acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr visits Google to discuss his book "Becoming Earth: How our Planet Came to Life." One of humanity’s oldest beliefs is that our world is alive. Though once ridiculed by some scientists, the idea of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth—we are Earth, an outgrowth of its structure and an engine of its evolution. Life and its environment have coevolved for billions of years, transforming a lump of orbiting rock into a cosmic oasis—a planet that breathes, metabolizes, and regulates its climate. Acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr reveals a radical new vision of Earth where lush forests spew water, pollen, and bacteria to summon rain; giant animals engineer the very landscapes they roam; microbes chew rock to shape continents; and microscopic plankton, some as glittering as carved jewels, remake the air and sea. Humans are one of the most extreme examples of life transforming Earth. Through fossil fuel consumption, agriculture, and pollution, we have altered more layers of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis. But we are also uniquely able to understand and protect the planet’s wondrous ecology and self-stabilizing processes. Jabr introduces us to a diverse cast of fascinating people who have devoted themselves to this vital work. Becoming Earth is an exhilarating journey through the hidden workings of our planetary symphony—its players, its instruments, and the music of life that emerges—and an invitation to reexamine our place in it. How well we play our part will determine what kind of Earth our descendants inherit for millennia to come. Visit http://youtube.com/TalksAtGoogle/ [https://youtu.be/f2rhpKKlnyI] to watch the video.

Professor Adrienne Mayor of Stanford visits Google to discuss her book, "The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World". This book is the first comprehensive account of warrior women in myth and history across the ancient world, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Great Wall of China.  Amazons―fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world―were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons. But just who were these bold barbarian archers on horseback who gloried in fighting, hunting, and sexual freedom? Were Amazons real? Mayor tells how amazing new archaeological discoveries of battle-scarred female skeletons buried with their weapons prove that women warriors were not merely figments of the Greek imagination. Combining classical myth and art, nomad traditions, and scientific archaeology, she reveals intimate, surprising details and original insights about the lives and legends of the women known as Amazons. The Greeks were not the only people enchanted by Amazons―Mayor shows that warlike women of nomadic cultures inspired exciting tales in ancient Egypt, Persia, India, Central Asia, and China. Driven by a detective's curiosity, Mayor unearths long-buried evidence and sifts fact from fiction to show how flesh-and-blood women of the Eurasian steppes were mythologized as Amazons, the equals of men.  Originally published in December of 2014. Visit http://youtube.com/TalksAtGoogle/ [https://youtu.be/378zVUpeopY?si=tmwHgHTNhPzeKP_7] to watch the video.

Ecological engineer Dr. Nadina Galle visits Google to discuss her book “The Nature of our Cities: Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet.” The book describes her journey to show how scientists and citizens from around the world are harnessing emerging technologies to unlock the power of the natural world to save their cities, a phenomenon Dr. Nadina calls the “Internet of Nature.” Traveling the globe, Nadina examines how urban nature points the way toward a more sustainable future. Dr. Nadina Galle is a Dutch-Canadian ecological engineer, technologist, and podcast host, at the forefront of the growing movement to fuse nature and technology for urban resilience, and celebrated for her pioneering work on what she calls the 'Internet of Nature.' Her contributions have been showcased in documentaries by BBC Earth and featured in publications such as National Geographic and Newsweek. She was honored as one of Forbes’ “30 under 30” and recently designated a 2024 National Geographic Explorer. Visit http://youtube.com/TalksAtGoogle/ [https://youtu.be/gF4vKaOqVj4] to watch the video.

Professor Alexander Meyer visits Google to share the ways ancient Greeks and Romans kept time and their reasons for doing so. He discusses various time-keeping artifacts and works of literature to show that the manner in which time was kept and tracked reflected and continues to reflect much broader cultural issues, including imperialism, commercialism, religion, and law. This Talk analyzes ancient Greek and Roman calendrical systems, highlighting their diverse cultural expression and the challenges they faced in reconciling different calendars, with a focus on the calendar reforms made by Julius Caesar and Emperor Augustus. For example, in 46 BCE Julius Caesar implemented calendar reforms to correct the discrepancies caused by the lunar calendar's inaccuracy, and Augustus further refined the calendar system to ensure that leap years occurred every four years, as intended. Visit http://youtube.com/TalksAtGoogle/ [https://youtu.be/9yDK9m_CaxI?si=VW3uIUdMszUSb0ZD] to watch the video.