An adventure for characters of any level, from zero to infinity, for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing and other traditional role-playing games.

In the wake of the USSR's breakup, the eighty-nine constituent subjects of the Russian Federation emerged as political players, grasping power for local policies from a weakened central authority and electing the legislators who have altered the complexion of the central government. Beyond the Monolith examines the impact of Russia's emerging regionalism on the political, economic, and social transformation of the largest of the successor states of the Soviet Union. The authors explore significant variations between and similarities among different provinces; the development of federalism in Russia; the effectiveness of local government; the power relationships between the center and the regions; the differential impact of privatization outside Moscow and St. Petersburg; and the role of environmental, public health, and labor market factors in regional economies. Contributors are Cynthia Buckley, Carol Clark, Robert V. Daniels, Mark. G. Field, Alexander A. Galkin, Nail Midkhatovich Moukhariamov, Demosthenes James Peterson, Greg Poelzer, Don K. Rowney, Darrell Slider, and John F. Young.

Venture into the gothic realm of Joseph Vargo and discover the passion, mystery and horror that lie in wait deep within the shadows of The Dark Tower. This sequel to the acclaimed anthology Tales From The Dark Tower continues the Gothic saga of the vampire Lord Brom and his battle against the forces that lurk in the citadel of shadows known as The Dark Tower. No one is certain how long The Dark Tower has stood. It is believed to be a place of great evil, haunted by dark angels and spirits of the restless dead. Legends say the Tower was once the ancient fortress of the Dark Queen, Mara, and her infernal legions. Other tales tell of a warrior knight—once a man, but now an immortal creature of darkness—who stands vigil over the fallen queen’s tomb.

How do you detangle a monolithic system and migrate it to a microservice architecture? How do you do it while maintaining business-as-usual? As a companion to Sam Newman’s extremely popular Building Microservices, this new book details a proven method for transitioning an existing monolithic system to a microservice architecture. With many illustrative examples, insightful migration patterns, and a bevy of practical advice to transition your monolith enterprise into a microservice operation, this practical guide covers multiple scenarios and strategies for a successful migration, from initial planning all the way through application and database decomposition. You’ll learn several tried and tested patterns and techniques that you can use as you migrate your existing architecture. Ideal for organizations looking to transition to microservices, rather than rebuild Helps companies determine whether to migrate, when to migrate, and where to begin Addresses communication, integration, and the migration of legacy systems Discusses multiple migration patterns and where they apply Provides database migration examples, along with synchronization strategies Explores application decomposition, including several architectural refactoring patterns Delves into details of database decomposition, including the impact of breaking referential and transactional integrity, new failure modes, and more

Make Software Architecture Choices That Maximize Value and Innovation "[Vernon and Jaskuła] provide insights, tools, proven best practices, and architecture styles both from the business and engineering viewpoint. . . . This book deserves to become a must-read for practicing software engineers, executives as well as senior managers." --Michael Stal, Certified Senior Software Architect, Siemens Technology Strategic Monoliths and Microservices helps business decision-makers and technical team members clearly understand their strategic problems through collaboration and identify optimal architectural approaches, whether the approach is distributed microservices, well-modularized monoliths, or coarser-grained services partway between the two. Leading software architecture experts Vaughn Vernon and Tomasz Jaskuła show how to make balanced architectural decisions based on need and purpose, rather than hype, so you can promote value and innovation, deliver more evolvable systems, and avoid costly mistakes. Using realistic examples, they show how to construct well-designed monoliths that are maintainable and extensible, and how to gradually redesign and reimplement even the most tangled legacy systems into truly effective microservices. Link software architecture planning to business innovation and digital transformation Overcome communication problems to promote experimentation and discovery-based innovation Master practices that support your value-generating goals and help you invest more strategically Compare architectural styles that can lead to versatile, adaptable applications and services Recognize when monoliths are your best option and how best to architect, design, and implement them Learn when to move monoliths to microservices and how to do it, whether they're modularized or a "Big Ball of Mud" Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.

Two world-renowned scientists present an audacious new vision of the cosmos that “steals the thunder from the Big Bang theory.” —Wall Street Journal The Big Bang theory—widely regarded as the leading explanation for the origin of the universe—posits that space and time sprang into being about 14 billion years ago in a hot, expanding fireball of nearly infinite density. Over the last three decades the theory has been repeatedly revised to address such issues as how galaxies and stars first formed and why the expansion of the universe is speeding up today. Furthermore, an explanation has yet to be found for what caused the Big Bang in the first place. In Endless Universe, Paul J. Steinhardt and Neil Turok, both distinguished theoretical physicists, present a bold new cosmology. Steinhardt and Turok “contend that what we think of as the moment of creation was simply part of an infinite cycle of titanic collisions between our universe and a parallel world” (Discover). They recount the remarkable developments in astronomy, particle physics, and superstring theory that form the basis for their groundbreaking “Cyclic Universe” theory. According to this theory, the Big Bang was not the beginning of time but the bridge to a past filled with endlessly repeating cycles of evolution, each accompanied by the creation of new matter and the formation of new galaxies, stars, and planets. Endless Universe provides answers to longstanding problems with the Big Bang model, while offering a provocative new view of both the past and the future of the cosmos. It is a “theory that could solve the cosmic mystery” (USA Today).

DEATH VALLEY EARNS ITS NAME when a terrorist threatens to unleash lethal radioactive toxins -- in America's most fragile national park. Forensic geologists Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws embark on a perilous mission to find and stop the terrorist. But this hunt pushes them to their limits. The summer desert is brutal. The material they seek is hotter than the desert in August--and they are each particularly vulnerable to its effects. As the hunt turns dangerous, Cassie and Walter learn that they are up against more than pure human malice. The unstable atom--in the hands of an unstable man--is governed by Murphy's Law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. And it does. ► All books in the series are complete novels, and can be enjoyed in any order.

A groundbreaking look at America’s role in the Middle East—from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Rope and a Prayer Distilling eleven years of expert reporting for the New York Times, Reuters, and the Atlantic, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David Rohde presents an incisive look at the calamitous privatization of the war on terror. Beyond War is a clarion call for change in American policies and attitudes toward a rapidly changing Middle East. Rohde argues that using lethal force is necessary at times, but economic growth and Muslim moderates —not American soldiers—will eradicate militancy in the long term. Vast mistakes have been made, but it is not too late. By scaling back our ambitions, focusing on economics and working with Muslim moderates, we will achieve more.

A comprehensive study of the genesis and evolution of the film, presented in the words of those involved with its production; includes a profile of Kubrick, numerous interviews, reviews, and a 96-page photo insert.

Feminist thinkers have been critically examining science for over a century; but who critiques the criticism?