385 products in Books, Music, Movies & TV

MP3 CD Format Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus: a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller--nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey of five thousand people conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club in 1991. In a scrap heap within an abandoned factory, the greatest invention in history lies dormant and unused. By what fatal error of judgment has its value gone unrecognized, its brilliant inventor punished rather than rewarded for his efforts? This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world--and did. In defense of those greatest of human qualities that have made civilization possible, he sets out to show what would happen to the world if all the heroes of innovation and industry went on strike. Is he a destroyer or a liberator? Why does he have to fight his battle not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves? The answers will be revealed once you discover the reason behind the baffling events that wreak havoc on the lives of the amazing men and women in this remarkable book. Tremendous in scope and breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus, which launched an ideology and a movement. With the publication of this work in 1957, Rand gained an instant following and became a phenomenon. Atlas Shrugged emerged as a premier moral apologia for capitalism, a defense that had an electrifying effect on millions of readers (and now listeners) who had never heard capitalism defended in other than technical terms.

The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 25 million copies sold! Translated into 60+ languages! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: * make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy); * overcome a lack of motivation and willpower; * design your environment to make success easier; * get back on track when you fall off course; ...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

“This is an amazing book . . . [Desmet is] one of the true geniuses I’ve spoken to . . . This book has really changed my view on a lot.”—Tucker Carlson “[Desmet] is waking a lot of people up to the dangerous place we are now with a brilliant distillation of how we ended up here.”—Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The world continues to exist in the grips of mass formation—a dangerous, collective type of hypnosis—as we bear witness to loneliness, free-floating anxiety, and fear giving way to censorship, loss of privacy, and surrendered freedoms. It is all spurred by a singular, focused crisis narrative that forbids dissident views and relies on destructive groupthink. Desmet’s work on mass formation theory was brought to the world’s attention on The Joe Rogan Experience and in major alternative news outlets around the globe. Read this book—now in paperback, ebook, and audiobook—to get beyond the sound bites! Totalitarianism is not a coincidence and does not form in a vacuum. It arises from a collective psychosis that has followed a predictable script throughout history, its formation gaining strength and speed with each generation—from the Jacobins to the Nazis and Stalinists—as technology advances. Governments, mass media, and other mechanized forces use fear, loneliness, and isolation to demoralize populations and exert control, persuading large groups of people to act against their own interests, always with destructive results. In The Psychology of Totalitarianism, world-renowned Professor of Clinical Psychology Mattias Desmet deconstructs the societal conditions that allow this collective psychosis to take hold. By looking at our current situation and identifying the phenomenon of “mass formation”—a type of collective hypnosis—he clearly illustrates how close we are to surrendering to totalitarian regimes. With detailed analyses, examples, and results from years of research, Desmet lays out the steps that lead toward mass formation, including: * An overall sense of loneliness and lack of social connections and bonds * A lack of meaning—unsatisfying “bullsh*t jobs” that don’t offer purpose * Free-floating anxiety and discontent that arise from loneliness and lack of meaning * Manifestation of frustration and aggression from anxiety * Emergence of a consistent narrative from government officials, mass media, etc., that exploits and channels frustration and anxiety In addition to clear psychological analysis—and building on Hannah Arendt’s essential work on totalitarianism, The Origins of Totalitarianism—Desmet offers a sharp critique of the cultural groupthink that exists throughout society. He cautions against the dangers of our current cultural landscape, media consumption, and reliance on manipulative technologies and then offers simple solutions—both individual and collective—to prevent the willing sacrifice of our freedoms. “We can honor the right to freedom of expression and the right to self-determination without feeling threatened by each other,” Desmet writes. “But there is a point where we must stop losing ourselves in the crowd to experience meaning and connection. That is the point where the winter of totalitarianism gives way to a spring of life.” “One of the most important books I’ve ever read.”—Ivor Cummins, The Fat Emperor Podcast

Absolute Essentials of Ethereum is a concise textbook which guides the reader through the fascinating world of the emerging Ethereum ecosystem, from the basics of how its blockchain works to cutting-edge applications. Written by an experienced educator, each chapter is designed to progress potential students from class to class. Technical concepts are clearly explained for those new to the topic and readers are supported with definitions and summaries in each chapter. Real-life case studies situate the overviews in a contemporary context. Topics covered include the Ethereum Execution and Consensus layers, Ethereum governance and community, Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs), Decentralised Finance (DeFi), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and Layer 2. This book is the ideal text to support undergraduate and postgraduate courses on blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, Web3 and fintech, as well as for those who want to know how Ethereum really works.

“An elegant and beautiful writer.” ~ Julie Ponesse, Ethics Scholar, The Democracy Fund "Funny, brilliant, and personal perspectives." ~ Jennifer Grossman, CEO, The Atlas Society "A wonderful summary of complex ideas with a beautiful personal tone." Zubin Damania, MD, host of the Internet's #1 medical news and entertainment show Did the Covid-19 lockdowns and mandates serve society’s best interests? Science alone can’t answer the question. Philosophers have important things to say about it. So do psychologists, economists, novelists, and lawyers. The 46 thinkers showcased in this elegant book by Gabrielle Bauer, drawn from a variety of disciplines and political persuasions, agree on one thing: the policies crossed the line and the world lost its way. Some are internationally famous, others merely brilliant. Together, they hone in on the social and ethical breaches of the Covid era, such as emotional manipulation, disregard for civil liberties, and a stubborn refusal to consider the harms of freezing society. The author also recounts her own efforts to make sense of the Covid landscape, from Zoom psychotherapy to a visit to lockdown-free Sweden. The book challenges us to survey the damage of the Covid-19 policies from diverse angles, its voices offering fresh perspectives on the greatest social upheaval in modern history. “Really nicely written.” ~ David Bell, Executive Committee, PANDATA, former coordinator of the WHO’s malaria diagnostics strategy “Honored to be included in this book.” ~ Aaron Kheriaty, Director, Program in Bioethics and American Democracy, Ethics and Public Policy Center “A compelling blend of down-to-earth storytelling and journalistic chops, and a perfect launching point for reflecting on the fallout of the pandemic response. Bauer collects the voices of a wide range of insightful people who should have been part of the conversation about how to manage Covid.” ~ Yvon Wang, associate professor of history, University of Toronto “A well-written account exploring important questions about the pandemic.” ~ Zeb Jamrozik, bioethicist, Monash Bioethics Centre & University of Oxford "Many of the people featured in this book have had their views and values caricatured in media coverage of Covid policy. Gabrielle Bauer captures them with respect, accuracy and nuance as a basis for properly informed debate." ~ Robert Dingwall, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Nottingham University “I especially empathized with the author's feelings during the anti-lockdown demonstrations.” ~ Ehud Qimron, Professor, Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Tel Aviv University “A superb read.” ~ Sanjeev Sabhlok, economist, Executive Director, India Policy Institute “Flattered and honored to be part of the book.” ~ Lucy McBride, internist and mental health advocate, Washington, DC

In this "provocative" book (New York Times), a contrarian physicist argues that her field's modern obsession with beauty has given us wonderful math but bad science. Whether pondering black holes or predicting discoveries at CERN, physicists believe the best theories are beautiful, natural, and elegant, and this standard separates popular theories from disposable ones. This is why, Sabine Hossenfelder argues, we have not seen a major breakthrough in the foundations of physics for more than four decades. The belief in beauty has become so dogmatic that it now conflicts with scientific objectivity: observation has been unable to confirm mindboggling theories, like supersymmetry or grand unification, invented by physicists based on aesthetic criteria. Worse, these "too good to not be true" theories are actually untestable and they have left the field in a cul-de-sac. To escape, physicists must rethink their methods. Only by embracing reality as it is can science discover the truth.

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In this eloquent and reflective book, Janna Malamud Smith traces a modern history of privacy, revealing how our inner and outer lives are nurtured by this fragile virtue.Today we enjoy more privacy than ever before, yet the encroachment of the media, computer data gathering, and electronic surveillance in our lives undermines our sense that we have any privacy at all. Smith argues that having a say in when and how we watch one another is key to ongoing debates about freedom. Our ideal of individual liberty—a person who is free to make choices about her own life—is not possible without the protection of privacy.Yet privacy can be used for the wrong reasons. The same condition that sustains intimacy, creativity, and freedom can also be invoked as an abusive kind of secrecy. to explore this paradox Smith looks at privacy refracted through various prisms: the bedroom, the psychiatrist's couch, the biographer's quest for information, the presidency and presidential families, the news media, women and their bodies. We see the supple quality of privacy as we look at its role in everyday life; we see how essential it is to our capacity to love and create and think—to our humanity.Combining the emotional sensitivity of a psychotherapist with the insights of a literary writer, Janna Malamud Smith offers a compelling portrait of one of the most precious aspects of life. Her book shows us that, indeed, privacy matters.

America has been regarded as a grand experiment in self-government. While the Greeks and Romans had failed to achieve this in their day, both societies nevertheless rose above their contemporaries and soared to new heights. So, when it came time for the American founders to try their hand at statecraft, they naturally opted to fuse elements of Greek democracy and Roman republicanism together to forge a new and lasting, American, democratic-republic. It was long before this experiment was put to the test, when in 1861, a great “civil war” broke out. We’ve been taught to believe that the experiment survived the war - not only did the government graciously preserve liberty, but they’ve been spreading it abroad ever since. What if this isn’t true? What if liberty and self-government didn’t survive the war? What if all the foreign military aggression ever since has really been an excuse for the victors - an elite cabal of financial interests - to retain and tighten their grip on power? In this book you’ll find a narrative of American history you’ve likely never heard before: the Truth.

This classic guide offers clear, concise instruction in the basics as well as the finer points of pencil drawing. Appropriate for beginning and intermediate students, it features sixty-six well-chosen illustrations that encompass a wide range of subjects — mainly architectural, but also people, animals, and landscapes — and demonstrate a tremendous variety of techniques. An architect, painter, art director, and teacher, Arthur L. Guptill wrote several popular books on drawing. He begins this two-part treatment, aimed at architects, artists, and students, with discussions of drawing objects in outline and in light and shade, the principles of freehand perspective, methods of cast and life drawing, and sketching animals. The second part examines the choice of subjects and drawing in outline and in flat and graded tones. The important subject of composition receives considerable attention, with particular focus on unity and balance. Additional topics include working from photographs and from nature, the representation of buildings — including exteriors, interiors, and street scenes — and portraying details and accessories, from furniture, draperies, doors, and windows to clouds, water, and trees.

Praised by reviewers and practicing TCP/IP programmers alike, the TCP/IP Illustrated series examines the many facets of the TCP/IP protocol suite using a unique and highly-effective visual approach that describes the inner workings of TCP/IP with detail, insight, and clarity. Volume 3 provides detailed coverage of four essential topics with which today's TCP/IP programmers and network administrators must be thoroughly familiar: *T/TCP (TCP for Transactions), an extension to TCP that makes client-server transactions faster, more efficient, and more reliable; *HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), the foundation for the rapidly expanding World Wide Web; *NNTP (the Network News Transfer Protocol), the basis for the Usenet news system; and *UNIX Domain Protocols, a set of protocols used heavily in UNIX implementations. As in the previous two volumes, the book is filled with examples and implementation details within the 4.4BSD-Lite networking code. The TCP/IP Illustrated series provides a complete picture of the protocol suite that drives the Internet, and gives programmers, system administrators, and serious users the information, understanding, and skills they need to remain at the forefront of networking technology. 0201634953B04062001

Come for the games. Stay for the murder. A mystery in the Gordian Division universe. The Weltall Tournament’s professional VR games were supposed to be a symbol of cooperation between SysGov and its militaristic neighbor, the Admin. But that was before star Admin player Elly Sako received a death threat, written in blood next to a copy of her own severed head. The Admin’s Department of Temporal Investigation swiftly seizes control of the crime scene, and the tournament transforms into a flashpoint of charged politics and conflicting jurisdictions. SysPol Detective Isaac Cho and DTI Special Agent Susan Cantrell—partners in the officer exchange program—are sent in to take charge of the investigation and bring the situation under control. But solving this mystery won’t be easy, and the pair struggles to determine who is telling the truth. A jilted relationship between players soon explodes into signs of a far-reaching conspiracy, and the two detectives find themselves racing against time before the tournament ends. Because the killer will be the only one who wins, should they fail. Praise The Janus File: “A satisfying, self-contained mystery for its mismatched protagonists to gradually unravel . . . moments of humor amid the expected culture clashes, and the exploration of the authors’ well-realized far-future world . . . It’s pure entertainment.” —Publishers Weekly Praise for prequel The Gordian Protocol: “Tom Clancy-esque exposition of technical details . . . absurd humor and bloody action. Echoes of Robert Heinlein . . . lots of exploding temporal spaceships and bodies . . . action-packed . . .” —Booklist “[A] fun and thrilling standalone from Weber and Holo. . . . Time travel enthusiasts will enjoy the moral dilemmas, nonstop action, and crisp writing.” —Publishers Weekly Praise for David Weber: “[A] balanced mix of interstellar intrigue, counterespionage, and epic fleet action . . . with all the hard- and software details and tactical proficiency that Weber delivers like no one else; along with a large cast of well-developed, believable characters, giving each clash of fleets emotional weight.” —Booklist “[M]oves . . . as inexorably as the Star Kingdom’s Grand Fleet, commanded by series protagonist Honor Harrington. . . . Weber is the Tom Clancy of science fiction. . . . His fans will relish this latest installment. . . .” —Publishers Weekly “This entry is just as exciting as Weber’s initial offering. . . . The result is a fast-paced and action-packed story that follows [our characters] as they move from reaction to command of the situation. Weber builds Shadow of Freedom to an exciting and unexpected climax.” —The Galveston County Daily News “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novel . . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.” —Publishers Weekly “This latest Honor Harrington novel brings the saga to another crucial turning point. . . . Readers may feel confident that they will be Honored many more times and enjoy it every time.” —Booklist “[E]verything you could want in a heroine. . . . Excellent . . . plenty of action.” —Science Fiction Age “Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!” —Anne McCaffrey “Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.” —Locus “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection. . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . .” —Publishers Weekly Praise for Jacob Holo: “An entertaining sci-fi action novel with light overtones of dystopian and political thrillers.” —Kirkus on The Dragons of Jupiter “Thrilling . . . sci-fi adventure.” —Kirkus on Time Reavers