Download or read book The Secret of Our Success written by Joseph Henrich and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-17 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How our collective intelligence has helped us to evolve and prosper Humans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild, often failing to overcome even basic challenges, like obtaining food, building shelters, or avoiding predators. On the other hand, human groups have produced ingenious technologies, sophisticated languages, and complex institutions that have permitted us to successfully expand into a vast range of diverse environments. What has enabled us to dominate the globe, more than any other species, while remaining virtually helpless as lone individuals? This book shows that the secret of our success lies not in our innate intelligence, but in our collective brains—on the ability of human groups to socially interconnect and learn from one another over generations. Drawing insights from lost European explorers, clever chimpanzees, mobile hunter-gatherers, neuroscientific findings, ancient bones, and the human genome, Joseph Henrich demonstrates how our collective brains have propelled our species' genetic evolution and shaped our biology. Our early capacities for learning from others produced many cultural innovations, such as fire, cooking, water containers, plant knowledge, and projectile weapons, which in turn drove the expansion of our brains and altered our physiology, anatomy, and psychology in crucial ways. Later on, some collective brains generated and recombined powerful concepts, such as the lever, wheel, screw, and writing, while also creating the institutions that continue to alter our motivations and perceptions. Henrich shows how our genetics and biology are inextricably interwoven with cultural evolution, and how culture-gene interactions launched our species on an extraordinary evolutionary trajectory. Tracking clues from our ancient past to the present, The Secret of Our Success explores how the evolution of both our cultural and social natures produce a collective intelligence that explains both our species' immense success and the origins of human uniqueness.

Download or read book Working Effectively with Legacy Code written by Michael Feathers and published by Prentice Hall Professional. This book was released on 2004-09-22 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get more out of your legacy systems: more performance, functionality, reliability, and manageability Is your code easy to change? Can you get nearly instantaneous feedback when you do change it? Do you understand it? If the answer to any of these questions is no, you have legacy code, and it is draining time and money away from your development efforts. In this book, Michael Feathers offers start-to-finish strategies for working more effectively with large, untested legacy code bases. This book draws on material Michael created for his renowned Object Mentor seminars: techniques Michael has used in mentoring to help hundreds of developers, technical managers, and testers bring their legacy systems under control. The topics covered include Understanding the mechanics of software change: adding features, fixing bugs, improving design, optimizing performance Getting legacy code into a test harness Writing tests that protect you against introducing new problems Techniques that can be used with any language or platform—with examples in Java, C++, C, and C# Accurately identifying where code changes need to be made Coping with legacy systems that aren't object-oriented Handling applications that don't seem to have any structure This book also includes a catalog of twenty-four dependency-breaking techniques that help you work with program elements in isolation and make safer changes.

Download or read book A Fire Upon The Deep written by Vernor Vinge and published by Tor Science Fiction. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 626 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now with a new introduction for the Tor Essentials line, A Fire Upon the Deep is sure to bring a new generation of SF fans to Vinge's award-winning works. A Hugo Award-winning Novel! “Vinge is one of the best visionary writers of SF today.”-David Brin Thousands of years in the future, humanity is no longer alone in a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures, and technology, can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these "regions of thought," but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artifact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence. Fleeing this galactic threat, Ravna crash lands on a strange world with a ship-hold full of cryogenically frozen children, the only survivors from a destroyed space-lab. They are taken captive by the Tines, an alien race with a harsh medieval culture, and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. Tor books by Vernor Vinge Zones of Thought Series A Fire Upon The Deep A Deepness In The Sky The Children of The Sky Realtime/Bobble Series The Peace War Marooned in Realtime Other Novels The Witling Tatja Grimm's World Rainbows End Collections Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge True Names At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Download or read book Tcl Tk in a Nutshell written by Paul Raines and published by "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". This book was released on 1999-03-25 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Tcl language and Tk graphical toolkit are simple and powerful building blocks for custom applications. The Tcl/Tk combination is increasingly popular because it lets you produce sophisticated graphical interfaces with a few easy commands, develop and change scripts quickly, and conveniently tie together existing utilities or programming libraries.One of the attractive features of Tcl/Tk is the wide variety of commands, many offering a wealth of options. Most of the things you'd like to do have been anticipated by the language's creator, John Ousterhout, or one of the developers of Tcl/Tk's many powerful extensions. Thus, you'll find that a command or option probably exists to provide just what you need.And that's why it's valuable to have a quick reference that briefly describes every command and option in the core Tcl/Tk distribution as well as the most popular extensions. Keep this book on your desk as you write scripts, and you'll be able to find almost instantly the particular option you need.Most chapters consist of alphabetical listings. Since Tk and mega-widget packages break down commands by widget, the chapters on these topics are organized by widget along with a section of core commands where appropriate. Contents include: Core Tcl and Tk commands and Tk widgets C interface (prototypes) Expect [incr Tcl] and [incr Tk] Tix TclX BLT Oratcl, SybTcl, and Tclodbc

Download or read book Wind from an Enemy Sky written by D'Arcy McNickle and published by UNM Press. This book was released on 1988 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A novel about a fictional Northwestern tribe.

Download or read book Signs and Symbols written by Adrian Frutiger and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the elements of a sign, and looks at pictograms, alphabets, calligraphy, monograms, text type, numerical signs, symbols, and trademarks.

Download or read book Out Of Control written by Kevin Kelly and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2009-04-30 with total page 666 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Out of Control chronicles the dawn of a new era in which the machines and systems that drive our economy are so complex and autonomous as to be indistinguishable from living things.

Download or read book Holub on Patterns written by Allen Holub and published by Apress. This book was released on 2004-09-27 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: * Allen Holub is a highly regarded instructor for the University of California, Berkeley, Extension. He has taught since 1982 on various topics, including Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, Java, C++, C. Holub will use this book in his Berkeley Extension classes. * Holub is a regular presenter at the Software Development conferences and is Contributing Editor for the online magazine JavaWorld, for whom he writes the Java Toolbox. He also wrote the OO Design Process column for IBM DeveloperWorks. * This book is not time-sensitive. It is an extremely well-thought out approach to learning design patterns, with Java as the example platform, but the concepts presented are not limited to just Java programmers. This is a complement to the Addison-Wesley seminal "Design Patterns" book by the "Gang of Four".

Download or read book Lone Survivor written by Marcus Luttrell and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2007-06-12 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Follow along a Navy SEAL's firsthand account of American heroism during a secret military operation in Afghanistan in this true story of survival and difficult choices. On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive. This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers. A six-foot-five-inch Texan, Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow by blow, through the brutal training of America's warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs. He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as they fought back through flying shale and rocks. In this rich, moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare -- and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Download or read book Francis Ford Coppola written by Michael Schumacher and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 1999 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA: A FILM-MAKERS LIFE is the first complete picture of the flawed cinematic genius who directed the GODFATHER trilogy, APOCALYPSE NOW, THE CONVERSATION, and other distinctive films - some wildly successful, some disastrous.

Download or read book The Manga Guide to Databases written by Mana Takahashi and published by No Starch Press. This book was released on 2009-01-15 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Want to learn about databases without the tedium? With its unique combination of Japanese-style comics and serious educational content, The Manga Guide to Databases is just the book for you. Princess Ruruna is stressed out. With the king and queen away, she has to manage the Kingdom of Kod's humongous fruit-selling empire. Overseas departments, scads of inventory, conflicting prices, and so many customers! It's all such a confusing mess. But a mysterious book and a helpful fairy promise to solve her organizational problems—with the practical magic of databases. In The Manga Guide to Databases, Tico the fairy teaches the Princess how to simplify her data management. We follow along as they design a relational database, understand the entity-relationship model, perform basic database operations, and delve into more advanced topics. Once the Princess is familiar with transactions and basic SQL statements, she can keep her data timely and accurate for the entire kingdom. Finally, Tico explains ways to make the database more efficient and secure, and they discuss methods for concurrency and replication. Examples and exercises (with answer keys) help you learn, and an appendix of frequently used SQL statements gives the tools you need to create and maintain full-featured databases. (Of course, it wouldn't be a royal kingdom without some drama, so read on to find out who gets the girl—the arrogant prince or the humble servant.) This EduManga book is a translation of a bestselling series in Japan, co-published with Ohmsha, Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan.

Download or read book Firearms An Illustrated History written by DK and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating visual account of firearms shows everything from the earliest cannons to modern weapons of war. It also highlights how gun technology and military tactics developed in tandem over time. Centuries ago, the Chinese discovered that if they put gunpowder and a projectile into a metal tube and ignited it, they could fire the projectile with enormous force. The first guns were born. Firearms: An Illustrated History showcases over 300 firearms including pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, machine-guns, and artillery, each with annotated close-up photographs and details of their origins, barrel, and caliber. It details the use of the firearms, not just in the military but for sport, hunting, and law enforcement. This comprehensive volume traces the history of firearms, highlighting "turning points" such as the rifle with its parallel spiraled groves that could impart a spin to bullets making them fly straighter. It also showcases iconic firearms such as the Walther PPK self-loading pistol popularised in James Bond films. With information on the great gunsmiths including Beretta and Kalashnikov and a detailed guide to how guns work, Firearms: An Illustrated History is an essential purchase for everyone interested in guns and military history.

Download or read book Dead Six written by Larry Correia and published by Baen Publishing Enterprises. This book was released on 2011-10-01 with total page 628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Valentine, veteran and former member of an elite private military company, has been recruited by the government to conduct a secret counter-terror operation in the Persian Gulf nation of Zubara. The unit is called Dead Six. Their mission is to take the fight to the enemy and not get caught. Lorenzo, assassin and thief extraordinaire, is being blackmailed by the world's most vicious crime lord. His team has to infiltrate the Zubaran terrorist network and pull off an impossible heist or his family will die. When Dead Six compromises his objective, Lorenzo has a new job: Find and kill Valentine. As allegiances are betrayed and the nation descends into a bloody civil war, Lorenzo and Valentine must face off. Two men. Two missions. Only one will win. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Download or read book Daily Warm Ups Reading Grade 3 written by Shelle Russell and published by Teacher Created Resources. This book was released on 2006-05-11 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each book in the Daily Warm-Ups: Reading series provides students with over 150 opportunities to master important reading skills. The warm-ups include both fiction and nonfiction reading passages, followed by questions that are based on Bloom's Taxonomy to allow for higher-level thinking skills. Book jacket.

Download or read book The Public Domain written by James Boyle and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-11-25 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this insightful book you will discover the range wars of the new information age, which is today's battles dealing with intellectual property. Intellectual property rights marks the ground rules for information in today's society, including today's policies that are unbalanced and unspupported by any evidence. The public domain is vital to innovation as well as culture in the realm of material that is protected by property rights.

Download or read book Hatcher s Notebook written by Julian S. Hatcher and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 1962 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Handgun enthusiasts, gun-owning do-it-yourself, law enforcement officials, and gunsmiths here is the ultimate one-volume guide to acquiring and developing all the necessary skills for making pistol repairs at home, from helpful hints on work space and setting up a small shop, to the tools needed and how to use them properly, to welding, hardening, and gun finishing. All this valuable information, plus much more, is contained in this easy-to-use reference for handgun aficionados.

Download or read book Hacking the Afterlife written by Richard Martini and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Everyone who has ever lived continues to exist on the Flipside and if possible, can be asked direct questions." This is the startling premise of "Hacking the Afterlife" which argues it's possible to obtain "new information" from people no longer on the planet. These "afterlife interviews" are conducted via various mediums, with people under deep hypnosis, or with people fully conscious yet able to access and remember details of previous lifetimes. The reports offer practical advice ("afterlife hacks") on how to navigate our lives and improve our planet.Best selling author of '"Flipside: A Tourist's Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife" (also a film) and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife," (both went to #1 at Amazon kindle) frequent guest on "Coast to Coast," explores the Flipside via mediums and other methods, "interviews" a variety of people who are no longer on the planet. Interviews with someone who claims to be Edgar Cayce "sleeping prophet," three different mediums who claim to be able to speak to Amelia Earhart, "conversations" with Robin Williams, the Artist formerly known as Prince, and a number of people who claim to have known the person known worldwide as the "Alpha and the Omega." The Author explores these accounts with an open mind, and invites the reader to do the same. Quotes for the book from the people who were interviewed:*"This book will have people questioning their own disbeliefs and belief paradigms. It's a translation of the ethers." Edgar Cayce via medium JenniferShaffer.com*"Good luck to you for making the unbelievable claim that there even is an afterlife. " Howard Schultz, friend who passed away recently.*"They should read your book if they want to fly. It makes the reader open up. It's beautiful written music, Rich." The Artist formerly known as Prince Rogers Nelson.*"Two words; "Love, Love." The key ingredient for happiness is to love the love; love love, and then send it to everything." Robin Williams via Jennifer Shaffer.* "Lift this book to your soul. And see what your soul has to say. Hearing the words from the book; don't judge it, just listen to your spirit. It will guide you and tell you that the "unthinkable" is real. Laughing is the best medicine. Don't waste time trying to dig up things." Amelia Earhart (who proves in this book that she died in Saipan during the war)*"More people will be changed by your words than the ones who can't hear what you're saying. It is a challenge frequency that always hurts initally." From the person known as the Alpha and the Omega.