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The twenty-four-hour society : understanding human limits in a world that never stops / Martin Moore-Ede.

By: Moore-Ede, Martin C.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Reading, Mass. : Addison-Welsey, 1993Description: xv, 230 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.ISBN: 0201577119.Subject(s): Technology -- Social aspectsDDC classification: 303.483
Contents:
Pt. I.: The seeds of revolution -- Outpaced by our technology -- Facing up to the challenge -- Design specs of the human machine -- Alertness: the achilles heel of a nonstop world -- The costs of human breakdown -- Pt. II.: A society in stress -- Aviation safety and pilot error -- Medical care whenever you need it -- The power of our society -- Keep on trucking -- Decision-maker fatigue -- Human fatigue and the law -- Pt. III.: The emerging human alertness technology -- Monitoring the status of the human brain -- Boxing up the sun -- Traveling through time -- The human-centered workplace -- Pt. IV.: Transformation into a human-centered society -- National challenges in a nonstop world -- Human-centered management: the strategic business advantage of placing people first -- Developing respect for the human machine -- Preparing for the twenty-first century.
Summary: The author discusses the many negative effects of fatigue brought on by non-stop operations and how they can be avoided.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

With cellular phones and the find-you-anywhere pagers--as well as other technology--it's more difficult for a person to get away from the concerns of work in this society, let alone get a decent night's sleep. Moore-Ede discusses the repercussions caused by the current state of affairs and suggests how individuals can slow down. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

"A William Patrick book.".

Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-223) and index.

Pt. I.: The seeds of revolution -- Outpaced by our technology -- Facing up to the challenge -- Design specs of the human machine -- Alertness: the achilles heel of a nonstop world -- The costs of human breakdown -- Pt. II.: A society in stress -- Aviation safety and pilot error -- Medical care whenever you need it -- The power of our society -- Keep on trucking -- Decision-maker fatigue -- Human fatigue and the law -- Pt. III.: The emerging human alertness technology -- Monitoring the status of the human brain -- Boxing up the sun -- Traveling through time -- The human-centered workplace -- Pt. IV.: Transformation into a human-centered society -- National challenges in a nonstop world -- Human-centered management: the strategic business advantage of placing people first -- Developing respect for the human machine -- Preparing for the twenty-first century.

The author discusses the many negative effects of fatigue brought on by non-stop operations and how they can be avoided.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Today's work schedules, environments, and policies not only ignore what is known about the body's circadian rhythms, states the author (himself an expert on day-night rhythms of human alertness and fatigue), they actively counter biological cycles and propensities. But chronobiology, a hot research topic now starting to move out of the lab to address real life, may help modern societies address these problems. Moore-Ede (physiology, Harvard Medical Sch.) does not offer simple solutions. He argues that major shifts in thinking about scheduling, environmental stimulation, and strategic napping, plus greater commercialization of devices for light therapy, could greatly improve the health and productivity of U.S. workers. This book is likely to interest the many people who work odd or late hours; suffer from jet lag, insomnia, or other sleep disorders; or find themselves tired and stressed by a relentless schedule. Highly recommended.-- M.E. Chitty, Biotrends Research, Natick, Ma. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

This vitally important book offers insights and advice relevant to most anyone who works for a living. Moore-Ede, a physiology professor at Harvard Medical School and CEO of Circadian Technologies, makes the point early on that contemporary technological society collides with the physiology humans have developed over eons, ill-adapting us physically to deal with the demands of jobs that can require us to be alert at 4 a.m. He shows how the employees in the airline business, the medical profession and the nuclear power, trucking and railroad industries, for example, suffer disastrous accidents because their circadian cycles have been disrupted. In amelioration, however, Moore-Ede notes that if fatigue cannot be measured, alertness can. If put into effect, his strictures could well save many lives and billions of dollars. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

A futuristic book that explains clearly the increasing contrast between the limits of the human body's circadian rhythm (genetic internal clock), and the demands of the evolving high-tech nonstop world that requires a 24-hour schedule. Moore-Ede defines these changes as a "fundamental societal revolution" resulting from our rapidly expanding technology. He describes the side effects of shift work, sleep deficit, and the need to maintain one's body at its optimum alert level for maximum productivity, particularly in the airline, air controller, shipping, health care, and nuclear power industries, and citing major accidents involving the Exxon Valdez, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl, all of which occurred in the middle of the night when people tend to be at their lowest level of alertness. These were hugely expensive accidents, and represent only a fraction of the other accidents and near-accidents that occur in the early hours before dawn. To counteract these effects, the author recommends a switch in corporations and industries that require round-the-clock work from a machine-centered to a human-centered environment. Highly readable, this fascinating book is recommended for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and interested others. A. R. Davis; U.S. Public Health Service