The Secret Letter Victoria Owens's life takes a sudden turn after she receives an unexpected chain letter about her upcoming high school reunion. She's quick to dismiss the letter and focus instead on her busy day, amidst a preoccupied husband and eleven year-old-daughter. But the letter is only the beginning of a series of anonymous gifts, each more bizarre than the next, which shed light on a past long forgotten. Suspicious of her newfound admirer, Victoria soon finds herself trapped in a dangerous game of vengeance and betrayal, where her survival hangs in the very balance with every move that she makes.

    It's friendly, accessible, and reliable -- all qualities that apply to its official guidebook, too. This book captures the welcoming feel of the Ubuntu community, inviting you to get involved both as user and participant. But it also covers all the techniques you need to succeed happily with Ubuntu: from installation and configuration to "office applications," CD burning to instant messaging, networking to troubleshooting. There are plenty of specific answers: how to make Ubuntu run faster on older computers; better coexistence with Windows; fixes for balky microphones and scroll-wheel mice; tips for recovering lost system passwords, and much more. You'll even find chapters on Kubuntu (Ubuntu preconfigured with the KDE graphical user interface) and Edubuntu (Ubuntu optimized for schools). Plus, instant gratification: This book's DVD contains the full 7.0.4 "Feisty Fawn" distribution. Bill Camarda, from the October 2007 href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/newslet... Only

    Objects are introduced early, right after control structures and before arrays and pointers. The STL string class is used throughout. As with all Gaddis books, there is a strong emphasis on problem solving and program design, a careful step-by-step introduction of each new topic, clear and easy to read code listings, concise and practical real world examples, and an abundance of exercises in each chapter.

    In How to Create a Mind, Kurzweil presents a provocative exploration of the most important project in human-machine civilization—reverse engineering the brain to understand precisely how it works and using that knowledge to create even more intelligent machines.Kurzweil discusses how the brain functions, how the mind emerges from the brain, and the implications of vastly increasing the powers of our intelligence in addressing the world’s problems. He thoughtfully examines emotional and moral intelligence and the origins of consciousness and envisions the radical possibilities of our merging with the intelligent technology we are creating.Certain to be one of the most widely discussed and debated science books of the year, How to Create a Mind is sure to take its place alongside Kurzweil’s previous classics which include Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever and The Age of Spiritual Machines.

    . . . We need a good book in cyberethics to deal with the present and prepare us for an uncertain future. Tavani's Ethics and Technology is such a book." --from the foreword by James Moor, Dartmouth College Is there privacy in a world of camera phones and wireless networking? Does technology threaten your civil liberties? How will bioinformatics and nanotechnology affect us? Should you worry about equity and access in a globalized economy? From privacy and security to free speech and intellectual property to globalization and outsourcing, the issues and controversies of the information age are serious, complex, and pervasive. In this new edition of his groundbreaking book, Herman Tavani introduces computer professionals to the emerging field of Cyberethics, the interdisciplinary field of study that addresses these new ethical issues from all perspectives: technical, social, and philosophical. Using fascinating real-world examples--including the latest court decisions in such cases as Verizon v. RIAA, MGM v. Grokster, Google versus the Bush Administration, and the Children's Online Pornography Act (CIPA) --as well as hypothetical scenarios, he shows you how to understand and analyze the practical, moral, and legal issues that impact your work and your life. Tavani discusses such cutting-edge areas as: * Globalization and outsourcing * Property rights and open source software * HIPAA (privacy laws) and surveillance * The Patriot Act and civil liberties * Bioinformatics and genomics research * Converging technologies--pervasive computing and nanocomputing * Children's online pornography laws Updating and expanding upon the previous edition, Ethics and Technology, Second Edition provides a much-needed ethical compass to help computer and non-computer professionals alike navigate the challenging waters of cyberspace. About the Author Herman T. Tavani is Professor of Philosophy at Rivier College and Co-Director of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT). He is the author, editor, or co-editor of five books on ethical aspects of information technology. www.wiley.com/college/tavani

    To the local authorities they are random acts of violence, robberies gone wrong. But to Army Ranger Thomas Cole there are too many coincidences. With the unofficial help of a shadowy presence from his past, Tom begins digging and soon discovers the War on Terror is very close to home.

    Reese Lindley has never stopped wondering what happened to her.Sleeping BeautiesWhen the daughter of a prominent businessman and a wealthy debutante vanishes, Reese Lindley returns to her hometown to cover the case for her podcast. Confronted by the past and her estranged family, Reese learns that the quiet town has more secrets to hide than she ever could have imagined.The ProfessorWhen Nicole Costello's boyfriend is kidnapped by a notorious secret society, she finds herself infiltrating the inner workings of the society itself in order to save him. In a race against the clock, Nicole uncovers the dark secrets of her parents' pasts, but can she come to terms with the truth in enough time to rescue her boyfriend?

    If you're a business or IT professional, this short hands-on guide teaches you how to pull and transform data with SQL in significant ways. You will quickly master the fundamentals of SQL and learn how to create your own databases.Author Thomas Nield provides exercises throughout the book to help you practice your newfound SQL skills at home, without having to use a database server environment. Not only will you learn how to use key SQL statements to find and manipulate your data, but you'll also discover how to efficiently design and manage databases to meet your needs.You'll also learn how to:Explore relational databases, including lightweight and centralized modelsUse SQLite and SQLiteStudio to create lightweight databases in minutesQuery and transform data in meaningful ways by using SELECT, WHERE, GROUP BY, and ORDER BYJoin tables to get a more complete view of your business dataBuild your own tables and centralized databases by using normalized design principlesManage data by learning how to INSERT, DELETE, and UPDATE records

    With the 97 short and extremely useful tips for programmers in this book, you'll expand your skills by adopting new approaches to old problems, learning appropriate best practices, and honing your craft through sound advice.With contributions from some of the most experienced and respected practitioners in the industry--including Michael Feathers, Pete Goodliffe, Diomidis Spinellis, Cay Horstmann, Verity Stob, and many more--this book contains practical knowledge and principles that you can apply to all kinds of projects.A few of the 97 things you should know:"Code in the Language of the Domain" by Dan North"Write Tests for People" by Gerard Meszaros"Convenience Is Not an -ility" by Gregor Hohpe"Know Your IDE" by Heinz Kabutz"A Message to the Future" by Linda Rising"The Boy Scout Rule" by Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob)"Beware the Share" by Udi Dahan

    A simple web search picks out a handful of relevant needles from the world's biggest haystack: the billions of pages on the World Wide Web. Uploading a photo to Facebook transmits millions of pieces of information over numerous error-prone network links, yet somehow a perfect copy of the photo arrives intact. Without even knowing it, we use public-key cryptography to transmit secret information like credit card numbers; and we use digital signatures to verify the identity of the websites we visit. How do our computers perform these tasks with such ease? This is the first book to answer that question in language anyone can understand, revealing the extraordinary ideas that power our PCs, laptops, and smartphones. Using vivid examples, John MacCormick explains the fundamental "tricks" behind nine types of computer algorithms, including artificial intelligence (where we learn about the "nearest neighbor trick" and "twenty questions trick"), Google's famous PageRank algorithm (which uses the "random surfer trick"), data compression, error correction, and much more. These revolutionary algorithms have changed our world: this book unlocks their secrets, and lays bare the incredible ideas that our computers use every day.

    This classic guide—fully updated for Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, including 64-bit extensions—describes the architecture and internals of the Windows operating system. You’ll find hands-on experiments you can use to experience Windows internal behavior firsthand, along with advanced troubleshooting information to help you keep your systems running smoothly and efficiently. Whether you’re a developer or a system administrator, you’ll find critical architectural insights that you can quickly apply for better design, debugging, performance, and support.Get in-depth, inside knowledge of the Windows operating system: Understand the key mechanisms that configure and control Windows, including dispatching, startup and shutdown, and the registry Explore the Windows security model, including access, privileges, and auditing Investigate internal system architecture using the kernel debugger and other tools Examine the data structures and algorithms that deal with processes, threads, and jobs Observe how Windows manages virtual and physical memory Understand the operation and format of NTFS, and troubleshoot file system access problems View the Windows networking stack from top to bottom, including mapping, APIs, name resolution, and protocol drivers Troubleshoot boot problems and perform crash analysis

    Soon he discovers that a man called Ambrose Shaughnessy owns the family ranch now,and he's raising Ross' baby sister as his own. He immediately cooks up a plan to work on the ranch undercover for a chance to investigate his family's mysterious fate and get revenge for everything he's lost.Even the best-laid plans can go ashtray though. When things do not turn out to be what they appear, Ross is left to question his motives for revenge. On top of that, he unexpectedly finds himself falling for Shaughnessy's sweet, caring daughter. Will Ross be able to discover what happened to his family and bring justice to those responsible, or will his judgement be clouded by unexpected forces? Will the two lovers unite, or will they have to repeat the cursed events that brought them together, and might still put them both in the ground?An action-packed story of deception and delusion, love and lust, violence and compassion, featuring fascinating characters and twists that will leave the reader breathless. A must-read for fans of Western action and romance."On the Path of Vengeance" is a historical adventure novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cliffhangers, just unadulterated action.

    It used to be that to diagnose an illness, interpret legal documents, analyze foreign policy, or write a newspaper article you needed a human being with specific skills—and maybe an advanced degree or two. These days, high-level tasks are increasingly being handled by algorithms that can do precise work not only with speed but also with nuance. These “bots” started with human programming and logic, but now their reach extends beyond what their creators ever expected. In this fascinating, frightening book, Christopher Steiner tells the story of how algorithms took over—and shows why the “bot revolution” is about to spill into every aspect of our lives, often silently, without our knowledge. The May 2010 “Flash Crash” exposed Wall Street’s reliance on trading bots to the tune of a 998-point market drop and $1 trillion in vanished market value. But that was just the beginning. In Automate This, we meet bots that are driving cars, penning haiku, and writing music mistaken for Bach’s. They listen in on our customer service calls and figure out what Iran would do in the event of a nuclear standoff. There are algorithms that can pick out the most cohesive crew of astronauts for a space mission or identify the next Jeremy Lin. Some can even ingest statistics from baseball games and spit out pitch-perfect sports journalism indistinguishable from that produced by humans. The interaction of man and machine can make our lives easier. But what will the world look like when algorithms control our hospitals, our roads, our culture, and our national security? What hap­pens to businesses when we automate judgment and eliminate human instinct? And what role will be left for doctors, lawyers, writers, truck drivers, and many others?  Who knows—maybe there’s a bot learning to do your job this minute.

    Mom vows to find out what happened, and Christy promises her new beau she won’t be away for long. But when Mom’s prime suspect Judge Hernandez winds up dead, the entire island thinks Mom killed him. Justice moves slow on a small island and Christy’s new relationship and Mom’s freedom hang in the balance.With the help of old and new friends, Mom and Christy must battle bumbling bureaucrats, crashing coconuts, and a cadre of crooks to find the truth. The stakes are higher than ever. But has our favorite mom and daughter amateur sleuthing team finally found a case they can't crack? Find out in Book 5 of Mom and Christy’s Cozy Mysteries. Hit the order button to get your copy.

     Have you been reading book after book on Weight Loss, Trying one Diet After another only to have no positive results whatsoever? Then, this book is for you!! Have you been trying to get rid of fattening toxins from your body and boost your metabolism? Then, this book is for you!! Have you been trying to keep up with a Weight Loss regimen, but simply are not able to maintain the required discipline and will-power to keep going? Then, this book is for you!! Have you been trying to stay away from Fatty and Salty foodstuffs, but are not able to curb your craving and still end up eating them(cause they taste divine!)? Then, this book is for you!! Are you low on Self-Confidence, just because you have put on weight...and want to feel good about yourself since you have taken positive steps to shed that excess weight? Then, this book is for you!! All this is possible by performing Simple Hand Gestures called as 'Mudras'. You don't believe me?? Try out for yourself. These Weight Loss Mudras work wonders!! Discover:: 21 Simple Hand Gestures for Effortless Weight Loss This book details a variety of Simple Hand Gestures called as Mudras, that when performed regularly will burn away your excess weight, remove fattening toxins from your body, boost your metabolism, curb your unhealthy cravings, induce a strong will-power to continue this Weight Loss regimen. Some of the Mudras that you’ll discover inside this book are: # Lingamudra / Mudra of Divine Masculine # Apaanmudra / Mudra of Downward Force # Chakramudra / Mudra of Wheel # Avaahanmudra / Mudra of calling # Shankhamudra / Mudra of conch Effortless Weight Loss is possible!! Just perform these Simple Hand Gestures regularly. Would You Like To Know More? Download now and achieve effortless, non-reversing Weight Loss. Scroll to the top of the page and select the buy button. P.S - This Book is enrolled in 'KINDLE UNLIMITED', If you are a Kindle Unlimited Subscriber, Download this book for FREE, and I bet, you will buy it afterwards for your collection and reference.