Why we are on the cusp of a new economic era that will make the changes and challenges of the Information Era seem like child’s play From the bestselling authors of Blur—a defining book of the Information Age—comes a startling glimpse into the near future and the emerging economy that awaits us. It’s Alive foretells the jolt the world is about to receive as the science of molecular evolution races out of the laboratories and into the business world. Think back to the early 1970s. Imagine the opportunities for your business, career choice, and investments had you received an advance report on the ways in which computer and information technology would revolutionize the world. It’s Alive provides that opportunity today: a realistic and persuasive look into the future—the molecular economy—and how it is starting to overtake and reshape the Information Age. Today’s gene mapping and molecular engineering are equivalent to the introduction of transistor radios at the advent of the information economy. Solid-state technology moved from the labs into the business arena, providing in turn the transistor, the microprocessor, and the modem—and the information business. During the next ten years, molecular technology will follow the same pattern, moving from the lab and into the basic operation of the corporation itself. Chris Meyer and Stan Davis are our guides in understanding this new future. They show that not only biological systems evolve. The rules of evolution help explain the process of change in biology, business, and the economy, thereby providing a management guide to the business world around the corner. It’s Alive is not science fiction or futurism. It bases its insights and predictions on the impact the molecular economy is already having in such diverse business environments as manufacturing, financial services, and energy. Through in-depth case studies of Capital One Financial, the U.S. Marine Corps, British Petroleum, and the biotech firm Maxygen, Meyer and Davis show how adaptive behavior works in the real world. As the rules of evolution combine with the connected economy, our business world will become unpredictable, volatile, and continually adaptive—in other words, alive. Also available as an eBook.

Goosebumps now on Disney+! Livvy and Jayden are the stars of their school's robotics team. Livvy is especially enthusiastic because her own mother works in a robotics lab and experiments with Artificial Intelligence. To impress her mom, Livvy and Jayden build a robot. Livvy wants to name their robot "Francine," but Jayden thinks that's too silly for their creation. Desperate to win, Livvy and Jayden "borrow" an Artificial Intelligence module. They soon realize they've made a terrible mistake. Francine has too much brain power. She's alive! And using this newly gained brain power to dream up a deadly contest!

One of the world’s premier collections of horror and sci-fi movie posters amassed, not altogether surprisingly, by the dark mind of Metallica’s lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett. Before Kirk Hammett assumed the heavy metal mantle of one of the most successful and beloved bands in rock history, he was a geek for the imaginative universe of horror. This generously illustrated book highlights the finest examples from Hammett’s personal collection—an astonishing trove of horror and sci-fi film posters that span the history of the genre. The guitarist credits his musical force to a lifelong fascination with the gothic fantasy developed in these films and their original posters. In this volume, several intriguing essays cover the history of the film poster, the brain’s response to fear, and Hammett’s own contributions to the world of the macabre.

There are few other human inventions that are likely to have as large an impact on our lives as machines that can think . . . The steam engine liberated our muscles; the computer is set to liberate our minds. The development of Artificial Intelligence is an adventure as bold and ambitious as any that humans have attempted. And the truth is that thinking machines are already an indispensable part of our lives. Without them, Google couldn’t answer your questions in a fraction of a second. Autonomous cars would exist only in science fiction. And your smartphone would be . . . just a phone. In countless ways, with every passing day, AI is shaping and reshaping our world. But where will AI technologies take us in the future? Will thinking machines destroy our jobs? Could their intelligence surpass our own? Could the rise of AI threaten the very existence of humanity? Leading researcher Toby Walsh takes us on a surprising and inspiring journey through the story of Artificial Intelligence – revealing how it is already transforming our societies, our economies and even ourselves – and makes ten fascinating predictions about what it will have achieved by the year 2050. ‘A whirlwind tour through the history and the future of AI - and why it matters to all of us. A must-read.’ —Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Udacity, a Google Fellow and VP, and a Research Professor at Stanford University. ‘Toby Walsh’s story of how artificial intelligence evolved from the dreams of Alan Turing to a powerful technological force today is exciting, insightful and incisive. Will his predictions about how AI will change life as we know it in the coming decades prove equally dead-on? I, for one, would not bet against him!’ —Henry Kautz, past President of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and Founding Director of Institute for Data Science and Professor at University of Rochester ‘It’s Alive! addresses a broad range of issues in clear and refreshingly non-technical language that is suitable for readers who are looking to explore the subject without being scared off by too much scientific jargon.’ —Chris Saliba, Books+Publishing ‘Toby Walsh is one of those rare individuals who combine a deep knowledge of AI technology, a serious interest in its economic and social implications, and a verve for lively and engaging writing. If you want real insights about the coming future of machines that think better and faster than humans in more and more domains, then you need to read this book.’ —Erik Brynjolfsson, professor at MIT and coauthor of The Second Machine Age and Machine, Platform, Crowd

The creators of the award-winning science podcast for kids, Brains On!, present a humorous, highly illustrated, fact- and fun-filled look at life on Earth— from deep sea creatures and carnivorous plants to the human body and stinky bacteria. Perfect for STEM collections! Did you ever wonder why jellyfish sting? Or if trees communicate with each other? How about why you can't tickle yourself? Well hold on to your noggins, because you're about to find out! Join the creators of the award-winning science podcast Brains On! as they explore the uber-awesome and sometimes gross world of biology—aka the study of living things. Inside these pages, you'll meet animals with superpowers, plants that eat meat, brains that trick you, and tiny microbes that live, well . . . all over you! Packed with mind-boggling facts and laugh-out-loud jokes, this book promises a brain-bending, jaw-dropping, belly-laughing good time as readers watch the world around them come ALIVE.

Offers readers a comprehensive reference to the world of film, including more than ten thousand DVD titles, along with information on performers, ratings, running times, plots, and helpful features.

The authors, junior high students and best friends David and Asa, along with best-selling author Marya Washington Tyler, took the kind of gooey, slimy, disgusting science facts that students love and turned them into hilarious math problems. Problems in It's Alive! include: When's the last time you had your students calculate their chances of being eaten by a crocodile? The percent of seats at Yankee Stadium that do not have gum stuck to them? The number of skin scales they lost in the last 20 minutes? The number of flushes it would take to overflow their city's wastewater treatment tank? Or how many gigabytes their brain can hold? These and other intriguing problems await your students in this book designed to teach children to translate statements and questions into mathematical equations. All the problems are based on known scientific facts. This is math. This is real. This is alive! Included is a comprehensive answer key, reproducible blackline masters, and hilarious illustrations. This is math the way it ought to be—tough, fun, and...a little weird. For even more exciting and strange math problems, see the follow-up It's Alive! And Kicking! Grades 4-8

How can Christianity touch the imagination of our contemporaries when ever fewer people in the West identify as religious? Timothy Radcliffe argues we must show how everything we believe is an invitation to live fully. God says: 'I put before you life and death: choose life'. Anyone who understands the beauty and messiness of human life – novelists, poets, filmmakers and so on – can be our allies, whether they believe or not. The challenge is not today's secularism but its banality. We accompany the disciples as they struggle to understand this strange man who heals, casts out demons and offers endless forgiveness. In the face of death, he teaches them what it means to be alive in God. Then he embraces all that afflicts and crushes humanity. Finally, Radcliffe explores what it means for us to be alive spiritually, physically, sacramentally, justly and prayerfully. The result is a compelling new understanding of the words of Jesus: 'I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.'

"Cuozzo writes with anecdotal wit of his experiences at the nation's oldest continuously published daily newspaper, founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton. His story begins in 1972, when he debuted as a copyboy and The Post was still Dorothy Schiff's respectable but flagging liberal afternoon paper. When Rupert Murdoch became the once and future proprietor in 1977, he immediately infused the pages with energy, reenvisioning their politics, their prose, their sensibility. Call it loud, call it brassy, but the reinvented Post became "the engine of the shift in the popular imagination" that drove the renewal of America's healthy tabloid culture." "It's Alive! is also the inside account of how the paper became a tabloid saga in itself. Its will to live was remarkable. In 1987, when Murdoch lost his battle with the FCC to own both The Post and six television stations, his first tenure on South Street came to an end, precipitating the paper's first brush with death. What lay ahead was a "harrowing five-year parenthesis in The Post's rightful ownership." Under new owner Peter Kalikow, the paper was soon locked in the aftermath of the 1987 stock market crash and a death-duel with the archenemy Daily News. In fits and starts, The Post ground its way into 1993, bouncing checks and praying for credit." "When Kalikow, in personal bankruptcy, announced suspension of publication, mystery man Steven Hoffenberg at first appeared to be a savior. But with his own assets frozen by a federal court, Hoffenberg faced travails worse than Kalikow's. Desperate for credibility and cash, he brought in literary legend Pete Hamill as editor, and parking garage magnate Abraham Hirschfeld as a partner." "Hirschfeld wrested control, dumped Hamill for controversial Amsterdam News publisher Wilbert Tatum, and announced a far-fetched plan to "combine" the two papers. Cuozzo tells the riveting - and hilarious - story of how executives and union members alike banded together to oust Hirschfeld from the scene. Hamilton's face appeared on page one, shedding a tear. Governor Mario Cuomo pitched in to help the mutineers. And Murdoch returned to save the day, beginning the paper's transformation into a vehicle as much focused on issues as on individuals."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

“Considering the fresh attention being paid to teaching a skeptical approach to information evaluation, this series opener couldn’t be better timed. A brief but savvy guide to responsible research methods adds further luster to this crowd pleaser.” —ALA Booklist (starred review) Two Truths and a Lie is the first book in a fascinating new series that presents some of the most crazy-but-true stories about the living world as well as a handful of stories that are too crazy to be true—and asks readers to separate facts from fakes! Did you know that there is a fungus that can control the mind of an ant and make it do its bidding? Would you believe there is such a thing as a corpse flower—a ten-foot-tall plant with a blossom that smells like a zombie? How about a species of octopus that doesn’t live in water but rather lurks in trees in the Pacific Northwest? Every story in this book is strange and astounding. But not all of them are real. Just like the old game in this book’s title, two out of every three stories are completely true and one is an outright lie. Can you guess which? It’s not going to be easy. Some false stories are based on truth, and some of the true stories are just plain unbelievable. And they’re all accompanied by dozens of photos, maps, and illustrations. Amaze yourself and trick your friends as you sort out the fakes from the facts! Acclaimed authors Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson have teamed up to create a series of sneaky stories about the natural world designed to amaze, disgust, and occasionally bamboozle you.