Power is in the mind. The mind is in the network. As the NAU’s "Shift" approaches, the Directorate and Enterprise parties are doing whatever they can both on-Beam and off- to win the citizen’s minds. The Beam itself, however, seems to be evolving. As more and more people become addicted to connectivity, a question arises: Does the Beam serve our minds ... or do our minds serve the Beam? Meanwhile, using politics as cover, an organization is pushing human enhancements further than they were ever meant to go — and maybe more than the struggling NAU with its hyperconnected minds can hope to survive. ★★★★★ "Another homerun for Platt and Truant. Usually second books in a series are the weak link -- that didn't happen in The Beam. Just like the first season I got sucked in to this book and told the kids to just feed themselves poptarts and leave mommy alone already so she could read. An amazing series!" -- Patricia Eimer ★★★★★ "I loved the first season, but this did such a great job of fleshing out the story line that I'm already champing at the bit for the next season." -- BruceIn Baghdad ★★★★★ "A real high-tech futuristic political thriller with a great storyline and a cliff-hanger ending that leaves you wanting for more. Can't wait to read season 3." -- beachbaby

From the bestselling authors of the Invasion and Yesterday's Gone series comes The Beam, a disturbing philosophical exploration of the future of our hyperconnected world. This chilling, intricately-plotted series is set in a futuristic dystopia where politics and technology have widened the gap between haves and have-nots. All of humanity is connected ... to The Beam and to the lie. In the year 2097, the only stable nation is the NAU: a dystopia exploding with new technologies and ruled by two political parties. The choices are Enterprise (sink-or-swim; effort and luck determine whether members prosper or starve) or Directorate, where members are guaranteed safety but can never rise above their station. Above it all is The Beam: an AI-built computer network that serves every whim and connects citizens through implants and biological add-ons. The Beam anticipates every need and has created a world within the world. It permeates everything. And is everywhere. But the NAU's power is shifting. New powers are making their moves while others hang in the balance. Behind it all, a shadowy group is pulling strings, and guiding the upcoming election exactly where they want it to go. The Beam is coming alive; immersion is as real as reality. If the NAU's power goes unchecked, the actions of a shadowy few will shape the fate of millions forever. ★★★★★ "This series is one of the best from these authors, which is saying a lot because Sean Platt/Johnny B. Truant/David Wright (any combination of the three) are by far my favorite authors. The Beam is an extremely complex world with complex characters." -- Matt Browner ★★★★★ "I'd have to say this series has them all beat because all the technologies (or magic, if you will) in this series are better developed, the characters are more involved, and the story lines are better woven. And I'm not talking about twists and turns in the plot that require suspending disbelief (yeah right), or leave you confused as to what happened. It's pretty amazing and thought-provoking." -- Burton Kent

The devastating aftermath of Shift reveals a world teetering on the edge of chaos. A rash of deaths across the political spectrum and the near-total destruction of the Organas has left a power vacuum that must be filled. But not even becoming a hologram could make Violet James forget who she is – or how important it is that she find Stephen York. Legendary hacker Ryu and his team are searching for York too, poking through holes in the Beam. Noah West, father of the Beam, is back and desperate to find Chloe Shaw – but he’s being hunted too. Alliances are forged and fates entwine as the hunt for Stephen York intensifies, Chloe Shaw rises, and another wave of deadly cleansing washes over the NAU. Can the Beam be stabilized, or will it become a tool of the one person who shouldn’t be allowed to control it?

This first episode is a FREE series-starter for the sci-fi world of The Beam: a dystopian technothriller full of intrigue and conspiracies ... and the unseen perils of our hyperconnected world. This chilling, intricately-plotted cyberpunk series is set in a futuristic dystopia where politics and technology have widened the gap between haves and have-nots -- and where power means everything. All of humanity is connected ... to The Beam and to the lie. In the year 2097, the only stable nation is the North American Union: a cyberpunk world exploding with new technologies and ruled by two political parties. The NAU allows people to choose either the Enterprise Party (sink-or-swim; effort and luck determine whether members prosper or starve) or the Directorate, where members are guaranteed safety but can never rise above their station. And above it all is The Beam: an AI-built computer network that serves every whim and connects citizens through implants and biological add-ons. The Beam anticipates every need and has created a world within the world. It permeates everything. And is everywhere. But the NAU's power is shifting. New powers are making their moves while others hang in the balance. Behind it all, a shadowy group is pulling strings, and guiding the upcoming election exactly where they want it to go. The Beam is coming alive; immersion is as real as reality. If the NAU's power goes unchecked, the actions of a shadowy few will shape the fate of millions forever. ★★★★★ "This series is one of the best from these authors, which is saying a lot because Sean Platt/Johnny B. Truant/David Wright (any combination of the three) are by far my favorite authors. The Beam is an extremely complex world with complex characters." -- Matt Browner ★★★★★ "I'd have to say this series has them all beat because all the technologies (or magic, if you will) in this series are better developed, the characters are more involved, and the story lines are better woven. And I'm not talking about twists and turns in the plot that require suspending disbelief (yeah right), or leave you confused as to what happened. It's pretty amazing and thought-provoking." -- Burton Kent Sci-fi fans of William Gibson and Neal Stephenson will love the visionary cyberpunk world of The Beam ... where politics, plots, conspiracies, and backstabbing matter as much as future itself.

Structural Modeling and Experimental Techniques presents a current treatment of structural modeling for applications in design, research, education, and product development. Providing numerous case studies throughout, the book emphasizes modeling the behavior of reinforced and prestressed concrete and masonry structures. Structural Modeling and Experimental Techniques: Concentrates on the modeling of the true inelastic behavior of structures Provides case histories detailing applications of the modeling techniques to real structures Discusses the historical background of model analysis and similitude principles governing the design, testing, and interpretation of models Evaluates the limitations and benefits of elastic models Analyzes materials for reinforced concrete masonry and steel models Assesses the critical nature of scale effects of model testing Describes selected laboratory techniques and loading methods Contains material on errors as well as the accuracy and reliability of physical modeling Examines dynamic similitude and modeling techniques for studying dynamic loading of structures Covers actual applications of structural modeling This book serves students in model analysis and experimental methods, professionals manufacturing and testing structural models, as well as professionals testing large or full-scale structures - since the instrumentation techniques and overall approaches for testing large structures are very similar to those used in small-scale modeling work.

This state-of-the-art volume covers the latest and future trends in measuring, monitoring and modeling the properties of cement based materials. The book contains 94 papers and presents the latest research work of renowned experts. It acts as a survey of the most up-to-date research in the field.

In a future that’s lost its soul, a prodigy rises. In the year 2060, an omnipresent network has made humanity into something new. Thought has been hijacked. Emotion has been co-opted. Sensation has been ramped up to eleven, and “what feels good” is all anyone needs. The monolithic O Corporation is the most powerful entity in what remains of the world, having manipulated society’s values for decades in the name of profit. O’s leader Alexa Mathis is genius, ruthless, obsessed with the idea of finding a digital savior nobody else believes in — and swings power even the rulers don’t know she has. Enter Chloe Shaw: too young, too inexperienced, and too naive for the task before her. In name, Chloe is an escort — the highest of the high in a world where sex is queen. But to those who’ve been searching, Chloe seems to be much more. Someone with strange abilities no one can explain. Someone, it seems, who’s able to control the next-gen AI network on the horizon — an omniscient and nearly omnipotent entity known as The Beam. Is Chloe who Alexa thinks she is? As society reaches its tipping point, she must try to stake a claim for our future … before our future is decided by The Beam. Sex sells, yes. But it’s never sold quite like this — with the soul of humanity as its ultimate price. The Future of Sex is a 12-episode serial that takes place in Platt and Truant’s award-winning world of The Beam.