It's the boldest conquest of our time—the colonization of Mars. Of the thousands who clamored for a one-way ticket to the Red Planet, only a fraction remain in the running. Now they're converging on Hawaii’s Big Island for a nail-biting competition to be the first to launch. Mila Todorov has prepared for this moment throughout her young life. With her revolutionary propulsion design already built into the Mars vessel, she likes her chances—especially if she can team with her all-time idol, Major Jancey Beaumont, a former NASA astronaut whose last space mission made her a worldwide hero. Jancey is desperate for a return to space, but the margin for error is razor-thin. Can she afford to gamble her destiny on a woman so distracting as Mila? Lambda Literary Award Winner – KG MacGregor
“A savvy female lead, a best friend crush, and twenty-four hours to save the world... LOVED IT!” —New York Times bestselling author Julie Cross I am the daughter of the first female POTUS, and today is about to become the longest day of my life... 24 hours—that’s how much time I have to save my mother before terrorists assassinate her. But now my father and brother are missing, too. This goes deeper than anyone thinks. Only someone on the inside would know how to pull this off—how to make the entire First Family disappear. I can't trust anyone, so it’s up to me to uncover the conspiracy and stop these madmen. Because little do they know, they picked the wrong person to terrorize. My name is Sophie Washington, and I will not be a victim. No one, I repeat no one, is taking me or my family down. But the clock is ticking...
Late in 2017, the global significance of the conversation about artificial intelligence (AI) changed forever. China put the world on alert when it released a plan to dominate all aspects of AI across the planet. Only weeks later, Vladimir Putin raised a Russian red flag in response by declaring AI the future for all humankind, and proclaiming that, "Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world." The race was on. Consistent with their unique national agendas, countries throughout the world began plotting their paths and hurrying their pace. Now, not long after, the race has become a sprint. Despite everything at stake, to most of us AI remains shrouded by a cloud of mystery and misunderstanding. Hidden behind complicated and technical jargon and confused by fantastical depictions of science fiction, the modern realities of AI and its profound implications are hard to decipher, but crucial to recognize. In T-Minus AI: Humanity's Countdown to Artificial Intelligence and the New Pursuit of Global Power, author Michael Kanaan explains AI from a human-oriented perspective we can all finally understand. A recognized national expert and the U.S. Air Force's first Chairperson for Artificial Intelligence, Kanaan weaves a compelling new view on our history of innovation and technology to masterfully explain what each of us should know about modern computing, AI, and machine learning. Kanaan also dives into the global implications of AI by illuminating the cultural and national vulnerabilities already exposed and the pressing issues now squarely on the table. AI has already become China's all-purpose tool to impose its authoritarian influence around the world. Russia, playing catch up, is weaponizing AI through its military systems and now infamous, aggressive efforts to disrupt democracy by whatever disinformation means possible. America and like-minded nations are awakening to these new realities—and the paths they're electing to follow echo loudly the political foundations and, in most cases, the moral imperatives upon which they were formed. As we march toward a future far different than ever imagined, T-Minus AI is fascinating and crucially well-timed. It leaves the fiction behind, paints the alarming implications of AI for what they actually are, and calls for unified action to protect fundamental human rights and dignities for all.
A journal of statistics emphasizing the statistical study of biological problems. Papers contain original theoretical contributions of direct or potential value in applications.
"F Minus is a strip short on life lessons, precious moments, and pearls of wisdom. It tackles life's serious issues, pins them to the ground, and steals their lunch money. Then it feels a little bit guilty and gives some of it back. 'I draw my material from my experiences at a wide array of failed careers,' says Carrillo. 'Over time, I have worked as a pizza cook, Web site designer, dancing costumed character, portrait artist, insurance drone, waiter, custom framer, camel ride attendant at the zoo, and the guy at the airport that waves orange wands at the airplanes. As varied as these jobs were, eventually I had the profound realization that they all had two important things in common: each offered a wealth of comedic inspiration and there was always a creepy guy named Larry.' Life isn't fair. But it sure is funny in F Minus."--Amazon.com.
"The writing is intense and vivid. I'm thoroughly intrigued." "The pacing is perfection." In Episode Two . . . Xana Jace keeps her head down, which isn't easy when you stand seven feet eight inches tall. She works the night shift and stays out of trouble, striving only to be reunited with her son. But she's running out of time. The strange disease that compels her body to grow also threatens to choke her heart. When a masked gangster terrorizes the small community that shelters her, Xana is left with a terrible choice and just twenty-four hours to discover the truth that everything she believes is a lie.
Eight years after reluctantly entering into a second marriage, sixty-year-old Kathryn Taylor suddenly finds herself coping with betrayal and abandonment--a two-year journey that leads her to unexpected growth.
Capt. John Regent returns a paraplegic after months of captivity and torture—only no one knows who took him or how he escaped. Xana Jace strives only to be reunited with her son. She keeps her head down and stays out of trouble, which isn't easy when you stand seven feet eight inches tall. Ian Tendo's sensible life has fallen apart. After losing his girlfriend and being arrested for terrorism, he doesn't imagine things could get any worse—until he's beset by an eleven-year-old prodigy with a foul mouth and an ambulance full of high explosives. One by one, all four are recruited by an enigmatic mastermind, known only as Prophet, who offers them everything they want in exchange for the impossible. But team is a four-letter word. After a botched mission reveals a plot to hack the human race, they discover a betrayal by one of their own—and realize that not all of them will survive. THE MINUS FACTION is a super-powered speculative thriller about extraordinary abilities and how not to use them. Collected here for the first time in its entirety, this special omnibus edition includes all seven episodes as well as bonus material not previously available in print.
