Everyone was cheerful, but I was reminded of the one thing that I didn’t have, family. I had more than enough of everything, except the one thing that mattered during the holidays. All of that changed though, when I met Cara. She was smart-mouthed and not afraid to tell me exactly what was on her mind. Paired with an incredible body and eyes that called to me, she was just what I was looking for. Before I even knew I was looking. Our kisses were electric and I wanted more. Cara was reluctant at first, because of our professional relationship. But nothing was off limits to a guy like me. I am Nick Sampson; Billionaire business man and the biggest playboy in the city. I always get what I want. This year, all I want for Christmas is Cara. CHRISTMAS PRESENT She was a present that I was dying to open. Watching my friend fall for his wife was hard to see. They were so happy. It made me realize that something was missing. The women in my life were just temporary and I was looking for something more concrete. But finding that special one was hard. Then I met Celia and all of that changed. Her smile was soft and her mouth was sassy. She was everything that I was looking for in a woman. I just had to convince her that I wasn’t the man she thought I was. She was my Christmas Present from the universe and I wasn’t going to mess it up this time. I had to make her fall for me and all I needed was one chance to get my hands on her. I was going to make her scream until she was hoarse. Then there would be no running. She was going to be mine. But she did leave and I was going to need a Christmas miracle to get her back. Celia would be mine once more, wrapped up with a bow.

    How can you work with it efficiently? Recently updated for Spark 1.3, this book introduces Apache Spark, the open source cluster computing system that makes data analytics fast to write and fast to run. With Spark, you can tackle big datasets quickly through simple APIs in Python, Java, and Scala. This edition includes new information on Spark SQL, Spark Streaming, setup, and Maven coordinates. Written by the developers of Spark, this book will have data scientists and engineers up and running in no time. You’ll learn how to express parallel jobs with just a few lines of code, and cover applications from simple batch jobs to stream processing and machine learning. Quickly dive into Spark capabilities such as distributed datasets, in-memory caching, and the interactive shell Leverage Spark’s powerful built-in libraries, including Spark SQL, Spark Streaming, and MLlib Use one programming paradigm instead of mixing and matching tools like Hive, Hadoop, Mahout, and Storm Learn how to deploy interactive, batch, and streaming applications Connect to data sources including HDFS, Hive, JSON, and S3 Master advanced topics like data partitioning and shared variables

    The programs contained in the book are not artificial, but are actual programs ae tools which have proved valuable in the production of other programs.Modern programming techniques such as structured programming and top-down design are emphasized and applied to every program. The programs are presented in a structured language called Ratfor ("Rational Fortran") which can be easily understood by anyone familiar with Fortran or PL/I, Algol, PASCAL, or similar languages. (Ratfor translates readily into Fortran or PL/I. One of the tools presented is a preprocessor to translate Ratfor into Fortran). All of the programs are complete and have been tested directly from the text. The programs are available in machine-readable form from Addison-Wesley.Software Tools is ideal for use in a "software engineering" course, for a second course in programming, or as a supplement in any programming course. All programmers, professional and student, will find the book invaluable as a source of proven, useful programs for reading and study. Numerous exercises are provided to test comprehension and to extend the concepts presented in the text.

    

    The commercial success of a game is often dependent upon the quality of the AI, yet the engineering of AI is often begun late in the development process and is frequently misunderstood. In this book, Ian Millington brings extensive professional experience to the problem of improving the quality of AI in games. A game developer since 1987, he was founder of Mindlathe Ltd., at the time the largest specialist AI company in gaming. Ian shows how to think about AI as an integral part of game play. He describes numerous examples from real games and explores the underlying ideas through detailed case studies. He goes further to introduce many techniques little used by developers today. The book's CD-ROM contains a library of C++ source code and demonstration programs, and provides access to a website with a complete commercial source code library of AI algorithms and techniques. * A comprehensive, professional tutorial and reference to implement true AI in games.* Walks through the entire development process from beginning to end.* Includes over 100 pseudo code examples of techniques used in commercial games, case studies for all major genres, a CD-ROM and companion website with extensive C++ source code implementations for Windows, and source code libraries for Linux and OS X available through the website.

    Peter Flach's clear, example-based approach begins by discussing how a spam filter works, which gives an immediate introduction to machine learning in action, with a minimum of technical fuss. Flach provides case studies of increasing complexity and variety with well-chosen examples and illustrations throughout. He covers a wide range of logical, geometric and statistical models and state-of-the-art topics such as matrix factorisation and ROC analysis. Particular attention is paid to the central role played by features. The use of established terminology is balanced with the introduction of new and useful concepts, and summaries of relevant background material are provided with pointers for revision if necessary. These features ensure Machine Learning will set a new standard as an introductory textbook.

    That had always been my rule. But that was before Race True.The moment I saw her, I wanted her. But there was a problem. She wasn’t just another pretty face—no, she was my first client at ALFA PI. My take-what-I-want attitude shouldn't include her, but how the hell can I be expected to keep my hands off?The danger that followed her had my protective instincts in overdrive. And as the clock ticked down, the choice was laid out before me: save her career or risk everything and have her in my bed. Could I put aside my wants for her needs? Or would my selfishness destroy everything in the process?UNLAWFUL DESIRE - ALFA #2No matter how hard I tried to push her away, fate thrust us together again.Screw relationships. Simple worked. Feelings weren’t on the line, hearts weren’t able to be broken, and I could keep my life simple.My friends told me to move on and find the “one,” but I wasn’t ready to love again.Until I met her. A dirty-mouthed temptress with a killer body that had me questioning everything. I knew I could ruin her forever, but not without losing myself. I wouldn’t do it.. But Georgia Phillips was innocent, pure, and total perfection. I wouldn’t be the one to strip her bare and break her heart.I swore I’d never call another woman mine, but that was before I almost lost her…WICKED IMPULSE - ALFA #3There's only one thing worse than dating a friend's sister sleeping with his mother.Fran DeLuca's known for her bossy, overbearing personality almost as much as for her love of nylon tracksuits. But when someone runs off with fifty thousand dollars, she becomes involved in an ALFA investigation and catches the eye of silver fox biker, Bear.Bear North, ALFA's resident bad boy, has never thought of Fran as anything more than his buddy's mom. When she trades in her elastic pants and orthopedic tennis shoes for a pair of skintight jeans and high heels, he takes notice of the fifty-something MILF.When the money trail leads closer to Fran than expected, Bear takes charge of the investigation and will do anything to protect her. Can Bear track a thief, claim Fran, and keep Morgan DeLuca in the dark long enough to solve the case?GUILTY SIN - ALFA #4When a mission puts a woman under Ret’s protection, he and his longtime girlfriend Alese welcome her into their home. What starts out as a friendship rooted in trust ignites into a romance far bigger than any of them expect.Love isn’t always neat, and sometimes it can’t be confined to an even number.Get ready for the hottest book of this STANDALONE SERIES yet. Ret is prepared to make you beg.

    Steven Gundry sets out to demystify long-held myths about plant-based foods. These foods, believed for the most part, to be healthy, have been responsible for hurting the human body for so long. Gundry exposes the real cause of weight problems, and if you’re one of those people who seem to be eating right and doing all the right exercises, yet suffering weight problems and related diseases, then you’ll want to read this book. Gundry’s book contends that your weight loss efforts are failing not because of any fault of yours, but because you’re mostly misinformed. This book contains a comprehensive, well detailed summary and key takeaways of the original book by Steven R. Gundry M.D. It summarizes the book in detail, to help people effectively understand, articulate and imbibe the original work by Dr. Gundry. This book is not meant to replace the original book but to serve as a companion to it Contained is an Executive Summary of the original book Key Points of each chapter and Brief chapter-by-chapter summaries To get this book, Scroll Up Now and Click on the “Buy now with 1-Click” Button to Download your Copy Right Away! Enjoy this edition instantly on your Kindle device! Now available in paperback and digital editions. Disclaimer: This is a summary, review of the book ”The Plant Paradox” and not the original book.

     There are only men, and their kings and queens, and some such rulers are always looking for trouble. In the brutal north, thieves Maskan and Sand know the king Morag’s justice is uncommonly harsh, while his politics seem to drive a wedge between allies and granting opportunities for their enemies. The man is, in short, rumored to be mad, and one of those kings who find trouble. Such politics and kings are no concern of theirs, until they pickpocket the wrong victim, and get caught in the aforementioned politics, and tangled with the harsh law of Morag. In the end, both thieves find themselves allied with noble families, whose motives are shady, and perhaps, also, they find the world is not made only for men, and the king is not as mad as rumoured. Something has crept into Midgard. The Beast of the North is a book one in bestselling, savage story of the Nine Worlds, a Norse Mythology inspired epic, dark fantasy adventure.

    The book comprises chapters on elementary data structures, dynamic programming, backtracking, algebraic problems, lower bound theory, pram algorithms, mesh algorithms, and hypercube algorithms. In addition, the book consists of several real-world examples to understand the concepts better. This book is indispensable for computer engineers preparing for competitive examinations like GATE and IES.

    HTML 4 For Dummies, now in its 5th edition, will show you the basics of working with this language as well as advanced skills for all-around knowledge. HTML is used to create Web documents. As a standard issued by the World Wide Web Consortium, it is used by almost everyone to create and edit Web pages. HTML is capable of:Creating a Web site Inserting designs to a Web page Running on both PCs and Macs The new edition of HTML 4 For Dummies contains nearly 50% more content than its previous editions, and covers a wide range of material, including: Planning a Web site to avoid underperformanceCreating and viewing a Web page Working with text, tables, lists, and links Adding style to your page with images, colors, and fonts Managing layout Controlling positioning and appearance using CSS Integrating scripts with HTML Designing an eBay auction page Helpful advices and tips, as well as warnings about pitfalls Complete with a 6-page tear-out colored reference sheet, HTML 4 For Dummies is the most comprehensive HTML guide yet. Written by a computer expert and author of over 120 books, including the previous editions of the bestselling HTML 4 For Dummies, this straightforward, fun guide will aid you through making and editing beautiful Web pages.

    One slogan of Perl is that it makes easy things easy and hard things possible. "Intermediate Perl" is about making the leap from the easy things to the hard ones.Originally released in 2003 as "Learning Perl Objects, References, and Modules" and revised and updated for Perl 5.8, this book offers a gentle but thorough introduction to intermediate programming in Perl. Written by the authors of the best-selling "Learning Perl," it picks up where that book left off. Topics include: Packages and namespacesReferences and scopingManipulating complex data structuresObject-oriented programmingWriting and using modulesTesting Perl codeContributing to CPANFollowing the successful format of "Learning Perl," we designed each chapter in the book to be small enough to be read in just an hour or two, ending with a series of exercises to help you practice what you've learned. To use the book, you just need to be familiar with the material in "Learning Perl" and have ambition to go further.Perl is a different language to different people. It is a quick scripting tool for some, and a fully-featured object-oriented language for others. It is used for everything from performing quick global replacements on text files, to crunching huge, complex sets of scientific data that take weeks to process. Perl is what you make of it. But regardless of what you use Perl for, this book helps you do it more effectively, efficiently, and elegantly."Intermediate Perl" is about learning to use Perl as a programming language, and not just a scripting language. This is the book that turns the Perl dabbler into the Perl programmer.

    Author John Myles White shows you how this powerful class of algorithms can help you boost website traffic, convert visitors to customers, and increase many other measures of success.This is the first developer-focused book on bandit algorithms, which were previously described only in research papers. You’ll quickly learn the benefits of several simple algorithms—including the epsilon-Greedy, Softmax, and Upper Confidence Bound (UCB) algorithms—by working through code examples written in Python, which you can easily adapt for deployment on your own website.Learn the basics of A/B testing—and recognize when it’s better to use bandit algorithmsDevelop a unit testing framework for debugging bandit algorithmsGet additional code examples written in Julia, Ruby, and JavaScript with supplemental online materials

    Coverage starts from scratch, discussing the simpler aspects of the hardware, and the language, then introduces technical details and instructions as they are needed.

    As a professional C++ developer and former Harvard teaching fellow, I know what you need to know to be a great C++ programmer, and I know how to teach it, one step at a time. I know where people struggle, and why, and how to make it clear. I cover every step of the programming process, including:Getting the tools you need to program and how to use them*Basic language feature like variables, loops and functions*How to go from an idea to code*A clear, understandable explanation of pointers*Strings, file IO, arrays, references*Classes and advanced class design*C++-specific programming patterns*Object oriented programming*Data structures and the standard template library (STL)Key concepts are reinforced with quizzes and over 75 practice problems.