Use Qt5 to design and build a graphical user interface that is functional, appealing, and user-friendly for your software application About This Book Learn to make use of Qt5 to design and customize the look-and-feel of your application Improve the visual quality of your application by utilizing the graphic rendering system and animation system provided by Qt5 A good balance of visual presentation and its contents will make an application appealing yet functional Who This Book Is For This book intended for those who want to develop software using Qt5. If you want to improve the visual quality and content presentation of your software application, this book is best suited to you. What You Will Learn Customize the look and feel of your application using the widget editor provided by Qt5 Change the states of the GUI elements to make them appear in a different form Animating the GUI elements using the built-in animation system provided by Qt5 Draw shapes and 2D images in your application using Qt5’s powerful rendering system Draw 3D graphics in your application by implementing OpenGL, an industry-standard graphical library to your project Build a mobile app that supports touch events and export it to your device Parse and extract data from an XML file, then present it on your software’s GUI Display web content on your program and interact with it by calling JavaScript functions from C++, or calling C++ functions from the web content Access to MySQL and SQLite databases to retrieve data and display it on your software’s GUI In Detail With the advancement of computer technology, the software market is exploding with tons of software choices for the user, making their expectations higher in terms of functionality and the look and feel of the application. Therefore, improving the visual quality of your application is vital in order to overcome the market competition and stand out from the crowd. This book will teach you how to develop functional and appealing software using Qt5 through multiple projects that are interesting and fun. This book covers a variety of topics such as look-and-feel customization, GUI animation, graphics rendering, implementing Google Maps, and more. You will learn tons of useful information, and enjoy the process of working on the creative projects provided in this book. Style and approach This book focuses on customizing the look and feel and utilizing the graphical features provided by Qt5. It takes a step-by-step approach, providing tons of screenshots and sample code for you to follow and learn. Each topic is explained sequentially and placed in context.

Enter the world of Internet of Things with the power of data science with this highly practical, engaging book About This Book Explore real-world use cases from the Internet of Things (IoT) domain using decision science with this easy-to-follow, practical book Learn to make smarter decisions on top of your IoT solutions so that your IoT is smart in a real sense This highly practical, example-rich guide fills the gap between your knowledge of data science and IoT Who This Book Is For If you have a basic programming experience with R and want to solve business use cases in IoT using decision science then this book is for you. Even if your're a non-technical manager anchoring IoT projects, you can skip the code and still benefit from the book. What You Will Learn Explore decision science with respect to IoT Get to know the end to end analytics stack – De*ive + Inquisitive + Predictive + Pre*ive Solve problems in IoT connected assets and connected operations Design and solve real-life IoT business use cases using cutting edge machine learning techniques Synthesize and assimilate results to form the perfect story for a business Master the art of problem solving when IoT meets decision science using a variety of statistical and machine learning techniques along with hands on tasks in R In Detail With an increasing number of devices getting connected to the Internet, massive amounts of data are being generated that can be used for analysis. This book helps you to understand Internet of Things in depth and decision science, and solve business use cases. With IoT, the frequency and impact of the problem is huge. Addressing a problem with such a huge impact requires a very structured approach. The entire journey of addressing the problem by defining it, designing the solution, and executing it using decision science is articulated in this book through engaging and easy-to-understand business use cases. You will get a detailed understanding of IoT, decision science, and the art of solving a business problem in IoT through decision science. By the end of this book, you’ll have an understanding of the complex aspects of decision making in IoT and will be able to take that knowledge with you onto whatever project calls for it Style and approach This scenario-based tutorial approaches the topic systematically, allowing you to build upon what you learned in previous chapters.

Build exciting end-to-end applications with TypeScript About This Book This book will help you whether you’re a beginner or an expert Complete and complex projects provide codes that are ready and solutions for start-ups and enterprise developers The book will showcase the power and depth of TypeScript when it comes to high performance and scalability Who This Book Is For This book was written for web developers who wish to make the most of TypeScript and build fun projects. You should be familiar with the fundamentals of JavaScript What You Will Learn Build quirky and fun projects from scratch while exploring widely applicable practices and techniques Use TypeScript with a range of different technologies such as Angular 2 and React and write cross-platform applications Migrate JavaScript codebases to TypeScript to improve your workflow Write maintainable and reusable code that is helpful in the world of programming revolving around features and bugs Using System.JS and Webpack to load *s and their dependencies. Developing highly performance server-side applications to run within Node Js. Reviewing high performant Node.js patterns and manage garbage collection. In Detail TypeScript is the future of JavaScript. Having been designed for the development of large applications, it is being widely incorporated in popular projects such as Angular JS 2.0. Adopting TypeScript results in more robust software, while still being deployable in apps where regular JavaScript would run. Scale and performance lie at the heart of the projects built in our book. The lessons learned throughout this book will arm you with everything you need to build amazing projects. During the course of this book, you will learn how to build a complete Single Page Application with Angular 2 and create a popular mobile app using NativeScript. Further on, you will build a classic Pac Man game in TypeScript. We will also help you migrate your legacy codebase project from JavaScript to TypeScript. By the end of the book, you will have created a number of exciting projects and will be competent using TypeScript for your live projects. Style and approach The book focuses on building projects from scratch. These end-to-end projects will give you ready-to-implement solutions for your business scenario, showcasing the depth and robustness of TypeScript.

Explore every nook and cranny of the Android OS to modify your device and guard it against security threats About This Book Understand and counteract against offensive security threats to your applications Maximize your device’s power and potential to suit your needs and curiosity See exactly how your smartphone’s OS is put together (and where the seams are) Who This Book Is For This book is for anyone who wants to learn about Android security. Software developers, QA professionals, and beginner- to intermediate-level security professionals will find this book helpful. Basic knowledge of Android programming would be a plus. What You Will Learn Acquaint yourself with the fundamental building blocks of Android Apps in the right way Pentest Android apps and perform various attacks in the real world using real case studies Take a look at how your personal data can be stolen by malicious attackers Understand the offensive maneuvers that hackers use Discover how to defend against threats Get to know the basic concepts of Android rooting See how developers make mistakes that allow attackers to steal data from phones Grasp ways to secure your Android apps and devices Find out how remote attacks are possible on Android devices In Detail With the mass explosion of Android mobile phones in the world, mobile devices have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Security of Android devices is a broad subject that should be part of our everyday lives to defend against ever-growing smartphone attacks. Everyone, starting with end users all the way up to developers and security professionals should care about android security. Hacking Android is a step-by-step guide that will get you started with Android security. You’ll begin your journey at the absolute basics, and then will slowly gear up to the concepts of Android rooting, application security assessments, malware, infecting APK files, and fuzzing. On this journey you’ll get to grips with various tools and techniques that can be used in your everyday pentests. You’ll gain the skills necessary to perform Android application vulnerability assessment and penetration testing and will create an Android pentesting lab. Style and approach This comprehensive guide takes a step-by-step approach and is explained in a conversational and easy-to-follow style. Each topic is explained sequentially in the process of performing a successful penetration test. We also include detailed explanations as well as screenshots of the basic and advanced concepts.

Get your attractive type design up and running in the browser with real-world, responsive, and tailored tutorials About This Book No coding experience necessary - get started with responsive typography today! Find out how to customize your own typography designs to truly own your website's identity From the basics to cutting-edge design, this book is the perfect guide Who This Book Is For This book is for web developers familiar with the basics of HTML5 and CSS3 who want to learn how to implement responsive typography. No coding experience is required, so dive in and get started! What You Will Learn Customize and personalize fonts on a responsive website Learn how to write CSS3 rules for viewports Define media queries and write them using CSS3 and HTML5 Implement SASS typography techniques to minimize the CSS output and manage the font variables Get to grips with dropcaps and learn how to use them effectively on the web In Detail Typography is an essential part of any website’s design. It can help you stand out from the crowd, communicate with clarity, and cultivate a distinctive identity. Practical Responsive Typography demonstrates how to use typography to greatest effect. With this book you won't underestimate it's importance - you'll be in complete control over this crucial component of web design. From scaling and optimizing screen spaces to using a range of different web fonts, you'll quickly get up to speed with the practical considerations behind successful typography. But more than the fundamentals, you'll also find out how to go further by customizing typography designs to suit your identity. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide full of real-world examples and tutorials. Each typography style and rule is clearly explained and placed in context.

Explore the web and make smarter predictions using Python About This Book Targets two big and prominent markets where sophisticated web apps are of need and importance. Practical examples of building machine learning web application, which are easy to follow and replicate. A comprehensive tutorial on Python libraries and frameworks to get you up and started. Who This Book Is For The book is aimed at upcoming and new data scientists who have little experience with machine learning or users who are interested in and are working on developing smart (predictive) web applications. Knowledge of Django would be beneficial. The reader is expected to have a background in Python programming and good knowledge of statistics. What You Will Learn Get familiar with the fundamental concepts and some of the jargons used in the machine learning community Use tools and techniques to mine data from websites Grasp the core concepts of Django framework Get to know the most useful clustering and classification techniques and implement them in Python Acquire all the necessary knowledge to build a web application with Django Successfully build and deploy a movie recommendation system application using the Django framework in Python In Detail Python is a general purpose and also a comparatively easy to learn programming language. Hence it is the language of choice for data scientists to prototype, visualize, and run data analyses on small and medium-sized data sets. This is a unique book that helps bridge the gap between machine learning and web development. It focuses on the difficulties of implementing predictive analytics in web applications. We focus on the Python language, frameworks, tools, and libraries, showing you how to build a machine learning system. You will explore the core machine learning concepts and then develop and deploy the data into a web application using the Django framework. You will also learn to carry out web, document, and server mining tasks, and build recommendation engines. Later, you will explore Python’s impressive Django framework and will find out how to build a modern simple web app with machine learning features. Style and approach Instead of being overwhelmed with multiple concepts at once, this book provides a step-by-step approach that will guide you through one topic at a time. An intuitive step-by step guide that will focus on one key topic at a time. Building upon the acquired knowledge in each chapter, we will connect the fundamental theory and practical tips by illustrative visualizations and hands-on code examples.

Design and implement real-world web-based applications using the Spring Framework 4.x specification based on technical documentation About This Book . Learn all the details of implementing Spring 4.x MVC applications from basic core platform construction to advanced integration implementations. Gain a complete reference guide to implementing the controllers, models, views, view resolvers, and other service-related components to solve various real-world problems. Discover the possible optimal solutions for developers and experts to build enterprise and personal web-based applications. Create a Spring MVC application that has a validation process and exception handling with the HTTP status codes Who This Book Is For This book is for competent Spring developers who wish to understand how to develop complex yet flexible applications with Spring MVC. You must have a good knowledge of JAVA programming and be familiar with the basics of Spring. What You Will Learn . Set up and configure the Spring 4.x MVC platform from ground level up using the basic Spring Framework 4.x APIs. Study requirements and manage solutions on file uploading transactions in Spring 4.x applications Configure, , and test Spring integration to the Hibernate, MyBatis, and JPA frameworks for database transactions. Properly implement exception handlers and audit trails in Spring MVC applications. Generate reports using JFreeChart, Google Charts, JasperReports, DynamicReports, FreeMarker, Velocity, and Spring’s API known as ContentNegotiatingViewResolver. Configure security and flexibility by adding Captcha, Spring Security, Spring Flow, Spring Portlets, JTA to improve data management performance. Implement web services using Spring’s RESTful implementation and other service-oriented integration plugins. Design and implement a Spring 4.x application using AngularJS, ExtJs, Twitter Bootstrap, and Spring Mobile for responsive web design In Detail Spring MVC is the ideal tool to build modern web applications on the server side. With the arrival of Spring Boot, developers can really focus on the code and deliver great value, leveraging the rich Spring ecosystem with minimal configuration. Spring makes it simple to create RESTful applications, interact with social services, communicate with modern databases, secure your system, and make your code modular and easy to test. It is also easy to deploy the result on different cloud providers. This book starts all the necessary topics in starting a Spring MVC-based application. Moving ahead it explains how to design model objects to handle file objects. save files into a data store and how Spring MVC behaves when an application deals with uploading and downloading files. Further it highlights form transactions and the user of Validation Framework as the tool in validating data input. It shows how to create a customer feedback system which does not require a username or password to log in. It will show you the soft side of Spring MVC where layout and presentation are given importance. Later it will discuss how to use Spring Web Flow on top of Spring MVC to create better web applications. Moving ahead, it will teach you how create an Invoice Module that receives and transport data using Web Services By the end of the book you will be able to create efficient and flexible real-time web applications using all the frameworks in Spring MVC. Style and approach This book is a compendium of technical specification documents that will guide you through building an application using Spring 4.x MVC. Each chapter starts with a high-level wireframe design of the software followed by how to set up and configure different libraries and tools.

Build world-class enterprise Business Intelligence solutions with MicroStrategy 10 About This Book Fix the gap between BI tools and implementation/integration processes with big data and predictive analytics using this comprehensive guide to MicroStrategy 10 Highly practical, example-rich guide that lets you implement business intelligence with MicroStrategy 10 in your organization Create the best user experience with BI dashboards using MicroStrategy using this up-to-date, comprehensive guide Who This Book Is For This book is intended for BI, DWH, ETL developers, BI/DWH/Analytics managers, analysts, and business users who already have MicroStrategy in their organization and want to take it to the next level in order to increase performance and improve user experience. In addition, it helps the reader to migrate from MicroStrategy 9 to MicroStrategy 10 and to start using the new capabilities. What You Will Learn Explore various visualization techniques for presenting analyzed data Customize MicroStrategy in order to meet your business requirements Develop and design mobile dashboards Use the advanced techniques such as designing reports, documents and interactive dashboards for building dashboards Understand the concepts of data discovery and Desktop capabilities Explore the best practices for Microstrategy system administration Find and fix issues based on connections, environment or documents Integrate third party ESRI map tools with MicroStrategy to create geo based reports In Detail Business intelligence is becoming more important by the day, with cloud offerings and mobile devices gaining wider acceptance and achieving better market penetration. MicroStrategy Reporting Suite is an absolute leader in the BI market and offers rich capabilities from basic data visualizations to predictive analytics. It lets you various delivery methods such as the Web, desktops, and mobiles. Using real-world BI scenarios, this book helps you to implement Business Analytics solutions in big e-commerce companies. It kicks off with MicroStrategy 10 features and then covers schema design models and techniques. Building upon your existing knowledge, the book will teach you advanced techniques for building documents and dashboards. It further teaches various graphical techniques for presenting data for analysis using maps, graphs, and advanced charts. Although MicroStrategy has rich functionality, the book will show how to customize it in order to meet your business requirements. You will also become familiar with the native analytical functions that will help you to maximize the impact of BI solutions with powerful predictive analytics. Furthermore, the book will focus on MicroStrategy Mobile Analytics along with data discovery and desktop capabilities such as connecting various data sources and building interactive dashboards. The book will also uncover best practices, troubleshooting techniques for MicroStrategy system administration, and also security and authentication techniques. Lastly, you will learn to use Hadoop for MicroStrategy reporting. By the end of the book, you will become proficient in evaluating any BI software in order to choose the best one that meets all business requirements. Style and approach This book will be focusing on providing extensive guide to plan how to design and develop complex BI architecture for real world scenario, using Microstrategy 10, best practices and collected experience working with BI, predictive analytics, and Microstrategy and big data.

Build amazing Internet of Things projects using the ESP8266 Wi-Fi chip About This Book Get to know the powerful and low cost ESP8266 and build interesting projects in the field of Internet of Things Configure your ESP8266 to the cloud and explore the networkable modules that will be utilized in the IoT projects This step-by-step guide teaches you the basics of IoT with ESP8266 and makes your life easier Who This Book Is For This book is for those who want to build powerful and inexpensive IoT projects using the ESP8266 WiFi chip, including those who are new to IoT, or those who already have experience with other platforms such as Arduino. What You Will Learn Control various devices from the cloud Interact with web services, such as Twitter or Facebook Make two ESP8266 boards communicate with each other via the cloud Send notifications to users of the ESP8266, via email, text message, or push notifications Build a physical device that indicates the current price of Bitcoin Build a simple home automation system that can be controlled from the cloud Create your own cloud platform to control ESP8266 devices In Detail The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of objects such as physical things embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity, enabling data exchange. ESP8266 is a low cost WiFi microcontroller chip that has the ability to empower IoT and helps the exchange of information among various connected objects. ESP8266 consists of networkable microcontroller modules, and with this low cost chip, IoT is booming. This book will help deepen your knowledge of the ESP8266 WiFi chip platform and get you building exciting projects. Kick-starting with an introduction to the ESP8266 chip, we will demonstrate how to build a simple LED using the ESP8266. You will then learn how to read, send, and monitor data from the cloud. Next, you’ll see how to control your devices remotely from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, you’ll get to know how to use the ESP8266 to interact with web services such as Twitter and Facebook. In order to make several ESP8266s interact and exchange data without the need for human intervention, you will be introduced to the concept of machine-to-machine communication. The latter part of the book focuses more on projects, including a door lock controlled from the cloud, building a physical Bitcoin ticker, and doing wireless gardening. You’ll learn how to build a cloud-based ESP8266 home automation system and a cloud-controlled ESP8266 robot. Finally, you’ll discover how to build your own cloud platform to control ESP8266 devices. With this book, you will be able to create and program Internet of Things projects using the ESP8266 WiFi chip. Style and approach This is a step-by-step guide that provides great IOT projects with ESP8266. All the key concepts are explained details with the help of examples and demonstrations of the projects.

Was Sandy a freak of nature, or the new normalOn October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy reached the shores of the northeastern United States to become one of the most destructive storms in history. But was Sandy a freak event, or should we have been better prepared for itWas it a harbinger of things to come as the climate warmsIn this fascinating and accessible work of popular science, atmospheric scientist and Columbia University professor Adam Sobel addresses these questions, combining his deep knowledge of the climate with his firsthand experience of the event itself. Sobel explains the remarkable atmospheric conditions that gave birth to Sandy and determined its path. He gives us insight into the science that led to the accurate forecasts of the storm from genesis to landfall, as well as an understanding of why our meteorological vocabulary failed our leaders in warning us about this unprecedented weather system--part hurricane, part winter-type nor'easter, fully deserving of the title "Superstorm." Storm Surge brings together the melting glaciers, the warming oceans, and a broad historical perspective to explain how our changing climate and developing coastlines are making New York and other cities more vulnerable. Engaging, informative, and timely, Sobel's book provokes us to think differently about how we can better prepare for the storms in our future.

What Is Your Life's Workcaptures a most extraordinary moment in each of our lives the time when we sit down with loved ones and attempt to answer the big question about what really matters. Bill Jensen has created a wonderfully practical space for you to explore who you are, what you stand for, what you believe in, what's risky, what's not, what's worth it, what you're struggling with, and what you've accomplished.He has captured the intimate exchanges between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and caring teammates all talking about what really matters at work, and in life. Their conversations are as real as yours would be: "Don't kiss tush, beware carnivorous sheep." "Honey, there are no shortcuts." "My daughter was limp with pain ... and I'm worried about deadlines. What was I thinking?!?!" "Speak up if you don't agree." "Be a respectful rebel." In What Is Your Life's Workyou will discover a new way to see and know who you are in today's more-better-faster world. Exposed is what usually stays private; the raw truths we've all experienced, the personal frailties and mistakes we'd like to hide, and the proudest achievements we'd like to celebrate.In the letters and work diaries of others, we see ourselves. In their struggles, we see our own.Bill Jensen has made it his life's work to battle corporate stupidity and help us all simplify our workdays, take more control, and rediscover our passions. As your trail guide and partner, he will take you through five distinct discoveries that thousands have encountered in finding their voices: Finding Yourself Finding the Lessons to Be Learned,the Questions to Be Asked Finding the Choices That Really Matter Finding the Courage to Choose Finding Joy, Serenity, and FulfillmentWhile it touches your heart and lifts your soul, What Is Your Life's Workdoes not shy away from difficult introspection. You are an active participant in this book. Yes, you will find value here stories of people like you, new ways of looking at what really matters, or simple confirmation that others have chosen the same path as you.But the ultimate takeaway asks something of you in return: Take something from this book and pay it forward. Start a new conversation with a loved one about what really matters about your own life's work.You will get back even more than you give. You will have brought these pages to life.

Since the day she was scouted by a modeling agent while shopping at a London street fair when she was just nineteen, Alek Wek's life has been nothing short of a fantasy. When she's not the featured model in print campaigns for hip companies, or gracing the cover of Elle, she is working the runways of Paris, New York, and Milan to model for the world's leading designers, including Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. But nothing in her early years prepared her for the life of a model.Born in Wau, in the southern Sudan, Alek knew only a few years of peace with her family before they were caught up in a ruthless civil war that pitted outlaw militias, the Muslim-dominated government, and southern rebels against each other in a brutal conflict that killed nearly two million people. Here is her daring story of fleeing the war on foot and her escape to London, where her rise from young model to supermodel was all the more notable because of Alek's non-European looks. A probe into the Sudanese conflict and an inside look into the life of a most unique supermodel, Alek is a book that will inspire as well as inform.

Autumn Rose has the chance to save the world she loves. But how much will she have to sacrificeAutumn Rose lives in a sleepy seaside town, but buried deep under the surface of her quiet life are dark secrets. Her grandmother is dead, murdered eighteen months ago, and the vibrant London social scene in which she was brought up is a world away. Even worse, at her new school she is shunned and condemned––all because of the swirling marks on her skin that prevent her from blending in with the crowd. Then the appearance at her school of a handsome young man—who has the same curious markings as Autumn—sends her world into turmoil. Suddenly the marks are deemed cool, and Autumn is thrust into the limelight. But her sudden popularity brings danger as her secrets threaten to come to light. And then there are her recurring dreams about a girl who is about to be seduced by a very dark prince . . . and Autumn must figure out how to save her before it is too late.

This selection from Thich Nhat Hanh's bestselling The Art of Power illuminates the core Buddhist concept of mindfulness for the Western readerIn The Art of Mindfulness, one of the most revered Buddhist teachers in the world, Thich Nhat Hanh delivers a life changing practice to overcome our overdriven mind, to let go of preoccupations and multitasking and focus solely on the task at hand. By devoting 100% of our attention 100% of the time on what we are doing in the moment, we can alleviate suffering, fear, and anxiety. With the energy of mindfulness and the capacity of looking deeply, we can find the insights to transform and heal any situation.

It's time to take back our country.Now. It's that simple. It's that urgent.So begins Dick Morris and Eileen McGann's latest and most important book. They say that we must act before President Barack Obama fully implements his radical political agenda. Because after Obama has won his war on prosperity and canceled the war on terror, it will be too late to regain our liberty or our security.At a time when we needed a pragmatic centrist to lead us out of recession, we got a doctrinaire socialist who wants to use the crisis to put the government in charge of the economy and enact European socialism here in the United States. Cars, banks what's nextHe will keep at it until Washington governs every major business in America and sets all our salaries.It's a catastrophe.Dick Morris and Eileen McGann saw the meltdown coming. In their book Outrage, they called out the house of cards that was Fannie Mae. In Fleeced, they went after the credit card companies, the subprime mortgage lenders, and the hedge fund billionaires who conspired to wreck the economy and Barack Obama, whose policies, they predicted last summer, would "trigger a stock market crash." Now, in Catastrophe, Morris and McGann take a hard look at America in free fall and at how Obama is transforming a vulnerable America into a socialist state.They tell the truth about Obama and his radical policies: He will destroy our health care system so that no one gets adequate care. He designed his bank rescue plan to pave the way for nation-alization of the banks and socialization of the economy. He firmly believes in government control of our major industries he's already commandeered the banks and the automobile industry. He plans to reshape the political landscape to keep the left in power for decades by cooking the census, enfranchising illegal immigrants, muzzling talk radio, and coercing workers into unions. He is attacking those who fight terrorism while letting the terrorists go free. He gives aid to Hamas while Shariah Law threatens to take over America. He has repealed the Declaration of Independence and put us under a worldwide, European-dominated financial regulatory system. But Obama is not working alone. Morris and McGann spell out how Congress is complicit: How Senator Chris Dodd and Congressman Charlie Rangel use special interests and special friends for their own enrichment and glorification. How Ted Kennedy Jr. is exploiting his father's health care power. "This is no time for apathy or alienation or hopelessness," Morris and McGann remind us. "It's a time for action." And that action must begin now before it's too late.

"Never let 'em see you sweat." "Never change diapers in mid-stream." "Never let a crisis go to waste." "Never ruin an apology with an excuse." "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died." When we strongly encourage people to do something, it's called an exhortation. But what is the proper term for strongly discouraging peopleOne candidate is admonition. Another is dehortation, the opposite of exhortation. But perhaps the best term for an emphatic piece of dissuasive advice is neverism. You won't find the term in any dictionary (at least not yet) because quotation anthologist Dr. Mardy Grothe coined it himself for this collection of nearly two thousand quotable cautionary warnings. With the whimsical and witty intermixed with the serious and profound, contributors range from Aesop and Marcus Aurelius to John Wayne and Mae West. Grothe also tells the fascinating "back stories" of scores of classic quotations as well as the history of hundreds more that have never before appeared in a quotation anthology. Organized by topics such as Wit & Wordplay, Politics & Government, Sports, Stage & Screen, and The Literary Life, this is a book about quotations as well as a book of them. Neverisms is sure to delight quotation lovers and language aficionados everywhere.

The renowned science writer, mathematician, and bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem masterfully refutes the overreaching claims of the "New Atheists," providing millions of educated believers with a clear, engaging explanation of what science really says, how there's still much space for the Divine in the universe, and why faith in both God and empirical science are not mutually exclusive In recent years a highly publicized coterie of scientists and thinkers, including Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, and Lawrence Krauss, have vehemently contended that breakthroughs in modern science have disproven the existence of God, asserting we must accept that the creation of the universe came out of nothing, that religion is evil, that evolution fully explains the dazzling complexity of life, and more. However, in this much-needed book, veteran science journalist Amir Aczel profoundly disagrees and convincingly demonstrates that science has not, as yet, provided any definitive proof refuting the existence of God. Based on interviews with eleven Nobel Prize winners and many other prominent physicists, biologists, anthropologists, and psychologists, as well as leading theologians and spiritual leaders, Why Science Does Not Disprove God is a fascinating tour through the history of science and a brilliant and incisive analysis of the religious implications of our ever-increasing understanding of life and the universe. Throughout, Aczel reminds us that science, at its best, is about the dispassionate pursuit of truth not a weapon in cultural debates. Respectful of both science and faith and argued from the perspective of no single religious tradition Aczel's book is an essential corrective that should be read by all.

For the first time, Nia Vardalos, writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, tells her hilarious and heartfelt bumpy-road-to-parenting story that eventually leads to her meeting an almost-three-year old girl who she knows instantly is her daughter.Vardalos chronicles it all with her signature wit and candor but also weaves in delicious behind-the-scenes Hollywood stories on the making of her films from working with Tom Hanks to meeting Oprah to having dinner with the Queen of England.In Instant Mom, Vardalos writes how moments after she finds out she has been nominated for an Academy Award, she is alone and en route to a fertility clinic, trying yet again for a chance at motherhood, wondering how long she can continue. When she finally adopts her daughter via American Foster Care, Vardalos reveals what really came next how, with only fourteen hours' notice, she and her husband transitioned their preschool aged daughter into their home. The Appendix includes information on how to adopt from all over the world. Vardalos will donate proceeds from the book sales to charities.In her memoir, Instant Mom, Vardalos reveals how she broke into the movie industry, became a working screenwriter and actress . . . and finally became a mom. Instantly.

#131 The Case of the Two-Cent CandyYears ago, I wrote about a retail store in the Palo Alto environs a good one, which had a box of two-cent candies at the checkout. I subsequently remember that "little" parting gesture of the two-cent candy as a symbol of all that is Excellent at that store. Dozens of people who have attended seminars of mine from retailers to bankers to plumbing-supply-house owners have come up to remind me, sometimes 15 or 20 years later, of "the two-cent candy story," and to tell me how it had a sizable impact on how they did business, metaphorically and in fact.Well, the Two-Cent Candy Phenomenon has struck again with oomph and in the most unlikely of places.For years Singapore's "brand" has more or less been Southeast Asia's "place that works." Its legendary operational efficiency in all it does has attracted businesses of all sorts to set up shop there. But as "the rest" in the geographic neighborhood closed the efficiency gap, and China continued to rise-race-soar, Singapore decided a couple of years ago to "rebrand" itself as not only a place that works but also as an exciting, "with it" city. (I was a participant in an early rebranding conference that also featured the likes of the late Anita Roddick, Deepak Chopra, and Infosys founder and superman N. R. Narayana Murthy.)Singapore's fabled operating efficiency starts, as indeed it should, at ports of entry the airport being a prime example. From immigration to baggage claim to transportation downtown, the services are unmatched anywhere in the world for speed and efficiency.Saga . . . Immigration services in Thailand, three days before a trip to Singapore, were a pain. ("Memorable.") And entering Russia some months ago was hardly a walk in the park, either. To be sure, and especially after 9/11, entry to the United States has not been a process you'd mistake for arriving at Disneyland, nor marked by an attitude that shouted "Welcome, honored guest."Singapore immigration services, on the other hand:The entry form was a marvel of simplicity. The lines were short, very short, with more than adequate staffing.The process was simple and unobtrusive.And:The immigration officer could have easily gotten work at Starbucks; she was all smiles and courtesy.And:Yes!Yes!And . . . yes!There was a little candy jar at each Immigration portal!The "candy jar message" in a dozen ways:"Welcome to Singapore, Tom!! We are absolutely beside ourselves with delight that you have decided to come here!"Wow!Wow!Wow!Ask yourself . . . now:What is my (personal, department, project, restaurant, law firm) "Two-Cent Candy"?Does every part of the process of working with us/me include two-cent candies?Do we, as a group, "think two-cent candies"?Operationalizing: Make "two-centing it" part and parcel of "the way we do business around here." Don't go light on the so-called substance but do remember that . . . perception is reality . . . and perception is shaped by two-cent candies as much as by that so-called hard substance.Start: Have your staff collect "two-cent candy stories" for the next two weeks in their routine "life" transactions. Share those stories. Translate into "our world." And implement.Repeat regularly.Forever.(Recession or no recession you can afford two cents.)(In fact, it is a particularly Brilliant Idea for a recession you doubtless don't maximize Two-Cent Opportunities. And what opportunities they are.)

A fascinating exploration of the contents of Agatha Christie's seventy-three private notebooks, including illustrations and two unpublished Poirot stories When Agatha Christie died in 1976, at age eighty-five, she had become the world's most popular author. With sales of more than two billion copies worldwide, in more than one hundred countries, she had achieved the impossible more than one book every year since the 1920s, every one a bestseller.So prolific was Agatha Christie's output sixty-six crime novels, twenty plays, six romance novels under a pseudonym and more than one hundred and fifty short stories it was often claimed that she had a photographic memory. Was this trueOr did she resort over those fifty-five years to more mundane methods of working out her ingenious crimesFollowing the death of Agatha's daughter, Rosalind, at the end of 2004, a remarkable legacy was revealed. Unearthed among her affairs at the family home of Greenway were Agatha Christie's private notebooks, seventy-three handwritten volumes of notes, lists and drafts outlining all her plans for her many books, plays and stories. Buried in this treasure trove, all in her unmistakable handwriting, are revelations about her famous books that will fascinate anyone who has ever read or watched an Agatha Christie story.How did the infamous twist in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd really come aboutWhich very famous Poirot novel started life as an adventure for Miss MarpleWhich books were designed to have completely differ-ent endings, and what were theyWhat were the plot ideas that she considered but rejected?Full of details she was too modest to reveal in her own autobiography, this remarkable new book includes a wealth of excerpts and pages reproduced directly from the notebooks and her letters, plus, for the first time, two newly discovered complete Hercule Poirot short stories never before published.

On the last hot day of summer in 1992, gunfire cracked over a rocky knob in northern Idaho, just south of the Canadian border. By the next day three people were dead, and a small war was joined, pitting the full might of federal law enforcement against one well-armed family. Drawing on extensive interviews with Randy Weaver's family, government insiders, and others, Jess Walter traces the paths that led the Weavers to their confrontation with federal agents and led the government to treat a family like a gang of criminals. This is the story of what happened on Ruby Ridge: the tragic and unlikely series of events that destroyed a family, brought down the number-two man in the FBI, and left in its wake a nation increasingly attuned to the dangers of unchecked federal power.