Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe


George Dyson - 2012
    In Turing’s Cathedral, George Dyson focuses on a small group of men and women, led by John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, who built one of the first computers to realize Alan Turing’s vision of a Universal Machine. Their work would break the distinction between numbers that mean things and numbers that do things—and our universe would never be the same. Using five kilobytes of memory (the amount allocated to displaying the cursor on a computer desktop of today), they achieved unprecedented success in both weather prediction and nuclear weapons design, while tackling, in their spare time, problems ranging from the evolution of viruses to the evolution of stars. Dyson’s account, both historic and prophetic, sheds important new light on how the digital universe exploded in the aftermath of World War II. The proliferation of both codes and machines was paralleled by two historic developments: the decoding of self-replicating sequences in biology and the invention of the hydrogen bomb. It’s no coincidence that the most destructive and the most constructive of human inventions appeared at exactly the same time.  How did code take over the world? In retracing how Alan Turing’s one-dimensional model became John von Neumann’s two-dimensional implementation, Turing’s Cathedral offers a series of provocative suggestions as to where the digital universe, now fully three-dimensional, may be heading next.

The King of Kings County


Whitney Terrell - 2005
    Now he offers us the story of their creation. A stunning, intensely private portrait of one man's life and his city, The King of Kings County presents a dazzling fifty-year arc through the heart of the American dream.

After the Trade Is Made: Processing Securities Transactions


David M. Weiss - 1993
    Comprehensive and easy to understand, it provides brokers, operations personnel, and individual investors with definitive and up-to-the-minute explanations of each step in the trading process—from the moment a customer decides to buy or sell a security through the final requirements of record keeping.Written for both securities professionals and individual investors, whether domestic or in other countries, this new edition clearly explains the core of underwritings, new and established trading markets, transaction processing, margin, and more—while providing critical insights into the most recent wave of industry changes.David M. Weiss, a veteran securities professional, traces the entire process of buying or selling a security, from order management to transaction processing to the final posting on the firm’s books and records. He covers the specialized attributes of each function in a typical brokerage firm, as well as their relationships with commercial banks, transfer agents, clearing corporations, and depositories.After the Trade Is Made is the definitive resource for anyone eager to understand and confidently navigate the vast and often surprising world of securities.

The Real Mad Men: The Remarkable True Story of Madison Avenue's Golden Age


Andrew Cracknell - 2011
    Like AMC's award-winning drama "Mad Men," this book looks at the industry that shaped a culture. The" Real Mad Men" is a visual history of key major ad campaigns during the 1950s and 1960s and the people responsible for them. Beginning with the iconic VW campaign that kicked off the "Creative Revolution" it covers campaigns such as Avis, Alka Seltzer, Benson & Hedges 100s, Volvo, Chivas Regal, and Braniff Airways."Real Mad Men" reveals the true players of Madison Avenue in the era of the "Mad Men" and provides a behind-the-scenes look at key agencies, including 150 full-color illustrations of the main ad campaigns as well as numerous inset campaigns

Eat People: And Other Unapologetic Rules for Game-Changing Entrepreneurs


Andy Kessler - 2011
     The era of easy money and easy jobs is officially over. Today, we're all entrepreneurs, and the tides of change threaten to capsize anyone who plays it safe. Taking risks is the name of the game-but how can you tell a smart bet from a stupid gamble? Andy Kessler has made a career out of seeing the future of business, as an analyst, investment banker, venture capitalist, and hedge fund manager. He evaluated the business potential of the likes of Steve Jobs and Michael Dell before they were Steve Jobs and Michael Dell. His eye for what's next is unparalleled. Now Kessler explains how the world's greatest entrepreneurs don't just start successful companies-they overturn entire industries. He offers twelve surprising and controversial rules for these radical entrepreneurs, such as: ? Eat people: Get rid of worthless jobs to create more wealth for everybody ? Create artificial scarcity for virtual goods ? Trust markets to make better decisions than managers Whether you're at a big corporation or running a small business, you're now an entrepreneur. Will you see change coming and grab on to opportunity or miss the boat?

More Eric Meyer on CSS


Eric A. Meyer - 2004
    It covers various topics which include converting an HTML-based design to a pure positioning layout; styling a photo gallery; and others.

Widow Maker: A Novel of World War II


E.R. Johnson - 2012
    The B-26--dubbed Widow Maker by the press and the aircrews who flew her--was one of the most controversial aircraft produced in the United States during the war. These young men find themselves confronted not only with doubts about the airplane they are given to fly, but also the sometimes fatal choices made by a military organization unprepared to employ them in combat. Against the setting of World War II Europe, the heart and minds of these young men are revealed as they are forces to make a swift and frequently terrifying journey into manhood. The differences between them, seemingly irreconcilable at first, fade away as they form the ancient bond between men whose lives must depend upon one another in combat. But even after these young Americans make the transition into seasoned warriors, they are still faced with the grim reality that some of them will survive--and some will not.

Microsoft Project 2010 Step by Step


Carl Chatfield - 2010
    With Step By Step, you set the pace-building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Topics include building a project plan and fine-tuning the details; scheduling tasks, assigning resources, and managing dependencies; monitoring progress and costs; keeping projects on track; communicating project data through Gantt charts and other views.

Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software


Scott Rosenberg - 2007
    Along the way, we encounter black holes, turtles, snakes, dragons, axe-sharpening, and yak-shaving—and take a guided tour through the theories and methods, both brilliant and misguided, that litter the history of software development, from the famous ‘mythical man-month’ to Extreme Programming. Not just for technophiles but for anyone captivated by the drama of invention, Dreaming in Code offers a window into both the information age and the workings of the human mind.

Vintage Stuff


Tom Sharpe - 1982
    His adventures whisk him to a French castle, where he commits murder and mayhem. British humor is rarely captured as effectively as this. Fry accomplishes an incredible range of accents and distinctions of age, occupation and sex. If hearing an imitation of a man with a missing lower denture tickles you, then Vintage Stuff is right up your alley. "When Tom Sharpe turns his attention to a very minor public school…the result is predictably savage. Hoaxes, chases, car crashes, shootings, and general mayhem. Wicked, riotous humour.” —Daily Telegraph

The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook


Julie Fisher Gunter - 1999
    Besides the recipes, the book also includes an extensive text update, all new photos, nutritional analysis, preparation and cooking times for every recipe, and a discussion of equipment and ingredients.

Guerrilla Home Recording: How to Get Great Sound from Any Studio {No Matter How Weird or Cheap Your Gear Is}


Karl Coryat - 2004
    The revised edition is updated with a greater focus on digital recording techniques, the most powerful tools available to the home recordist. There are chapters devoted to instrument recording, humanizing drum patterns, mixing with plug-ins and virtual consoles, and a new section on using digital audio skills. And since, many true "Guerrillas" still record to analog tape, we have retained the best of that world. This edition features many more graphics than in the original edition, further enforcing Guerrilla Home Recording's reputation as the most readable, user-frienly recording title on the market.

Lance Armstrong: Images of a Champion


Lance Armstrong - 2004
    His heroic survival from deadly cancer and his hard-fought triumphs in the bicycle race that is thought to be the most grueling endurance test in sports are a tribute to the strength of the human spirit. Filled with never-before-seen pictures--including photos of his historic seventh Tour win--and revealing insights by the people who know him best, this treasured keepsake celebrates in words and photographs Armstrong's indomitable will and champion's heart. See inside Lance's tour with intimate pictures of Armstrong in competition and off the bike, as well as stunning full-color views capturing the grandeur of the sport, by cycling's top photographer, Graham Watson.

Managing My Life: My Autobiography


Alex Ferguson - 1999
    Universally respected for his tough, but caring managerial style, Ferguson is an unusually intelligent man with a fascinating life story. Covering his tough Govan upbringing through to his playing days and onto his shift into management, Managing My Life is told with the fine balance of biting controversy and human sensitivity which made it such an unprecedented success in hardback. Alex Ferguson is a legend in his lifetime.

Programming Pearls


Jon L. Bentley - 1986
    Jon has done a wonderful job of updating the material. I am very impressed at how fresh the new examples seem." - Steve McConnell, author, Code CompleteWhen programmers list their favorite books, Jon Bentley's collection of programming pearls is commonly included among the classics. Just as natural pearls grow from grains of sand that irritate oysters, programming pearls have grown from real problems that have irritated real programmers. With origins beyond solid engineering, in the realm of insight and creativity, Bentley's pearls offer unique and clever solutions to those nagging problems. Illustrated by programs designed as much for fun as for instruction, the book is filled with lucid and witty descriptions of practical programming techniques and fundamental design principles. It is not at all surprising that Programming Pearls has been so highly valued by programmers at every level of experience. In this revision, the first in 14 years, Bentley has substantially updated his essays to reflect current programming methods and environments. In addition, there are three new essays on (1) testing, debugging, and timing; (2) set representations; and (3) string problems. All the original programs have been rewritten, and an equal amount of new code has been generated. Implementations of all the programs, in C or C++, are now available on the Web.What remains the same in this new edition is Bentley's focus on the hard core of programming problems and his delivery of workable solutions to those problems. Whether you are new to Bentley's classic or are revisiting his work for some fresh insight, this book is sure to make your own list of favorites.