Hello, world.Facebook's algorithms shaping the news. Self-driving cars roaming the streets. Revolution on Twitter and romance on Tinder. We live in a world constructed of code--and coders are the ones who built it for us. From acclaimed tech writer Clive Thompson comes a brilliant anthropological reckoning with the most powerful tribe in the world today, computer programmers, in a book that interrogates who they are, how they think, what qualifies as greatness in their world, and what should give us pause. They are the most quietly influential people on the planet, and Coders shines a light on their culture.In pop culture and media, the people who create the code that rules our world are regularly portrayed in hackneyed, simplified terms, as ciphers in hoodies. Thompson goes far deeper, dramatizing the psychology of the invisible architects of the culture, exploring their passions and their values, as well as their messy history. In nuanced portraits, Coders takes us close to some of the great programmers of our time, including the creators of Facebook's News Feed, Instagram, Google's cutting-edge AI, and more. Speaking to everyone from revered "10X" elites to neophytes, back-end engineers and front-end designers, Thompson explores the distinctive psychology of this vocation--which combines a love of logic, an obsession with efficiency, the joy of puzzle-solving, and a superhuman tolerance for mind-bending frustration. Along the way, Coders thoughtfully ponders the morality and politics of code, including its implications for civic life and the economy. Programmers shape our everyday behavior: When they make something easy to do, we do more of it. When they make it hard or impossible, we do less of it. Thompson wrestles with the major controversies of our era, from the "disruption" fetish of Silicon Valley to the struggle for inclusion by marginalized groups.In his accessible, erudite style, Thompson unpacks the surprising history of the field, beginning with the first coders -- brilliant and pioneering women, who, despite crafting some of the earliest personal computers and programming languages, were later written out of history. Coders introduces modern crypto-hackers fighting for your privacy, AI engineers building eerie new forms of machine cognition, teenage girls losing sleep at 24/7 hackathons, and unemployed Kentucky coal-miners learning a new career. At the same time, the book deftly illustrates how programming has become a marvelous new art form--a source of delight and creativity, not merely danger. To get as close to his subject as possible, Thompson picks up the thread of his own long-abandoned coding skills as he reckons, in his signature, highly personal style, with what superb programming looks like. To understand the world today, we need to understand code and its consequences. With Coders, Thompson gives a definitive look into the heart of the machine.
Penguin Press
|
9780735220560
|
Hardcover
Falter
By Mckibben, Bill
Thirty years ago Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about climate change. Now he broadens the warning: the entire human game, he suggests, has begun to play itself out.Bill McKibben's groundbreaking book The End of Nature -- issued in dozens of languages and long regarded as a classic -- was the first book to alert us to global warming. But the danger is broader than that: even as climate change shrinks the space where our civilization can exist, new technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics threaten to bleach away the variety of human experience. Falter tells the story of these converging trends and of the ideological fervor that keeps us from bringing them under control. And then, drawing on McKibben's experience in building 350.org, the first truly global citizens movement to combat climate change, it offers some possible ways out of the trap. We're at a bleak moment in human history -- and we'll either confront that bleakness or watch the civilization our forebears built slip away.Falter is a powerful and sobering call to arms, to save not only our planet but also our humanity.
Henry Holt and Co.
|
9781250178268
|
Hardcover
Like, Comment, Subscribe
By Bergen, Mark
The definitive, deeply reported account of YouTube, the company that upended media, culture, industry, and democracy - by a leading tech journalistAcross the world, people watch over a billion hours of video on YouTube every day. The sheer amount of video produced there is beyond comprehension. Every minute, over 500 hours of footage are uploaded to the site, the equivalent of 82 years of video added a day. That anyone can easily access any minute of this footage - and the trillion minutes more already on YouTube - is a technical feat unmatched in the history of computing. Everyone knows YouTube. And yet virtually no one knows how it works.Like, Comment, Subscribe is the first book to explain exactly how YouTube's technology and business evolved, how it works, and how it helped Google grow to unimaginable power, a narrative told through the people who created YouTube and the Google engineers and chiefs who took it over.
Penguin Audio
|
9780593296349
|
Book
Help Your Kids with Computer Science
By Dk,
From coding languages and hardware to cyberbullying and gaming, this comprehensive homework helper for kids and parents covers the essentials of computer science. This unique visual study guide examines the technical aspects of computers, such as how they function, the latest digital devices and software, and how the Internet works. It also builds the confidence of parents and kids when facing challenges such as staying safe online, digital etiquette, and how to navigate the potential pitfalls of social media. Jargon-free language helps to explain difficult and potentially dread-inducing homework such as hacking, "big data" and malware, while colorful graphics help makes learning about the world of computer science exciting. Whether at home or school, this clear and helpful guide to computer science is the tool you need to be able to support students with confidence. Series Overview: DKs bestselling Help Your Kids With series contains crystal-clear visual breakdowns of important subjects. Simple graphics and jargon-free text are key to making this series a user-friendly resource for frustrated parents who want to help their children get the most out of school.
DK
|
9781465473608
|
Paperback
Play Nice But Win
By Dell, Michael
In 1984, soon-to-be college dropout Michael Dell hid signs of his fledgling PC business in the bathroom of his University of Texas dorm room. Almost 30 years later, at the pinnacle of his success as founder and leader of Dell Technologies, he found himself embroiled in a battle for his company's survival. What he'd do next could ensure its legacy - or destroy it completely. Play Nice But Win is a riveting account of the three battles waged for Dell Technologies: one to launch it, one to keep it, and one to transform it. For the first time, Dell reveals the highs and lows of the company's evolution amidst a rapidly changing industry - and his own, as he matured into the CEO it needed. With humor and humility, he recalls the mentors who showed him how to turn his passion into a business; the competitors who became friends, foes, or both; and the sharks that circled, looking for weakness.
Portfolio
|
9780593087749
|
Hardcover
Android Tablets For Dummies
By Gookin, Dan
A quick and easy reference to get the most out of your Android tablet It's not a computer and it's not a smartphone - so what in the world is it? Whether you're new to Android or new to tablets altogether, you're about to experience mobile computing like never before with this fun, full-color guide! In Android Tablets For Dummies, you'll find clear, easy-to-follow explanations for making sense of all the features native to Android tablets, as well as model-specific guidance. Inside, trusted tech guru Dan Gookin - who wrote the very first For Dummies book in 1991 - walks you through setting up your Android tablet, navigating the interface, browsing the web, setting up email, finding the best apps, and so much more. No matter which Android tablet tickles your fancy, this hands-on guide takes the intimidation out of the technology and gives you everything you need to make the most of your new device.
John Wiley & Sons
|
9781119310730
|
Print book
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram For Seniors For Dummies
By Collier, Marsha
Enjoy the top social media sites with ease and security Done correctly, social media is a way to connect friends, family, and the world while still maintaining security and privacy. Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram For Seniors For Dummies, 3rd Edition offers advice on how to enjoy the three most popular social media options while avoiding worry about who sees what you share.Written by social media expert Marsha Collier, this book walks you through establishing accounts, making connections, and sharing content including photos and video. You learn the settings to adjust on each platform to maintain privacy and filter out the content you don't want. This book also explains the subtle art of avoiding or blocking people on social platforms without jeopardizing your real-world relationships!Take control of what you shareConnect with othersTake and share your best picturesUse social media as a news sourceSocial media sites are great fun once you learn how to cut through the clutter - and this book shows you how!
For Dummies
|
9781119541417
|
Paperback
The Ransomware Hunting Team
By Dudley, Renee
"What Michael Lewis did for baseball in Moneyball, Dudley and Golden do brilliantly for the world of ransomware and hackers. Cinematic, big in scope, and meticulously reported, this book is impossible to put down." -- Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author of In Harm's Way and Horse SoldiersA real-life technological thriller about a band of eccentric misfits taking on the biggest cybersecurity threats of our time. Scattered across the world, an elite team of code-cracking techies is working tirelessly on your behalf to thwart the most notorious cyber scourge of our time. You've probably never heard of them. But if you work for a school, a business, a hospital, or a municipal government, especially if its cybersecurity is imperfect, chances are that you're painfully familiar with the group's sworn enemy: ransomware.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
|
9780374603304
|
Hardcover
WordPress All-In-One For Dummies
By Sabin-wilson, Lisa
Set up your WordPress site today! WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. The latest version of WordPress.org will be replaced in the fall of 2018 with WordPress 5.0. This will include a major change with the addition of new editor Gutenberg. Take your WordPress experience to the next level with the information packed inside this All-in-One. From the basics of setting up your account, to choosing a host and theme, to managing content with editor Gutenberg, to keeping your site secure, these 8 books of expert information will help you take the WordPress community by storm. Build your site foundation Choose a server Become a site admin pro Learn how to manage content using Gutenberg Get ready to blog all about it!
For Dummies
|
9781119553151
|
Paperback
Everybody Has a Podcast
By Mcelroy, Justin
From the #1 New York Times bestselling McElroy Brothers, creators of the hit podcasts My Brother, My Brother and Me and The Adventure Zone, comes a helpful and hilarious how-to podcast guide covering everything you need to know to make, produce, edit, and promote a podcast ... and get rich* doing it! (*Results not guaranteed.) Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy made their names as "advice giving brothers who have no business giving advice" (New York Times) on the hit podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me. But while they may not have the best relationship or workplace advice, they certainly make you laugh, and they do know a thing or two about podcasting. In fact, the McElroy Brothers have spent the last decade making podcasts, including My Brother, My Brother and Me; The Adventure Zone; Sawbones; and more.
Coders
By Thompson, Clive
Hello, world.Facebook's algorithms shaping the news. Self-driving cars roaming the streets. Revolution on Twitter and romance on Tinder. We live in a world constructed of code--and coders are the ones who built it for us. From acclaimed tech writer Clive Thompson comes a brilliant anthropological reckoning with the most powerful tribe in the world today, computer programmers, in a book that interrogates who they are, how they think, what qualifies as greatness in their world, and what should give us pause. They are the most quietly influential people on the planet, and Coders shines a light on their culture.In pop culture and media, the people who create the code that rules our world are regularly portrayed in hackneyed, simplified terms, as ciphers in hoodies. Thompson goes far deeper, dramatizing the psychology of the invisible architects of the culture, exploring their passions and their values, as well as their messy history. In nuanced portraits, Coders takes us close to some of the great programmers of our time, including the creators of Facebook's News Feed, Instagram, Google's cutting-edge AI, and more. Speaking to everyone from revered "10X" elites to neophytes, back-end engineers and front-end designers, Thompson explores the distinctive psychology of this vocation--which combines a love of logic, an obsession with efficiency, the joy of puzzle-solving, and a superhuman tolerance for mind-bending frustration. Along the way, Coders thoughtfully ponders the morality and politics of code, including its implications for civic life and the economy. Programmers shape our everyday behavior: When they make something easy to do, we do more of it. When they make it hard or impossible, we do less of it. Thompson wrestles with the major controversies of our era, from the "disruption" fetish of Silicon Valley to the struggle for inclusion by marginalized groups.In his accessible, erudite style, Thompson unpacks the surprising history of the field, beginning with the first coders -- brilliant and pioneering women, who, despite crafting some of the earliest personal computers and programming languages, were later written out of history. Coders introduces modern crypto-hackers fighting for your privacy, AI engineers building eerie new forms of machine cognition, teenage girls losing sleep at 24/7 hackathons, and unemployed Kentucky coal-miners learning a new career. At the same time, the book deftly illustrates how programming has become a marvelous new art form--a source of delight and creativity, not merely danger. To get as close to his subject as possible, Thompson picks up the thread of his own long-abandoned coding skills as he reckons, in his signature, highly personal style, with what superb programming looks like. To understand the world today, we need to understand code and its consequences. With Coders, Thompson gives a definitive look into the heart of the machine.
Falter
By Mckibben, Bill
Thirty years ago Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about climate change. Now he broadens the warning: the entire human game, he suggests, has begun to play itself out.Bill McKibben's groundbreaking book The End of Nature -- issued in dozens of languages and long regarded as a classic -- was the first book to alert us to global warming. But the danger is broader than that: even as climate change shrinks the space where our civilization can exist, new technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics threaten to bleach away the variety of human experience. Falter tells the story of these converging trends and of the ideological fervor that keeps us from bringing them under control. And then, drawing on McKibben's experience in building 350.org, the first truly global citizens movement to combat climate change, it offers some possible ways out of the trap. We're at a bleak moment in human history -- and we'll either confront that bleakness or watch the civilization our forebears built slip away.Falter is a powerful and sobering call to arms, to save not only our planet but also our humanity.
Like, Comment, Subscribe
By Bergen, Mark
The definitive, deeply reported account of YouTube, the company that upended media, culture, industry, and democracy - by a leading tech journalistAcross the world, people watch over a billion hours of video on YouTube every day. The sheer amount of video produced there is beyond comprehension. Every minute, over 500 hours of footage are uploaded to the site, the equivalent of 82 years of video added a day. That anyone can easily access any minute of this footage - and the trillion minutes more already on YouTube - is a technical feat unmatched in the history of computing. Everyone knows YouTube. And yet virtually no one knows how it works.Like, Comment, Subscribe is the first book to explain exactly how YouTube's technology and business evolved, how it works, and how it helped Google grow to unimaginable power, a narrative told through the people who created YouTube and the Google engineers and chiefs who took it over.
Help Your Kids with Computer Science
By Dk,
From coding languages and hardware to cyberbullying and gaming, this comprehensive homework helper for kids and parents covers the essentials of computer science. This unique visual study guide examines the technical aspects of computers, such as how they function, the latest digital devices and software, and how the Internet works. It also builds the confidence of parents and kids when facing challenges such as staying safe online, digital etiquette, and how to navigate the potential pitfalls of social media. Jargon-free language helps to explain difficult and potentially dread-inducing homework such as hacking, "big data" and malware, while colorful graphics help makes learning about the world of computer science exciting. Whether at home or school, this clear and helpful guide to computer science is the tool you need to be able to support students with confidence. Series Overview: DKs bestselling Help Your Kids With series contains crystal-clear visual breakdowns of important subjects. Simple graphics and jargon-free text are key to making this series a user-friendly resource for frustrated parents who want to help their children get the most out of school.
Play Nice But Win
By Dell, Michael
In 1984, soon-to-be college dropout Michael Dell hid signs of his fledgling PC business in the bathroom of his University of Texas dorm room. Almost 30 years later, at the pinnacle of his success as founder and leader of Dell Technologies, he found himself embroiled in a battle for his company's survival. What he'd do next could ensure its legacy - or destroy it completely. Play Nice But Win is a riveting account of the three battles waged for Dell Technologies: one to launch it, one to keep it, and one to transform it. For the first time, Dell reveals the highs and lows of the company's evolution amidst a rapidly changing industry - and his own, as he matured into the CEO it needed. With humor and humility, he recalls the mentors who showed him how to turn his passion into a business; the competitors who became friends, foes, or both; and the sharks that circled, looking for weakness.
Android Tablets For Dummies
By Gookin, Dan
A quick and easy reference to get the most out of your Android tablet It's not a computer and it's not a smartphone - so what in the world is it? Whether you're new to Android or new to tablets altogether, you're about to experience mobile computing like never before with this fun, full-color guide! In Android Tablets For Dummies, you'll find clear, easy-to-follow explanations for making sense of all the features native to Android tablets, as well as model-specific guidance. Inside, trusted tech guru Dan Gookin - who wrote the very first For Dummies book in 1991 - walks you through setting up your Android tablet, navigating the interface, browsing the web, setting up email, finding the best apps, and so much more. No matter which Android tablet tickles your fancy, this hands-on guide takes the intimidation out of the technology and gives you everything you need to make the most of your new device.
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram For Seniors For Dummies
By Collier, Marsha
Enjoy the top social media sites with ease and security Done correctly, social media is a way to connect friends, family, and the world while still maintaining security and privacy. Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram For Seniors For Dummies, 3rd Edition offers advice on how to enjoy the three most popular social media options while avoiding worry about who sees what you share.Written by social media expert Marsha Collier, this book walks you through establishing accounts, making connections, and sharing content including photos and video. You learn the settings to adjust on each platform to maintain privacy and filter out the content you don't want. This book also explains the subtle art of avoiding or blocking people on social platforms without jeopardizing your real-world relationships!Take control of what you shareConnect with othersTake and share your best picturesUse social media as a news sourceSocial media sites are great fun once you learn how to cut through the clutter - and this book shows you how!
The Ransomware Hunting Team
By Dudley, Renee
"What Michael Lewis did for baseball in Moneyball, Dudley and Golden do brilliantly for the world of ransomware and hackers. Cinematic, big in scope, and meticulously reported, this book is impossible to put down." -- Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author of In Harm's Way and Horse SoldiersA real-life technological thriller about a band of eccentric misfits taking on the biggest cybersecurity threats of our time. Scattered across the world, an elite team of code-cracking techies is working tirelessly on your behalf to thwart the most notorious cyber scourge of our time. You've probably never heard of them. But if you work for a school, a business, a hospital, or a municipal government, especially if its cybersecurity is imperfect, chances are that you're painfully familiar with the group's sworn enemy: ransomware.
WordPress All-In-One For Dummies
By Sabin-wilson, Lisa
Set up your WordPress site today! WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. The latest version of WordPress.org will be replaced in the fall of 2018 with WordPress 5.0. This will include a major change with the addition of new editor Gutenberg. Take your WordPress experience to the next level with the information packed inside this All-in-One. From the basics of setting up your account, to choosing a host and theme, to managing content with editor Gutenberg, to keeping your site secure, these 8 books of expert information will help you take the WordPress community by storm. Build your site foundation Choose a server Become a site admin pro Learn how to manage content using Gutenberg Get ready to blog all about it!
Everybody Has a Podcast
By Mcelroy, Justin
From the #1 New York Times bestselling McElroy Brothers, creators of the hit podcasts My Brother, My Brother and Me and The Adventure Zone, comes a helpful and hilarious how-to podcast guide covering everything you need to know to make, produce, edit, and promote a podcast ... and get rich* doing it! (*Results not guaranteed.) Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy made their names as "advice giving brothers who have no business giving advice" (New York Times) on the hit podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me. But while they may not have the best relationship or workplace advice, they certainly make you laugh, and they do know a thing or two about podcasting. In fact, the McElroy Brothers have spent the last decade making podcasts, including My Brother, My Brother and Me; The Adventure Zone; Sawbones; and more.