Here are 25 stories of science fiction that push the boundaries, by the biggest names in an emerging crop of high-tech futuristic writers including Charles Stross, Robert Reed, Alastair Reynolds, Peter Hamilton and Neal Asher.

    They have dictated how we build, eat, communicate, wage war, create art, travel, and worship. Some, such as stone, iron, and bronze, lend their names to the ages. Others, such as gold, silver, and diamond, contributed to the rise and fall of great empires. How would history have unfolded without glass, paper, steel, cement, or gunpowder?The impulse to master the properties of our material world and to invent new substances has remained unchanged from the dawn of time; it has guided and shaped the course of history. Sass shows us how substances and civilizations have evolved together. In antiquity, iron was considered more precious than gold. The celluloid used in movie film had its origins in the search for a substitute for ivory billiard balls. The same clay used in the pottery of antiquity has its uses in todayâ€s computer chips.Moving from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon, from the days of prehistoric survival to the cutting edge of nanotechnology, this fascinating and accessible book connects the worlds of minerals and molecules to the sweep of human history, and shows what materials will dominate the century ahead. 19 color illustrations

    Innocent curiosity had brought that day a lot faster than either of you had planned for. *** Read It FREE With Kindle Unlimited Or Prime Membership! Don't have a Kindle device? No worries! Read it on your PC, Mac, Tablet Or Smartphone! ***

    Patrick Smith, airline pilot and author of the web's popular Ask the Pilot feature, separates the fact from fallacy and tells you everything you need to know...-How planes fly, and a revealing look at the men and women who fly them-Straight talk on turbulence, pilot training, and safety-The real story on congestion, delays, and the dysfunction of the modern airport-The myths and misconceptions of cabin air and cockpit automation-Terrorism in perspective, and a provocative look at security-Airfares, seating woes, and the pitfalls of airline customer service-The colors and cultures of the airlines we love to hateCockpit Confidential covers not only the nuts and bolts of flying, but also the grand theater of air travel, from airport architecture to inflight service to the excitement of travel abroad. It's a thoughtful, funny, at times deeply personal look into the strange and misunderstood world of commercial flying.It's the ideal book for frequent flyers, nervous passengers, and global travelers.Refreshed and vastly expanded from the original Ask the Pilot, with approximately 75 percent new material.

    It comprehensively presents the material necessary for understanding the internal architecture as well as system design aspects of Intel’s legendary 8085 and 8086 microprocessors and Intel’s 8051 and 8096 microcontrollers.The book throughout maintains an appropriate balance between the basic concepts and the skill sets needed for system design. Besides, the book lucidly explains the hardware architecture, the instruction set and programming, support chips, peripheral interfacing, and cites several relevant examples to help the readers develop a complete understanding of industrial application projects. Several system design case studies are included to reinforce the concepts discussed.With exhaustive coverage and practical approach, the book would be indispensable to undergraduate students of Electrical and Electronics, Electronics and Communication, and Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering. It can be used for a variety of courses in Microprocessors, Microcontrollers, and Embedded System Design.The second edition of the book introduces additional topics like I/O interfacing and programming, serial interface programming, delay programming using 8086 and 8051. Besides, many more examples and case studies have been added.Contents:Preface • Preface to the First EditionAcknowledgements1. System Design Using Microprocessor2. What a Microprocessor Is3. Intel 8085 Microprocessor—Hardware Architecture4. Intel 8085 Microprocessor—Instruction Set and Programming5. Intel 8086—Hardware Architecture6. Intel 8086 Microprocessor—Instruction Set and Programming7. Microprocessor—Peripheral Interfacing8. System Design Using Intel 8085 and Intel 8086 Microprocessors—Case Studies9. Intel 8051 Microcontroller—Hardware Architecture10. Intel 8051 Microcontroller—Instruction Set and Programming11. The 8051 Microcontroller-Based System Design—Case Studies12. Intel 8096 Microcontroller—Hardware Architecture13. Intel 8096 Microcontroller—Instruction Set and Programming14. The 8096 Microcontroller-Based System Design—Case StudiesAppendices • Index

    

    On the same day, Lily also meets Eddie Tessler, a man fleeing fame who just might have the ability to change her world in unimaginable ways. But her childhood friend Dan has his own reasons for not wanting Lily to get too carried away by Eddie's attentions.Before long, secrets begin to emerge and Lily's friends and family become involved. In the beautiful Cotswold village of Stanton Langley, nothing will ever be the same again...

    It provides the latest available information, while retaining its blend of theory and practice within a straightforward presentation.

    The story of how we got from there to here is full of fascinating people, and in this elegant, entertaining book, Paul Strathern introduces us to ancient philosophers, medieval alchemists, and the earliest chemists-and to Dimitri Mendeleyev, the card-playing nineteenth-century Russian who claimed that the answers came to him in a dream. "Chemistry has been a neglected area of science writing, and Mendeleyev, the king of chemistry, is a largely forgotten genius. [This book] goes a long way toward correcting this injustice." (Simon Singh, author of Fermat's Last Theorem, in the Sunday Telegraph)

    Meet these strong, independent couples, willing to risk it all on finding their happily-ever-after with the one that got away. IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS One little wager. What could go wrong? That's what Charlie King thinks when her friends dare her to reach out to the one man she's never forgotten. There's just one catch—he's the older brother of her former fiancée. Rodeo star Jared Drake is in Vegas for the Grand National finals when he spots Charlie. Their chemistry is instantly off the charts. There’s just one problem—his role in her broken engagement. This time around, can they beat the odds to happily-ever-after or will secrets from the past keep them apart forever? CRAZY VEGAS LOVE It's party time in Las Vegas when four former college roommates and best friends converge on Sin City. Add in a crazy drunken bet about finding "the one that got away" to see if there's a spark still burning after all these years—how bad could it be? The next day, after coming to her senses, Gloria Valenzuela had no intention of going through with the bet. Not until one of the other women played fairy godmother and arranged things so Gloria had no choice but to meet up with her ex. A world famous country music star, Kyle Greenwood had everything he'd ever wanted except for the one thing he'd left behind—Gloria. Then fate in the form of his matchmaking manager lends a hand and brings Gloria back into his life. Before the night is over, a simple practical joke escalates into more than either anticipate. Secrets from their past begin to unravel and threaten their last chance at happiness. Can they overcome their obstacles and hold onto their happily ever after? MARRIAGE, VEGAS STYLE It's party time in Las Vegas when four former college roommates and best friends converge on Sin City. Add in a crazy drunken bet about finding "the one that got away" to see if there's a spark still burning after all these years—how bad could it be? When Cynthia "Cyn" Evans finds herself without access to cash and credit cards, she tempted to cave in to her mother's demands to return home and become engaged to someone who's earned the family approval. That is, until she runs into Noah Cochran in the hotel lobby. What are the odds the one man she decided not to look for is right here in Vegas? Noah Cochran can't believe his luck. The consortium deciding on the contract for the brand new casino complex has narrowed its choices down to five contenders, and his company is at the top of the list. But he's the only unmarried businessman in the running, and if he wants to make a good impression, he needs a fiancee—fast. A fake engagement seems the ideal solution, until things spiral out of control. Will outside forces pull them apart when they've just found each other again, or can they hang on tight for their own happily-ever-after?

    I was having serious trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality."While on a backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, nineteen-year-old Maddie Pearce finds her world has been thrown into a vortex and is madly spinning toward the impossible. Abducted by a mad psychopath, Maddie narrowly escapes with her life. But that is only the beginning. Her mysterious rescuer introduces her to a world that Maddie has difficulty accepting as reality. Will this strikingly gorgeous stranger be the key to her future or will she return to her mundane world, scarred from her experience? Follow Maddie as she is forced to make difficult decisions that carry her to mysterious places.

    In fact, as @WAR shows, U.S. hackers were crucial to our victory in Iraq. Shane Harris delves into the frontlines of America’s new cyber war. As recent revelations have shown, government agencies are joining with tech giants like Google and Facebook to collect vast amounts of information. The military has also formed a new alliance with tech and finance companies to patrol cyberspace, and Harris offers a deeper glimpse into this partnership than we have ever seen before. Finally, Harris explains what the new cybersecurity regime means for all of us, who spend our daily lives bound to the Internet — and are vulnerable to its dangers.

    Far from being an attack on science and technics, The Pentagon of Power seeks to establish a more organic social order based on technological resources. Index; photographs.

    Completely updated throughout, this 9th edition offers a concise, high-yield review of the basic and clinical aspects of bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitology and immunology, with an emphasis on the clinical application of microbiology and immunology to infectious diseases.

    Prepare for exams and succeed in your mathematics course with this comprehensive solutions manual! Featuring worked out-solutions to the problems in CALCULUS: THE CLASSIC EDITION, 5th Edition, this manual shows you how to approach and solve problems using the same step-by-step explanations found in your textbook examples.