They inspire dreams. They represent freedom: from adults or adulthood, from duties and responsibilities, from an earthbound perspective. If we can't fly with the birds, at least we can nest with them. With lively writing and beautiful photographs, Treehouses paints a fascinating portrait of this ingenious branch of architecture. It provides a brief history of treehouses, from Caligula through the Medici to Queen Victoria. It shows how to design and build a treehouse, from picking the right tree to shingling the roof. And it tells the stories of dozens of treehouses and the people who built them, from simple platforms nailed together by kids to arboreal palaces constructed and lived in by grown-ups. The centerpiece of the book is a photo essay showing Pete Nelson building a spectacular octagonal treehouse thirty feet up an old-growth fir on Saltspring Island in British Columbia. With two hundred square feet of floor space, cedar paneling, and leaded French doors, the Saltspring treehouse is one of the finest specimens of the treehouse builder's art. Anyone who has ever built a treehouse, or dreamed of it, or read Swiss Family Robinson, will find Treehouses irresistible.

    Akka uses Actors-independently executing processes that communicate via message passing—as the foundation for fault-tolerant applications where individual actors can fail without crashing everything. Perfect for high-volume applications that need to scale rapidly, Akka is an efficient foundation for event-driven systems that want to scale elastically up and out on demand, both on multi-core processors and across server nodes.Akka in Action is a comprehensive tutorial on building message-oriented systems using Akka. The book takes a hands-on approach, where each new concept is followed by an example that shows you how it works, how to implement the code, and how to (unit) test it. You'll learn to test and deploy an actor system and scale it up and out, showing off Akka's fault tolerance. As you move along, you'll explore a message-oriented event-driven application in Akka. You'll also tackle key issues like how to model immutable messages and domain models, and apply patterns like Event Sourcing, and CQRS. The book concludes with practical advice on how to tune and customize a system built with Akka.

    In Creating a New Old House, architect Russell Versaci shows you that it is possible to design and create a new house that looks and feels like it has always been there. Versaci explores how architects, builders, and craftsmen are reinterpreting the traditional American house. Through photographs and engaging text, discussions of history and craftsmanship, and sidelong glances at the workings of real old houses, Versaci explains how traditional houses go together and what gives them their unique design appeal. Features 17 new, old-style houses -- from colonials to farmhouses -- from all over the country Versaci identifies Eight Pillars of Traditional Design that create a solid foundation for combining authentic, traditional design with livability to create homes that feel old yet work for the demands of modern family living.

    This volume takes as its subject the troubled sleep of late modernity, from the grandeur and failure of megacities to the retreats and displacements of the suburbs. The power of crowds and architecture commingles with the alienation and idleness of the observer, caught between “the brutal red dream/Of the collective” and “the parade/Of the ideal citizen.” The book’s action takes place in these gaps, “dead spaces beside the endlessly grieving stream.” The frozen tableau of the spectacle meets its double in the sense that something is always about to happen. Political furies and erotic imaginings coalesce and escape within a welter of unmoored allusions, encounters, citations, and histories, the dreams possible within the modern’s excess of signification—as if to return revolutionary possibility to the regime of information by singing it its own song.

    Chapters give detailed coverage of critical topics: design options, selecting and supervising the architect and contractor, cost estimates, budgets, plan specifications, contracts, dealing with town officials and keeping track of everything along the way. For each stage of the project there is detailed information on common pitfalls and how to avoid them, as well as insiders' tips which reveal what most contractors can't tell you. This book was previously published by Warner Books (2004) and titled What the "Experts" May Not Tell You About Building or Renovating Your Home.

    It features the exceptional interiors of eight houses, discusses successes and challenges, and shows how to live stylishly. Tips are shared on color, flooring, window coverings, furniture arrangements, and how off-the-shelf components can be turned into custom features. The homeowners' stories explain why these rooms work, and provide you with resources and ideas for everything from garage doors to the art on the wall.

    Anyone who's ever quailed at the thought of buying a two-by-four or suspected that his (or her) dwelling is breaking down out of spite will be charmed, educated and entertained by this delightful history and how-to of the house.

    A fossil upends two centuries of scientific theory. A prehistoric virus kills thousands within days. And a resort of epic proportions prepares to open while the world's superpowers secretly watch.Employing meticulous research into science and antiquity, author B.C.CHASE launches his controversial tour de force, the Paradeisia Trilogy, with a bombshell debut that will have readers clawing from page one through to the final breathtaking chapter.youtube.com/watch?v=mCgdAqkIGqQWhat if Darwin got it wrong?What if the physical world is a facade?What if we have a sixth sense that science cannot yet explain?Don't miss the epic trilogy that fearlessly explores the furthest reaches of what's possible. If you are afraid of ideas that challenge your worldview, this book is not for you. Chase holds nothing sacred as he takes a journey into the unknown.This book is part of a trilogy and should not be read apart from the other books in the series."FOUR OUT OF FOUR STARS."-ONLINEBOOKCLUB.ORG"A ROLLER COASTER RIDE."-GRADY HARP, VINE VOICE"ONE OF THE GREATEST FRANCHISES OF OUR TIME."-EPUB.US"INCREDIBLY WELL-WRITTEN."-EBOOKS ADDICT"CHASE HAS MASTERED THE ART OF WRITING SUSPENSE."-LA HOWELL"ONE HELL OF A RIDE!"-THRILLERKAT OFFICIAL REVIEWS"PALEONTOLOGY IS GETTING A WAKE-UP CALL."-INJOY BOOK REVIEWS"IN TRUE CRICHTON STYLE, CHASE TAKES ELEMENTS OF KNOWN SCIENCE, EXPLORES THEIR EXTREME POTENTIAL, AND BUILDS A MYSTERY AROUND SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES."-AMAZON.COM"I WAS REMINDED OF JURASSIC PARK."- J. RODGE"COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN. ...KEEPS YOU WANTING MORE, MORE."-DEBRA HANSON"THIS SERIES IS KEEPING ME UP PAST MY BEDTIME..."-KITTY MURPHY"AN EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT PAGE TURNER! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! WONDERFUL!"-PAMELA LIVENGOOD"INCREDIBLY WELL WRITTEN... RIVETING PLOT LINES, INTERESTING AND FULLY-FLESHED CHARACTERS. ORIGINAL, COMPELLING, AND LEAVES YOU WANTING MORE."-JOANNE G"A FORMIDABLE AND UNFORGETTABLE THRILL RIDE."JOHN J. STRAUGHTON"WHILE THE DIFFERENT NARRATIVES MAY SEEM FAR REMOVED FROM EACH OTHER, THEY COMBINE SEAMLESSLY INTO A BRILLIANT, YET TERRIFYING STORY OF OUR PLANET AT ITS LIMITS, AND THE CHOICES WE ARE LEFT TO MAKE TO SAVE IT."-THRILLERKAT REVIEWSB.C.CHASE is the internationally bestselling author of the Paradeisia Trilogy which critics have hailed as one of the greatest franchises of our time.* His titles have consistently reached the number one slots of science fiction, thriller, women's adventure, religion, and medical bestseller lists. His electrifying talent for combining the latest in scientific breakthroughs with edge-of-your-seat thrills has earned him a reputation as a master of suspense. Amazon has ranked him #1 in Religion and Spirituality, among its top ten Sci-fi authors, and a top 20 writer of Thrillers."B.C.CHASE IS RAPIDLY BECOMING AN AUTHOR OF AUTHORITY."GRADY HARP, VINE VOICE"CHASE HAS MASTERED THE ART OF WRITING SUSPENSE."L.A. HOWELL"IN TRUE CRICHTON STYLE, CHASE TAKES ELEMENTS OF KNOWN SCIENCE, EXPLORES THEIR EXTREME POTENTIAL, AND BUILDS A MYSTERY AROUND SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES."-AMAZON.COM"CHASE HAS TALENT YOU WON'T SOON FORGET."-AMAZON.COM"CHASE IS A BRILLIANT WRITER WITH A BOATLOAD OF TALENT."-VINCENT VERITAS"CHASE KEEPS YOU WANTING MORE."-DEBRA HANSENFiction:LeviathanThe Story of Santa ClausThrough GlassParadeisia: Origin of ParadiseParadeisia: Violation of ParadiseParadeisia: Fall of ParadiseCataton*Epub.us

    Now at last here's a feast for them and other verbivores. Eat up!-Barbara WallraffSenior Editor at The Atlantic Monthly and author of Word CourtPraise for A Word a Day"AWADies will be familiar with Anu Garg's refreshing approach to words: words are fun and they have fascinating histories. The people who use them have curious stories to tell too, and this collection incorporates some of the correspondence received by the editors at the AWAD site, from advice on how to outsmart your opponent in a duel (or even a truel) to a cluster of your favorite mondegreens."-John Simpson, Chief Editor, Oxford English Dictionary"A banquet of words! Feast and be nourished!"-Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of LanguageWritten by the founder of the wildly popular A Word A Day Web site (www.wordsmith.org), this collection of unusual, obscure, and exotic English words will delight writers, scholars, crossword puzzlers, and word buffs of every ilk. The words are grouped in intriguing categories that range from "Portmanteaux" to "Words That Make the Spell-Checker Ineffective." each entry includes a concise definition, etymology, and usage example-and many feature fascinating and hilarious commentaries by A Word A Day subscribers and the authors.

    The book is divided into 3 categories—green, greener, greenest—and the homes featured vary in style, design, type of construction, and size. All of the homes included in Prefabulous and Sustainable have been customized to create a level of sustainability beyond the inherent qualities of prefab.Written in an easy to understand and approachable style, author Sheri Koones walks the readers through each of the homes, explaining the materials, strategies, and systems used to create a sustainable living environment. Photographs, captions, floor plans, and sidebars illustrate to readers that green living is not as complicated as one might think, and attainable for everyone. Also included is a resource guide, making this book a hand-on guide for homebuilders. Praise for Prefabulous + Sustainable “Authoritative and beautiful. Once again, Koones builds her case for pre-fab thoroughly, and presents it in a compelling, well-organized package.” —Allen Norwood, NAREE Book Competition Head Judge

    Includes essays and excerpts from the works of prominent modern thinkers such as Umberto Eco, Jacques Derrida, and Isaiah Berlin among others.

     More and more of us are choosing to live in the man-made environment of the city. The mismatch between this artificial world and our nature-starved souls can contribute to the stresses of city living in a way that is barely noticed – but is crucially important.What does the science of architectural psychology tell us about how the world of brick and concrete affects how we think, feel and behave?In an increasingly crowded urban world, how does good urban design inspire, restore and bring us together? Conversely, how does bad architecture cause anxiety, alienation and depression?Starting with the home and reaching out to the street, neighbourhood and wider city landscape, Headspace teaches us how to see our cities differently, and how we can best adapt to our rapidly changing urban world.

    In particular, his residential work has been the subject of continuing interest and controversy. Wright's Fallingwater (1935), the seminal masterpiece perched over a waterfall deep in the Pennsylvania highlands, is perhaps the best-known private house in the history of the world. In fact, Wright's houses-from his Prairie style Robie House (1906) in Chicago, to the Storer (1923) and Freeman (1923) houses in Los Angeles, and Taliesen West (1937) in the Arizona desert-are all touchstones of modern architecture. For the first time, all 289 extant houses are shown here in exquisite color photographs. Along with Weintraub's stunning photos and a selection of floor plans and archival images, the book includes text and essays by several leading Wright scholars. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses is an event of great importance and a major contribution to the literature on this titan of modern architecture.

    We are told that whether a picture, a movement, a text, or sound qualifies as a "work of art" largely depends on social attitudes and convention. Drawing on examples ranging from Paleolithic cave paintings to modern pop music and building on the ideas of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Gilles Deleuze, Carl Jung, and others, J.F. Martel argues that art is an inborn human phenomenon that precedes the formation of culture and even society. Art is free of politics and ideology. Paradoxically, that is what makes it a force of liberation wherever it breaks through the trance of humdrum existence. Like the act of dreaming, artistic creation is fundamentally mysterious. It is a gift from beyond the field of the human, and it connects us with realities that, though normally unseen, are crucial components of a living world.While holding this to be true of authentic art, the author acknowledges the presence--overwhelming in our media-saturated age--of a false art that seeks not to liberate but to manipulate and control. Against this anti-artistic aesthetic force, which finds some of its most virulent manifestations in modern advertising, propaganda, and pornography, true art represents an effective line of defense. Martel argues that preserving artistic expression in the face of our contemporary hyper-aestheticism is essential to our own survival.Art is more than mere ornament or entertainment; it is a way, one leading to what is most profound in us. Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice places art alongside languages and the biosphere as a thing endangered by the onslaught of predatory capitalism, spectacle culture, and myopic technological progress. The book is essential reading for visual artists, musicians, writers, actors, dancers, filmmakers, and poets. It will also interest anyone who has ever been deeply moved by a work of art, and for all who seek a way out of the web of deception and vampiric diversion that the current world order has woven around us.

    Presents 500 houses classified by architect, designer, patron or cultural tribe, this book looks at some of the most astonishing and creative abodes ever to be built.