David versus Goliath in Silicon Valley—an epic attempt to take back the Internet
Their idea was simple. Four NYU undergrads wanted to build a social network that would allow users to control their personal data, instead of surrendering it to big businesses like Facebook. They called it Diaspora. In days, they raised $200,000, and reporters, venture capitalists, and the digital community’s most legendary figures
were soon monitoring their progress. Max dreamed of being a CEO. Ilya was the idealist. Dan coded like a pro, and Rafi tried to keep them all on track. But as the months passed and the money ran out, the Diaspora Four fell victim to errors, bad decisions, and their own hubris. In November 2011, Ilya committed suicide.
Diaspora has been tech news since day one, but the story reaches far beyond Silicon Valley to the now urgent issues about the future of the Internet. With the cooperation of the surviving partners, New York Times bestselling author Jim Dwyer tells a riveting story of four ambitious and naÏve young men who tried to rebottle the genie of personal privacy—and paid the ultimate price. Views: 987
A collection of flash fiction to celebrate the first anniversary of Great Flash Fiction on 29th March 2015.Eight stories from six of our authors: Maryann Holloway, Christine Brand, Becky Spence, Candida Spillard, Karen Storey & Namitha Varma.Stories include Alphabet Stories and Micro Fiction.Before she met Sean, all Gwen had to worry about was climbing the corporate ladder. Now she’s got to contend with breakups, crazy exes, a painful secret and a man dressed as a hotdog.If only Sean weren’t so good looking and kind. If only her heart would stick to the plans she’d made with so much care. If only the night sky weren’t so beautiful when you view it lying next to someone you love. Views: 764
"Slightly psychic" U.S. Marshal Will Castleton's tropical vacation is no escape from his past. This short story finds Will Castleton - who also appears in the novel DEATH SIGHT and THE CASTLETON FILES story collection - racing time through a hurricane to save a woman's life, the reporter who cashed in on the tragedy resulting in his psychic abilities hot on his trail.A short, fun summer romance novella. Kaliyah Simon just broke up with her cheating boyfriend, and now that summer break is here, all she wants is a quiet, boy-free summer. To focus on work, reading, and her tan. But then she meets up with her old high school nemesis, Isaiah Winters, on the way home, and he seems more interested in being friends than enemies. Can Kaliyah lower her walls and get over seven years of pushing Isaiah away and find out what it would be like to actually be with him? With her best friend going boy-crazy, a twenty-first birthday looming on the horizon, Isaiah continually showing up on her doorstep, and an ex that seems to want her back, Kaliyah’s summer promises to be anything but quiet. Views: 660
An American boy struggles with village life in Franco's Spain. He is baffled by his enemy.Magic is real - just not always in the ways you've imagined.Punk guitar player Kaya Cade is rather down on her luck. She's lost her job, her home, and frankly the band is going nowhere. But what really puts an exclamation mark on just how bad her situation is, is when she's attacked and almost has her eyes gouged out by a creature possessing superhuman speed and strength. Battered, dazed and confused, she believes she has encountered a faerie (not fairy, as those are cute) and turns to an ex-friend for help, Jennifer Airhart.The two had bonded as children and been close as sisters. But, as they grew, Jennifer became increasingly shy of and withdrawn from the world while Kaya found herself drawn to others who seemed outwardly stronger - and may have encouraged Kay's more aggressive tendencies, particularly toward Jen.Because of the evidence Jen is compelled to help, and together they embark on an adventure that sees them come up against the rambling CEO of a research and development company, ‘faeries’, changelings, Killer Aqua Bunnies, and The Little Queen - a tired young girl who won’t rest until she’s had revenge.Taking inspiration from fantasy and folklore and presenting it as exciting science fiction, The Little Queen is a fun adventure and thriller that will leave you asking one question - Just where the hell did that lighthouse computer come from anyway? Views: 645
its about three friends who get tricked into reciving the power to change parts of their bodies to animal parts (i.e. hawk wings) and they end up entering an organizationBilaal and the Giant Tree is a book comprising of three short stories with an Islamic moral. It's about a young Muslim boy named Bilaal and Sparkles, his cat.Everyday lessons are made fun and easy with his best friend around!So if you are a parent trying to find Islamic books for kids that are engaging and teach Islamic values such as green living through recycling and saving water, your children will love Bilaal in these short stories!***What readers have said about the book***"I just loved these stories. In an age where it's difficult to find literature which not only is stimulating, but also positively influences children's impressionable minds, writers like Yousuf bring a refreshing change with stories that consciously carry a valuable lesson that the child can take away. Perfect for parents who are looking to teach their children character - through a character!" - A.R Samuel"I like the morale conveyed in all the three stories. Children love imagination and repetitive words with good flow in a story and I thought that you could improve in these area. You certainly have a talent to write and you will only get better from now. I hope to see many more of your books in the future." - Aida S Cameron***About the Author***Tasneem Yousuf is a young stay-at-home mum of two, who got her inspiration to write from her two young nephews and first born son, who all have an insatiable appetite for stories!Simple. Down to earth. Nature lover. Conservationist.All traits that she would love for her children. Views: 534
Seventy humor essays about life in general, originally published in The Suttertown News in the last century.excerpt:"Cats are deceptive animals, and while it may not be good for a cat to be shaved before it is named, it's probably a good idea to at least wet it down good to see what it looks like under all the hair. "from Shave Your CatBefore she met Sean, all Gwen had to worry about was climbing the corporate ladder. Now she’s got to contend with breakups, crazy exes, a painful secret and a man dressed as a hotdog.If only Sean weren’t so good looking and kind. If only her heart would stick to the plans she’d made with so much care. If only the night sky weren’t so beautiful when you view it lying next to someone you love. Views: 520
Nine short stories set in the 19th, 20th and 21st century, from Professor Kurtz and his paper on "human de-evolvement," to giant sea turtles appearing in neighborhood swimming pools. How can we be certain of anything?These short stories are about what we may think we see and feel as much as they are about any reality we are living in. From the well known Professor Kurtz and his groundbreaking paper on "human de-evolvement," to giant sea turtles suddenly appearing in neighborhood swimming pools, to state governments desperately searching for novel ways to raise money in dire economic times, and to hope in unusual places. We all continue to look for resolution of some kind. Do we not? Views: 406
Fleeing a devastating war, Mana arrives on a remote colony world with a mysterious cargo which could ensure the salvation of humanity. But is her mission really a fool's errand and can Mana overcome the legacy of her own past to find a new future?Tandav is a sad story of unspoken love between two men, Kevin, a successful and rich structural engineer, and Patrick, a financially strapped HIV positive dancer in recovery. Kevin is uncomfortable living with his wife, Annie, without knowing why. He seeks divorce and loses custody of his daughter, Kimberley, age 12. But when Kimberley runs away from her mother’s home to be with him, Annie is livid but he is happy. Still feeling lonely, Kevin joins a hiking group, meets Patrick, and brings him home as a live-in companion to him and his daughter and as a dance teacher to both of them. A strong emotional bond ties the three lives together. One day while Kimberly is home sick, she is sexually attacked by an invader. Her scream brings Pat to the scene who subdues the attacker, shoves a Perrier bottle in his anus, and gets arrested for sexual assault. Kevin is furious at the police, gets Pat out of jail on bail, and hires a private detective to find out the truth about the Kimberley attack. The private eye investigation reveals the attacker to be a member of Faggot Hunt club sent specifically to kill Pat but engages in opportunistic assault on Kimberley. There is speculation that Annie is behind all this. Kevin is now in revenge mode. Tragic events follow. Views: 314
IN his lecture on "The Poetic Principle," in leading down to his definition of poetry, Edgar Allan Poe has called attention to the three faculties, intellect, feeling, and will, and shown that poetry, that the whole realm of aesthetics in fact, is concerned primarily and solely with the second of these. Does it satisfy a sense of beauty? This is his sole test of a poem or of any work of art, the aim being neither to appeal to the intellect by satisfying the reason or inculcating truth, nor to appeal to the will by satisfying the moral sense or inculcating duty. The standard has often been criticised as narrow; yet it embodies a large and fundamental element of truth. If in connection with it we study the Negro we shall find that two things are observable. One is that any distinction so far won by a member of the race in America has been almost always in some one of the arts; and the other is that any influence so far exerted by the Negro on American civilization has been primarily in the field of aesthetics. To prove the point we may refer to a long line of beautiful singers, to the fervid oratory of Douglass, to the sensuous poetry of Dunbar, to the picturesque style of DuBois, to the mysticism of the paintings of Tanner, and to the elemental sculpture of Meta Warrick Fuller. Even Booker Washington, most practical of Americans, proves the point, the distinguishing qualities of his speeches being anecdote and brilliant concrete illustration. Views: 312
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition. Views: 297
South American Fights and Fighters - And Other Tales of Adventure is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Cyrus Townsend Brady is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Cyrus Townsend Brady then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. Views: 278
Six tales of everyday life in an Iowa community Views: 260
HardPress Classic Books Series Views: 223
The Building of the Ship Just half a century had elapsed since, cutting down the virgin forest to make room for the ways, they laid her keel blocks in the clearing. With the cunning brain of Henry Eckford, one of the greatest of our shipbuilders, to plan, and the skilful hands of the New England shipwrights to execute, with timber cut by the sturdy woodsmen from where it stood in the forest, the giant frames rose apace, until presently, in an incredibly short time, there stood upon Ship House Point a mighty vessel ready for the launching. Views: 215
This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them. Views: 210
