One of the most talented and creative authors working today, Neal Stephenson is renowned for his exceptional novels—works colossal in vision and mind-boggling in complexity. Exploring and blending a diversity of topics, including technology, economics, history, science, pop culture, and philosophy, his books are the products of a keen and adventurous intellect. Not surprisingly, Stephenson is regularly asked to contribute articles, lectures, and essays to numerous outlets, from major newspapers and cutting-edge magazines to college symposia. This remarkable collection brings together previously published short writings, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a new essay (and an extremely short story) created specifically for this volume.Stephenson ponders a wealth of subjects, from movies and politics to David Foster Wallace and the Midwestern American College Town; video games to classics-based sci-fi; how geekdom has become cool and how science fiction has become mainstream (whether people admit it or not); the future of publishing and the origins of his novels. Playful and provocative, Some Remarks displays Stephenson's opinions and ideas on:The Internet, our dwindling national attention span, and the cultural importance of books and bookishnessWaco, religion, and the cluelessness of secular societyMetaphysics and the battle between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz The laying of the longest wire on Earth—and why it matters to youTechnology, freedom, commerce, and the Chinese How Star Wars and 300 mirror who we are today and what that spells for our futureModern Jedi knights, a.k.a. scientists and technologists, and why they are admired and feared by both the left and the rightBy turns amusing and profound, critical and celebratory, yet always entertaining, Some Remarks offers a fascinating look into the prismatic mind of this extraordinary writer.

Scraping by in classes, hanging out with his best friend Charlie, and trying to get a date with Lara Hanover, the prettiest girl in school—that was Nick Robbins’ life.Survival was the last thing on his mind.Then, a strange cloud appeared over the city. A cloud that kept growing. The darkness on the horizon consumed the light around it. And Nick’s dad, a Department of Defense energy physicist, might have something to do with it. Soon, it became clear that the world Nick knew would never be the same.Now, night is never-ending. The temperature is falling as heat leaves the world. Plants and animals are dying and people are turning into predators waiting for any small advantage. But Nick is determined not to disappear like the fading light. Desperate to glimpse a familiar face in the shadows, Nick races to find his friends—and the one clue that’s his glimmer of hope.

Previously published in the print anthology Unbound.A nightwalker is slain, and suspicion falls on Mira—Fire Starter—the last hope of her immortal race, in Jocelynn Drake's The Dead, the Damned, and the Forgotten.

Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy!Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself—who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead . . . and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright—who just happens to be Heather's new fiancé. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, this reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.

Who does the U.S. government call upon when a mission requires perfect stealth, execution, and discretion?From the two bestselling masters of action and political intrigue, James Rollins and Grant Blackwood, comes the first in a groundbreaking new series, featuring Captain Tucker Wayne and his stalwart military dog, Kane, both ripped from the pages of Sigma Force for their first solo adventure. It will take this uniquely talented pairing of man and beast to discover the earth-shattering truth behind . . .The Kill Switch The mission seems simple enough: extract a pharmaceutical magnate from Russian soil, a volatile man who holds the secret to a deadly bioweapon. But nothing is as it appears to be. A desperate call from Painter Crowe, director of Sigma Force, thrusts Tucker and Kane into a frantic race to rescue the brilliant-but-deluded Abram Bukolov from a cadre of skilled assassins, a deadly team backed by a shadowy Russian general, a figure bent on revenge and power.Hunted and betrayed at every turn, Tucker and Kane must discover the truth behind a biological threat, a horror out of the ancient past that can be weaponized to terrorize the modern world. The journey of discovery will take the pair across the frozen steppes of Russia to the sun-blasted savannahs of South Africa, from the war-torn mountains of Namibia to the snowy Great Lakes of the United States.As time rapidly runs out, the deep and intimate bond between dog and soldier will be tested to the extreme. It will take all of their skill, talent, and, most of all, trust in each other to piece together a mystery going back to the origins of life on Earth, to discover the key to an ancient peril that can destroy the heartland of America, and, with it, the world.

Married Love is a masterful collection of short fiction from one of today’s most accomplished storytellers. These tales showcase the qualities for which Tessa Hadley has long been praised: her humor, warmth, and psychological acuity; her powerful, precise, and emotionally dense prose; her unflinching examinations of family relationships. Here are stories that range widely across generations and classes, exploring the private and public lives of unforgettable characters: a young girl who haunts the edges of her parents’ party; a wife released by the sudden death of her film-director husband; an eighteen-year-old who insists on marrying her music professor, only to find herself shut out from his secrets. In this stunning collection, Hadley evokes worlds that expand in the imagination far beyond the pages, capturing domestic dramas, generational sagas, wrenching love affairs and epiphanies, and distilling them to remarkable effect.

Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy, is back with The Chaos of Stars, an enchanting novel set in Egypt and San Diego that captures the magic of first love and the eternally complicated truth about family. Blending Ally Carter's humor and the romance of Cynthia Hand's Unearthly, The Chaos of Stars takes readers on an unforgettable journey halfway across the world and back, and proves there's no place like home.Isadora's family is seriously screwed up—which comes with the territory when you're the human daughter of the Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Isadora is tired of her immortal relatives and their ancient mythological drama, so when she gets the chance to move to California with her brother, she jumps on it. But her new life comes with plenty of its own dramatic—and dangerous—complications . . . and Isadora quickly learns there's no such thing as a clean break from family.

Stephen King meets Tuck Everlasting in this eerie, compulsively page-turning tale of a girl haunted by the loss of her sister—and trapped by the mysterious power that fuels her small town.Gardnerville seems like a paradise. But every four years, a strange madness compels the town's teenagers to commit terrible crimes. Four years ago, Skylar's sister, Piper, led her classmates on a midnight death march into a watery grave. Now Piper is gone. And to get her back, Skylar must find a way to end Gardnerville's murderous cycle.From Kate Karyus Quinn, author of Another Little Piece, comes a mesmerizing and suspenseful novel that will thrill fans of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys and Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement.

The Future Is Slim by Design!In this paradigm-shattering book, leading behavioral economist and food psychologist Brian Wansink—dubbed the "Sherlock Holmes of food" and the "wizard of why"—offers a radical new philosophy for weight loss. The answer isn't to tell people what to do; it's to set up their living environments so that they will naturally lose weight. Using cutting-edge, never-before-seen research from his acclaimed Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, Wansink reveals how innovative and inexpensive design changes—from home kitchens to restaurants, from grocery stores to schools and workplaces—can make it mindlessly easy for people to eat healthier and make it more profitable for the companies who sell the food).In Slim by Design, Wansink argues that the easiest, quickest, and most natural way to reverse weight gain is to work with human nature, not against it. He demonstrates how schools can nudge kids to take an apple instead of a cookie, how restaurants can increase profits by selling half-size portions, how supermarkets can double the amount of fruits and vegetables they sell, and how anyone can cut plate refills at home by more than a third. Interweaving drawings, charts, floor plans, and scorecards with new scientific studies and compelling insights that will make you view your surroundings in an entirely fresh way, this entertaining, eye-opening book offers practical solutions for changing your everyday environment to make you, your family, and even your community slim by design.

Want to fry up the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar and mascarpone that Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis called the "best thing I ever ate"Are you pining for the peanut butter sandwich cookie recipe that legendary writer Nora Ephron proclaimed "the greatest cookie ever ever ever"Do you long to dazzle friends with the triple coconut cream pie that New York food writer and Serious Eats founder Ed Levine called "one of the best pies in the country"Or do you just want to get your hands on the crazy-rich, streusel-topped monkey bread with caramel dipping sauce that has people lining up outside the Dahlia Bakery's doorNow, those sweet dreams can come true, thanks to The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.Seattle's most popular chef and James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur Award winner Tom Douglas shares his secrets for 125 scrumptious treats. Here, you will find chef-tested recipes for breakfasts, pastries, tarts, pies, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, puddings, ice creams, sandwiches, and jams that are guaranteed to work in the home kitchen, including: The "Seattle" English muffin sandwich with cured wild salmon Toasted hazelnut whole wheat scones with maple glaze Tom's favorite coconut macaroons Tangy lemon meringue tart Carrot cupcakes with brown butter cream cheese frosting The Best Crème Caramel in the World Oregon Pinot Noir raspberry sorbet Peach vanilla jamIn addition to these unique bakery treats, Tom offers savory variations on beloved classics, such as Eggs Benedict with Scallion Hollandaise and Breakfast Sandwiches, both using Dahlia Bakery's famous English Muffins. Filled with informative sidebars, technique tips, and equipment advice—and illustrated with tempting photographs and stories that capture the flavors of Seattle—The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook is sure to please fans of all skill levels and tastes.

Master Puppet for configuration management of your systems in an enterprise deploymentAbout This BookThis book is an advanced guide to using and deploying Puppet 4 in your organization with a special focus on issues faced in larger enterprise deploymentsFrom an experienced author, learn to deal with scaling, performance, and multiple developers with the help of real-world examplesThis is the most up-to-date guide on Puppet, and covers the advanced concepts of Puppet 4Who This Book Is ForThis book is for those who have intermediate knowledge of Puppet and are looking to deploy it in their environment. Some idea how to write simple modules for configuration management with Puppet is a prerequisite for this book.What You Will LearnScale out your Puppet infrastructure using proxying techniquesAutomate your code promotion workflow using Git and r10kSolve real-world problems using public modules from the Puppet ForgeUse Hiera to separate the data of your configuration from the code of your configurationWrite your own custom facts in RubyExtend Puppet with your own custom facts, modules, and typesUse exported resources to orchestrate change between machinesDebug a puppetserver using Java techniquesIn DetailPuppet is a configuration management system and a language. It was written for and by system administrators to manage large numbers of systems efficiently and prevent configuration drifts.Mastering Puppet deals with the issues faced when scaling out Puppet to handle large numbers of nodes. It will show you how to fit Puppet into your enterprise and allow many developers to work on your Puppet code simultaneously. In addition, you will learn to write custom facts and roll your own modules to solve problems. Next, popular options for performing reporting and orchestration tasks will be introduced in this book. Moving over to troubleshooting techniques, which will be very useful. The concepts presented are useful to any size organization.By the end of the book, you will know how to deal with problems of scale and exceptions in your code, automate workflows, and support multiple developers working simultaneously.Style and approachThis book is a step-wise guide packed with examples to help you configure complex systems in Puppet.

Master the basics of Unreal Engine 4 to build stunning video gamesAbout This BookGet to grips with the user interface of Unreal Engine 4 and find out more about its various robust featuresCreate dream video games with the help of the different tools Unreal Engine 4 offersCreate video-games and fully utilize the power of Unreal Engine 4 to bring games to life through this step-by-step guideWho This Book Is ForIf you have a basic understanding of working on a 3D environment and you are interested in video game development, then this book is for you. A solid knowledge of C++ will come in handy.What You Will LearnDownload both the binary and source version of Unreal Engine 4 and get familiar with the UIGet to know more about the Material Editor and how it worksAdd a post process to the scene and alter it to get a unique look for your sceneAcquaint yourself with the unique and exclusive feature of Unreal Engine 4—BlueprintsFind out more about Static and Dynamic lighting and the difference between various lightsUse Matinee to create cut scenesCreate a health bar for the player with the use of Unreal Motion Graphics (UMG)Get familiar with Cascade Particle EditorIn DetailUnreal Engine 4 is a complete suite of game development tools that gives you power to develop your game and seamlessly deploy it to iOS and Android devices. It can be used for the development of simple 2D games or even stunning high-end visuals. Unreal Engine features a high degree of portability and is a tool used by many game developers today.This book will introduce you to the very popular Unreal 4 engine with hands-on instructions to build stunning video games. You will begin by creating a new project or prototype by learning the essentials of Unreal engine, then you’ll get an understanding of how the World Browser can help to improve performance of our game. Next, we’ll create a level of detailed models and materials to further improve performance. After that, you’ll see how to import textures, create different materials, and see what materials can do in terms of post-processing. Finally, you will get acquainted with the Paper2D tool and the blueprints system to further increase our project's performance with Engine’s scalability tools.Style and approachThis step-by-step guide will help you gain practical knowledge about Unreal Engine through detailed de*ions of all the tools offered by Unreal Engine.

Design, process, and analyze large sets of complex data in real timeAbout This BookGet acquainted with transformations and database-level interactions, and ensure the reliability of messages processed using StormImplement strategies to solve the challenges of real-time data processingLoad datasets, build queries, and make recommendations using Spark SQLWho This Book Is ForIf you are a Big Data architect, developer, or a programmer who wants to develop applications/frameworks to implement real-time analytics using open source technologies, then this book is for you.What You Will LearnExplore big data technologies and frameworksWork through practical challenges and use cases of real-time analytics versus batch analyticsDevelop real-word use cases for processing and analyzing data in real-time using the programming paradigm of Apache StormHandle and process real-time transactional dataOptimize and tune Apache Storm for varied workloads and production deploymentsProcess and stream data with Amazon Kinesis and Elastic MapReducePerform interactive and exploratory data analytics using Spark SQLDevelop common enterprise architectures/applications for real-time and batch analyticsIn DetailEnterprise has been striving hard to deal with the challenges of data arriving in real time or near real time.Although there are technologies such as Storm and Spark (and many more) that solve the challenges of real-time data, using the appropriate technology/framework for the right business use case is the key to success. This book provides you with the skills required to quickly design, implement and deploy your real-time analytics using real-world examples of big data use cases.From the beginning of the book, we will cover the basics of varied real-time data processing frameworks and technologies. We will discuss and explain the differences between batch and real-time processing in detail, and will also explore the techniques and programming concepts using Apache Storm.Moving on, we’ll familiarize you with “Amazon Kinesis” for real-time data processing on cloud. We will further develop your understanding of real-time analytics through a comprehensive review of Apache Spark along with the high-level architecture and the building blocks of a Spark program.You will learn how to transform your data, get an output from transformations, and persist your results using Spark RDDs, using an interface called Spark SQL to work with Spark.At the end of this book, we will introduce Spark Streaming, the streaming library of Spark, and will walk you through the emerging Lambda Architecture (LA), which provides a hybrid platform for big data processing by combining real-time and precomputed batch data to provide a near real-time view of incoming data.Style and approachThis step-by-step is an easy-to-follow, detailed tutorial, filled with practical examples of basic and advanced features.Each topic is explained sequentially and supported by real-world examples and executable code snippets.

Over 90 hands-on recipes that will employ Nagios Core as the anchor of monitoring on your networkAbout This BookMaster the advanced configuration techniques of Nagios Core to model your network better by improving hosts, services, and contactsFilter and improve the notifications that Nagios Core sends in response to failed checks, which can greatly assist you when diagnosing problemsPull Nagios Core's data into a database to write clever custom reports of your own deviseWho This Book Is ForIf you are a network or system administrator and are looking for instructions and examples on working with Nagios Core, then this book is for you. Some basic shell command-line experience is required, and some knowledge of *ing would be helpful when we discuss how plugins work.What You Will LearnManage the configuration of Nagios Core with advanced techniques to achieve fine detail in your checksFind, install, and even write your own check pluginsFilter notifications to send them to the right people or programs at the right timeWork around difficult network accessibility issues and delegate checks to other machinesTweak a Nagios Core server to achieve both high performance and redundancy in case of disasterProcess the results of checks performed by other machines to monitor backups and similar processesExtend Nagios Core to allow advanced *ing, reporting, and network visualization behaviorIn DetailNagios Core is an open source monitoring framework suitable for any network that ensures both internal and customer-facing services are running correctly and manages notification and reporting behavior to diagnose and fix outages promptly. It allows very fine configuration of exactly when, where, what, and how to check network services to meet both the uptime goals of your network and systems team and the needs of your users.This book shows system and network administrators how to use Nagios Core to its fullest as a monitoring framework for checks on any kind of network services, from the smallest home network to much larger production multi-site services. You will discover that Nagios Core is capable of doing much more than pinging a host or to see whether websites respond.The recipes in this book will demonstrate how to leverage Nagios Core's advanced configuration, *ing hooks, reports, data retrieval, and extensibility to integrate it with your existing systems, and to make it the rock-solid center of your network monitoring world.Style and approachEach chapter contains a set of step-by-step recipes to perform an example of a commonly performed task related to network administration. The book begins by focusing closely on the properties and configuration of Nagios Core itself, and gradually moves on to other pieces of software that can support, manage, and extend the system.

An administrator’s guide to configuring, securing, customizing, and extending MoodleAbout This BookLearn how to plan, install, optimize, customize, and configure MoodleGuarantee a cutting-edge learning experience in a secure and customizable environment while optimizing your day-to-day workloadA one-stop guide with a problem-solution approach and a wide range of real-world examplesWho This Book Is ForIf you are a technician, systems administrator, or part of academic staff, this is the book for you. This book is ideal for anyone who has to administer a Moodle system. Whether you are dealing with a small-scale local Moodle system or a large-scale multi-site Virtual Learning Environment, this book will assist you with any administrative task. Some basic Moodle knowledge is helpful, but not essential.What You Will LearnInstall and update Moodle on multiple platforms manually and via CLI and GITManage courses and categories, users and cohorts, as well as rolesGet Moodle hooked up to repositories, portfolios, and open badgesConfigure Moodle for mobile usage, accessibility, localization, communication, and collaborationGuarantee backups, security and privacy, and achieve maximum performance via the Moodle Universal Cache and the new cron systemConfigure the Moodle events system to generate comprehensive reports, statistics, and learning analyticsNetwork Moodle with Mahara and extend it with third-party add-ons and via LTICustomize Moodle web services to enable mobile learning and integration with other IT systemsIn DetailMoodle is the de facto standard for open source learning platforms. However, setting up and managing a learning environment can be a complex task since it covers a wide range of technical, organizational, and pedagogical topics. This ranges from basic user and course management, to configuring plugins and design elements, all the way to system settings, performance optimization, events frameworks, and so on.This book concentrates on basic tasks such as how to set up and configure Moodle and how to perform day-to-day administration activities, and progresses on to more advanced topics that show you how to customize and extend Moodle, manage courses, cohorts, and users, and how to work with roles and capabilities. You’ll learn to configure Moodle plugins and ensure your VLE conforms to pedagogical and technical requirements in your organization. You’ll then learn how to integrate the VLE via web services and network it with other sites, including Mahara, and extend your system via plugins and LTI. By the end of this book, you will be able to set up an efficient, fully fledged, and secure Moodle system.Style and approachThe book takes a problem-solution approach to fall in line with your day-to-day operations. This is a one-stop reference for any task you will ever come across when administering a Moodle site of any shape and size.

After her grandfather's death, Cassie longs for an orderliness to life -' a pattern -' that doesn't exist among her raucous, loving family. But during an eventful summer by the sea, she begins to learn that some things do not stay the same forever. Colorful characters [and] Cassie's continuing and believable growth in understanding herself and others [make] this novel so distinctive." 'C.

Perfect for fans of the Warriors, Survivors, and Guardians of Ga'hoole series, this sequel to The Guardian Herd: Starfire, which Peter Lerangis called "an epic tale," will have readers eagerly turning the pages.When Star received his powers on his first birthday, he became the most powerful pegasus in Anok. However, many were afraid to follow him, and felt safer staying with their over-stallions. The rest unified with Star and formed River Herd.But now, not only does a horrible plague threaten the five herds, but Mountain Herd's over-stallion, Rockwing, has plans to kidnap Morningleaf, Star's closest companion, and take back Sky Meadow. Star begins to question his ability to keep his herd safe, especially with the threat of Nightwing the Destroyer's return. As much as Star wants to rely on his friends again for support, he's afraid of the starfire he's inherited. Star can heal, but he can also destroy. And the question is, will his dark powers overcome him?

PBS host, weight-loss expert, and renowned authority on longevity, Dr. John Tickell shares the secret to a long life: moderation. Moderation in everything except love, laughter, and fish (and a few vegetables!).Based on common sense, sound science, and good food, Love, Laugh, and Eat is an easy-to-follow guide that will help put the bounce back in your step and add years to your life. With his characteristic wit and medical expertise, Dr. Tickell lays out his proven Activity, Coping, and Eating (ACE) program, which simultaneously works out your body, your brain, and your mouth—the three keys to a healthy life—through physical activity and stress-management techniques and his revolutionary Four Simple Rules of Nutrition. He also serves up a seven-day detoxification plan and a series of delicious, manageable, and satisfying meal plans that actually work, as well as his eight Fall-Safe Snacks to keep you energized morning, noon, and night.Through Dr. Tickell's Love, Laugh, and Eat program you will:Look better Sleep better Feel better Love betterInspiring and engaging, Love, Laugh, and Eat is the approach to healthy living and longevity you've been waiting for. Healthy living has never been so easy—or so much fun.

Who ever heard of a shoeshine girl?The last thing Sarah Ida wants to do is spend the summer with her Aunt Claudia. But when her parents send her away because of problems at home, that is exactly what she has to do. With no allowance and no fun to be had, Sarah Ida decides to look for a job. But who will hire a ten year oldAl, the shoeshine man, will!Sarah loves her job, even if it means getting knee-deep in shoe polish everyday. Then something terrible happens and it looks like the shoeshine stand will have to close forever. If Sarah Ida wants to keep it open, she'll have to learn a few lessons about growing up along the way ...

In the summer of 1986, two tragedies rocked Oklahoma City. Six movie-theater employees were brutally killed in an armed robbery. Then a teenage girl vanished from the annual state fair. Neither crime was ever solved.Twenty-five years later, the reverberations of those unsolved cases continue to echo through the lives of those devastated by the crimes. Wyatt, the one teenage employee who inexplicably survived the movie-theater massacre, is now a private investigator in Las Vegas. A case unexpectedly brings him back to a hometown and a past he's tried to escape—and drags him deeper into the harrowing mystery of the movie-house robbery that left six of his friends dead.Like Wyatt, Julianna struggles with the past—specifically the day her beautiful older sister, Genevieve, disappeared at the fair. When Julianna discovers that one of the original suspects has resurfaced, she'll stop at nothing to find answers.As Wyatt's case becomes more complicated and dangerous, and Julianna seeks answers from a ghost, their obsessive quests not only stir memories of youth and first love, but also begin to illuminate dark secrets of the past. Even if they find the truth, will it help them understand what happened and why they were left behind that long and faraway gone summerWill it set them free—or ultimately destroy them?

Four young people in 1970s London race toward the future, fueled by love, betrayal, and creative ambition.Luke Kanowski is a young playwright— intense, magnetic, and eager for life. He escapes a disastrous upbringing in the northeast and, arriving in London, meets Paul Driscoll, an aspiring producer, and the beautiful, fiery Leigh Radley, the woman Paul loves.The three set up a radical theater company, living and working together; a romantic connection forged in candlelit rehearsal rooms during power cuts and smoky late-night parties in Chelsea's run-down flats. The gritty rebellion of pub theater is fighting for its place against a West End dominated by racy revue shows and the giants of twentieth-century drama.Nina Jacobs is a fragile actress, bullied by her mother and in thrall to a controlling producer. When Luke meets Nina, he recognizes a soul in danger—but how much must he risk to save her?Everything he has fought for—loyalty, friendship, art—is drawn into the heat of their collision. As Luke ricochets between honesty and deceit, the promise of the future and his own painful past, the fallout threatens to be immense.