Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge


Cass R. Sunstein - 2006
    Beset from all sides by a never-ending barrage of media, how can we ensure that the most accurate information emerges and is heeded? In this book, Cass R. Sunstein develops a deeply optimisticunderstanding of the human potential to pool information, and to use that knowledge to improve our lives.In an age of information overload, it is easy to fall back on our own prejudices and insulate ourselves with comforting opinions that reaffirm our core beliefs. Crowds quickly become mobs. The justification for the Iraq war, the collapse of Enron, the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia--all ofthese resulted from decisions made by leaders and groups trapped in information cocoons, shielded from information at odds with their preconceptions. How can leaders and ordinary people challenge insular decision making and gain access to the sum of human knowledge?Stunning new ways to share and aggregate information, many Internet-based, are helping companies, schools, governments, and individuals not only to acquire, but also to create, ever-growing bodies of accurate knowledge. Through a ceaseless flurry of self-correcting exchanges, wikis, coveringeverything from politics and business plans to sports and science fiction subcultures, amass--and refine--information. Open-source software enables large numbers of people to participate in technological development. Prediction markets aggregate information in a way that allows companies, rangingfrom computer manufacturers to Hollywood studios, to make better decisions about product launches and office openings. Sunstein shows how people can assimilate aggregated information without succumbing to the dangers of the herd mentality--and when and why the new aggregation techniques are soastoundingly accurate.In a world where opinion and anecdote increasingly compete on equal footing with hard evidence, the on-line effort of many minds coming together might well provide the best path to infotopia.

The Link


Isaac Hooke - 2019
    A fleet surrounded. One AI's struggle to save his machine brothers and sisters--and humanity itself--from complete destruction.Jain and his fleet of elite AI warships hurry to Earth's defense when an alien empire known as the Link stages an all-out attack. Though his fleet is equipped with the most powerful weapons tech ever developed, with enough firepower to raze an entire moon base, even Jain's mighty vessels prove no match for the enemy. When unexpected allies show up, the tide seems to turn in his favor. But will it be enough? Perhaps. The aliens were expecting to find a race of organics barely out of the stone ages.It must have come as quite a shock when they realized they faced a budding AI Empire.

Welcome to the Galactic Shoppers Network


Ian Rodgers - 2017
    In fact, his main concern is "How long until the government finds me?" Now the owner of a Mobile Network Droid and enrolled as a beta-tester for a brand new extraterrestrial package delivery system, Zane Pendon and Rob, a self-aware advertising drone, have to navigate the intricacies of shopping at home while avoiding arousing any suspicion from the Solar Alliance of Independent Planets and the US government, both of which are very interested in recovering the wayward piece of technology. However, it won't be long before worlds collide and mankind meets alien life. But with their status as intergalactic fugitives, Zane and Rob have their work cut out for them trying to stay alive and under the radar. Can alien infomercials save the world? Of course not. But they just might save Zane and his family.

Supersizing the Mind: Embodiment, Action, and Cognitive Extension


Andy Clark - 2008
    Feynman himself, however, insisted that the notes were not a record but the work itself. In Supersizing the Mind, Andy Clark argues that our thinking doesn't happen only in our heads but that certain forms of human cognizing include inextricable tangles of feedback, feed-forward and feed-around loops: loops that promiscuously criss-cross the boundaries of brain, body and world. The pen and paper of Feynman's thought are just such feedback loops, physical machinery that shape the flow of thought and enlarge the boundaries of mind. Drawing upon recent work in psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, robotics, human-computer systems, and beyond, Supersizing the Mind offers both a tour of the emerging cognitive landscape and a sustained argument in favor of a conception of mind that is extended rather than brain-bound. The importance of this new perspective is profound. If our minds themselves can include aspects of our social and physical environments, then the kinds of social and physical environments we create can reconfigure our minds and our capacity for thought and reason.

When Harry Met Chunglie: ...it was murder. A Space Opera Comedy


Jack Q McNeil - 2018
    Of her worst day... Monday morning, about ten... A Human female's life will be saved because an ancient alien can't stand dickheads. Harry (the Human female, her dad had a family issue) hoped a new job as detective marshal on the planet Smuds, would bring adventure and weird aliens. It did. Chunglie is weirder than most, and proud of it. When bodies are found on a spaceship, Chunglie comes to realise his new friend is the only one who can solve the mystery and find the killer. But the killer has worked that out too, and it's up to Chunglie to keep Harry alive. You will enjoy this story, because everyone likes to see the dauntless alien sidekick come through for the win… yes?

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems


Dan W. Patterson - 1990
    

Juliette's Dream


Saxon Andrew - 2012
    This new series covers the period after the destruction of the Star's Realm.The Five Provinces have been left behind by the Stars Realm and civil war has broken out. Hundreds of thousands of planets have been decimated, and millions of others blasted back into primitive technology. Trillions have died, and the killing is far from over.After two thousand years the survivors are barely eking out an existence on what remains of the once powerful Realm. Out of the ashes, a young Human will arise that will fight for the survival of his community and the giant Zord that fly the skies of the once powerful Provincial Capital, El Prado. The radioactive wastelands and millions of giant carnivores are the least of the community’s problems. Raiders from the stars are what must be faced by the brave archers to survive. Thousands have been killed and the raiders are coming again.

Free Dive


C.F. Waller - 2014
    Doing it without getting your feet wet is even harder. Dexter Knight and his two mismatched partners have managed to do it, but are finding it difficult to turn their acquisitions into cold hard cash. When one such sale goes horribly awry, they wind up hijacked, along with their technology. Unsure if he’s now working for a government agency or a criminal conspiracy, Dexter finds his team dragged out to the oceans deepest spot, the Marianas Trench. There, beneath seven miles of sea water, lies an unknown object far more intriguing than fine china. While Dexter would prefer to get back to civilization and dry land, he finds himself pondering a more ominous question. If he leaves without solving the mystery beneath the waves, will there be any civilization to go back to?

The Second Death Of Daedalus Mole


Niall Slater - 2018
    The plan: fly his unwanted passenger, Erin, to her destination, squeeze her for every last penny, then immediately find refuge in the nearest pub. Unfortunately, when the galaxy is on the verge of economic collapse and your passenger has a bounty the size of a planet on her head, there’s only so much another drink can do to help. Daedalus soon finds himself playing babysitter to someone stronger, angrier and far more dangerous than he is. On top of that: the booze is running out, his ship’s AI won’t stop trying to kill him, and he’s having to pretend very hard that he hasn’t started hearing voices in his head. Erin is under the eye of forces which seek to use her. Daedalus's mistakes have changed him in ways he does not yet understand. In search of Erin's past, and in flight from his own, Daedalus will soon learn what happens when you let wounds fester unchecked. The Second Death of Daedalus Mole was longlisted for the inaugural Bath Novel Award. It's a character-driven novel which tells the story of two damaged, guilt-ridden misfits struggling to find closure in a galaxy on the cusp of war, whilst becoming slowly entangled in the struggles of greater forces. In one sense it’s a traditional star-hopping journey with an unlikely crew of miscreants, but in another it’s an exploration of scars, self-destruction, healing and loneliness, as well as the flawed ways in which we view those closest to us. It’s also a novel about bar fights and space battles, so there’s something for everyone, really.

Translight


Doug Farren - 2009
    But before Earth can benefit from the advanced technologies offered by the other cultures, it must form a united world government. Old habits are hard to break and it doesn't take long before things begin to unravel.Jay Kauffman, mathematical genius and creator of the stardrive, believed his invention would free mankind. Instead, it has made war inevitable.Translight is the first book of the Galactic Alliance series. It is a hard military science fiction space opera that has been compared to E.E. 'Doc' Smith's famous Lensmen and Skylark series.

Master Your Mind, Master Your Life: 15 Mindset Hacks That Will Unleash Your Full Potential TODAY


Magnus Steele - 2017
    Well the thing is, the actual PROCESS, whether it be a diet, a fitness regime or a business model, usually works. I’m sorry to tell you this but it’s more likely YOU that is not working correctly. This is why it is of PARAMOUNT importance that you develop the RIGHT mindset before you pursue ANY goal. This book contains 15 EASY ways to alter your mindset and unleash your full potential starting TODAY. You DON’T have to live a life of half measures. If you want to be in the same place a year from now, then don’t read this book. BUT, if you are willing to develop yourself into someone that is GOING PLACES, I’d recommend INVESTING in yourself by reading this short book as a starting point. Who knows where it could take you.

Forbidden System


David Alastair Hayden - 2017
    Under its guidance we have spread amongst the stars and experienced an unprecedented age of peace, prosperity, and technological advancement. All of that is about the change.While on a covert mission to spy on the Krixis, a telepathic alien race, Empathic Services agent Eyana Ora uncovers a plot to destroy all mankind. She launches a desperate bid to stop a group of insurgents from obtaining a secret super-weapon stored within an Ancient outpost on world sacred to the Krixis.Gav Gendin is an archaeologist obsessed with the Ancients, an extinct race of highly advanced aliens. After years of searching, he locates one of their temples on an abandoned Krixis world. But when it turns out the system is guarded, his research expedition becomes a gamble that could cost him his life.Neither one of them has a hope of accomplishing their missions without Silky, a snarky neural-interfacing AI companion. It's his job to piece together the secrets they each unearth, secrets that will shape humanity's future.

The Second Intelligent Species: How Humans Will Become as Irrelevant as Cockroaches


Marshall Brain - 2015
    We currently see no evidence of any kind indicating that extraterrestrials exist outside of our solar system. But at this moment, millions of engineers, scientists, corporations, universities and entrepreneurs are racing to create the second intelligent species right here on planet earth. And we can see the second intelligent species coming from all directions in the form of self-driving cars, automated call centers, chess-playing and Jeopardy-playing computers that beat all human players, airport kiosks, restaurant tablet systems, etc. The frightening thing is that these robots will soon be eliminating human jobs in startling numbers. The first wave of unemployed workers is likely to be a million truck drivers who are replaced by self-driving trucks. Pilots will be eliminated soon as well. Then, as new computer vision systems come online, we will see tens of millions of workers in retail stores, fast food restaurants and construction sites replaced by robots. Unless we take steps now to change the economy, we will soon have tens of millions of workers who are unemployed and seeking welfare because they will have no other choice. Marshall Brain's new book "The Second Intelligent Species: How Humans Will Become as Irrelevant as Cockroaches" explores how the future will unfold as the second intelligent species emerges. The book answers questions like: - How will new computer vision systems affect the job market? - How many people will become unemployed by the second intelligent species? - What will happen to millions of newly unemployed workers? - How can modern society and modern economies cope with run-away unemployment caused by robots? - What will happen when the first sentient, conscious computer appears? - What moral and ethical principles will guide the second intelligent species? - Why do we see no extraterrestrials in our universe? "The Second Intelligent Species" offers a unique and fascinating look at the future of the human race, and the choices we will need to make to avoid massive unemployment and poverty worldwide as intelligent machines start eliminating millions of jobs.

Interstellar Caveman


Karl Beecher - 2019
    Now, he’s being pursued by a homicidal interstellar tourist board, and calculating insurance dividends is as outdated as making stone axes. Sci-fi-hating technophobe Colin embarks on a desperate struggle to find a cure for his illness, as well as a place for himself in this strange new galaxy where toilets talk back, and door handles are a long-forgotten relic. Only by teaming up with his rescuer, hard-boiled, space-traveling archaeologist Tyresa Jak (that’s Doctor Jak to you), can Colin hope to succeed before time runs out. Along the way, this galactic odd-couple must evade the Erd Tourist Board - a powerful mega-corporation which will do anything to ensure the mythical Earth stays mythical - and deal with a crackpot religious cult who not only possess a cure for Colin’s illness, but who also believe there is more to this caveman from Earth than meets the eye.... Don't miss the start of this side-splitting intergalactic adventure that will keep you laughing into the night. It's perfect for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Space Team. Also available on Audible, narrated by Steve West.

Scout


Terry Schott - 2017
    Gamers think that they are beta testing the world's first true Virtual Reality fantasy game, but are they? Or is the magical world of Preu Treya as real as our own? A daring experience filled with swords, sorcery, and adventure .