jet lag

Description

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Jet lag is a momentary condition resulting from the human body and its inner clock being pitched against the time-leaping effects of modern aviation. But more than that, it is a situation that explains time, technology, and the human body. Jet lag epitomizes the accelerated world we live in. It makes the discomfort of globalization tangible at a personal level. Tracing physiological, temporal, technological, and cultural meanings, Christopher J. Lee's Jet Lag ponders our intrinsic human limits in the face of modern innovation, and contemplates the hidden costs of global cosmopolitanism today. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Introduction: The Esperanto of Jet Lag In search of lost (and regained) time Beings and time 1 The Romantic Machine Speed to roam All that is solid melts into air Dazed and confused 2 Babel’s Clock A briefer history of time Wrinkles in time 3 Circadian Rhythm and Blues Darkness at noon Remain in light Call it sleep 4 Heaven Up Here Society of the airport Leaving on a jet plane A supposedly fun thing I’ll have to do again Conclusion: Jet Lag as a Way of Life Infinite rest Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Conclusion Notes Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Conclusion Index