Silicon Embrace


Book Description

A near-future where technology and ancient spiritual secrets merge into something very strange... something as strange as a silicon embrace. America has suffered ecological breakdown and the Second Civil War. But the balkanization of the U.S.—along with humanity’s secret history and what has really been going on in Area 51 and UFOs for decades—are all part of a startling convergence which will transform humanity... or destroy it. * * * Reviews: “John Shirley has written the best novel of his career. Mature yet youthfully indignant, spiritually insightful yet carnally streetwise, his new book is aboil with ideas and action, full of keen-eyed speculations for the future and daring revisions of history.”—Asimov’s “Silicon Embrace is at once sly, sad eloquent, gonzo, mystic, surreal, and all-American, mixing the pulpiest Sci-Fi with true literary sophistication. A new gem from John Shirley.—Locus “Angels and aliens alike figure in this metaphysical SF novel from proto-cyberpunker Shirley, who here throws UFOs, black helicopters, several major biblical figures and spiritual transcendence into the early 21st century... it's clear that the author is having fun tying together disparate UFO, conspiracy and New Age myths; readers will have fun watching him do the tying, too.”—Publishers Weekly




Silicon Embrace


Book Description

A near-future where technology and ancient spiritual secrets merge into something very strange... something as strange as a silicon embrace. America has suffered ecological breakdown and the Second Civil War. But the balkanization of the U.S.—along with humanity's secret history and what has really been going on in Area 51 and UFOs for decades—are all part of a startling convergence which will transform humanity... or destroy it. * * * Reviews: "John Shirley has written the best novel of his career. Mature yet youthfully indignant, spiritually insightful yet carnally streetwise, his new book is aboil with ideas and action, full of keen-eyed speculations for the future and daring revisions of history."—Asimov's "Silicon Embrace is at once sly, sad eloquent, gonzo, mystic, surreal, and all-American, mixing the pulpiest Sci-Fi with true literary sophistication. A new gem from John Shirley.—Locus "Angels and aliens alike figure in this metaphysical SF novel from proto-cyberpunker Shirley, who here throws UFOs, black helicopters, several major biblical figures and spiritual transcendence into the early 21st century... it's clear that the author is having fun tying together disparate UFO, conspiracy and New Age myths; readers will have fun watching him do the tying, too."—Publishers Weekly




Seek!


Book Description

The essays and memoirs collected in Seek! trace Rudy Rucker's trajectory through the final decade of the second millennium. His topics include artificial life, chaos, the big bang, Pieter Brueghel, the church of the subgenius, live sex, mathematics, science fiction, and TV evangelism. A computer scientist and programmer, Rucker is an articulate, engaging guide to the world on either side of the computer screen.




In Darkness Waiting


Book Description

No writer combines the "delight in dread" with social consciousness and metaphysical meaning the way John Shirley does. Although In Darkness Waiting begins in much the same vein as many horror novels (mysterious deaths; a small town invaded by evil; plucky, attractive young lovers; the logical level-headed doctor; some salt-of-the-earth townsfolk...) by its end you will have discovered it is not "just another horror novel." With its exploration of the "insect" inside us all, In Darkness Waiting proves more relevant today than ever. Considering a read of In Darkness Waiting is like considering a trip through the Amazon with no weapons and no vaccinations and no shoes. It's like contemplating a journey in the Arctic clad only in your underwear. Or maybe it's more like dropping into one of those spelunker's challenges, those chilling pitch-black shafts into the Earth's crust-and when you get down there your light burns out and you remember the chitinous fauna of the cavern... Unlike undertaking those endeavors, you can get through the harrowing pages of In Darkness Waiting alive (although we are not promising you'll remain unscathed.) Towards the end you'll discover one of the most extreme yet literate passages ever written. It may well be the most outré scene ever created. But John Shirley wasn't after shock alone. Shock is never enough for him.




Strange Divisions and Alien Territories


Book Description

Strange Divisions and Alien Territories explores the sub-genres of science fiction from the perspectives of a range of top SF authors. Combining a critical viewpoint with the exploration of the challenges and opportunities facing authors working in the field, contributors include Michael Swanwick, Catherine Asaro and Paul di Filippo.




A Splendid Chaos


Book Description

Zero is a young film maker who believes his whole life and career are mapped out before him. That is, until the night he and his friends walk into a rock club ... and are caught in a dazzling trap that spans worlds. They are dropped onto a dreamlike planet whose surrealistic beauty cannot hide its grotesque reality. Fool's Hope a world, so stunningly bizarre, nightmares are irrelevant. Here, abductees both human and alien are pitted against a neverending succession of hellish parasites, carnivores, shape-changers, and symbiotes. Yet the greatest enemy of all could be human. When former professor Harmon Fiskle is transformed by the Current a roving mutagenic force he is freed to pursue his megalomaniacal nature. He advocates a depraved policy of social Darwinism, and forges a grotesque alliance of Twists: men and women who have sacrificed their own humanity to become monstrous mutations of their former selves. With an entire world at stake, only Zero can solve the mystery of Fool's Hope ... if it isn't already too late.




Things:


Book Description

The relation between religion and things has long been conceived in antagonistic terms, privileging spirit above matter, belief above ritual and objects, meaning above form and 'inward' contemplation above 'outward' action. This book addresses these issues.




Wafer Fabrication


Book Description

This book systematically introduces modeling, performance evaluation and applications of Automatic Materiel Handling System (AMHS) in semiconductor manufactucing, and focuses discussion on the coordination of two subsystems. Resources dispatch and optimization are conducted on operational research combined with cases studies. Written in a practical way, it is an essential reference for researchers and engineers in manufacturing and management.




Screw the Valley


Book Description

The most exciting high-tech startups are escaping the expensive and inbred environment of Silicon Valley. Welcome to the future. Entrepreneurs know they must embrace innovation to excel—starting with where they locate their new venture. Fortunately, budding companies seeking fertile ground have more options today than ever before. Screw the Valley calls on today's entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners to forget California and explore other options across the country—cities that offer more room to breathe, easier access to funding and talented workers, fewer heads to butt, and less money down the drain. Timothy Sprinkle visits seven areas that offer a superior landscape for tech startups: Detroit New York City Las Vegas Austin Kansas City Raleigh-Durham Boulder Sprinkle gives readers a window into the startup potential in each city, detailing which industries are thriving where, and highlighting the unique appeal and character of each location. Bright ideas are not geographically limited, and innovation is happening every day in cities all over the country. It's time to think outside the box when it comes to startup location. It's time to say Screw the Valley.




Silicon Based Unified Memory Devices and Technology


Book Description

The primary focus of this book is on basic device concepts, memory cell design, and process technology integration. The first part provides in-depth coverage of conventional nonvolatile memory devices, stack structures from device physics, historical perspectives, and identifies limitations of conventional devices. The second part reviews advances made in reducing and/or eliminating existing limitations of NVM device parameters from the standpoint of device scalability, application extendibility, and reliability. The final part proposes multiple options of silicon based unified (nonvolatile) memory cell concepts and stack designs (SUMs). The book provides Industrial R&D personnel with the knowledge to drive the future memory technology with the established silicon FET-based establishments of their own. It explores application potentials of memory in areas such as robotics, avionics, health-industry, space vehicles, space sciences, bio-imaging, genetics etc.