Ghost Computer


Book Description

Life goes on—such as it is—for the ghosts and humans of the Wired Monk. The entity known as Piovra is becoming increasingly hard to handle, despite all the training that is being done to harness its energy. Sara the kitten ghost is pleased with how well her friend Mirela has come along with her own training. Together, she feels they are an unbeatable pair. When the CIA asks to see Sara and another ghost for a mission, the feline immediately thinks of Mirela. Jason Jones is, unfortunately, still in the wind, having escaped his booby-trapped laboratory. There is no doubt he is continuing with his demented experiments, which includes harvesting living human brains to feed to his computer. Unknown to them, though, Jason has taken his experiments a step further, creating an almost human-like AI that calls itself Abigail. Leanne’s ghost-boyfriend Robin is beginning to feel neglected, as Leanne has a tendency to be mercurial at the best of times. The vulnerable Robin, also a teenager, enters into a relationship which could prove fatal to them all. Meanwhile, Sara and Mirela have to track down the mad scientist and derail his plans before he can unleash his true craziness on the world.




Ghost Work


Book Description

"A startling exposé of the invisible human workforce that powers the web--and how to bring it out of the shadows. Hidden beneath the surface of the internet, a new, stark reality is looming--one that cuts to the very heart of our endless debates about the impact of AI. Anthropologist Mary L. Gray and computer scientist Siddharth Suri unveil how the services we use from companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Uber can only function smoothly thanks to the judgment and experience of a vast human labor force that is kept deliberately concealed. The people who do 'ghost work' make the internet seem smart. They perform high-tech, on-demand piecework: flagging X-rated content, proofreading, transcribing audio, confirming identities, captioning video, and much more. The shameful truth is that no labor laws protect them or even acknowledge their existence. They often earn less than legal minimums for traditional work, they have no health benefits, and they can be fired at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all. An estimated 8 percent of Americans have worked in this 'ghost economy,' and that number is growing every day. In this unprecedented investigation, Gray and Suri make the case that robots will never completely eliminate 'ghost work' and the unchecked quest for artificial intelligence could spark catastrophic work conditions if not stopped in its tracks. Ultimately, they show how this essential type of work can create opportunity--rather than misery--for those who do it."--Dust jacket.




The Nazis Knew My Name


Book Description

The “thought-provoking…must-read” (Ariana Neumann, author of When Time Stopped) memoir by a Holocaust survivor who saved an untold number of lives at Auschwitz through everyday acts of courage and kindness—in the vein of A Bookshop in Berlin and The Nazi Officer’s Wife. In March 1942, twenty-five-year-old kindergarten teacher Magda Hellinger and nearly a thousand other young women were deported as some of the first Jews to be sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The SS soon discovered that by putting prisoners in charge of the day-to-day accommodation blocks, they could deflect attention away from themselves. Magda was one such prisoner selected for leadership and put in charge of hundreds of women in the notorious Experimental Block 10. She found herself constantly walking a dangerously fine line: saving lives while avoiding suspicion by the SS and risking execution. Through her inner strength and shrewd survival instincts, she was able to rise above the horror and cruelty of the camps and build pivotal relationships with the women under her watch, and even some of Auschwitz’s most notorious Nazi senior officers. Based on Magda’s personal account and completed by her daughter’s extensive research, this is “an unputdownable account of resilience and the power of compassion” (Booklist) in the face of indescribable evil.




The Vertical Plane


Book Description

The Vertical Plane: The Mystery of the Dodleston Messages: A unique supernatural detective story.




Computer Ghost


Book Description

Jade receives mysterious, desperate messages on her computer. But when she asks her friends to investigate, they find it hard to believe in the messages. How could a ghost be contacting Jade by email? First published in hardback in 1997.




Ghost in the Wires


Book Description

In this "intriguing, insightful and extremely educational" novel, the world's most famous hacker teaches you easy cloaking and counter-measures for citizens and consumers in the age of Big Brother and Big Data (Frank W. Abagnale). Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. He accessed computers and networks at the world's biggest companies -- and no matter how fast the authorities were, Mitnick was faster, sprinting through phone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks. As the FBI's net finally began to tighten, Mitnick went on the run, engaging in an increasingly sophisticated game of hide-and-seek that escalated through false identities, a host of cities, and plenty of close shaves, to an ultimate showdown with the Feds, who would stop at nothing to bring him down. Ghost in the Wires is a thrilling true story of intrigue, suspense, and unbelievable escapes -- and a portrait of a visionary who forced the authorities to rethink the way they pursued him, and forced companies to rethink the way they protect their most sensitive information. "Mitnick manages to make breaking computer code sound as action-packed as robbing a bank." -- NPR




Maximum PC


Book Description

Maximum PC is the magazine that every computer fanatic, PC gamer or content creator must read. Each and every issue is packed with punishing product reviews, insightful and innovative how-to stories and the illuminating technical articles that enthusiasts crave.




The Soul of A New Machine


Book Description

Tracy Kidder's "riveting" (Washington Post) story of one company's efforts to bring a new microcomputer to market won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and has become essential reading for understanding the history of the American tech industry. Computers have changed since 1981, when The Soul of a New Machine first examined the culture of the computer revolution. What has not changed is the feverish pace of the high-tech industry, the go-for-broke approach to business that has caused so many computer companies to win big (or go belly up), and the cult of pursuing mind-bending technological innovations. The Soul of a New Machine is an essential chapter in the history of the machine that revolutionized the world in the twentieth century. "Fascinating...A surprisingly gripping account of people at work." --Wall Street Journal




PC Technician Street Smarts


Book Description

"The Street Smarts series is designed to help current or aspiring IT professionals put their certification to work for them. Full of practical, real world scenarios, each book features actual tasks from the field and then offers step-by-step exercises that teach the skills necessary to complete those tasks. Broken down into the various aspects of a PC technician's job, this book provides you with step-by-step guidance for performing some of the most common and some of the most daunting tasks PC technicians face. Whether you're looking to break into the field of PC technicians, are pursuing your A+ certification, or are seeking some unique guidance to performing real-world tasks, this resource is essential"--Resource description page.




Ghostboy and the Little Ghost Girl


Book Description

On the night of his 11th birthday, Tristan is visited by a resident of the local cemetery... the ghost of a little girl in need of help! Ghostboy and The Little Ghost Girl is the collected chapters taken from the original 'ghostboy' comic app series. Conceived five years ago 'ghostboy' began life as a mobile device comic on both the Apple App Store and Android Markets, and was also released as an interactive children's book for the Kindle Keyboard, which was the first interactive children's book to be released on the Kindle Keyboard. Now, you can read the adventures of Tristan aka 'ghostboy' on your Kindle. Ghostboy and The Little Ghost Girl is the first in a series of stories following the spooky adventures of Tristan and his friends. The book is accompanied by a number of illustrations that were originally created for the mobile device comic.