A prolific writer, bestselling novelist, and world-renowned philosopher, Ayn Rand defined a full system of thought—from epistemology to aesthetics. Her writing is so extensive and the range of issues she covers so enormous that those interested in finding her discussions of a given topic may have to search through many sources to locate the relevant passage. THE AYN RAND LEXICON brings together all the key ideas of her philosophy of Objectivism. Begun under Rand's supervision, this unique volume is an invaluable guide to her philosophy or reason, self-interest and laissez-faire capitalism—the philosophy so brilliantly dramatized in her novels THE FOUNTAINHEAD, WE THE LIVING, and ATLAS SHRUGGED.

Providing a unique combination of well-written, up-to-date background information and intriguing selections from primary documents, The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare introduces students to the topics most important to the study of Shakespeare in their full historical and cultural context.

Whether you're a hobbyist or a budding game design pro, your objective is probably the same: To create the coolest games possible using today's increasingly sophisticated technology. To do that, however, you need to understand some basic math and physics concepts. Not to worry: You don't need to go to night school if you get this handy guide! Through clear, step-by-step instructions, author Wendy Stahler covers the trigonometry snippets, vector operations, and 1D/2D/3D motion you need to improve your level of game development. Each chapter includes exercises to make the learning stick, and Visualization Experience sections are sprinkled throughout that walk you through a demo of the chapter's content. By the end of the volume, you'll have a thorough understanding of all of the math and physics concepts, principles, and formulas you need to control and enhance your user¿s gaming experience.

It's nice having a collection of high-quality writing related to software and the business in one place instead of trawling the Web for it. Meryl K. Evans, meryl. ...an entertaining read with a number of enlightening insights into what I do for a living... The whole book is fantastic though, and you should absolutely pick it up...in dead tree form. This is a book worth checking out, even if you're not a software developer.

With a nod to both the serious and funny sides of technical writing, The Best Software Writing I: Selected and Introduced by Joel Spolsky is an entertaining read and a guide to the technical writing literati.

The Best Software Writing contains writings from:

Ken ArnoldLeon BambrickMichael BeanRory BlythAdam Bosworthdanah boydRaymond ChenKevin Cheng and Tom ChiCory Doctorowea_spouseBruce EckelPaul FordPaul GrahamJohn GruberGregor HohpeRon JeffriesEric JohnsonEric LippertMichael LoppLarry OstermanMary PoppendieckRick SchautAaron SwartClay ShirkyEric Sinkwhy the lucky stiff

Implement, operate, and use beta testing immediately with this hands-on guide to the best practices

Beta testing is a complex process that, when properly run, provides a wealth of diverse information. But when poorly executed, it delivers little or no data while wasting time and money. Written by a leading expert in the field, this book will help you reach the full potential that beta testing has to offer.

Michael Fine compiles the best practices to date so you can effectively bring beta testing into your company's process to improve product quality. Using real-world case studies, this book begins by clearly explaining what a beta is and why you need one. Fine then explores the beta test procedure and walks through the best processes to use when implementing a test. He concludes by detailing the steps you should take after completing a test in order to take full advantage of the results.

With this book, you'll gain a better understanding of what beta testing is, why every company needs a beta test program, and how to get the most from a test. Fine will help you: Understand all the steps involved in beta testing using real-world case studiesImplement a beta test using best- known practicesProduce better products based on the results of well-run beta testsApply beta testing across many platforms and many technologiesImprove on existing processes and identify critical issues

Hamilton Felix, the result of generations of genetic selection, finds his life as the ultimate man boring, until a gang of revolutionaries tries to enlist him in their cause.

Maybe you're a novice who has yet to squeeze into that first pair of sexy Lycra shorts. Or perhaps you're a seasoned racer who is seeking ways to become stronger and faster. Whatever the case, you will be well served by Ed Pavelka's comprehensive guide, which takes the reader on a highly readable ride through road cycling—from the basics of handling and maintenance to the subtle intricacies of racing. Instead of asking the reader to take his word on every subject, Pavelka has gathered a cast of Olympians and renowned mechanics to tackle whichever topic reflects his or her strongest suit. Besides the basics, chapters also include in-depth advice on sprinting, hill climbing, using heart monitors effectively, training indoors during the wintry months, and even surviving your commute in the concrete jungle. If that's not enough, Pavelka has devoted an entire section to medical concerns, including overtraining, sore knees, and saddle sores. —Ben Tiffany

The best bonsai book on the market! A complete guide to the art of bonsai, from design and choosing the tree, to pruning, wiring and propagating. It offers precise step-by-step instructions on how to work with each of the 15 classic bonsai styles.

Bonsai Life Histories is a detailed absorbing insight into the transformation of original plant material into exquisite bonsai trees. These 50 dramatic stories show how one bonsai expert has created "something out of nothing," recording the life histories of over 50 trees, both in photographs and descriptions that reveal the rewarding process of tending bonsai to maturity.

This instructive and useful book also includes information on: - origins of bonsai - getting started - what makes a good/bad bonsai - bonsai style - styling, pruning, refinement - tools, repotting, watering, feeding - training techniques - finding suitable plants - seasonal planner - guide to pruning and maintenance tasks through the year - bonsai in the garden - displaying bonsai - exhibiting bonsai - pests and diseases - glossary of terms

Bonsai expert Martin Treasure reveals a wealth of technical and horticultural knowledge and demonstrates his technique in bringing out the personalities of individual trees. Even non-enthusiasts will be intrigued by the stories.

The first interstellar starship, John Glenn, fled a Solar System populated by rogue AIs and machine/human hybrids, threatened by too much nanotechnology and rife with political dangers. The John Glenn’s crew intended to terraform the nearly pristine planet Ymir, in hopes of creating a utopian society that will limit intelligent technology.
But by some miscalculation they have landed in another solar system, and extremely low on the antimatter needed to continue to Ymir, they must shape the nearby planet Harlequin’s moon, Selene, into a new, temporary home. Their only hope of ever reaching Ymir is to rebuild their store of antimatter through decades of terraforming the moon.
Gabriel, the head terraformer, must lead this nearly impossible task, with all the wrong materials. His primary tools are the uneducated and nearly illiterate children of the original colonists, born and bred to build Harlequin’s moon into a virtual antimatter factory. With no concept of the future and with life defined as duty, one girl, Rachel Vanowen, begins to ask herself the question: what will become of the children of Selene once the terraforming is complete.
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Muslims who explore sources of morality other than Islam are threatened with death, and Muslim women who escape the virgins' cage are branded whores. So asserts Ayaan Hirsi Ali's profound meditation on Islam and the role of women, the rights of the individual, the roots of fanaticism, and Western policies toward Islamic countries and immigrant communities. Hard-hitting, outspoken, and controversial, The Caged Virgin is a call to arms for the emancipation of women from a brutal religious and cultural oppression and from an outdated cult of virginity. It is a defiant call for clear thinking and for an Islamic Enlightenment. But it is also the courageous story of how Hirsi Ali herself fought back against everyone who tried to force her to submit to a traditional Muslim woman's life and how she became a voice of reform.

Born in Somalia and raised Muslim, but outraged by her religion's hostility toward women, Hirsi Ali escaped an arranged marriage to a distant relative and fled to the Netherlands. There, she learned Dutch, worked as an interpreter in abortion clinics and shelters for battered women, earned a college degree, and started a career in politics as a Dutch parliamentarian. In November 2004, the violent murder on an Amsterdam street of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, with whom Hirsi Ali had written a film about women and Islam called Submission, changed her life. Threatened by the same group that slew van Gogh, Hirsi Ali now has round-the-clock protection, but has not allowed these circumstances to compromise her fierce criticism of the treatment of Muslim women, of Islamic governments' attempts to silence any questioning of their traditions, and of Western governments' blind tolerance of practices such as genital mutilation and forced marriages of female minors occurring in their countries.

Hirsi Ali relates her experiences as a Muslim woman so that oppressed Muslim women can take heart and seek their own liberation. Drawing on her love of reason and the Enlightenment philosophers on whose principles democracy was founded, she presents her firsthand knowledge of the Islamic worldview and advises Westerners how best to address the great divide that currently exists between the West and Islamic nations and between Muslim immigrants and their adopted countries.

An international bestseller — with updated information for American readers and two new essays added for this edition — The Caged Virgin is a compelling, courageous, eye-opening work.

George Reisman was a student of Mises's, a translator of his work, and, as he demonstrates in this outstanding treatise, a leading theorist in the Misesian tradition. This mammoth exposition deals with the method and theory of economics, and particularly excels in its application to matters of policy. Its sections on price controls, money, banking, and environmentalism apply Misesian theory to new times and new literature. The author deals patiently but devastatingly with the arguments of the interventionists. The end result is an integrated understanding of the theory and ethics of the capitalist economy.

Contents of this magnum opus include: Part One: The Foundations of EconomicsChapter 1. Economics and Capitalism Chapter 2. Wealth and Its Role in Human Life Chapter 3. Natural Resources and the Environment
Part Two: The Division of Labor and CapitalismChapter 4. The Division of Labor and Production Chapter 5. The Dependence of the Division of Labor on Capitalism I Chapter 6. The Dependence of the Division of Labor on Capitalism II: The Price System and Economic Coordination Chapter 7. The Dependence of the Division of Labor on Capitalism III: Price Controls and Economic Chaos Chapter 8. The Dependence of the Division of Labor on Capitalism IV: Socialism, Economic Chaos, and Totalitarian Dictatorship Chapter 9. The Influence of the Division of Labor on the Institutions of Capitalism Chapter 10. Monopoly Versus Freedom of Competition Chapter 11. The Division of Labor and the Concept of Productive Activity
Part Three: The Process of Economic ProgressChapter 12. Money and Spending Chapter 13. Productionism, Say's Law, and Unemployment Chapter 14. The Productivity Theory of Wages

ISBN 0915463733
Hardcover, 1046 pgs.