The third installment in the hilarious middle-grade adventure series The Clone Chronicles. Fisher Bas was able to track down his gone-Hollywood Clone—Two—but only with the help of Amanda Cantrell. Now "Three" and Dr. X remain on the loose. If Fisher is going to stop his secret from coming out, he'll have to figure out a cover for his brother clone and keep Three from helping Dr. X take over the world. That proves much harder as Fisher is no longer able to keep Two a secret and crazy things start happening at Wompalog Middle School. Turns out Three has come to Palo Alto bent on eliminating Fisher and Two. The boys will have to pull together their friends and an unlikely ally to stop Three and his clone army. The future of Fisher and Two's hometown depends on it.

The second book in the hilarious middle-grade adventure series The Clone Chronicles. Fisher Bas and Two were able to thwart the evil Dr. X, but after somehow surviving the explosion at TechX Enterprises, Two is in Hollywood looking for his "mother." Fisher must bring him back to Palo Alto before his cloning secret is discovered. When a class field trip to see the Dr. Devilish science show arises, it becomes the perfect opportunity for Fisher to find his clone. But all kinds of complications will get in the way—including Amanda Cantrell, who knows more than Fisher would like about Two's identity. As Fisher, FP, and Amanda team up to find Two, they find trouble, hijinx, and the return of an evil mastermind—all set in the glitz of Hollywood.

"Twelve-year-old Fisher Bas and his clone work together to save the world after aliens disguised as twelve-year-old girls invade their town"--]cProvided by publisher.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON GLOBAL CONSERVATION 'Pilcher is both very funny and very, very clever.' Gillian Burke 'Richly entertaining throughout.' Sunday Times For the last three billion years or so, life on Earth was shaped by natural forces. Evolution tended to happen slowly, with species crafted across millennia. Then, a few hundred thousand years ago, along came a bolshie, big-brained, bipedal primate we now call Homo sapiens, and with that, the Earth's natural history came to an abrupt end. We are now living through the post-natural phase, where humans have become the leading force shaping evolution. This thought-provoking book considers the many ways that we've altered the DNA of living things and changed the fate of life on earth. We have carved chihuahuas from wolves and fancy chickens from jungle fowl. We've added spider genes to goats and coral genes to tropical fish. It's possible to buy genetically-modified pets, eat genetically-modified fish and watch cloned ponies thunder up and down the polo field. Now, as our global dominance grows, our influence extends far beyond these species. As we warm our world and radically reshape the biosphere, we affect the evolution of all living things, near and far, from the emergence of novel hybrids such as the pizzly bear, to the entirely new strains of animals and plants that are evolving at breakneck speed to cope with their altered environment. In Life Changing, Helen introduces us to these post-natural creations and talks to the scientists who create, study and tend to them. At a time when the future of so many species is uncertain, we meet some of the conservationists seeking to steer evolution onto firmer footings with novel methods like the 'spermcopter', coral IVF and plans to release wild elephants into Denmark. Helen explores the changing relationship between humans and the natural world, and reveals how, with evidence-based thinking, humans can help life change for the better.

How we talk about games as real or not-real, and how that shapes what games are made and who is invited to play them. In videogame criticism, the worst insult might be “That's not a real game!” For example, “That's not a real game, it's on Facebook!” and “That's not a real game, it's a walking simulator!” But how do people judge what is a real game and what is not—what features establish a game's gameness? In this engaging book, Mia Consalvo and Christopher Paul examine the debates about the realness or not-realness of videogames and find that these discussions shape what games get made and who is invited to play them. Consalvo and Paul look at three main areas often viewed as determining a game's legitimacy: the game's pedigree (its developer), the content of the game itself, and the game's payment structure. They find, among other things, that even developers with a track record are viewed with suspicion if their games are on suspect platforms. They investigate game elements that are potentially troublesome for a game's gameness, including genres, visual aesthetics, platform, and perceived difficulty. And they explore payment models, particularly free-to-play—held by some to be a marker of illegitimacy. Finally, they examine the debate around such so-called walking simulators as Dear Esther and Gone Home. And finally, they consider what purpose is served by labeling certain games “real."

Clones, Fakes and Posthumans: Cultures of Replication explores cloning and related phenomena that inform each other, like twins, fakes, replica, or homogeneities, through a cultural prism. What could it mean to think of a cloning mentality? Could it be that a “cloning culture” has made biotechnological cloning desirable in the first place, and vice versa that biotechnological cloning then enforces technologies of social and cultural cloning? What does it mean to say that a culture replicates? If biotechnological cloning has to do with choice and repetitive reproduction of selected characteristics, how are those kinds of desires expressed socially, politically and culturally? Lifting the issue of cloning above the biotechnological domain, we problematize the cultural context, including modernity’s readiness to imitate and manipulate nature, and the skewed privileging of desirable socialities as a basis for exclusive replication. We also explore possible relations between a cloning mentality and a consumer society that fosters a brand-name mentality. The construction and (coercive) implementation of copy-prone technological and symbolic items are at the very heart of the consumer society and its modes of mass production as they have emerged from and seek to articulate, define, and refine modernity and modernization.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... A galaxy is undermined. An army emerges. A love is forbidden. A dark turn approaches. The saga continues.

Videogames allow us to immerse ourselves in worlds that are reflective of cultural phenomena. At the same time, games are in the process of occupying and utilising the real world as a part of the game. The book provides a combination of theoretical and practical approaches to mixed reality through the lenses of game studies and pedagogy. These novel approaches invite the reader to rethink their conceptions of games and mixed reality. They are complemented with classical analyses of games and applications in educational contexts. In uniting theory and hands-on approaches, the book provides a broad spectrum that facilitates and inspires interdisciplinary thinking and work.

Scratch 3.0 has landed! Stay ahead of the curve with this fully updated guide for beginner coders. Coding is not only a highly sought-after skill in our digital world, but it also teaches kids valuable skills for life after school. This book teaches important strategies for solving problems, designing projects, and communicating ideas, all while creating games to play with their friends. Children will enjoy the step-by-step visual approach that makes even the most difficult coding concepts easy to master. They will discover the fundamentals of computer programming and learn to code through a blend of coding theory and the practical task of building computer games themselves. The reason coding theory is taught through practical tasks is so that young programmers don't just learn how computer code works - they learn why it's done that way. With Coding Games in Scratch, kids can build single and multiplayer platform games, create puzzles and memory games, race through mazes, add animation, and more. It also supports STEM education initiatives and the maker movement. Follow Simple Steps – Improve Your Skills – Share Your Games! If you like playing computer games, why not create your own? Essential coding concepts are explained using eight build-along game projects. Coding Games In Scratch guides young coders step-by-step, using visual samples, easy-to-follow instructions, and fun pixel art. This coding book for kids has everything you need to build amazing Scratch 3.0 games, including thrilling racing challenges, zany platform games, and fiendish puzzles. Follow the simple steps to become an expert coder using the latest version of the popular programming language Scratch 3.0 in this new edition. Improve your coding skills and create your own games before remixing and customizing them. Share your games online and challenge friends and family to beat each other's scores! In this book, you will: - Learn about setting the scene, what makes a good game and playability - Discover objects, rules, and goals - Explore hacks and tweaks, camera angles, fine-tuning and controls - And much more Computer coding teaches kids how to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically, and is quickly becoming a necessary and sought-after skill. DK's computer coding books for kids are full of fun exercises with step-by-step guidance, making them the perfect introductory tools for building vital skills in computer programming. Add Coding Projects in Scratch and Coding Projects in Python to your collection.

What will you learn from this book? Create apps, games, and more using this engaging, highly visual introduction to C#, .NET, and Visual Studio. In the first chapter you'll dive right in, building a fully functional game using C# and .NET MAUI that can run on Windows, Mac, and even Android and iOS devices. You'll learn how to use classes and object-oriented programming, create 3D games in Unity, and query data with LINQ. And you'll do it all by solving puzzles, doing hands-on exercises, and building real-world applications. Interested in a development career? You'll learn important development techniques and ideas—many who learned to code with this book are now professional developers, team leads, coding streamers, and more. There's no experience required except the desire to learn. And this is the best place to start. What's so special about this book? If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect: a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. With this book, you'll learn C# through a multisensory experience that engages your mind—rather than a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.