This book does not tell a story. Instead, it is about stories. Or rather, in technical terms, it is about scenarios. Scenarios of system behavior. It con centrates on reactive systems, be they software or hardware, or combined computer-embedded systems, including distributed and real-time systems. We propose a different way to program such systems, centered on inter object scenario-based behavior. The book describes a language, two tech niques, and a supporting tool. The language is a rather broad extension of live sequence charts (LSCs), the original version of which was proposed in 1998 by W. Damm and the first-listed author of this book. The first of the two techniques, called play-in, is a convenient way to 'play in' scenario based behavior directly from the system's graphical user interface (QUI). The second technique, play-out, makes it possible to execute, or 'play out', the behavior on the QUI as if it were programmed in a conventional intra object state-based fashion. All this is implemented in full in our tool, the Play-Engine. The book can be viewed as offering improvements in some ofthe phases of known system development life cycles, e.g., requirements capture and anal ysis, prototyping, and testing. However, there is a more radical way to view the book, namely, as proposing an alternative way to program reactivity, which, being based on inter-object scenarios, is a lot closer to how people think about systems and their behavior.
She’s young, single and about to achieve her dream of creating incredible video games. But then life throws her a one-two punch: a popular streamer gives her first game a scathing review. Even worse, she finds out that same troublesome critic is now her new neighbor! A funny, sexy, and all-too-real story about gaming, memes, and social anxiety. Come for the plot, stay for the doggo. Volume 1 of Let's Play collects the first 23 chapters of the Eisner-nominated webcomic phenomenon with over 5 million subscribers. "Filled with instantly relatable characters, Let's Play speaks to the gamer, hopeless romantic or nerd in all of us. We all know a Sam, a Marshall or a Link, they feel like our friends and the world they live in feels welcoming to anyone who experiences it. Reading Let's Play reminds me of the comfort of coming home after a long trip." -- Jace Milam, The Comic Source
Being kind is contagious as a new girl navigates the art of making friends in a picture book suited for children starting school or moving to a new place. When Sukie’s family moves and she has to start at a new school, she feels shy and lonely at first. But soon she learns that receiving small acts of kindness—someone saying hi, or saving a hoop for her—makes her feel braver, and that passing friendliness along is a good feeling, too. Before long, Sukie, Joe, Poppy, and Stan are all becoming friends! Young readers are invited to join them as they explore meeting new people, celebrating differences, being thoughtful, and standing up for one another.
Let children experience the learning power of play! Let’s Play is a handbook full of child-led, open-ended learning adventures. The 39 fresh, fun, and budget-friendly activities (plus more than 225 play variations) are packed with learning that helps children develop important motor, cognitive, language, and social skills. These activity starters were all tested by a slew of early childhood professionals and approved by the children they work with. Building on the early learning principles presented in the author team’s first book together, Let Them Play: An Early Learning (Un)Curriculum, they also support your transition to a play-based, child-led (un)curriculum. Jeff A. Johnson has more than twenty years of early childhood experience as a former child care center director and current family child care business owner. He is a popular keynote speaker, trainer, and author of six books. Denita Dinger has been a child care provider for more than ten years and is a frequent speaker at early childhood conferences, focusing on the topics of hands-on and play-based learning. This is her second book.
White brings with it dreams of respect, of wealth, of simply being treated as a human being. It's the one thing Walter will never be. But what if he could play white, the way so many others seem to do? Would it bring him privilege or simply deny the pain? The title story in this collection asks those questions, and then moves on to challenge notions of race, privilege, personal choice, and even life and death with equal vigor. From the spectrum spanning despair and hope in "What She Saw When They Flew Away" to the stark weave of personal struggles in "Chocolate Park," Let's Play White speaks with the voices of the overlooked and unheard. "I Make People Do Bad Things" shines a metaphysical light on Harlem's most notorious historical madame, and then, with a deft twist into melancholic humor, "Cue: Change" brings a zombie-esque apocalypse, possibly for the betterment of all mankind. Gritty and sublime, the stories of Let's Play White feature real people facing the worlds they're given, bringing out the best and the worst of what it means to be human. If you're ready to slip into someone else's skin for a while, then it's time to come play white. Reviews: "The label of "dark fantasy and horror" fits this collection both ironically and genuinely. Haunted by history and past wrongs, Burke's characters are never alone, never safe, never comfortable. She weaves African and African-American historical legend and standard horror themes into stories that range from gritty subway gore fests to a sympathetic take on zombies. The magnificent closing novella, "The Teachings and Redemption of Ms. Fannie Lou Mason," follows a "hoodoo woman" as she nurtures and protects twin girls with similar powers and shows them what they are meant to do. If the urban realism doesn't always seem quite realistic, the depth of Burke's characters, the weight of their decisions, and their choices make this the very opposite of escapist fantasy. (July 2011)" Publishers Weekly "Let's Play White is a brutally honest book and the fact that the unthinkable happens, like a talking rat, a few zombies or communication with the dead, the underlying truthfulness is so powerful that it supersedes any implausible element. Although race is an essential backdrop to the stories, this is not a book about white racism against blacks. Instead, Burke touches on a variety of prejudices to let the reader know that color is not the only way in which we discriminate. Although some might cringe at the idea of reading a book about unfairness, racism and the dark tendencies of human nature, Burke's impeachable openness and undeniable writing skills make "Let's Play White" a very enjoyable read that fans of all literature should enjoy." Austin Post, Gabino Iglesias "Human is many different things all at once. "Let's Play White" is a collection of short stories from Chesya Burke as she discusses issues of race and the problems we face regardless of it, and what links us all together in our plight of life. Thoughtful and thought provoking, "Let's Play White" is a fine choice that is a worthy addition to any literary short fiction collection, highly recommended." Midwest Book Review " Chesya Burke’s writing style is just mesmerizing – there is an undeniable lyricism there but also a tangible darkness and pain. Readers who enjoy their fantasy decidedly dark and deep should check out this profoundly moving collection asap." Paul Goat Allen, B&N Books Club Blurbs: "These raw, brutal stories, often with intriguingly open endings, display an odd and unsettling relationships to the poetry of violence. These dark tales announce the arrival of a formidable new master of the macabre." —Samuel R. Delany, author of Dhalgren and Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders "What a stunning collection. Let’s Play White… and so on time. [Chesya Burke has] touched something special in [her] stories. I’m a big Octavia Butler fan and I see a peek of that as well as some latter-day Toni Morrison [within these pages]. I see the light and warmth [Chesya is] offering. There definitely is magic in that. The short story, next to poetry, is the most difficult writing form. [Chesya has] tamed it and made it yield to [her] touch." --Nikki Giovanni, Grammy-nominated spoken word artist and poet
The definitive and revealing biography of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks, one of America's most iconic, beloved, and misunderstood baseball players, by acclaimed journalist Ron Rapoport. Ernie Banks, the first-ballot Hall of Famer and All-Century Team shortstop, played in fourteen All-Star Games, won two MVPs, and twice led the Major Leagues in home runs and runs batted in. He outslugged Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Mickey Mantle when they were in their prime, but while they made repeated World Series appearances in the 1950s and 60s, Banks spent his entire career with the woebegone Chicago Cubs, who didn't win a pennant in his adult lifetime. Today, Banks is remembered best for his signature phrase, "Let's play two," which has entered the American lexicon and exemplifies the enthusiasm that endeared him to fans everywhere. But Banks's public display of good cheer was a mask that hid a deeply conflicted, melancholy, and often quite lonely man. Despite the poverty and racism he endured as a young man, he was among the star players of baseball's early days of integration who were reluctant to speak out about Civil Rights. Being known as one of the greatest players never to reach the World Series also took its toll. At one point, Banks even saw a psychiatrist to see if that would help. It didn't. Yet Banks smiled through it all, enduring the scorn of Cubs manager Leo Durocher as an aging superstar and never uttering a single complaint. Let's Play Two is based on numerous conversations with Banks and on interviews with more than a hundred of his family members, teammates, friends, and associates as well as oral histories, court records, and thousands of other documents and sources. Together, they explain how Banks was so different from the caricature he created for the public. The book tells of Banks's early life in segregated Dallas, his years in the Negro Leagues, and his difficult life after retirement; and features compelling portraits of Buck O'Neil, Philip K. Wrigley, the Bleacher Bums, the doomed pennant race of 1969, and much more from a long-lost baseball era.
She’s young, single and about to achieve her dream of creating incredible video games. But then life throws her a one-two punch: a popular streamer gives her first game a scathing review. Even worse, she finds out that same troublesome critic is now her new neighbor! A funny, sexy, and all-too-real story about gaming, memes, and social anxiety. Come for the plot, stay for the doggo.
