Book II (stories twelve-nineteen) The fantasy books “Memories of Sandra Anderson” feature the astral and space adventures of Sandra Anderson, a space adventurer who defies the tyranny of the intergalactic Yrkanian Empire and seeks extraordinary experiences all over the known (and unknown) universe. Story Twelve (Art of God): Sandra Anderson gets an invitation from an old friend, who lives on the beautiful planet of Abarth. Yet, she soon finds out there are radical, devastating changes about the planet and its inhabitants; therefore, she decides to do something about it before it is too late for everybody and everything. Story Thirteen (If Only You Knew): Sandra gets quite a surprise when Venor asks for her help, so as to get rid of a very dangerous woman. She decides to accept that weird assignment, but she can barely imagine the imminent revelations and consequences. Story Fourteen (The Legend of the Bone Pyramid): Sandra and Peter visit the legendary Bone Pyramid, which is said to be a gate to other universes; however, no sooner have they arrived there, than they meet someone who intends to use the Bone Pyramid for their own dark plans. Story Fifteen (Days of Light and Shadows): This time Sandra and Peter are members of a primitive desert tribe, with the intention of helping them get rid of a horrible monster. However, Sandra finds out soon this is only the tip of the iceberg.. Story Sixteen (Undercover of the Past): After Sandra's ambitious plans about deactivating the cosmic vampire Lethe fail, she ends up on a primitive planet where she experiences another version of herself in another life; however, sooner or later reality finds a way of rushing back in... Story Seventeen (A Ship Called Destiny): This time Sandra investigates about an interstellar slave trade taking place on the isolated planet Offir. For this reason, she goes aboard a weird ship that was never bound to cross the oceans. Story Eighteen (Dawn of Erebus): Sandra gets a job in a research starship that seeks new worlds and life forms, beyond the boundaries of the known universe. The experience seems to be quite fulfilling, yet she soon finds out they have brought something alien and dangerous from beyond... Story Nineteen (Never Forgotten You): In this adventure Sandra Anderson seeks an invaluable, ancient item, which is one of a kind, and finds it inside an Yrkanian base. It's all a trap, of course...

From the inventor of the PalmPilot comes a new and compelling theory of intelligence, brain function, and the future of intelligent machines Jeff Hawkins, the man who created the PalmPilot, Treo smart phone, and other handheld devices, has reshaped our relationship to computers. Now he stands ready to revolutionize both neuroscience and computing in one stroke, with a new understanding of intelligence itself. Hawkins develops a powerful theory of how the human brain works, explaining why computers are not intelligent and how, based on this new theory, we can finally build intelligent machines. The brain is not a computer, but a memory system that stores experiences in a way that reflects the true structure of the world, remembering sequences of events and their nested relationships and making predictions based on those memories. It is this memory-prediction system that forms the basis of intelligence, perception, creativity, and even consciousness. In an engaging style that will captivate audiences from the merely curious to the professional scientist, Hawkins shows how a clear understanding of how the brain works will make it possible for us to build intelligent machines, in silicon, that will exceed our human ability in surprising ways. Written with acclaimed science writer Sandra Blakeslee, On Intelligence promises to completely transfigure the possibilities of the technology age. It is a landmark book in its scope and clarity.

Addressing a field that has been dominated by astronomers, physicists, engineers, and computer scientists, the contributors to this collection raise questions that may have been overlooked by physical scientists about the ease of establishing meaningful communication with an extraterrestrial intelligence. These scholars are grappling with some of the enormous challenges that will face humanity if an information-rich signal emanating from another world is detected. By drawing on issues at the core of contemporary archaeology and anthropology, we can be much better prepared for contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, should that day ever come.

Quiet Emily's sociable and daring best friend, Sloane, has disappeared leaving nothing but a random list of bizarre tasks for her to complete. But with unexpected help from popular classmate Frank Porter, Emily gives them a tryNand has the most unexpected summer ever.

The "breathtakingly brilliant" novel by the author of Infinite Jest (New York Times) is a deeply compelling and satisfying story, as hilarious and fearless and original as anything Wallace ever wrote. The agents at the IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, Illinois, appear ordinary enough to newly arrived trainee David Foster Wallace. But as he immerses himself in a routine so tedious and repetitive that new employees receive boredom-survival training, he learns of the extraordinary variety of personalities drawn to this strange calling. And he has arrived at a moment when forces within the IRS are plotting to eliminate even what little humanity and dignity the work still has. The Pale King remained unfinished at the time of David Foster Wallace's death, but it is a deeply compelling and satisfying novel, hilarious and fearless and as original as anything Wallace ever undertook. It grapples directly with ultimate questions -- questions of life's meaning and of the value of work and society -- through characters imagined with the interior force and generosity that were Wallace's unique gifts. Along the way it suggests a new idea of heroism and commands infinite respect for one of the most daring writers of our time. "The Pale King is by turns funny, shrewd, suspenseful, piercing, smart, terrifying, and rousing." --Laura Miller, Salon

Conquer the Soil profiles 45 hidden figures of horticulture—the Black men and women whose accomplished careers in the plant world are little known or untold. Among them are Wormley Hughes, an enslaved African-American who was head gardener at Monticello and dug Jefferson’s grave; Annie Vann Reid, an ex-teacher turned entrepreneur in South Carolina who owned a five-acre greenhouse and nursery in the 1940s that sold millions of plants and seeds; and David August Williston, a graduate of Cornell University and the first African-American landscape architect, a student of Liberty Hyde Bailey, and the designer of the Tuskegee University campus. The lively text is enriched by illustrations of each individual, making this a beaituful package. In Conquer the Soil, Abra Lee--a rising star in the plant world--gives these women and men the spotlight they deserve and enriches our collective understanding of the history of horticulture.

This study offers interpretations of theories of memory and the body from Descartes to Coleridge.