Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future is a "future history" science fiction novel written in 1930 by the British author Olaf Stapledon. A work of unprecedented scale in the genre, it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across two billion years and eighteen distinct human species, of which our own is the first and most primitive. Stapledon's conception of history is based on the Hegelian Dialectic, following a repetitive cycle with many varied civilizations rising from and descending back into savagery over millions of years, but it is also one of progress, as the later civilizations rise to far greater heights than the first. The book anticipates the science of genetic engineering, and is an early example of the fictional supermind; a consciousness composed of many telepathically-linked individuals.A controversial part of the book depicts humans, in the far-off future, escaping the dying Earth and settling on Venus - in the process totally exterminating its native inhabitants, an intelligent marine species. Stapledon's book has been interpreted by some as condoning such interplanetary genocide as a justified act if necessary for racial survival, though a number of Stapledon's partisans denied that such was his intention, arguing instead that Stapledon was merely showing that although mankind had advanced in a number of ways in the future, at bottom it still possessed the same capacity for savagery as it has always had. Views: 27
Based on remarkable new research, acclaimed historian Alexander Rose
brings to life the true story of the spy ring that helped America win
the Revolutionary War. For the first time, Rose takes us beyond the
battlefront and deep into the shadowy underworld of double agents and
triple crosses, covert operations and code breaking, and unmasks the
courageous, flawed men who inhabited this wilderness of
mirrors—including the spymaster at the heart of it all. In the
summer of 1778, with the war poised to turn in his favor, General
George Washington desperately needed to know where the British would
strike next. To that end, he unleashed his secret weapon: an unlikely
ring of spies in New York charged with discovering the enemy’s battle
plans and military strategy. Washington’s small band included
a young Quaker torn between political principle and family loyalty, a
swashbuckling sailor addicted to the perils of espionage, a
hard-drinking barkeep, a Yale-educated cavalryman and friend of the
doomed Nathan Hale, and a peaceful, sickly farmer who begged Washington
to let him retire but who always came through in the end. Personally
guiding these imperfect everyday heroes was Washington himself. In an
era when officers were gentlemen, and gentlemen didn’ t spy, he
possessed an extraordinary talent for deception—and proved an adept
spymaster. The men he mentored were dubbed the Culper Ring. The
British secret service tried to hunt them down, but they escaped by
the closest of shaves thanks to their ciphers, dead drops, and
invisible ink. Rose’s thrilling narrative tells the unknown story of
the Revolution–the murderous intelligence war, gunrunning and
kidnapping, defectors and executioners—that has never appeared in the
history books. But Washington’s Spies is also a spirited, touching
account of friendship and trust, fear and betrayal, amid the dark and
silent world of the spy. Views: 27
A fascinating exploration of how computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? Exploring how insights from computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, 'Algorithms To Live By' helps to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind. When should you switch between different tasks, and how many tasks should you take on in the first place? How much messiness should you accept? What balance of new activities and familiar favourites is the most fulfilling? When computers face constraints of time and space, they too must untangle very human questions: how to have better hunches, when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. And the solutions they've found have much to teach us. Acclaimed author Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths show how the algorithms developed for computers can be... Views: 27
While on vacation near Silver Springs, Arkansas, Tulsa lawyer Ben Kincaid ( Deadly Justice , Ballantine. 1993.) hastily agrees to defend a young white supremacist accused of murdering a local Vietnamese immigrant. Although time is of the essence, town hostilities and prejudices make Ben's life difficult--even with the aid of his own "A team" (male secretary, private gumshoe, and on-leave detective). Flawed plot, shallow characters, and lack of finesse, however, do not make a winning combination. Views: 27