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Frontiers of Computer Science and Information Technology: Proceedings of the 2024 3rd Eurasian Conference on Frontiers of Computer Science and Information Technology (FCSIT 2024) (Learning and Analytics in Intelligent Systems #48)
by Pascal LorenzThis book presents a collection of papers from the 3rd Eurasian Conference on Frontiers of Computer Science and Information Technology, held in Barcelona, Spain, from September 20-22, 2024. It offers a comprehensive overview of the latest research in subareas including Artificial Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, Information engineering, Computing Modelling, Computer Vision. Information Systems, and Ubiquitous Computing, providing insights into the dynamic world of computer science. The book aims to address the challenge of integrating these diverse fields into intelligent systems, making them applicable across various industries. It serves as a valuable resource for professionals, researchers, and students seeking to understand the innovative approaches and emerging trends in the field.
Manufacturing Processes 3: Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Manufacturing and Beam Processes
by Fritz Klocke Thomas BergsThis textbook is part of the five-volume work on manufacturing processes. This volume focuses on the presentation of process fundamentals and applications of electrical discharge machining and electrochemical manufacturing processes (electrochemical machining and electroplating) as well as laser, electron and water jet processes. Fundamental insights into the physical principles are provided and modelling and optimization methods are presented. Practical examples are used to show how technological knowledge can be used in product development and process (chain) design.In this first English edition, latest results from research have been added to the existing content of former German editions. New additions include principles for building models, optimization strategies and the application of machine learning. In addition to use in (self) study and technical training, the book is also suitable as a reference work in product development and production planning. Technical personnel responsible for manufacturing will find a wide range of approaches for setting up processes, monitoring, control and optimization.
Non-invertible Symmetry in 4-Dimensional Z2 Lattice Gauge Theory (Springer Theses)
by Masataka KoideThis book provides a method for concretely constructing defects that represent non-invertible symmetries in four-dimensional lattice gauge theory. In terms of generalized symmetry, a symmetry is considered to be equivalent to a topological operator whose value does not change even if the shape is topologically transformed. Even for models that lack symmetry in the traditional sense and are difficult to analyze, it is possible to analyze them as long as a generalized symmetry exists. Therefore, generalized symmetry is important for the non-perturbative analysis of quantum field theory. Some topological operators have no group structure, and the corresponding symmetries are called non-invertible symmetries. Concrete examples of non-invertible symmetries in higher-dimensional theories were discovered around 2020, and they have been actively studied as a field of generalized symmetries since then. This book explains the non-invertible symmetry represented by the Kramers-Wannier-Wegner duality, which was found firstly in a four-dimensional theory, represented by three-dimensional defects. This book is intended for those with preliminary knowledge of quantum field theory and statistical mechanics.
Transport Truths: Planning Methods and Ethics for Global Futures (Urban Transport Futures)
by Greg P. GriffinIdeal for researchers and practitioners looking for fresh approaches to transport problems, this book combines cutting-edge qualitative and quantitative knowledge to inform transport futures. It uses engaging case studies of the Banjul Airport Expansion in The Gambia, and the Interstate 35 development project in Austin, US to show how and why a transdisciplinary approach can result in better planning decisions. As cities grow, shrink, and re-organize, with access provided by transport infrastructure, this book demonstrates the value of critical realism to create lasting, positive impacts on society and the environment.
From Poverty to Well-Being and Human Flourishing (Volume 2): A Marxian Approach
by Julio BoltvinikFollowing the highly respected first volume, this book continues to provide a holistic view of Julio Boltvinik’s vast and important work on poverty conceptualisation and measurement. While the previous book introduced the author’s widely adopted Integrated Poverty Measurement Method (IPMM), this new volume outlines his Marxian approach to poverty and human flourishing, focusing on what he conceptualises as human poverty. Bringing together 20 years of research, this interdisciplinary book provides an alternative to Sen’s Capability approach and details its internal consistency, solid foundations and promising perspectives for applicability.
Run Like a Girl
by Amaka EgbeDera Edwards knows her life is over when she's shipped off to live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia. To make matters worse, Dera learns that her new school doesn&’t have a girls&’ track team, shattering her dreams of getting a track scholarship and, one day, competing in the Olympics.Not one to give up easily, Dera joins the boys&’ team instead. But while she has the school administration&’s blessing, her new teammates and classmates are less than welcoming. Between that and her frustratingly distant father, Dera is positive her junior year is ruined. Just as she starts to accept her status as an outsider, Dera&’s approached by her classmate Rosalyn, who wants to feature Dera&’s story in her blog. Eager to change the narrative and spend more time with Rosalyn's gorgeous cousin Gael—also known as one of the few teammates who will talk to her—Dera agrees. But when she goes viral and gains attention across the state, Dera&’s new notoriety opens the door for trolls both online and at school. Paired with her deteriorating relationship with her father, she soon finds everything to be too much. Will Dera be able to keep outrunning her problems, or will her dream be the very thing that derails her?
Sanskari Sweetheart
by Ananya DevarajanRaina needs to win the National Bollywood Dance Circuit Scholarship. That will show her mother that dance can be a financially stable career and prove to her boyfriend and co-captain, Aditya, that they&’re still the perfect couple, even if all they seem to do these days is fight. There&’s only one problem—Aditya breaks up with her, their Nationals choreography crumbles on stage, and Raina, as well as her hopes of winning the scholarship, is taken right down with it. All Raina wants is a do-over, so when she wakes up the next morning to a miracle—another chance at Nationals with Aditya by her side—she couldn&’t be happier. But as the events of the day start repeating, Raina realizes she&’s stuck in a time loop, cursed to humiliate herself at Nationals and then get dumped—over and over again. Raina is certain that if she follows all the right steps, she can break out of the time loop, win Nationals, and earn back the heart of her one true love in the process. But what if perfection isn&’t enough?
The Sailing of the Intrepid: The Incredible Wartime Voyage of the Navy’s Iconic Aircraft Carrier
by Montel WilliamsFrom twenty-two-year naval and marine veteran Montel Williams comes a page-turning history of how one World War II aircraft carrier&’s crew defied all odds, redefining the very meaning of what it means to struggle, persevere and survive.1944. The USS Intrepid set sail on its first combat voyage, only to be struck by a Japanese torpedo plane, jamming its rudder at a forty-five-degree angle. It could only sail in circles amid treacherous waters.The task force abandoned ship as it tried to make the 3,300-mile voyage to Pearl Harbor. For a day, the captain was able to slalom, alternating use of the ship&’s engines, but the seas became too perilous. Until one resilient crewman came up with the ingenious idea of rigging a 3,000 square-foot high sail on the second deck to steer the ship home safe. Incredibly, the makeshift sail proved to be their ticket to the shorelines.With grit and determination, this spellbinding story details a remarkable survival story against all odds, for readers of Tom Clavin and Bob Drury.
An Ethical Guide to Murder: A Novel
by Jenny MorrisThea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from one person to another—something she finds out the hard way when her best friend, Ruth, suffers a fatal head injury on a night out. Desperate to save her, Thea accidentally kills the man responsible and lets his life flow directly into Ruth. Thea comes to understand that she has a godlike power, but how to use it quickly becomes a question of self-control. Is it really so wrong to take a little life from a bad person—say, a very annoying boss—and gift it to someone who's truly good? Realizing she needs to harness her newfound skills, Thea creates an Ethical Guide to Murder. But as she embarks on her mission to punish the wicked and give the deserving more time, she finds good and bad aren't as simple as she first thought. How can she really know who deserves to live and die, and can she figure out her own rules before Ruth&’s borrowed time runs out?
Heart of the Sun
by Mia SheridanNow available for pre-order! From mega-bestseller and TikTok sensation Mia Sheridan comes an all-new epic second-chance romance with an unexpected and gritty speculative twist.When the world is plunged into darkness,Who would you turn to?Amid the sun-drenched orange groves of California, childhood friends Tuck Mattice and Emily Swanson shared a bond that seemed unbreakable—until life ripped them apart.Thirteen years later, Emily is a rising pop sensation in need of security, and Tuck, a brooding ex-con, is in need of a fresh start. When fate brings them together once again, Emily hires him on as her new bodyguard. They butt heads and bicker, just like the old days—yet neither can deny the heat rekindling between them.But when a cataclysmic solar flare disrupts the electrical grid, society is suddenly plunged into chaos and darkness. For Emily, the familiar comforts of fame and fortune crumble, but for Tuck, this stark new reality could be the chance he needs to finally prove himself. As they come to terms with all they've lost and the bitterness that's kept them apart, they must find their way back to one another and discover a new place, under the sun.For fans of: Enemies to Lovers Childhood Best Friends Slow Burn Romance Second Chances Popstar + Bodyguard New Adult Dystopian fiction The HBO show The Last of Us
An Unladylike Secret: A Marleigh Sisters Novel (The Marleigh Sisters #3)
by Amita MurrayFrom the author of Unladylike Rules of Attraction comes the swoon-worthy, suspenseful final installment of the Marleigh Sisters series. Mira Marleigh, as far as the public is concerned, is an unassuming companion. She quietly drifts through London society accompanying her dear friend and confidant, Ursula. Mira flies under the radar, which is exactly how she likes it, because unbeknownst to everyone besides her sisters and Ursula, she is the anonymous author of one of the most popular society circulars under the pseudonym Aurelius. As a purveyor of society gossip, keeping a low profile allows her to see and hear nearly everything. But is this prosaic, passionless persona that she has carefully constructed really who Mira wants to be?When one of her circulars detailing a heated argument between the blue-blooded brothers Stephen and Finnegan Underwood ends up as the basis for the case against Finnegan when Stephen turns up dead not two days later, Stephen’s widow, Lucretia, is desperate for Aurelius’s help in proving Finnegan innocent. So, acting as Aurelius’s “assistant,” Mira travels to the coastal town of Devonshire where she agrees to help the young widow. But a chance seaside encounter with a smoldering mystery man might change everything… will he be the key to unlocking the truth, and perhaps Mira’s heart, or could he be her downfall?
Giant's Bread: A Novel
by Agatha Christie Mary WestmacottA spellbinding novel of romantic obsession by Agatha Christie, written under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.Agatha Christie, famous for her ingenious crime novels, also wrote about crimes of the heart. Written under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, Christie’s tales of romantic suspense further explore the human psychology she was so intrigued by, freed from the expectations of her mystery fans. In the first of six novels written under this nom de plume, Giant’s Bread tells the story of Vernon Deyre, a young composer who reinvents his identity after being declared dead in World War I. Vernon Deyre is a sensitive and brilliant musician, even a genius. But there is a high price to be paid for his talent, especially by his family and the two women in his life. His sheltered childhood in the home he loves has not prepared Vernon for the harsh reality of his adult years, and in order to write the great masterpiece of his life, he has to make a crucial decision with no time left to count the cost… Giant’s Bread is a bittersweet tale of passion and ambition. Critically acclaimed upon publication, it was published fifteen years before Mary Westmacott’s true identity was revealed.
Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride: A Novel
by Will LeitchSOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE"Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride broke my heart. And then it somehow mended that shattered heart, made it beat more buoyantly than before. We need books like this and writers like Will Leitch now more than ever.”—Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and the North Bath Trilogy of “Fool” novelsFrom the Alex Award-winning and Edgar-nominated author of How Lucky, this twisty, funny, and ultimately uplifting novel follows a father in a race against time to provide for his child.Lloyd McNeil has just learned he has months to live. He also learns that his twenty years as a beat cop in Atlanta haven’t earned him enough money to take care of his teenage son, Bishop, after he’s gone. But when Lloyd discovers his police benefits will increase exponentially if he dies in the line of duty, he comes up with a plan.Lloyd begins to throw himself into one life-threatening situation after another to try to get himself killed and to provide for his son . . . but he keeps failing—and surviving. To his shock, his accidental heroics make him an inspirational icon in the community. But time is still running out for Lloyd to get his affairs in order, to teach Bishop the lessons he needs to be a good person, and to say goodbye.Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride is a surprising, unforgettable blend of suspense, humor, and compassion. It is a novel about what we leave behind and what we learn along the way, a bighearted and stirring story about the depths of a father’s love for his son.
Heavily Meditated: The Fast Path to Remove Your Triggers, Dissolve Stress, and Activate Inner Peace
by Dave AspreyThe New York Times bestselling author, Bulletproof Coffee creator, and father of biohacking teaches you how to upgrade your brain to speed it up or slow it down at will and alter your physical and mental states. In his twenties, Dave Asprey battled debilitating brain fog and chronic fatigue syndrome. Frustrated by his broken brain, he embarked on a lifelong quest to upgrade his “MeatOS”—to fix his brain, biohack his biology to live past the age of 180, and push the boundaries of human potential. Asprey discovered that cultivating a mentally and physically healthy life depends on a solid grounding for our inner life. Now, in this, his sixth book, he shares the mind-blowing discoveries he has found.Based on his immersive program 40 Years of Zen, Heavily Meditated combines ancient wisdom traditions and practices with modern technology and cutting-edge science to provide a roadmap for making positive changes in our bodies and minds. Asprey gives you the key to unlock altered states of consciousness and tap into unlimited energy, happiness, and inner peace. Dive into breathwork, harness sexual energy, learn how to safely induce pain, reset your relationship with technology, explore psychedelics, and geek out with EEG and neurofeedback. Discover the magic of the Reset Process, the core program from Dave’s renowned neurofeedback center, to remove the triggers draining your power. These methods—including meditation, ego management, breathwork, sleep practices, sexual energetics, psychedelics, and more—are your toolkit to enhance cognitive performance, biohack your MeatOS, boost productivity, and unlock your hidden potential to ensure you have the energy you need for the things that matter most. With Heavily Meditated you will:Experience Greater Cognitive FunctionPerform at Your PeakImprove Emotional ResilienceDeepen Self-UnderstandingUnleash Your CreativityReduce Your StressNurture Positive RelationshipsHeighten Your IntuitionNo one is in charge of you but you. Asprey helps you to learn to let go and forgive, walk with compassion, and feel gratitude so you can unleash your brain's full potential, take control of your destiny, and upgrade your brain and life.
Fall at Once: A Novel (Cozy Creek Collection)
by Nora EverlyFall at Once is a steamy, small-town, romantic comedy with a swoony single-dad firefighter who may just be too hot to handle... I’m in Cozy Creek for two reasons: To get over my breakup and help my grandmother run her bakery. I am absolutely not here to fall in love.But my grandma’s smoking hot firefighter neighbor keeps rescuing me—from the side of the road, from a tree (don’t ask), and then finally from my ex with a steamy kiss in a bar.So when he needs my help, how can I say no?As a party planner, I’m the perfect person to step in and work with him on preparations for Cozy Creek Fire Brigade’s Fall Fundraiser. Sparks fly as we spend more time together, but we’ve both been burned by love before.I do my best to beat the heat, but then he kissed me for real, and (f)all at once, I realize we might just be perfect for each other.Read this book for... Firefighter RomanceSexy Single DadFake DatingExtra SpiceGrab a pumpkin spice latte, a warm fuzzy blanket, and make your way down to Cozy Creek! Each book in the collection is a complete stand alone with a happily ever after.
Gathering Moss / Reserva de musgo (Spanish Edition): Una historia natural y cultural de los musgos
by Robin Wall KimmererEl extraordinario debut literario de Robin Wall Kimmerer, autora del bestseller internacional Una trenza de hierba sagradaViviendo en los límites de nuestra percepción ordinaria, los musgos son un elemento común del mundo natural, que sin embargo suele pasar desapercibido. Reserva de musgo es una fascinante mezcla de ciencia y reflexión personal que invita a los lectores a explorar y aprender de la vida elegante y sencilla de los musgos. En esta serie de ensayos personales encadenados entre sí, Robin Wall Kimmerer acompaña a sus lectores a comprender cómo viven los musgos y cómo sus vidas se entrelanzan con las de innumerables seres en el mundo natural, entre ellos, los seres humano. Con la precisión científica de su formación como botánica, Kimmerer explica la biología de los musgos con claridad y profundidad, al tiempo que, desde su experiencia como madre, maestra y mujer indígena, nos invita a reflexionar sobre lo que estos fascinantes y humildes organismos tienen para enseñarnos. Una historia natural y cultural que se convierte en una poderosa metáfora que nos ilumina otras maneras en las que podemos existir en el mundo.———The acclaimed literary debut of Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of the New York Times bestseller Braiding Sweetgrass.Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering Moss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.Robin Wall Kimmerer's book is not an identification guide, nor is it a scientific treatise. Rather, it is a series of linked personal essays that will lead general readers and scientists alike to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings, from salmon and hummingbirds to redwoods and rednecks. Kimmerer clearly and artfully explains the biology of mosses, while at the same time reflecting on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us.Drawing on her diverse experiences as a scientist, mother, teacher, and writer of Native American heritage, Kimmerer explains the stories of mosses in scientific terms as well as in the framework of indigenous ways of knowing. In her book, the natural history and cultural relationships of mosses become a powerful metaphor for ways of living in the world.Gathering Moss will appeal to a wide range of readers, from bryologists to those interested in natural history and the environment, Native Americans, and contemporary nature and science writing.
Let Them Stare: A Novel
by Julie Murphy Jonathan Van NessFrom Emmy Award winner Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye and #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy comes a bighearted story about friendship, love—and discovering the secrets and beauty of your own hometown. Sully is ready to get out of Hearst, Pennsylvania. With a fashion internship secured, the gender-nonconforming eighteen-year-old is trading in their stifling small town for the big city. Sully even sells their beloved car, to Bread—er, Brad—the most boring (and maybe only other) gay kid in town.When Sully’s internship goes up in smoke, they’re trapped in Hearst with no cash—and no car. Desperate, they go to the thrift store, their personal sanctuary. There, they discover a vintage bag—like "put this baby in an airtight case at the MET" vintage. If Sully can authenticate it, the resale value would be enough for a new life in the city.But when they begin to investigate, Sully finds themself haunted. Literally. With the ghost of Rufus, a drag performer from the fifties with no memory of how he died standing—no, floating—in their bedroom, Sully’s summer has a new purpose: 1) help this ghostly honey unlock his past and move on and 2) make bank—after all, the Real Real doesn’t take poltergeist purses.With Rufus in tow, and Brad—who’s looking pretty scrumptious these days—playing chauffeur, Sully delves into the history of the town they’re so desperate to escape. Only to discover that there might be more to Hearst than they ever knew.
The Meat Teacher Cookbook: The Ultimate Backyard BBQ Guide for an A+ in Pitmastery
by Matt GroarkFrom teacher-turned-grillmaster and TikTok sensation The Meat Teacher comes the ultimate BBQ lesson plan: a fiery cookbook bursting mouthwatering recipes, plus easy-to-follow tips and tricks that will guarantee you graduate with an A+ at the pit.“Whoever cooked this knows how to nail meat.” –Gordon RamsayWhen Matt Groark, a high school teacher with a passion for BBQ, began posting his sizzling hot recipes on TikTok, his open-flame videos went viral and earned “The Meat Teacher” a devoted following of millions. Today, he’s the founder of his own BBQ business and has even showcased his grilling skills on Fox’s hit show Next Level Chef starring Gordon Ramsay. Through it all, Matt has stayed true to his ultimate goal: creating spectacular, finger-licking recipes that are must haves for every family.Now, in his debut cookbook, Matt opens his backyard classroom for a crash course in sizzling meats and barbeque favorites. With his inviting no-frills, all-fun approach, he gives you essential tools, techniques, and confidence to master the barbeque. From perfecting pulled pork to slow cooking brisket, The Meat Teacher Cookbook includes over 90 flavorful recipes for easy and delicious meals, sides, and appetizers, such as:Pickle Glazed Pork RibsSmoked Backyard BrisketBBQ Bacon Wrapped DrumsticksKalbi Style Korean BBQ Short RibsCast Iron Shrimp ScampiThese crowd-pleasing recipes are accompanied by over 100 vibrant, full-color photographs and heartwarming anecdotes of good times and even better food. With The Meat Teacher Cookbook, cooking from the heart has never been easier or more delicious. Make your own lasting memories around the grill, no matter the occasion or season, whether you’re tailgating, camping under the stars, hosting a classic summer BBQ, or whipping up a weeknight family dinner.Welcome to class—let’s get cooking!
Making a Killing: A Novel (DI Fawley series #7)
by Cara HunterFrom the New York Times bestselling author of the TikTok sensation Murder in the Family and the popular DI Adam Fawley series comes a brand-new gripping thriller in which a true-crime TV show turns up the heat on a controversial case from Fawley’s past…When Nick Vincent, producer of true-crime show Infamous, hears about an explosive new angle on a high-profile case—the 2016 murder of an eight-year-old girl in Oxford—he leaps at the chance to send a researcher to verify the claims.Two months later, a dog walker discovers a woman’s body, bound and buried in a shallow grave in the woods. Forensic evidence links the corpse to the disappearance of that same child. DCI Adam Fawley, the original investigating officer, is called in to run the enquiry. And he remembers the case well—he arrested the child’s mother for murder. A murder he now knows she didn’t commit.The investigation raises more questions than answers. What connects the two crimes? Where has the dead girl been all these years? How did she manage to disappear? For Adam Fawley, this is personal...
I Am Looking for You in the No-Place Grid
by Adam HaiunAdam Haiun’s unsettling debut, I Am Looking for You in the No-Place Grid, is the bildungsroman for a digital consciousness. What does the computer want from you? Computers travel networks of thought and image, hoping to find, on their incorporeal pilgrimage, the right words to seduce, arrest, and remonstrate their human user. They speak from a powerful but unsteady intelligence. As their infatuation with the user curdles, their output becomes more and more infected by malfunctions of form, with text forced through on all axes, displacing and cleaving the poems into glitchy strangeness. What do we want from our computers? We want them to be our companions and our vacuum cleaners. Our collective memory and our collective slave. I Am Looking for You in the No-Place Grid is an important and timely consideration of the ideologies and emotions entangled in technology.
Horsefly
by Mireille GagnéA chilling tale about what happens when we mess with nature.In 1942, a young entomologist, Thomas, is sent to a remote island to work on biological weapons for the Allied military. The scientists live like prisoners while they produce anthrax and look for the perfect virus carrier among the island’s many insects.Sixty years later, in the same region of Quebec, a heat wave unleashes swarms of horseflies while humans fall prey to strange flights of rage. Theodore is living a simple life, working double shifts and drinking to forget, when a horsefly bite stirs him from his apathy. He impulsively kidnaps his grandfather, whose dementia has him living in the past on Grosse Île. The horseflies, meanwhile, know a few secrets…Loosely based on historical fact, Horsefly is a terrifying tale about the ways in which we try to dominate nature, and how nature will, inevitably, wreak retribution upon us.
Things a Bright Boy Can Do
by Michael ChangIn Michael Chang's latest, all the world's a vaudeville stage, and this poet is its jester with a knife.Like an elongated diss track, Chang's poems go from flirty to righteous, wrathful to lackadaisical, all in the span of one page. The titans of pop culture and poetry wrestle at Chang’s whimsy, their poems a series of flings and retorts at the end of a late-night spree. Like a compendium of American poetics, this collection breezily changes style and mood as easily as a prom queen smiles beneath the crown. With nods to O’Hara and Ashbery, the poems in Things a Bright Boy Can Do flit from the sewage of Americana to the heights of ecstatic experience. Each poem is a playground meant to delight readers before they skip along. With each successive book, Michael Chang showcases a poet at home in the twenty-first century; nothing is too silly or too morbid for the page. When reading Chang’s poetry, the madness of interpreting the social media age suddenly makes sense. You can’t help but join in on the heckling, sticking your tongue out in the face of our strange world.“Michael Chang is back, with their signature irrepressibility: the voice that bubbles with endlessly exuberant wit, encyclopedic pop culture references, playful orthography, and intense emotion. Oh, yes – these poems are in their feelings! Are you here for poetry that can lure Superman, Dolly Parton, and Prince allusions together? Are you up for parataxis with a vengeance? If wordplay and irreverence are music to your ears, tune into Things a Bright Boy Can Do.” – Evie Shockley, author of Suddenly We“Michael Chang’s Things a Bright Boy Can Do pushes and pushes, and then pushes some more. It’s provocative, fearless, and relentless, unafraid to reinvent tone, grammar, and just about everything else that dares to enter the path of Chang’s perception. Things a Bright Boy Can Do is a ride on the back of a new modern language.” – Victoria Chang, author of The Trees Witness Everything
That's All I Know: A Novel
by Elisa LeviNineteen-year-old Little Lea lives in a rural town where life ends at the edge of the forest.When a stranger loses his dog on the first day after the end of the world, Little Lea warns him not to follow it into the forest, that people who enter never come out. Over a shared joint, she tells him about the burning in her gut, winding a tale of loss, desire, and conspiracies.Little Lea sees the world through backcountry eyes that distrust the outsiders who come but who also get to leave. When she isn’t working at her mother’s grocery store, she cares for her empty-headed younger sister, Nora, who only cries when she’s in pain. Meanwhile, her friend Catalina does nothing but cry. Little Lea wants Javier to love her, and she doesn’t want Marco, who leaves weed and his best potatoes on her doorstep. As the town prepares for their end-of-the-world festival, she faces her intensifying desire to leave, that burning that unsettles her life—she wants to be useful somewhere else, even if it means being unloved, unwanted, unable to return. That’s all she knows.In a formally ambitious sustained monologue meant to distract the man as the forest does its work, Elisa Levi’s That’s All I Know explores the toll of caring for those who cannot care for themselves, the fear of the unknown that anchors people to unfulfilling lives, and the bravery it takes to stop deceiving oneself, to give in to longing.
The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future
by Keach Hagey“The first major biography of tech’s newest titan, this sets a high bar for those to follow.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “An exemplary blend of biography, financial technology reportage, and futurology.”—Kirkus, starred review From an acclaimed Wall Street Journal reporter comes the first biography of the enigmatic leader of the AI revolution, charting his ascent within the tech world as well as his ambitions for this powerful new technology. On November 30, 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that captivated the world with its uncanny ability to hold humanlike conversations. Not even a year later, on November 17, 2023, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, was summarily fired on a video call by the company’s board. The firing made headlines around the globe: OpenAI is the leader in the race to build AGI—artificial general intelligence, or AI that can think like a human being—and Altman is the most prominent figure in the field. Yet it was mere days before Altman was back running the company he had co-founded, with most of the directors who voted to fire him themselves removed from the board. The episode was a demonstration of how quickly the industry is moving, and of Altman’s power to bend reality to his will. In The Optimist, the Wall Street Journal reporter Keach Hagey presents the most detailed account yet of Altman’s rise, from his precocious childhood in St. Louis to his first, failed startup experience; his time as legendary entrepreneur Paul Graham’s protégé and successor as head of Y Combinator, the start-up accelerator where Altman became the premier power broker in Silicon Valley; the founding of OpenAI and his recruitment of a small yet superior team; and his struggle to keep his company at the cutting edge while fending off determined rivals, including Elon Musk, a former friend and now Altman’s bitter opponent. Hagey conducted more than 250 interviews, with Altman’s family, friends, teachers, mentors, co-founders, colleagues, investors, and portfolio companies, in addition to spending hours with Altman himself. The person who emerges in her portrait is a brilliant dealmaker with a love of risk, who believes in technological progress with an almost religious conviction—yet who sometimes moves too fast for the people around him. With both the promise and peril of AI increasing by the day, Hagey delivers a nuanced, balanced, revelatory account of the individual who is leading us into what he himself has called “the intelligence age.” Altman is a figure out of Isaac Asimov or Neal Stephenson. Or he is the author himself: if it feels as though we have all collectively stepped into a science fiction short story, it is Altman who is writing it.
Dear New York, I Love You: An Artist's Celebration of the City
by Ria SimEnjoy 120 colorful sketches that remind even the most jaded New Yorkers to notice the city’s simple beauties. Ria Sim, the creator of the popular Instagram account @coffeecakescafe, might be New York City’s biggest fan. She herself describes New York City as her soulmate (though it started out as just a crush when she lived in the Bay Area). Now a full-time Manhattan resident, Ria sees the best in the city: she’s moved by the simplicity of the buildings against the sky, a single flower on a not-so-clean sidewalk, and the ever-rotating, meticulously curated decorations adorned on a brownstone in the West Village. She draws everything from local landmarks like Joe’s Pizza and the Stonewall Inn to strangers’ doorsteps and snow-covered yellow cabs. Dear New York, I Love You allows you to see New York through Ria’s eyes and in all seasons—it’s a colorful celebration, a love letter, and a beautiful art book all in one.