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Rating: 
Summary: Review in Journal of Popular Culture
Review: "BUCKYWORKS is an important contribution to the articulate dissemination of Buckminster Fuller's ideas. J. Baldwin has written a book that provides a thorough introduction to Fuller's concepts and work as well as being a comprehensive treatment of Fuller's diverse and complex projects."
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Summary: When do we declare victory in The Industrial Revolution?
Review: Buckminster Fuller has fascinated me since my teens because of his borderline science-fictional ideas and his quest to use technology to provide for 100% of humanity -- which unfortunately is a moving target during an era of population growth. Baldwin's book doesn't quite satisfy my curiosity about the current state of Fuller's posthumous work, since he gives me the impression that it's stuck somewhere back in the post-Hippie 1970's. I certainly hope that the field has advanced further along than the dumbed-down "Whole Earth Catalogs" version which celebrated geodesic model kits and "sustainable" (i.e., voluntarily hardship-inducing) technologies.What I would like to see in a proper review of Fuller's legacy includes (a) mathematicians' assessment of his synergetic geometry, which is more radically anti-Euclidean than non-Euclidean in that it rejects the whole Greek paradigm of "abstraction" from physical objects; (b) economists' assessment of his argument that with proper resource use and rational design decisions we really could take care of 100% of humanity; (c) a discussion of why, if Fuller's goal is indeed practical, after 250 years of industrial and technological progress we've devolved from objectively useful work -- making and moving stuff on farms, in mines and in factories -- into to a situation where we hold absurd, time-wasting and nonproductive "jobs" in "services" (which sociologist Daniel Bell characterized as postindustrial "games between persons"), while billions of other humans don't even have the basics for a materially decent life; (d) and why this goal isn't on the agenda of any major politician or other world-recognized and respected figure. In other words, I find implicit in Fuller's work the question, "When do we declare victory in the Industrial Revolution, and go on our long-overdue vacation that futurists used to call 'The Postindustrial Leisure Society'?" Although Baldwin supplied me with some useful information on "Buckminster Fuller's Ideas for Today," it wasn't quite what I wanted.
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Summary: Nice companion book, very good introduction
Review: Buckyworks is a good overview of many of Fuller's ideas. Seeing the video is a must for those who are the slightest bit intrigued by this book. For those new to Fuller, this introduction rates five stars. For those seeking to learn about Fuller in greater detail, this book earns 3.25 stars. Either way, one will enjoy Baldwins' perspective.
Rating:
Summary: Nice companion book, very good introduction
Review: Buckyworks is a good overview of many of Fuller's ideas. Seeing the video is a must for those who are the slightest bit intrigued by this book. For those new to Fuller, this introduction rates five stars. For those seeking to learn about Fuller in greater detail, this book earns 3.25 stars. Either way, one will enjoy Baldwins' perspective.
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Summary: okay i haven't actually read this book...
Review: I haven't actually read this book but JB is my professor and a fascinating human. Everyday of class is a treat to listen to his life experiences and stories. He was a student of Fuller and clearly understands his theories and has furthered them in ways that would make Bucky proud.
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Summary: Very interesting book. It makes me want to read it again.
Review: I loved this book. It showed many of Buckminster Fuller's 'interesting' ideas. Many great photos of him with his inventions. It was just all around great. Buy it, you won't soon regret it.
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