Computer Age

The background noise of power grids working alongside water pipelines carrying liquid and trains moving along tracks represent the hidden heartbeat of modern civilization which supports our global connectedness. The vital systems supporting our economies and societies remain hidden from everyday view while they sustain both the simple and complex aspects of daily life. At the heart of this critical infrastructure lies a network of sophisticated control systems: SCADA–Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.

From drone warfare in the Middle East to digital spying by the National Security Agency, the US government has harnessed the power of cutting-edge technology to awesome effect. But what happens when ordinary people have the same tools at their fingertips? Advances in cybertechnology, biotechnology, and robotics mean that more people than ever before have access to potentially dangerous technologies that could be used to attack states and private citizens alike.

Combining the deft social analysis of Where Good Ideas Come From with the optimistic arguments of Everything Bad Is Good for You, New York Times best-selling author Steven Johnson's Future Perfect makes the case that a new model of political change is on the rise, transforming everything from local governments to classrooms, from protest movements to health care. Johnson paints a compelling portrait of this new political worldview.

A penetrating guide to artificial intelligence: what it is, what it does, and how it will change our lives. At a breathtaking pace, artificial intelligence is getting better and faster at making complex decisions. AI can already identify malignant tumors on CT scans, give legal advice, out-bluff the best poker players in the world, and, with ever-increasing skill, drive our cars.

In a world where technology is reshaping how we earn, save, and invest, Rich in the Making is your ultimate guide to achieving financial freedom. Whether you’re starting fresh, battling debt, or looking to leverage AI-driven tools to grow your wealth, this book delivers actionable strategies, clear insights, and the motivation you need to thrive in the digital money revolution.

Five human superpowers give us a unique advantage in a world being taken over by robots and other advanced technology. Learn to harness your superpowers to survive, compete, and thrive in today's advanced world.

AI is becoming ubiquitous. Whatever its arrival portends for our future, whether riches or ruin, it cannot be avoided. The Artifice of Intelligence explores two questions at the heart of a theological response to AI. Is it possible for human beings to have authentic relationships with an AI? How does the increasing presence of AI change the way humans relate to one another? In pursuing answers to these questions, Herzfeld explores what it means to be created in the image of God and to create AI in our own image.

Machines That Think explores how artificial intelligence helps us understand human intelligence, machines that compose music and write stories - and asks if AI is really a threat. Sometime in the future, the intelligence of machines will exceed that of human brain power. So are we on the edge of an AI-pocalypse, with superintelligent devices superseding humanity, as predicted by Stephen Hawking? Or will this herald a kind of utopia, with machines doing a far better job at complex tasks than us?

In A World Without Email, Cal Newport argues that this steady flow of distractions disrupts us from achieving any meaningful work, causes us undue stress and is costing businesses millions in the form of untapped potential. Newport shows us how to completely reimagine and redesign workflow and processes without the constant pings of emails distracting us.

We like to believe we're moving closer to equality, riding the wave of technological progress into a brighter, fairer future. But beneath the glossy surface of innovation lies a chilling truth: new technologies are not just failing to solve age-old inequalities—they're deepening them. In The New Age of Sexism, acclaimed author and activist Laura Bates exposes how misogyny is being coded into the very fabric of our future.

In Distracted, journalist Maggie Jackson ponders our increasingly cyber-centric world and fears we're entering a dark age of interruption that will render us unable to think critically, work creatively or cultivate meaningful relationships.

Our data-intensive world is here to stay, but does that come at the cost of our humanity in terms of autonomy, community, dignity, and equality? In We, the Data, Wendy H. Wong argues that we cannot allow that to happen. Exploring the pervasiveness of data collection and tracking, Wong reminds us that we are all stakeholders in this digital world, who are currently being left out of the most pressing conversations around technology, ethics, and policy.

Cybernetic, genetic engineering, body shaping and more.... In this noirish-cyberpunk tale, set in a dystopian and not too unlikely future, Panda and her hacker friend Hardwired try to track down a murderer when the police won't help. But what happens if he finds them first?

In simple and easy-to-understand language, this book provides you with the knowledge and tools to recognize and counteract cyber threats, helping you navigate the digital world with confidence and security.

Artificial intelligence is shaping our world in fascinating ways, from digital assistants to self-driving cars. But AI can seem complex and intimidating. This fun and engaging book unravels the mysteries of AI for pre-teens and teens ages 10-19 in an accessible way. In ‘AI for Smart Pre-Teens and Teens Ages 10-19’, you will learn all about the building blocks of AI, including machine learning, deep learning and neural networks. The book covers the history of AI from early computational systems up through the cutting-edge innovations powering the future. You will discover how AI already ...

Twelve-year-old Kai Nguyen is a nobody at school—but in StarForge, he’s NebulaKnight: fearless, famous, and almost cool enough to wear a cape. When a cruel prank turns his gamer glory into public humiliation, Kai retreats from reality… until a mysterious arcade cabinet, a glowing token, and a tabletop roleplaying game start to blur the line between game and life. With bullies on his trail, friendships on the edge, and a magical trial unfolding, Kai must find the courage to fight back—not with laser axes, but with loyalty, imagination, and one very unexpected team. It’s game on—...

Medieval Robots recovers the forgotten history of fantastical, aspirational, and terrifying machines that captivated Europe in imagination and reality between the ninth and 14th centuries. E. R. Truitt traces the different forms of self-moving or self-sustaining manufactured objects from their earliest appearances in the Latin West through centuries of mechanical and literary invention. This original and wide-ranging study reveals the convergence of science, technology, and imagination in medieval culture.

You have been awakened. Floppy disk inserted, computer turned on, a whirring, and then this sentence, followed by a blinking cursor. So begins Suspended, the first computer game to obsess seven-year-old Michael, to worm into his head and change his sense of reality. Thirty years later he will write: "Computer games have taught me the things you can't learn from people." Gamelife is the memoir of a childhood transformed by technology.

Unleash Your Inner Superhero: Hack the Quantum Code and Craft Your Future! Embark on a thrilling journey into the world of quantum computing, where the impossible becomes commonplace. Discover the amazing potential of this revolutionary technology and how it will transform our future. In this book, you will: Understand how things work in the quantum realm, and why you need to rethink all your assumptions. Explore the fascinating secrets of qubits and the algorithms that rewrite reality. Delve into the diverse career paths in this burgeoning field, from coding for mystical machines to ...

A new way of thinking that improves how we work, create and live, empowering listeners to outsmart AI—a tool that can never do what humans do.