Ready Player Two
Ready Player Two

Author: Ernest Cline

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2020-11-24

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 1524761338

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The thrilling sequel to the beloved worldwide bestseller Ready Player One, the near-future adventure that inspired the blockbuster Steven Spielberg film. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST • “The game is on again. . . . A great mix of exciting fantasy and threatening fact.”—The Wall Street Journal AN UNEXPECTED QUEST. TWO WORLDS AT STAKE. ARE YOU READY? Days after winning OASIS founder James Halliday’s contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday’s vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the OASIS a thousand times more wondrous—and addictive—than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest—a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who’ll kill millions to get what he wants. Wade’s life and the future of the OASIS are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance. Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.

Wind/Pinball
Wind/Pinball

Author: Haruki Murakami

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2015-08-04

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 0385352131

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER Wind/Pinball, a unique two-in-one volume, includes, on one side, Murakami’s first novel Hear the Wind Sing. When you flip the book over, you can read his second novel, Pinball, 1973. Each book has its own stunning cover. In the spring of 1978, a young Haruki Murakami sat down at his kitchen table and began to write. The result: two remarkable short novels—Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973—that launched the career of one of the most acclaimed authors of our time. These powerful, at times surreal, works about two young men coming of age—the unnamed narrator and his friend the Rat—are stories of loneliness, obsession, and eroticism. They bear all the hallmarks of Murakami’s later books, and form the first two-thirds, with A Wild Sheep Chase, of the trilogy of the Rat. Widely available in English for the first time ever, newly translated, and featuring a new introduction by Murakami himself, Wind/Pinball gives us a fascinating insight into a great writer’s beginnings.

The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values
The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values

Author: Brian Christian

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 459

ISBN-13: 039363583X

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A jaw-dropping exploration of everything that goes wrong when we build AI systems and the movement to fix them. Today’s “machine-learning” systems, trained by data, are so effective that we’ve invited them to see and hear for us—and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. Recent years have seen an eruption of concern as the field of machine learning advances. When the systems we attempt to teach will not, in the end, do what we want or what we expect, ethical and potentially existential risks emerge. Researchers call this the alignment problem. Systems cull résumés until, years later, we discover that they have inherent gender biases. Algorithms decide bail and parole—and appear to assess Black and White defendants differently. We can no longer assume that our mortgage application, or even our medical tests, will be seen by human eyes. And as autonomous vehicles share our streets, we are increasingly putting our lives in their hands. The mathematical and computational models driving these changes range in complexity from something that can fit on a spreadsheet to a complex system that might credibly be called “artificial intelligence.” They are steadily replacing both human judgment and explicitly programmed software. In best-selling author Brian Christian’s riveting account, we meet the alignment problem’s “first-responders,” and learn their ambitious plan to solve it before our hands are completely off the wheel. In a masterful blend of history and on-the ground reporting, Christian traces the explosive growth in the field of machine learning and surveys its current, sprawling frontier. Readers encounter a discipline finding its legs amid exhilarating and sometimes terrifying progress. Whether they—and we—succeed or fail in solving the alignment problem will be a defining human story. The Alignment Problem offers an unflinching reckoning with humanity’s biases and blind spots, our own unstated assumptions and often contradictory goals. A dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, it takes a hard look not only at our technology but at our culture—and finds a story by turns harrowing and hopeful.

Mindstorms
Mindstorms

Author: Seymour A Papert

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 154167510X

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In this revolutionary book, a renowned computer scientist explains the importance of teaching children the basics of computing and how it can prepare them to succeed in the ever-evolving tech world. Computers have completely changed the way we teach children. We have Mindstorms to thank for that. In this book, pioneering computer scientist Seymour Papert uses the invention of LOGO, the first child-friendly programming language, to make the case for the value of teaching children with computers. Papert argues that children are more than capable of mastering computers, and that teaching computational processes like de-bugging in the classroom can change the way we learn everything else. He also shows that schools saturated with technology can actually improve socialization and interaction among students and between students and teachers. Technology changes every day, but the basic ways that computers can help us learn remain. For thousands of teachers and parents who have sought creative ways to help children learn with computers, Mindstorms is their bible.

Never Go Broke
Never Go Broke

Author: Jesse McClure

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2021-05-06

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1788402960

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How can you make money TODAY? How can you generate real cash this week? Never Go Broke isn't about stocks, shares and investment for the comfortable - it's a real-time lifeline for side-hustlers, downsizers, work-from-homers, the overstretched and anyone who needs to generate some extra cash right now but doesn't know how. This guide will show readers practical applications to make money right now and grow that money to either reinvest, repurpose, or help circumnavigate financial difficulties. Full of tips, tricks, advice and practical strategies you can use to make money by selling the everyday items all around you - nothing could be more useful in today's tricky economic reality. CONTENTS PART I: BUILD A RESALE POT FROM NOTHING Lesson 1: Selling items in your home right now Lesson 2: Carpe laziness - make money from people's apathy Lesson 3: Recycle the world - cash for trash Lesson 4: Simple ways to scoop 'free' cash online Lesson 5: Sell yourself! Make money from your talents PART II: LEARN YOUR RESALE BLUEPRINT Lesson 6: Starting from scratch - everything has value Lesson 7: Resale traps to avoid and tips for success Lesson 8: How to value your precious time Lesson 9: Contacts and marketing are key Lesson 10: Spotting trends and recognising patterns PART III: PRACTICAL PLACES TO BAG PROFITS Lesson 11: Car boot sales and swap meets - be first (or last) Lesson 12: Charity shops and thrift stores - get stuck in! Lesson 13: Antique centres, retro and vintage stores - knowledge is power Lesson 14: Estate and garage sales - untapped treasure Lesson 15: Specialty auctions - from lost luggage to coin craziness Lesson 16: The internet - the good, the bad and the ugly

Leaving the Safe Harbor
Leaving the Safe Harbor

Author: Tanya Hackney

Publisher:

Published: 2021-10-31

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9781989059753

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A couple from middle-class America get married and pursue the American Dream. When they become boxed in by life, they decide to revisit the dreams of youth, leave the safety of suburbia to live aboard a sailboat with their five children.

No Time Like the Future
No Time Like the Future

Author: Michael J. Fox

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Published: 2020-11-17

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1250265622

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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A moving account of resilience, hope, fear and mortality, and how these things resonate in our lives, by actor and advocate Michael J. Fox. The entire world knows Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, the teenage sidekick of Doc Brown in Back to the Future; as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties; as Mike Flaherty in Spin City; and through numerous other movie roles and guest appearances on shows such as The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Diagnosed at age 29, Michael is equally engaged in Parkinson’s advocacy work, raising global awareness of the disease and helping find a cure through The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the world’s leading non-profit funder of PD science. His two previous bestselling memoirs, Lucky Man and Always Looking Up, dealt with how he came to terms with the illness, all the while exhibiting his iconic optimism. His new memoir reassesses this outlook, as events in the past decade presented additional challenges. In No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, Michael shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality. Thoughtful and moving, but with Fox’s trademark sense of humor, his book provides a vehicle for reflection about our lives, our loves, and our losses. Running through the narrative is the drama of the medical madness Fox recently experienced, that included his daily negotiations with the Parkinson’s disease he’s had since 1991, and a spinal cord issue that necessitated immediate surgery. His challenge to learn how to walk again, only to suffer a devastating fall, nearly caused him to ditch his trademark optimism and “get out of the lemonade business altogether.” Does he make it all of the way back? Read the book.

Indistractable
Indistractable

Author: Nir Eyal

Publisher: BenBella Books

Published: 2019-09-10

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1948836785

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"Indistractable provides a framework that will deliver the focus you need to get results." —James Clear, author of Atomic Habits "If you value your time, your focus, or your relationships, this book is essential reading. I'm putting these ideas into practice." —Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind National Bestseller Winner of the Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award Included in the Top 5 Best Personal Development Books of the Year by Audible Included in the Top 20 Best Business and Leadership Books of the Year by Amazon Featured in The Amazon Book Review Newsletter, January 2020 Goodreads Best Science & Technology of 2019 Finalist You sit down at your desk to work on an important project, but a notification on your phone interrupts your morning. Later, as you're about to get back to work, a colleague taps you on the shoulder to chat. At home, screens get in the way of quality time with your family. Another day goes by, and once again, your most important personal and professional goals are put on hold. What would be possible if you followed through on your best intentions? What could you accomplish if you could stay focused? What if you had the power to become "indistractable?" International bestselling author, former Stanford lecturer, and behavioral design expert, Nir Eyal, wrote Silicon Valley's handbook for making technology habit-forming. Five years after publishing Hooked, Eyal reveals distraction's Achilles' heel in his groundbreaking new book. In Indistractable, Eyal reveals the hidden psychology driving us to distraction. He describes why solving the problem is not as simple as swearing off our devices: Abstinence is impractical and often makes us want more. Eyal lays bare the secret of finally doing what you say you will do with a four-step, research-backed model. Indistractable reveals the key to getting the best out of technology, without letting it get the best of us. Inside, Eyal overturns conventional wisdom and reveals: • Why distraction at work is a symptom of a dysfunctional company culture—and how to fix it • What really drives human behavior and why "time management is pain management" • Why your relationships (and your sex life) depend on you becoming indistractable • How to raise indistractable children in an increasingly distracting world Empowering and optimistic, Indistractable provides practical, novel techniques to control your time and attention—helping you live the life you really want.

Wind / Pinball
Wind / Pinball

Author: Haruki Murakami

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781846558351

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Centering around two young men--an unnamed narrator and his friend and former roommate, the Rat--these short works are powerful, at times surreal, stories of loneliness, obsession, and eroticism.