Connie Willis has won more Hugo and Nebula awards than any other science fiction author. Now, with her trademark wit and inventiveness, she explores the intimate relationship between science, pop culture, and the arcane secrets of the heart. Sandra Foster studies fads—from Barbie dolls to the grunge look—how they start and what they mean. Bennett O'Reilly is a chaos theorist studying monkey group behavior. They both work for the HiTek corporation, strangers until a misdelivered package brings them together. It's a moment of synchronicity—if not serendipity—which leads them into a chaotic system of their own, complete with a million-dollar research grant, caffé latte, tattoos, and a series of unlucky coincidences that leaves Bennett monkeyless, fundless, and nearly jobless. Sandra intercedes with a flock of sheep and an idea for a joint project. (After all, what better animal to study both chaos theory and the herd mentality that so often characterizes human behavior?) But scientific discovery is rarely straightforward and never simple, and Sandra and Bennett have to endure a series of setbacks, heartbreaks, dead ends, and disasters before they find their ultimate answer. . . . Praise for Bellwether “One of science fiction's best writers.”—The Denver Post “Connie Willis deploys the apparatus of science fiction to illuminate character and relationships, and her writing is fresh, subtle, and deeply moving.”—The New York Times Book Review “Keen social satire touched with genuine humanity . . . Connie Willis's fiction is one of the most intelligent delights of our genre.”—Locus “A sheer pleasure to read . . . Sprightly, intelligent fun.”—Publishers Weekly

'A stunningly good debut ... that will keep readers up all night' Steven Galloway, author of the Cellist of Sarajevo 'The novel has at its lodestone Brideshead Revisited. Donna Tartt's The Secret History is also in the DNA here ... Readers will find themselves transfixed by this richly drawn cast of characters' Independent Bright, bookish Oscar Lowe has grown to love the quiet routine of his life as a care assistant at a Cambridge nursing home, until the fateful day when he is lured into King's College chapel by the otherworldly sound of an organ. There he meets and falls in love with Iris Bellwether and her privileged, eccentric clique, led by her brother Eden. A troubled but charismatic music prodigy, Eden convinces his sister and their friends to participate in a series of disturbing experiments. However, as the line between genius and madness begins to blur, Oscar fears that danger could await them all ... Benjamin Wood's brilliant debut novel will delight fans of The Secret History and Never Let Me Go. Praise for The Bellwether Revivals: 'Read it. Quite a debut' Patrick Neate 'Suffused with intelligence and integrity' Guardian 'Effortlessly vivid ... Wood's confident, sometimes creepy novel draws you in ... and then, once you're inside, holds on, ever tightening the grip' Independent on Sunday 'There's more than a hint of Donna Tartt's The Secret History about this novel … highly effective' Daily Mail

The Adélie penguin is one of the best-studied birds in the world and is the subject of research programs from a dozen nations interested in monitoring changes in the environment and the food webs of the Southern Ocean. This species' population has been changing dramatically over the past few decades coincident with a general warming of the maritime portion of Antarctica. When the sea-ice is seen to decline so does the population of Adélie penguins. Further south, however, the population is increasing. This book summarizes our present ecological knowledge of this polar seabird. In so doing, David Ainley describes the ecological factors important to its life history and details the mechanisms by which it is responding to climate change. The author also chronicles the history of research on Adélie penguins, beginning with the heroic expeditions at the beginning of the twentieth century. Weaving together history, ecology, natural history, and written accounts from the earliest Antarctic naturalists into a fascinating account of this charismatic bird, The Adélie Penguin provides a foundation upon which future ornithological research and environmental monitoring can be based. It is a model for investigations into the effect of climate change on a particular species. The book also contains many fine illustrations from the accomplished illustrator Lucia deLeiris and photographs by the author.

A triumphant memoir by the former editor-in-chief of French Elle that reveals an indomitable spirit and celebrates the liberating power of consciousness. In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young children, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book. By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy, and deep sadness, of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father's voice on the phone. In magical sequences, he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously, he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an "inexhaustible reservoir of sensations," keeping in touch with himself and the life around him. Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This book is a lasting testament to his life.

A young music prodigy goes missing from a hotel room that was the site of an infamous murder-suicide fifteen years earlier, renewing trauma for a bridesmaid who witnessed the first crime and rallying an eccentric cast of characters during a snowstorm that traps everyone on the grounds.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Chinese Conference on Trusted Computing and Information Security, CTCIS 2018, held in Wuhan, China, in October 2018. The 24 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 73 submissions. The papers are centered around cryptography, systems security, trusted computing, information security, and network security.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Product-Focused Software Process Improvement, PROFES 2021, held in Turin, Italy, in November 2021. Due to COVID-19 pandemic the conference was held as a hybrid event. The 20 revised papers, including 14 full papers, 3 short papers and 3 industry papers, presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 48 submissions. The papers cover a broad range of topics related to professional software development and process improvement driven by product and service quality needs. They are organized in the following topical sections: agile and migration, requirements, human factors, and software quality.

CEO and award-winning business writer John R. Brandt offers concrete examples of how any organization can innovate in ways that delight customers and attract top-level talent. Nincompoopery--terrible customer service, idiotic business processes, and soul-crushing management practices--surrounds all of us. We lose time, patience, and profits as stuck-in-the-past organizations actively prevent us (and our customers) from getting the value we (and they) deserve. In Nincompoopery, Brandt leverages research across thousands of companies to show leaders how to find and kill the corporate stupidity that drives customers crazy. It usually starts by asking simple questions, such as: Why should our customers have to rekey their data multiple times to make a single purchase? Why are there four levels of approval just to order basic supplies? Why can’t we get qualified candidates for open positions, or provide new employees with decent training? In short: How did we become such nincompoops? And when will we stop? Brandt has worked with hundreds of companies to help them outwit competitors, and in this book, he shares his unique blueprint for success. Nincompoopery offers leaders the answers they need--and the profits they crave--with a scoop of humor on the side.

As society evolves in the direction of innovation, digital influence, and rapid information delivery, workplaces must follow suit in order to remain relevant and engaging to modern employees. Bill Fox, a thought leader and author with decades of experience in the business world, has interviewed 31 global business leaders about how they create workplaces that continue to adapt with the times, where each team thrives at each level. These lessons go beyond the limitations of “best practices” and “working smarter”, and instead focus on insights and strategies to bridge the gap between the Industrial Age and the new “Forward-Thinking Age”. The Future of the Workplace offers advice for the leaders, managers, and employees of both today and tomorrow. Fox discusses macro and micro topics with influential figures such as Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks; Steph Holloway, body language and communication expert; David Marquet, author of Turn the Ship Around; John Bell, former CEO of Jacobs Suchard; Perry Marshall, author of Evolution 2.0; and many more. You will gain applicable tools to shift attitudes and bring transformative change to your organization, creating a productive and realistic future for both your team and yourself. The very nature of the dynamic between employer and employee is divergent from what it was merely 10 years ago. Perspectives from different members of multiple types of teams and company structures are offered in this book in order to ensure a well-rounded view of how the future of workplaces can best accommodate everybody. The world is significantly shifting in personal, economic, and political ways, and The Future of the Workplace is your guide to effectively embracing these new challenges for the better. What You Will Learn Shares new insights to help resolve some of today's most vexing workplace challengesReveals perspectives from different members on a team on how the workplace has evolved Learn how to trigger change to create a more adequate and healthy workplace environment Who This Book Is For Anyone looking for new and better ways to transform the workplace including, consultants, managers, and leaders