Download or read book For Fun and Profit written by Christopher Tozzi and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2024-04-09 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The free and open source software movement, from its origins in hacker culture, through the development of GNU and Linux, to its commercial use today. In the 1980s, there was a revolution with far-reaching consequences—a revolution to restore software freedom. In the early 1980s, after decades of making source code available with programs, most programmers ceased sharing code freely. A band of revolutionaries, self-described “hackers,” challenged this new norm by building operating systems with source code that could be freely shared. In For Fun and Profit, Christopher Tozzi offers an account of the free and open source software (FOSS) revolution, from its origins as an obscure, marginal effort by a small group of programmers to the widespread commercial use of open source software today. Tozzi explains FOSS's historical trajectory, shaped by eccentric personalities—including Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds—and driven both by ideology and pragmatism, by fun and profit. Tozzi examines hacker culture and its influence on the Unix operating system, the reaction to Unix's commercialization, and the history of early Linux development. He describes the commercial boom that followed, when companies invested billions of dollars in products using FOSS operating systems; the subsequent tensions within the FOSS movement; and the battles with closed source software companies (especially Microsoft) that saw FOSS as a threat. Finally, Tozzi describes FOSS's current dominance in embedded computing, mobile devices, and the cloud, as well as its cultural and intellectual influence.
Download or read book Meeting the Mets A Quirky History of a Quirky Team written by Thomas Droleskey and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2013-04-03 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meeting the Mets: A Quirky History of a Quirky Team is a volume one of a two-part retrospective on the history of the New York Mets, a team that is now in its fifty-second season of play. The author, Dr. Thomas A. Droleskey, attended over 1600 games at the Polo Grounds and William A. Shea Municipal Stadium between July 15, 1962, and July 16, 2002. While he has not attended games since that point for reasons that are described in the book, he was pretty visible in the stands as a very unofficial cheerleader for over a quarter of a century, known as "The Lone Ranger of Shea Stadium." Droleskey provides a personal retrospective on the origins of the Mets, highlighting some of the quirks of a quirky team, including memories of utterly meaningless games that might put a smile or two on the faces of those who have followed the team over the years. The books contains lots and lots of trivia about the Mets and baseball, interspersed with personal many bits of cultural trivia and history.
Download or read book Quirky History written by Mini Menon and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2020-04-13 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eccentric maharajas and nawabs, bizarre believe it or not tales and hilarious twists and turns come together in this first book of the Quirky History series. From the Nizam who hid a priceless diamond in a shoe to the Swan Car of the Maharaja of Nabha to the Nawab of Junagadh who got his dog, Roshanara, married in brocades and pearls with over 700 guests in attendance and many more quirky, unusual stories.Get ready for history to pop right out of this book!'We need offbeat, quirky stories like the ones in this collection to make history come alive' - Ruskin Bond
Download or read book We Made Uranium written by Leila Sales and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2019-04-16 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Item #176: A fire drill. No, not an exercise in which occupants of a building practice leaving the building safely. A drill which safely emits a bit of fire, the approximate shape and size of a drill bit. Item #74: Enter a lecture class in street clothes. Receive loud phone call. Shout “I NEED TO GO, THE CITY NEEDS ME!” Remove street clothes to reveal superhero apparel. Run out for the good of the land. Item #293: Hypnotizing a chicken seems easy, but if the Wikipedia article on the practice is to be believed, debate on the optimal method is heated. Do some trials on a real chicken and submit a report . . . for science of course. Item #234: A walking, working, people-powered but preferably wind-powered Strandbeest. Item #188: Fattest cat. Points per pound. The University of Chicago’s annual Scavenger Hunt (or “Scav”) is one of the most storied college traditions in America. Every year, teams of hundreds of competitors scramble over four days to complete roughly 350 challenges. The tasks range from moments of silliness to 1,000-mile road trips, and they call on participants to fully embrace the absurd. For students it is a rite of passage, and for the surrounding community it is a chance to glimpse the lighter side of a notoriously serious university. We Made Uranium! shares the stories behind Scav, told by participants and judges from the hunt’s more than thirty-year history. The twenty-three essays range from the shockingly successful (a genuine, if minuscule, nuclear reaction created in a dorm room) to the endearing failures (it’s hard to build a carwash for a train), and all the chicken hypnotisms and permanent tattoos in between. Taken together, they show how a scavenger hunt once meant for blowing off steam before finals has grown into one of the most outrageous annual traditions at any university. The tales told here are absurd, uplifting, hilarious, and thought-provoking—and they are all one hundred percent true.
Download or read book The WEIRDest People in the World written by Joseph Henrich and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2020-09-08 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Notable Book of 2020 A Bloomberg Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020 A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2020 A Human Behavior & Evolution Society Must-Read Popular Evolution Book of 2020 A bold, epic account of how the co-evolution of psychology and culture created the peculiar Western mind that has profoundly shaped the modern world. Perhaps you are WEIRD: raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. If so, you’re rather psychologically peculiar. Unlike much of the world today, and most people who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist, and analytical. They focus on themselves—their attributes, accomplishments, and aspirations—over their relationships and social roles. How did WEIRD populations become so psychologically distinct? What role did these psychological differences play in the industrial revolution and the global expansion of Europe during the last few centuries? In The WEIRDest People in the World, Joseph Henrich draws on cutting-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics, and evolutionary biology to explore these questions and more. He illuminates the origins and evolution of family structures, marriage, and religion, and the profound impact these cultural transformations had on human psychology. Mapping these shifts through ancient history and late antiquity, Henrich reveals that the most fundamental institutions of kinship and marriage changed dramatically under pressure from the Roman Catholic Church. It was these changes that gave rise to the WEIRD psychology that would coevolve with impersonal markets, occupational specialization, and free competition—laying the foundation for the modern world. Provocative and engaging in both its broad scope and its surprising details, The WEIRDest People in the World explores how culture, institutions, and psychology shape one another, and explains what this means for both our most personal sense of who we are as individuals and also the large-scale social, political, and economic forces that drive human history. Includes black-and-white illustrations.
Download or read book The Great Book of Ireland Interesting Stories Irish History Random Facts about Ireland written by Bill O'Neill and published by History & Fun Facts. This book was released on 2019-03-03 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How much do you know about Ireland? There's so much to learn about the Emerald Isle that even its residents don't know. In this trivia book, you'll learn more about Ireland's history, pop culture, folklore, and so much more! In The Great Book of Ireland, you'll learn: How did Ireland get its name? Why is it known as the Emerald Isle? Who was St. Patrick really? What do leprechauns and shamrocks have to do with St. Patrick's Day? Which Irish company had a 9,000-year lease? What is Ireland's top attraction? Which movies have been filmed in Ireland? Which famous novel may have been based on an Irish myth? Which legends did the Irish believe in? And so much more! This book is packed with trivia facts about Ireland. Some of the facts you'll learn in this book are shocking, some are tragic, and others will leave you with goosebumps. But they're all interesting! Whether you're just learning about Ireland or you already think you're an expert on the state, you'll learn something you didn't know in every chapter. Your history teacher will be interesting at all of your newfound knowledge. So what are you waiting for? Get started to learn more about Ireland!
Download or read book Sister Bernadette s Barking Dog written by Kitty Burns Florey and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2007 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A veteran copyeditor studies the practice of diagramming sentences in a charming and funny look back at its odd history, its elegant method, and its rich, ongoing possibilities.
Download or read book History of Pickleball written by Jennifer Lucore and published by . This book was released on 2018-05 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you curious about how pickleball came to be or how the sport got such a funny name? Do you know what caused pickleball to become the fastest growing sport in America and what people and events helped spark this growth? This first-ever book on the sports history has it all and more, enjoy the historic pickleball journey!
Download or read book The Great Book of Spain written by Bill O'Neill and published by Lak Publishing. This book was released on 2020-05-18 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fun and interesting book about Spain. It comes packed with fun and juicy trivia, fun facts and interesting stories about the great country of Spain.
Download or read book Incredible History Trivia written by Eric Braun and published by Lerner Publications (Tm). This book was released on 2018 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From famous fascinating quotes to fun facts about food inventions, this title is packed with incredible history-related trivia!
Download or read book The Walt Disney World Trivia Book written by Louis A. Mongello and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Not a travel planner or guidebook, this unique and entertaining collection of trivia questions is filled with secrets and interesting facts about all aspects of Walt Disney World.
Download or read book Bibliomania written by Thomas Frognall Dibdin and published by . This book was released on 1876 with total page 808 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Unfamiliar Fishes written by Sarah Vowell and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-03-22 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, an examination of Hawaii, the place where Manifest Destiny got a sunburn. Many think of 1776 as the defining year of American history, when we became a nation devoted to the pursuit of happiness through self- government. In Unfamiliar Fishes, Sarah Vowell argues that 1898 might be a year just as defining, when, in an orgy of imperialism, the United States annexed Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and invaded first Cuba, then the Philippines, becoming an international superpower practically overnight. Among the developments in these outposts of 1898, Vowell considers the Americanization of Hawaii the most intriguing. From the arrival of New England missionaries in 1820, their goal to Christianize the local heathen, to the coup d'état of the missionaries' sons in 1893, which overthrew the Hawaiian queen, the events leading up to American annexation feature a cast of beguiling, and often appealing or tragic, characters: whalers who fired cannons at the Bible-thumpers denying them their God-given right to whores, an incestuous princess pulled between her new god and her brother-husband, sugar barons, lepers, con men, Theodore Roosevelt, and the last Hawaiian queen, a songwriter whose sentimental ode "Aloha 'Oe" serenaded the first Hawaiian president of the United States during his 2009 inaugural parade. With her trademark smart-alecky insights and reporting, Vowell lights out to discover the off, emblematic, and exceptional history of the fiftieth state, and in so doing finds America, warts and all.
Download or read book Inventing for Fun and Profit written by Jacob Rabinow and published by . This book was released on 1990-01-01 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Volkswagen History to Hobby written by Bob Cropsey and published by . This book was released on 2005-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Large size hardcover book covering everything about Volkswagen and their vehicles. 550 Complete History facts, 100 Herbie The Love Bug facts, The famous VW Advertising Campaign with 402 ads, Year to Year breakdown of the Beetle 1945 and the Bus 1949, 65 Fun facts of things done with VWs all over the world, VWs used in 40 movies.
Download or read book Final Draft the Cow That Tried to Swallow a Potato written by J. David Book, Jr. and published by . This book was released on 2017-06-12 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life happened, and often it was offbeat and very interesting. That's the story of the history of our town. No big battles, no national movements, no spectacular events, just the everyday lives of hard-working Vermonters trying to get by, at times producing some noteworthy and some unconventional history. This volume is an attempt to chronicle those stories and record for future generations the successes and failures of those who came before us.
Download or read book The Book of Unusual Knowledge written by Ltd Publications International and published by Publications International, Limited. This book was released on 2012-03 with total page 704 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Book of Unusual Knowledge is a mammoth 704-page hardcover book crammed with a cornucopia of information--some useful, others not so much--but all of it completely captivating. It's perfect for anyone with a curious mind and a passion for learning. With quirky illustrations and a vast array of articles, anecdotes, lists, and games, this book will provide hours of fascinating reading. It will also expand your knowledge on a range of topics, including the animal kingdom, art, sports, technology, history, politics, the universe, and much, much more. Sample topics include: * Are plastic bags killing sacred cows in India? * Does NASCAR have roots in bootlegging moonshine? * Did Ronald Reagan see not one--but two--UFOs during his lifetime? Gorgeous leatherette binding with gilded accents makes The Book of Unusual Knowledge a handsome addition to your library.
