503 products in Books, Music, Movies & TV

Bitcoin didn't emerge overnight. Long before Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin white paper, generations of economists, cryptographers, computer scientists, privacy advocates, and visionaries were grappling with a difficult question: Could digital money exist without governments, banks, or centralized control? The Genesis Book tells the remarkable story of the ideas, innovations, failures, and breakthroughs that ultimately led to the invention of Bitcoin—the world's first successful peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Drawing on extensive historical research and technical expertise, Aaron van Wirdum traces the intellectual and technological roots of Bitcoin across more than a century of economic thought and decades of cryptographic innovation. From early monetary theorists and Austrian economists to the cypherpunk movement and pioneering digital cash experiments, this book reveals the hidden history behind one of the most important technological developments of the modern era. Inside, you'll discover: • The thinkers and innovators who laid Bitcoin's foundation • The origins of digital cash and cryptographic money • Why previous attempts at digital currency failed • The rise of the cypherpunk movement and online privacy activism • The technological breakthroughs that made Bitcoin possible • How economics, cryptography, and computer science converged in a single invention Unlike many books that focus on Bitcoin's price, adoption, or future potential, The Genesis Book explores the deeper story of how Bitcoin came to exist in the first place. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Aaron van Wirdum transforms complex technical and historical subjects into a compelling narrative that appeals to newcomers and experienced Bitcoiners alike. His ability to connect seemingly unrelated developments across economics, technology, politics, and philosophy provides readers with a richer understanding of Bitcoin's significance. Praised by leading historians, developers, researchers, and industry pioneers, The Genesis Book offers an authoritative account of the people, ideas, and events that changed the future of money. If you want to understand Bitcoin, start by understanding its origins. Discover the fascinating history behind the invention that continues to reshape finance, technology, and society.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This book delivers completely new and refreshing ideas on how to create value in the world.”—Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta “Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.”—Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things. Thiel begins with the contrarian premise that we live in an age of technological stagnation, even if we’re too distracted by shiny mobile devices to notice. Information technology has improved rapidly, but there is no reason why progress should be limited to computers or Silicon Valley. Progress can be achieved in any industry or area of business. It comes from the most important skill that every leader must master: learning to think for yourself. Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something new, you go from 0 to 1. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. Tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing ruthlessly in today’s marketplace. They will escape competition altogether, because their businesses will be unique. Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places.

“It is impossible to grasp the meaning of the idea of sound money if one does not realize that it was devised as an instrument for the protection of civil liberties against despotic inroads on the part of governments.” – from The Theory of Money and Credit Originally published in 1912, Ludwig von Mises’s The Theory of Money and Credit remains today one of economic theory’s most influential and controversial treatises. Von Mises’s examination into monetary theory changed forever the world of economic thought when he successfully integrated “macroeconomics” into “microeconomics” —previously deemed an impossible task —as well as offering explanations into the origin, value and future of money. One hundred years later, von Mises and the Austrian school of economic theory are still fiercely debated by world economists in their search for the solution to America’s current financial crisis. His theorems continue to inspire politicians and market experts who aim to raise up the common man and reduce the financial power of governments. In a preface added in 1952, von Mises urges the people of the world to see economic truth: “The great inflations of our age are not acts of God. They are man-made or, to say it bluntly, government-made. They are the off-shoots of doctrines that ascribe to governments the magic power of creating wealth out of nothing and of making people happy by raising the ‘national income.’” “The best book on money ever written.” —Murray Rothbard, economist and historian “The greatest economist of the twentieth century.” —Sandeep Jaitly, economist

Earth in 2064 is politically corrupt and in economic decline. The Long Depression has dragged on for 56 years, and the Bureau of Sustainable Research is hard at work making sure that no new technologies disrupt the planned economy. Ten years ago a band of malcontents, dreamers, and libertarian radicals bolted privately-developed anti-gravity drives onto rusty sea-going cargo ships, loaded them to the gills with 20th-century tunnel-boring machines and earthmoving equipment, and set sail - for the Moon.There, they built their retreat. A lunar underground border-town, fit to rival Ayn Rand's 'Galt's Gulch', with American capitalists, Mexican hydroponic farmers, and Vietnamese space-suit mechanics - this is the city of Aristillus.There's a problem, though: the economic decline of Earth under a command-and-control economy is causing trouble for the political powers-that-be in Washington DC and elsewhere. To shore up their positions they need slap down the lunar expats and seize the gold they've been mining. The conflicts start small, but rapidly escalate.There are zero-gravity gun fights in rusted ocean going ships flying through space, containers full of bulldozers hurtling through the vacuum, nuclear explosions, armies of tele-operated combat UAVs, guerrilla fighting in urban environments, and an astoundingly visual climax.The Powers of the Earth is the first book in The Aristillus series - a pair of science fiction novels about anarchocapitalism, economics, open source software, corporate finance, social media, antigravity, lunar colonization, genetically modified dogs, strong AI…and really, really big guns.

A New York Times and USA Today bestseller From New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and You Shouldn't Have Come Here comes a chilling family thriller about the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the closet. After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm's length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn't been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before. While going through their parents' belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends. Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.

Entrepreneurship has been expunged from contemporary mainstream economics despite being an important driver and cause of economic development and growth. However, whereas Evolutionary Economics recognizes value-creative entrepreneurship, its role and impact tend to still be understated and the vast implications not fully understood. This Element attempts to remedy this by theorizing on how entrepreneurship impacts and drives market economies, the implications for economic change and renewal, and how the pursuit of new value creation determines the evolution of an economy. We find that allowing for entrepreneurial new value creation – innovative entrepreneurship – produces a different and more dynamic understanding of the market as a process, the role of knowledge and uncertainty, economic evolution and progress, as well as has important implications for political economy.

Bitcoin Cash vs Bitcoin The battle of the cryptocurrencies * Do you know the difference between Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash? * Which one is the most future proof? * If you have bitcoin do you have Bitcoin Cash? * Which exchanges support it? 2017 witnessed an important date in the history of cryptocurrency: the split that has created Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Once a unified currency, Bitcoin now has new competition from a twin brother, Bitcoin Cash, which is leaving even the savviest of investors questioning what the difference really is and which is better. An essential guide for any cryptocurrency investor, this book will address the major questions about this split and then look to the future for answers about what’s next. A simple walk through a complicated minefield, you will discover Bitcoin’s exciting history, the hidden features, and the most important underlying principles of this type of investing. Get Answers to Questions Like: * Where did Bitcoin come from? * What exactly is Bitcoin Cash? * What is the best investment? * What does the future hold? * How do I get started? * Where to buy it? * How to store? Solve the mystery between cryptocurrency’s major split and learn how to make smart investments with BTC and BCH. It’s time to enter the fascinating world of Bitcoin Cash Don't wait scroll up and add to cart .

In this exciting new graphic novel, economist Bryan Caplan examines how changes to housing regulation can lead us to a vastly better world. Why are housing prices in America so unbelievably high, especially in the country's most desirable locations? The superficial answer is “supply and demand,” but the deep answer―the reason supply is so low―is a regulatory system that treats developers like criminals. In Build, Baby, Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation, economist Bryan Caplan makes the economic and philosophical case for radical deregulation of this massive market―freeing property owners to build as tall and dense as they wish. Not only would the average price of housing be cut in half, but the building boom unleashed by deregulation would simultaneously reduce inequality, increase social mobility, promote economic growth, reduce homelessness, increase birth rates, help the environment, cut crime, and more. Combining stunning homage to classic animation with careful interdisciplinary research, Build, Baby, Build takes readers on a grand tour of a bona fide “panacea policy.” We can start realizing these missed opportunities as soon as we abandon the widespread misconception that housing regulation solves more problems than it causes.

Where Does Money Come From? reveals how, contrary to public perception, the bulk of today's money supply is created and allocated by commercial banks in their role as providers of credit. The authors argue that this system is inherently unstable, with little effective regulation of how much credit is provided or whether it is used for productive or speculative purposes. Based on detailed research and consultation with experts, including from the Bank of England, Where Does Money Come From? reviews theoretical and historical debates on the nature of money and banking and explains the role of the central bank, the Government and the European Union. This Second edition includes new sections on Libor and quantitative easing in the UK and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. Praise for Where Does Money Come From? “Refreshing and clear. The way monetary economics and banking is taught in many – maybe most - universities is very misleading and what this book does is help people explain how the mechanics of the system work”. David Miles, Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England “It is amazing that more than a century after Hartley Withers’s The Meaning of Money and 80 years after Keynes’s Treatise on Money, the fundamentals of how banks create money still need to be explained. Yet there plainly is such a need, and this book meets that need, with clear exposition and expert marshalling of the relevant facts. Warmly recommended to the simply curious, the socially concerned, students and those who believe themselves experts, alike. Everyone can learn from it“. Victoria Chick, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University College London. I used Where Does Money Come From? as the core text on my second year undergraduate module in Money and Banking. The students loved it. Not only does it present a clear alternative to the standard textbook view of money, but argues it clearly and simply with detailed attention to the actual behaviour and functioning of the banking system. Highly recommended for teaching the subject. Dr Andy Denis, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Economics Department, City University, London

Una mesa de tres patas. Ajuste de cuentas con la politiquería venezolana. Hace veinticinco años el chavismo se instaló en Venezuela. Desde entonces se acabó la democracia con todo lo que eso implica: persecución a la disidencia, torturas, muertes, exilios... La emigración de más de ocho millones de venezolanos que huyeron (y los que siguen huyendo del país) por rutas inseguras y peligrosas, debería ser la cara más visible de lo que sucede en Venezuela donde la pobreza se ha establecido como una forma de control que ayuda a perpetuar la sobrevivencia del sistema instalado. Pero nadie en el mundo quiere ver esa cara. Para todos, Venezuela es un país donde se hacen elecciones a cada rato y por cualquier motivo con un sistema electoral automatizado, pulcro e incuestionable. Y el chavismo sigue allí, pero ¿qué lo sostiene? Para que el chavismo continúe en el poder después de veinticinco años de desastre, ha hecho falta una mesa donde se apoye el sistema criminal. Una mesa de tres patas. Es una mesa bien servida con un menú que incluye narcotráfico, corrupción a niveles nunca vistos, transacciones políticas y monetarias, escándalos de humo y mordazas; silencio, mucho silencio, autoimpuesto u obligado. Daniel Lara Farías quiere armar un escándalo en medio de ese silencio encubridor, y, en este libro expone, sin remilgos, las patas de esa mesa. Las tres patas que sostienen al sistema criminal están ahora visibles. Todas se unen alrededor del dinero, «el cochino dinero», que al parecer mientras más cochino es, más asepsia produce. En esas patas nos vemos todos, porque dicho con sus palabras: «Como se trata de una explicación de la tragedia, debemos entonces renunciar también a excluirnos de toda inocencia, pues formando parte de un conjunto, aquí culpables somos todos: los que votamos y los que dejamos de votar, los que militamos en partidos y los que nunca lo hicieron, los que creyeron en el camino electoral y los que dejamos de creer». ¿Cuán responsable se siente usted?

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The complete four-book boxed set of the greatest fantasy epic of all time: The Lord of the Rings and its enchanting prequel, The Hobbit   When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim the hoard of gold stolen from them by the evil dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice: Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming Hobbit dwelling in peaceful Hobbiton. Along the way, the company faces trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and worse. But as they journey from the wonders of Rivendell to the terrors of Mirkwood and beyond, Bilbo will find that there is more to him than anyone—himself included—ever dreamed. Unexpected qualities of courage and cunning, and a love of adventure, propel Bilbo toward his great destiny . . . a destiny that waits in the dark caverns beneath the Misty Mountains, where a twisted creature known as Gollum jealously guards a precious magic ring.   This boxed set includes: THE HOBBIT THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING THE TWO TOWERS THE RETURN OF THE KING