Books with author Clive Thompson

Hello, world.Facebook's algorithms shaping the news. Self-driving cars roaming the streets. Revolution on Twitter and romance on Tinder. We live in a world constructed of code--and coders are the ones who built it for us. From acclaimed tech writer Clive Thompson comes a brilliant anthropological reckoning with the most powerful tribe in the world today, computer programmers, in a book that interrogates who they are, how they think, what qualifies as greatness in their world, and what should give us pause. They are the most quietly influential people on the planet, and Coders shines a light on their culture.In pop culture and media, the people who create the code that rules our world are regularly portrayed in hackneyed, simplified terms, as ciphers in hoodies. Thompson goes far deeper, dramatizing the psychology of the invisible architects of the culture, exploring their passions and their values, as well as their messy history. In nuanced portraits, Coders takes us close to some of the great programmers of our time, including the creators of Facebook's News Feed, Instagram, Google's cutting-edge AI, and more. Speaking to everyone from revered "10X" elites to neophytes, back-end engineers and front-end designers, Thompson explores the distinctive psychology of this vocation--which combines a love of logic, an obsession with efficiency, the joy of puzzle-solving, and a superhuman tolerance for mind-bending frustration. Along the way, Coders thoughtfully ponders the morality and politics of code, including its implications for civic life and the economy. Programmers shape our everyday behavior: When they make something easy to do, we do more of it. When they make it hard or impossible, we do less of it. Thompson wrestles with the major controversies of our era, from the "disruption" fetish of Silicon Valley to the struggle for inclusion by marginalized groups.In his accessible, erudite style, Thompson unpacks the surprising history of the field, beginning with the first coders -- brilliant and pioneering women, who, despite crafting some of the earliest personal computers and programming languages, were later written out of history. Coders introduces modern crypto-hackers fighting for your privacy, AI engineers building eerie new forms of machine cognition, teenage girls losing sleep at 24/7 hackathons, and unemployed Kentucky coal-miners learning a new career. At the same time, the book deftly illustrates how programming has become a marvelous new art form--a source of delight and creativity, not merely danger. To get as close to his subject as possible, Thompson picks up the thread of his own long-abandoned coding skills as he reckons, in his signature, highly personal style, with what superb programming looks like. To understand the world today, we need to understand code and its consequences. With Coders, Thompson gives a definitive look into the heart of the machine.

Hello, world.Facebook's algorithms shaping the news. Self-driving cars roaming the streets. Revolution on Twitter and romance on Tinder. We live in a world constructed of code--and coders are the ones who built it for us. From acclaimed tech writer Clive Thompson comes a brilliant anthropological reckoning with the most powerful tribe in the world today, computer programmers, in a book that interrogates who they are, how they think, what qualifies as greatness in their world, and what should give us pause. They are the most quietly influential people on the planet, and Coders shines a light on their culture.In pop culture and media, the people who create the code that rules our world are regularly portrayed in hackneyed, simplified terms, as ciphers in hoodies. Thompson goes far deeper, dramatizing the psychology of the invisible architects of the culture, exploring their passions and their values, as well as their messy history. In nuanced portraits, Coders takes us close to some of the great programmers of our time, including the creators of Facebook's News Feed, Instagram, Google's cutting-edge AI, and more. Speaking to everyone from revered "10X" elites to neophytes, back-end engineers and front-end designers, Thompson explores the distinctive psychology of this vocation--which combines a love of logic, an obsession with efficiency, the joy of puzzle-solving, and a superhuman tolerance for mind-bending frustration. Along the way, Coders thoughtfully ponders the morality and politics of code, including its implications for civic life and the economy. Programmers shape our everyday behavior: When they make something easy to do, we do more of it. When they make it hard or impossible, we do less of it. Thompson wrestles with the major controversies of our era, from the "disruption" fetish of Silicon Valley to the struggle for inclusion by marginalized groups.In his accessible, erudite style, Thompson unpacks the surprising history of the field, beginning with the first coders -- brilliant and pioneering women, who, despite crafting some of the earliest personal computers and programming languages, were later written out of history. Coders introduces modern crypto-hackers fighting for your privacy, AI engineers building eerie new forms of machine cognition, teenage girls losing sleep at 24/7 hackathons, and unemployed Kentucky coal-miners learning a new career. At the same time, the book deftly illustrates how programming has become a marvelous new art form--a source of delight and creativity, not merely danger. To get as close to his subject as possible, Thompson picks up the thread of his own long-abandoned coding skills as he reckons, in his signature, highly personal style, with what superb programming looks like. To understand the world today, we need to understand code and its consequences. With Coders, Thompson gives a definitive look into the heart of the machine.

90,000 stargazers can't be wrong! Our original Glow-in-the-Dark Constellations was such a hit that we're bringing it back in an affordable paperback edition for a new generation! From Andromeda to Pegasus, Orion to the Big Dipper, this super informative guide covers it all with dazzling glow-in-the-dark illustrations of the constellations, eight sky maps, and fascinating retellings of the legends behind the constellations. Helpful tips on locating stars in the night sky through every season of the year make this a book the whole family can enjoy together.

90,000 stargazers can't be wrong! Our original Glow-in-the-Dark Constellations was such a hit that we're bringing it back in an affordable paperback edition for a new generation! From Andromeda to Pegasus, Orion to the Big Dipper, this super informative guide covers it all with dazzling glow-in-the-dark illustrations of the constellations, eight sky maps, and fascinating retellings of the legends behind the constellations. Helpful tips on locating stars in the night sky through every season of the year make this a book the whole family can enjoy together.

Note To Reader: Book Two Is Now On Amazon. Be Sure To Check It Out :)Determined to save his dying father, Roland Roper only has one hope. Decades after the Greystone war, wizards are now presumed to be extinct. That is, until rumors fly that one has been sighted outside the village. Knowing it's his father’s only hope, Roland sets out to find this forgotten wizard. With the help of his friend Tristan, the two set out on an adventure into the unfamiliar world. Attacked by a magical creature in the dark woods, they learn he is connected to the forgotten wizard. Taking the creature hostage, the two decide to use him as leverage to attract the wizard. Even with the help of this creature, convincing the wizard to heal his father turns out to be more of a challenge than once thought. In a struggle to save his father, Roland learns what it takes to be a man in this coming to age story. For a Limited Time, Get Book Two for only 99 cent At This Link: https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Wizard-Book-Two-ebook/dp/B01ENRQDXS

Mage Fade - A Short StoryIn the beginning, Mage's were something we just heard about. Nothing more than an interesting story. Never in our lives did we expect one to capture us. See, after the war, we were forced to live in the Greylands. It was the place that all of the elves ran to for safety. Cold and harsh, life wasn't easy as we managed to survive hiding in holes.As brothers, we had each other, but that was about it. Life wasn't ideal, but at least we were together. Of course, whether you know it or not, time is always ticking as you head towards your destiny. It was that one moment that changed everything. If the Mage didn't find us, it would have been different. It had to be.

Facebook's algorithms shaping the news. Self-driving cars roaming the streets. Revolution on Twitter and romance on Tinder. We live in a world constructed of code--and coders are the ones who built it for us. Programmers shape our everyday behavior: When they make something easy to do, we do more of it. When they make it hard or impossible, we do less of it. From acclaimed tech writer Clive Thompson comes a brilliant anthropological reckoning with the most powerful tribe in the world today, computer programmers, in a book that interrogates who they are, how they think, what qualifies as greatness in their world, and what should give us pause.In pop culture and media, the people who create the code that rules our world are regularly portrayed in hackneyed, simplified terms, as ciphers in hoodies. Thompson goes far deeper, taking us close to some of the great programmers of our time, including the creators of Facebook's News Feed, Instagram, Google's cutting-edge AI, and more. Speaking to everyone from revered "10X" elites to neophytes, back-end engineers and front-end designers, Thompson explores the distinctive psychology of this vocation--which combines a love of logic, an obsession with efficiency, the joy of puzzle-solving, and a superhuman tolerance for mind-bending frustration. Along the way, Coders ponders the morality and politics of code, including its implications for civic life and the economy and the major controversies of our era. In accessible, erudite prose, Thompson unpacks the surprising history of the field, beginning with the first coders -- brilliant and pioneering women, who, despite crafting some of the earliest personal computers and programming languages, were later written out of history. At the same time, the book deftly illustrates how programming has become a marvelous new art form--a source of delight and creativity, not merely danger. To get as close to his subject as possible, Thompson picks up the thread of his own long-abandoned coding skills as he reckons, in his signature, highly personal style, with what superb programming looks like. To understand the world today, we need to understand code and its consequences. With Coders, Thompson gives a definitive look into the heart of the machine.

Roland Roper won't give up. He must heal his dying father. His only hope? A forgotten wizard. A wizard that lives alone and is obsessed with creating his own magical creatures. Witnessing the power of his magic, Roland knows the wizard can heal his father. But, convincing the wizard to heal his father isn't an easy task. As it turns out, he must first help the wizard, before the wizard will help him. While getting to know the wizard, strange things start to happen to him. Things that he soon considers to be magical. While venturing into a world of magic and mystery, he realizes healing his father might be harder than expected. In a quest to find his cure, Roland discovers who he really is while facing the biggest challenges of his life.Note To Readers: Book 3 is now on amazon. Also, be sure to read book 1 first. It is free on amazon. You can read it here: http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Wizard-Book-One-ebook/dp/B00Q0BEGB2

Roland Roper is living a life of regret. He had trusted the wizard. He had trusted magic. But, he had been a fool. His hope had become his curse, and magic had only ruined his life. Now, only one thing filled his mind. Revenge. But, how was he to get it? How was he to escape the dungeon that had become his new home? Could his curse become the very thing that ends up saving him? Note to Readers: Be sure to read book one and two first.

This book is a re-telling of the classic poem by Clement Clarke Moore and features the Gnomes that inhabit Placerville, California.In 1849 miners flocked to what is now Placerville, California, in search of gold. Before the prospectors arrived, the forests and streams were home to little curious gnomes. Throughout the town's history, these gnomes have hidden in plain sight and delighted in the antics of humans, borrowing items from them to decorate their homes, and living in unused space. In modern times, the gnomes of Placerville have come out of hiding and can be found people-watching on Main Street, or wherever large crowds gather. These gnomes, and their exploits can be found on social media by searching the hashtag #PVGnomey.

Wild horses and wild outlaws. Horse-thieves and “bobbies and bushies”. What youngster does not love them?Though he adheres to his fidelity of detail in depicting the lives and habits of the brumbies -- the wild horses of outback Australia -- the author really gets going after Blackie the Brumby is captured and tamed. He is stolen by bushrangers, takes part in their notorious doings, gives a helping hand (or hoof) to the police and, with a hilarious boy character named “Jonah”, takes a leading part in the final overthrow of the gang.