303 products in Books

The classic history of the political and economic devastation wrought by runaway inflation in Weimar Germany—“brilliant” (Guardian)   In 1923, with its currency effectively worthless (the exchange rate in December of that year was one dollar to 4,200,000,000,000 marks), the German republic was all but reduced to a barter economy. Expensive cigars, artworks, and jewels were routinely exchanged for staples such as bread; a cinema ticket could be bought for a lump of coal; and a bottle of paraffin for a silk shirt. People watched helplessly as their life savings disappeared and their loved ones starved. Germany's finances descended into chaos, with severe social unrest in its wake.   Money may no longer be physically printed and distributed in the voluminous quantities of 1923. However, "quantitative easing," that modern euphemism for surreptitious deficit financing in an electronic era, can no less become an assault on monetary discipline. Whatever the reason for a country's deficit— necessity or profligacy, unwillingness to tax or blindness to expenditure—it is beguiling to suppose that if the day of reckoning is postponed economic recovery will come in time to prevent higher unemployment or deeper recession. What if it does not? Germany in 1923 provides a vivid, compelling, sobering moral tale.

"The Internet of Money Volume Two: a collection of talks" is the spectacular sequel to the cult classic and best seller "The Internet of Money Volume One: a collection of talks" by Andreas M. Antonopoulos. Volume Two contains 11 more of his most inspiring and thought-provoking talks, including: Introduction to Bitcoin; Blockchain vs Bullshit; Fake News, Fake Money; Currency Wars; Bubble Boy and the Sewer Rat; Rocket Science and Ethereum's Killer App; and many more. Volume Two also includes an all-new frequently asked questions section!In 2013, Andreas M. Antonopoulos started publicly speaking about bitcoin and quickly became one of the world's most sought-after speakers in the industry. To date, he has delivered more than 75, TED-style talks in venues ranging from the Henry Ford Museum in the United States to packed-out Bitcoin Meetups around the world including Brazil, the Czech Republic, and New Zealand, and every talk is completely different.In these performances, Antonopoulos walks onto the stage and delivers a live, unscripted talk. Without a deck in sight, he unleashes his latest insights into the lightning-fast changes surrounding bitcoin. Combining the knowledge of one of the world's leading blockchain technologists, with cultural context, comedy, and the flair of a performance artist, Antonopoulos conveys an up-to-the-second understanding of bitcoin to live audiences worldwide.Many of these talks were so visionary, their content so educational, that they were curated and refined into a book form. On 7 September 2016, The Internet of Money Volume One was launched on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (the interview has since been viewed more than 300,000 times). With its genesis in the lived, human experience, The Internet of Moneyoffered something that was desperately needed: an explanation of the philosophy, economics, politics, poetics, and technologies of bitcoin and open blockchains set within a broad historical context and using clear, simple language that delighted general audiences and bitcoin enthusiasts alike. During its first year, Volume One quickly became a hit in the global crypto-currency community-appealing to audiences from fields as diverse as the arts, sciences, and humanities. As one reader wrote: "It provides a uniquely accessible take on a mind-bendingly abstract system." The Internet of Money Volume Two: a collection of talks builds on that momentum and offers readers an opportunity to experience more these inspiring and thought-provoking talks in print. It also includes a bonus question and answer section, where Andreas answers some of the most frequently asked questions from audience members during his worldwide tour. Volume Two is a sequel that rivals, even exceeds, the first, in content, scope, and vision. These talks are intellectual fire-starters you won't want to miss. Make this book part of your collection and see why Andreas M. Antonopoulos is considered the most powerful and engaging voice in crypto-currency and blockchain.

The World’s Most Influential Book on Personal Success The bestselling classic that made Systems Over Goals, Talent Stacking, and Passion Is Overrated universal success advice has been reborn. Once in a generation, a book revolutionizes its category and becomes the preeminent reference that all subsequent books on the topic must pay homage to, in name or in spirit. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, is such a book for the field of personal success. A contrarian pundit and persuasion expert in a class of his own, Adams has reached hundreds of millions directly and indirectly through the 2013 first edition’s straightforward yet counterintuitive advice—to invite failure in, embrace it, then pick its pocket. The second edition of How to Fail is a tighter, updated version, by popular demand. Yet new and returning readers alike will find the same candor, humor, and timeless wisdom on productivity, career growth, health and fitness, and entrepreneurial success as the original classic. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Second Edition is the essential read (or re-read) for anyone who wants to find a unique path to personal victory—and make luck find you in whatever you do.

Tres grandes autores. Tres mundos reconocibles. Tres distopías maestras. Presentamos un pack con tres obras fundamentales del siglo XX: Un mundo feliz (1932), 1984 (1949) y Fahrenheit 451 (1953). Sin ninguna duda, pocas novelas de anticipación han sido tan influyentes como estas en la imaginación literaria posterior. Pero las visiones de sus autores no solo han cambiado el rumbo de la literatura, sino que también parecen haber anunciado la realidad de nuestros días. Desde la fractura social vislumbrada por Aldous Huxley hasta la posverdad prevista por George Orwell, pasando por la anestesia consumista denunciada por Ray Bradbury, reconocemos en estas ficciones muchos de nuestros males actuales, hasta el punto de que llegamos a preguntarnos si no estaremos viviendo en una distopía. Sin embargo, estas novelas no se agotan en sus profecías. De un modo quizá más importante, constituyen una poderosa advertencia sobre los futuros que pueden evitarse. En el reverso de las tres historias, cuya fuerza se realza al leerlas en conjunto, se oculta una viva defensa de la libertad, el pensamiento crítico y la responsabilidad individual y colectiva. Sobre las obras: «Un mundo feliz retrata una utopía perfecta o su horrendo opuesto, una distopía: sus hermosos habitantes viven seguros y libres de enfermedades y preocupaciones, pero lo hacen de un modo que, queremos creer, sería inaceptable para nosotros.» Margaret Atwood «Ninguna obra fantástica ha alcanzado el horror lógico de 1984.» Arthur Koestler «De entre todos los infiernos del conformismo, Fahrenheit 451 ofrece el retrato más convincente.» Kingsley Amis «Aldous Huxley fue un hombre extraordinariamente profético, no hay otro novelista en el siglo XX que haya escrito una guía más sagaz del futuro.» J.G. Ballard «La virtud de libros como 1984 es su capacidad para recordarnos que la libertad de los seres humanos responsables no es igual a la de los animales.» Anthony Burgess «Fahrenheit 451 es una fábula perfecta.» Ursula K. Le Guin

Join the technological revolution that’s taking the financial world by storm. Mastering Bitcoin is your guide through the seemingly complex world of bitcoin, providing the knowledge you need to participate in the internet of money. Whether you’re building the next killer app, investing in a startup, or simply curious about the technology, this revised and expanded second edition provides essential detail to get you started. Bitcoin, the first successful decentralized digital currency, is still in its early stages and yet it’s already spawned a multi-billion-dollar global economy open to anyone with the knowledge and passion to participate. Mastering Bitcoin provides the knowledge. You simply supply the passion. The second edition includes: * A broad introduction of bitcoin and its underlying blockchain—ideal for non-technical users, investors, and business executives * An explanation of the technical foundations of bitcoin and cryptographic currencies for developers, engineers, and software and systems architects * Details of the bitcoin decentralized network, peer-to-peer architecture, transaction lifecycle, and security principles * New developments such as Segregated Witness, Payment Channels, and Lightning Network * A deep dive into blockchain applications, including how to combine the building blocks offered by this platform into higher-level applications * User stories, analogies, examples, and code snippets illustrating key technical concepts

Read this book and send your nonverbal intelligence soaring. Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to "speed-read" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You'll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you. You will discover: * The ancient survival instincts that drive body language * Why the face is the least likely place to gauge a person's true feelings * What thumbs, feet, and eyelids reveal about moods and motives * The most powerful behaviors that reveal our confidence and true sentiments * Simple nonverbals that instantly establish trust * Simple nonverbals that instantly communicate authority Filled with examples from Navarro's professional experience, this definitive book offers a powerful new way to navigate your world... He says that's his best offer. Is it? She says she agrees. Does she? The interview went great—or did it? He said he'd never do it again. But he did.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award A metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of Lewis Carroll “Every few decades an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, charity, range, wit, beauty, and originality that it is recognized at once as a major literary event. This is such a work.” ―Scientific American GEB is a unique insight into the nature of “I,” self, soul, and consciousness, centered on a notion that its youthful author dubbed “strange loop,” inspired by the twisty self-referential construction invented by logician Kurt Gödel, whereby a sentence asserts its own unprovability. The book’s chapters alternate with Bach-like contrapuntal dialogues between whimsical characters (especially Achilles and the Tortoise), and each dialogue’s intricate structure exemplifies the notion being discussed in it, thus creating indirect self-reference (a fact unsuspected by the characters). The book, filled with analogies, wordplay, humor, and mind-twisting prints by M. C. Escher, has inspired generations of bright students to study cognitive science and the philosophy of mind.

“The most original and probably the most important writer on Magick since Aleister Crowley."—Robert Anton Wilson, author of the Prometheus Rising and other works Peter Carroll’s classic work has been profound influence on the Western magical world and on the practice of chaos magick in particular. In Liber Null and Psychonaut, Carroll presents an approach to the practice of magic that draws on the foundations of shamanism and animism, as well as that found in the Greek magical papyri, the occult works of Eliphas Levi and Aleister Crowley, and the esoteric meditative practices of classical India and China. Also very much at work in the text are 20th century scientific ideas of quantum physics and chaos theory. The result is a profoundly original work of magical studies that also includes a selection of extremely powerful rituals and exercises for committed occultists with instructions that lead the reader through new concepts and practices to achieve Carroll’s definition of magic itself: the raising of the whole individual in perfect balance to the power of infinity. This Weiser Classics edition is a thoroughly revised republication of Liber Null and Psychonaut, first published by Weiser in 1987, and includes a new foreword by Ronald Hutton, a leading authority on modern witchcraft and paganism.

Building real wealth and being truly happy are skills anyone can learn. Getting rich is about knowing what to do, who to do it with, and when to do it. True happiness isn't something that happens to you; it's a choice only you can make. No one knows this better than entrepreneur, philosopher, and investor Naval Ravikant. Naval's straightforward principles for building wealth and intentionally creating long-term happiness have captivated the world for years. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a curated collection of a full decade of Naval's wisdom and experience, featuring his most memorable and useful ideas. With over a million copies sold since its release in 2020, this powerful book has deeply affected readers' lives. Through Naval's own words, discover for yourself how to walk your own unique path toward a happier, healthier, wealthier life. This book has been created as a public service. It is available for free download in pdf and e-reader versions on navalmanack. Naval is not earning any money on this book. Naval has essays, podcasts, and more at naval and is on X, formerly Twitter, Naval.

"The hour of capitalism's greatest triumph," writes Hernando de Soto, "is, in the eyes of four-fifths of humanity, its hour of crisis." In The Mystery of Capital, the world-famous Peruvian economist takes up the question that, more than any other, is central to one of the most crucial problems the world faces today: Why do some countries succeed at capitalism while others fail?In strong opposition to the popular view that success is determined by cultural differences, de Soto finds that it actually has to do with the legal structure of property and property rights. Every developed nation in the world at one time went through the transformation from predominantly informal, extralegal ownership to a formal, unified legal property system, but in the West we've forgotten that creating this system is also what allowed people everywhere to leverage property into wealth. This persuasive book will revolutionize our understanding of capital and point the way to a major transformation of the world economy.

“Instead of 1984, read this.” —Washington Post From New York Times bestselling author Lionel Shriver, a near-future speculative fiction novel that explores the aftershocks of an economically devastating U.S. sovereign debt default on four generations of a once-prosperous American family In 2029, the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. In this gripping dystopian novel, the “almighty dollar” plummets in value overnight on the international currency exchange, to be replaced by a new global currency, the “bancor.” In retaliation, the president declares that America will default on its loans. “Deadbeat Nation” being unable to borrow, the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains to savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation. The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down when their ninety-seven-year-old patriarch dies. Once the inheritance turns to ash, each family member must contend with disappointment, but also—as the U.S. economy spirals into dysfunction—the challenge of sheer survival. Recently affluent, Avery is petulant that she can’t buy olive oil, while her sister, Florence, absorbs strays into her cramped household. An expat author, their aunt, Nollie, returns from abroad at seventy-three to a country that’s unrecognizable. Her brother, Carter, fumes at caring for their demented stepmother, now that an assisted living facility isn’t affordable. Only Florence’s oddball teenage son, Willing, an economics autodidact, will save this formerly august American family from the streets. A potent work of financial fiction, The Mandibles is about money. Thus it is necessarily about bitterness, rivalry, and selfishness—but also about surreal generosity, sacrifice, and transformative adaptation to changing circumstances.

Come for the games. Stay for the murder. A mystery in the Gordian Division universe. The Weltall Tournament’s professional VR games were supposed to be a symbol of cooperation between SysGov and its militaristic neighbor, the Admin. But that was before star Admin player Elly Sako received a death threat, written in blood next to a copy of her own severed head. The Admin’s Department of Temporal Investigation swiftly seizes control of the crime scene, and the tournament transforms into a flashpoint of charged politics and conflicting jurisdictions. SysPol Detective Isaac Cho and DTI Special Agent Susan Cantrell—partners in the officer exchange program—are sent in to take charge of the investigation and bring the situation under control. But solving this mystery won’t be easy, and the pair struggles to determine who is telling the truth. A jilted relationship between players soon explodes into signs of a far-reaching conspiracy, and the two detectives find themselves racing against time before the tournament ends. Because the killer will be the only one who wins, should they fail. Praise The Janus File: “A satisfying, self-contained mystery for its mismatched protagonists to gradually unravel . . . moments of humor amid the expected culture clashes, and the exploration of the authors’ well-realized far-future world . . . It’s pure entertainment.” —Publishers Weekly Praise for prequel The Gordian Protocol: “Tom Clancy-esque exposition of technical details . . . absurd humor and bloody action. Echoes of Robert Heinlein . . . lots of exploding temporal spaceships and bodies . . . action-packed . . .” —Booklist “[A] fun and thrilling standalone from Weber and Holo. . . . Time travel enthusiasts will enjoy the moral dilemmas, nonstop action, and crisp writing.” —Publishers Weekly Praise for David Weber: “[A] balanced mix of interstellar intrigue, counterespionage, and epic fleet action . . . with all the hard- and software details and tactical proficiency that Weber delivers like no one else; along with a large cast of well-developed, believable characters, giving each clash of fleets emotional weight.” —Booklist “[M]oves . . . as inexorably as the Star Kingdom’s Grand Fleet, commanded by series protagonist Honor Harrington. . . . Weber is the Tom Clancy of science fiction. . . . His fans will relish this latest installment. . . .” —Publishers Weekly “This entry is just as exciting as Weber’s initial offering. . . . The result is a fast-paced and action-packed story that follows [our characters] as they move from reaction to command of the situation. Weber builds Shadow of Freedom to an exciting and unexpected climax.” —The Galveston County Daily News “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novel . . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.” —Publishers Weekly “This latest Honor Harrington novel brings the saga to another crucial turning point. . . . Readers may feel confident that they will be Honored many more times and enjoy it every time.” —Booklist “[E]verything you could want in a heroine. . . . Excellent . . . plenty of action.” —Science Fiction Age “Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!” —Anne McCaffrey “Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.” —Locus “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection. . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . .” —Publishers Weekly Praise for Jacob Holo: “An entertaining sci-fi action novel with light overtones of dystopian and political thrillers.” —Kirkus on The Dragons of Jupiter “Thrilling . . . sci-fi adventure.” —Kirkus on Time Reavers