Audiobooks

In numerous reference books and lists of Russian inventions, three quarters of the remarkable ideas produced by Russian inventive thought are usually omitted; instead, one discovers claims that we invented the aeroplane (certainly not), the bicycle (also no), and the ballistic missile (by no means). This book has two aims: first, to tell the story of inventions made at different times by our compatriots, with the greatest possible objectivity, neither understating nor exaggerating their achievements; second, to dispel the many myths and historical falsifications connected with the history of invention.

Inventive activity in the Soviet Union developed in a distinctive way. It was actively encouraged in selected fields—space, military, and scientific—while being largely neglected in everyday life. In other words, the USSR achieved major breakthroughs in rocketry and fundamental research, yet lagged significantly in everything related to daily life, from vacuum cleaners to automobiles. This book has two aims. The first is to present, as objectively as possible, the inventions created by our compatriots during the Soviet period, neither understating nor exaggerating their achievements; the second is to place Soviet inventiveness in a broader context that explains its distinctive path. And, of course, to dispel the many myths surrounding the history of invention.

Books on PR are usually written by PR professionals. The problem is that almost none of them have ever been on the other side of the barricades—working in a magazine or on television, producing popular video blogs, or managing corporate social media accounts. As a result, conflicts between journalists and PR specialists arise constantly. Tim Skorenko, having spent ten years in journalism, decided to write a textbook on PR and explain the mistakes PR professionals make when working with the press and bloggers—and, conversely, the situations in which journalists themselves are in the wrong in their dealings with PR departments.

Who was Ivan Kulibin? What did he invent, and what became of his inventions? Ivan Kulibin was a great mechanic and inventor, a self-taught genius whose name eventually became a household word. Yet if you try to recall what exactly he invented, at best you might think of the Peacock Clock in the Hermitage (which he did not build, but merely repaired). In this book, we aim to tell the true story of the famous master. Kulibin devised many remarkable inventions that were ahead of their time. Here you will read about his searchlights and watercraft, bridges and prosthetics, a self-propelled carriage and a screw lift. We invite you to embark on a journey through time and experience what it was like to be a self-taught genius during the Industrial Revolution in Russia.