These offspring may lead to man's fall... Mothered by multiple mothers and fathered by one, 'The Kindred' aren't merely 'half-siblings'. In fact, owing to alien genetics, the children could scarcely share more. Their bond is strong, their powers stunning. The question is: whose side are they on? Following a narrow escape from Bio Vita Tech, Alp and her sisters seek safe haven, finding an unlikely friend en route. Helicopter commandeered, pilot and former B.I.U.F.O. operative James Stepp guides the girls to shelter, but no earthly refuge will last for long. Never have fugitives been more valuable, and the government won't rest until every last one has been apprehended...studied and dissected. However, to certain officials, some members' respective 'skills' are prized over others, and personal aims could jeopardize the chance for global peace. When FDA agent Chunk locates Kindred-brother Mel, a sting operation begins to formulate—one that could bring a dark chapter to close...or spark unparalleled chaos. When disparate paths are made to cross, a massive crash is likely… --- With volume V of the FreeForm Series, O.J. Bradford has done it again. Raising the tension higher still, he leads to a stunning crescendo...
Conception could breed destruction... Flip MacDougal has always spelled trouble, but his tricks are all in good fun, and a few ruffled feathers are no cause for concern. After all, it's not as if the pranks of a playboy could endanger the entire human race...right? When Flip drops in on long-time friend Lionel Adam at his cutting edge genetic research lab, the answer to this question reveals itself with frightening clarity. Having acquired an otherworldly larva from past colleague Dr. Pritchard, Lionel and his team of scientists had been studying the sample for years, but all of their work was for naught. Thanks to Flip, one fateful spill results in a mess that may never be cleaned up. Making contact with the foreign material is more dangerous than anyone ever expected...and, soon, Flip's genetics begin to morph. Unfortunately, these changes go unnoticed as the man-about-town proceeds to visit his numerous female companions. These women, collectively known as 'Flip's Harem', will come to share more than a churlish lover. Progenies are pending...and they won't be fully human. --- Herein, Part IV of The FreeForm Series, disparate worlds are interwoven. O.J. Bradford proves himself a master of his craft.
Solid Freeform Fabrication is a set of manufacturing processes that are capable of producing complex freeform solid objects directly from a computer model of an object without part-specific tooling or knowledge. In essence, these methods are miniature manufacturing plants which come complete with material handling, information processing and materials processing. As such, these methods require technical knowledge from many disciplines; therefore, researchers, engineers, and students in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, and Manufacturing Engineering and Materials and Computer Science will all find some interest in this subject. Particular subareas of concern include manufacturing methods, polymer chemistry, computational geometry, control, heat transfer, metallurgy, ceramics, optics, and fluid mechanics. History of technology specialists may also find Chapter 1 of interest. Although this book covers the spectrum of different processes, the emphasis is clearly on the area in which the authors have the most experience, thermal laser processing. In particular, the authors have all been developers and inventors of techniques for the Selective Laser Sintering process and laser gas phase techniques (Selective Area Laser Deposition). This is a research book on the subject of Solid Freeform Fabrication.
A race against evil . . . and time — Delivering a simple truth can be the most courageous act — — Exposing evil rulers is a game of life or death — Led to the brink of destruction by its corrupt POTUS, Amberica is bleaker than ever. Who could hope to unseat Oscar Wellian, a fascist who wields the full force of martial law? Plenty are willing to try, but only one entrant has what it takes to give Oscar a run for his ill-gotten gains. Enter Angeline Tarkington . . . the people’s final hope. Despite her heart of gold and concrete ideals, it won’t be easy. Is Tarkington’s integrity enough to combat systemic corruption and heal a hemorrhaging nation? An amalgam of corporate interests known as ‘The Triumvirate’ will stop at nothing to silence her, and Tarkington can’t expect victory without sacrifice. Tarkington’s ability to transform those around her will be put to the ultimate test, as new allies may mean the difference between victory and defeat, but will they join her? In any case, she’ll need to tread very carefully. Unmasking a monster will be an invitation to an all-out duel with the nation as the prize. With The Fringe Candidate, Brad Swift offers readers a picture of untold possibilities. The Amberica series is visionary fiction from a dreamer’s apex—dark and doubly daring for its optimistic soul. Pick up your copy today and begin to hope for a better future today! Early Reviews: Are You Kidding Me! Terrific and timely political fiction laced with humor. In 2020 one candidate for the Presidency could change everything The Fringe Candidate, by Brad Swift, is inspired by Marianne Williamson, a candidate in the 2020 elections against Donald Trump for the Presidency. While this is a fictional story, it is 100% on the mark with regards to the state of America’s political system, showing without apology or pulling any punches, that it has clearly been hijacked by those with money and power. Knocking you out of your sox. I simply had to smile a number of times what with the naming convention followed in the naming of the major characters. Oscar Wellian? Orwellian allegorical in nature? However thinly disguised the naming convention, there is no disguising the fact that The Fringe Candidate is a major political commentary on American elective procedures. If judging on the first book, The Fringe Candidate, the Amberica series is going to knock a whole lot more readers out of more than just their sox. You'll laugh, scream, throw the book, cry, and who knows what else? I mean, let's face it, the names are... well, they're not very well disguised. The President who tweets constantly, with the Orwellian (clearly) name and complex (also clear)... The complete unknown who comes from nowhere to take on the fight to win the Presidency... there's so much to dissect here, it's hard to really get into, and without spoilers? Yikes! The Power of Truth and Desire I loved the intrigue and the ease with which the story flowed, first. Secondly, I liked how what seems impossible can become possible. I think we all need models of that in our lives, certainly, I do. Most of all I enjoyed seeing how the love or desire for something can make a huge difference in one's life. Laugh, curse, and a good story to enjoy This is very closely tied to our election process, for better or worse. A good insight into what happens behind the scenes. It will make you laugh, piss you off and make you want to read it. Enjoy and vote. A great read I really enjoyed this story and the way that it gave a look at what our government is doing. The editing was done very well throughout the book, to me it was more worth read and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.
Written by a member of Microsoft's Power BI team, this resource provides a practical step by step guide on creating a financial dashboard. The book covers in detail how to combine and shape the relevant data, build the dashboard in Power BI, providing layout and design tips and tricks, prepare the model to work with fiscal dates, and show values used in many financial reports, including year-to-date, variance-to-target, percentage-of-total, and running totals reports.
Four girls with the power to control the elements and save the world from a terrible evil must come together in the first epic novel in a brand-new series. When Phantoms--massive beasts made from nightmares and darkness--suddenly appeared and began terrorizing the world, four girls, the Effigies, each gained a unique power to control one of the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Since then, four girls across the world have continually fought against the Phantoms, fulfilling their cosmic duty. And when one Effigy dies, another girl gains her power as a replacement. But now, with technologies in place to protect the world's major cities from Phantom attacks, the Effigies have stopped defending humanity and, instead, have become international celebrities, with their heroic feats ranked, televised, and talked about in online fandoms. Until the day that New York City's protection against the Phantoms fails, a man seems to be able to control them by sheer force of will, and Maia, a high school student, unexpectedly becomes the Fire Effigy. Now Maia has been thrown into battle with three girls who want nothing to do with one another. But with the first human villain that the girls have ever faced, and an army of Phantoms preparing for attack, there isn't much time for the Effigies to learn how to work together. Can the girls take control of their destinies before the world is destroyed forever?
One young boy is the key to the universe. In this supernatural thriller, a young boy is discovered to be the link between the human race and the farthest reaches of the universe. For Bobbie Cagle, the normal difficulties of growing up are overshadowed by his unique condition, being misdiagnosed as autistic. Caught between his loving mother and those who would use him for their own purposes, Bobbie stands at the center of the universe and forces the human race to the edge of their own evolutionary line. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. -Genesis 11:6 Upon the Towers of Babel, the people of the Earth scattered, and silence fell. Now, on the brink of a new age, the human race leaps forward into the evolutionary void and changes the course of human history forever. For young Bobbie Cagle, the normal difficulties of growing up are overshadowed by his unique condition. Placed on the spectrum, Bobbie’s inability to communicate normally is misdiagnosed for years as Autism and masks the great part in human history that he is destined to play. Unknowingly able to receive transmissions from the farthest reaches of the universe, young Bobbie’s life is forever changed when his unique ability is discovered. Coveted by those who would use him for their own purpose, Bobbie and his mother flee their home out of desperation and fear. In the course of their escape, the truth behind Bobbie’s gift and the effects it may have on the planet begin to the reveal themselves, all the while the future of the human race hangs in the balance. Find out what fate has in store for the human race and grab your copy of Babble today!
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Smart Graphics, SG 2003, held in Heidelberg, Germany in July 2003. The 19 revised full papers and 7 poster papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected for presentation. The papers address smart graphics issues from the points of view of computer science, artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and fine art. The papers are organized in topical sections on graphical interaction, visualization techniques, virtual characters, and camera planning.
Named the best radio station in America by Rolling Stone magazine four years running, WFMU is considered the alternative radio station. LCD (Lowest Common Denominator), the station's program guide—begun in 1986 as a visual counterpart to WFMU’s oddball programming—was a wicked cocktail of satire, cultural news, alternative history, and provocative artwork that has earned its own devoted cult followers. It ceased publication in 1998 and its back issues have become treasured—and valuable—collector’s items. Dave the Spazz has spent the past twenty years hosting a weekly radio show on WFMU, self-publishing, freelance writing, making artwork, singing in punk-rock bands, and holding down one crummy job after another.
This handbook collects, for the first time, the state of research on role-playing games (RPGs) across disciplines, cultures, and media in a single, accessible volume. Collaboratively authored by more than 50 key scholars, it traces the history of RPGs, from wargaming precursors to tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to the rise of live action role-play and contemporary computer RPG and massively multiplayer online RPG franchises, like Fallout and World of Warcraft. Individual chapters survey the perspectives, concepts, and findings on RPGs from key disciplines, like performance studies, sociology, psychology, education, economics, game design, literary studies, and more. Other chapters integrate insights from RPG studies around broadly significant topics, like transmedia worldbuilding, immersion, transgressive play, or player–character relations. Each chapter includes definitions of key terms and recommended readings to help fans, students, and scholars new to RPG studies find their way into this new interdisciplinary field.
