Results 81 to 90 of 109 | « previous | next »
- The coming wave : technology, power, and the twenty-first century's greatest dilemma / by Suleyman, Mustafa,author.; Bhaskar, Michael,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A stark and urgent warning on the unprecedented risks that a wave of fast-developing technologies poses to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance--from a cofounder of the pioneering AI company DeepMind. Imagine a world in which anyone with a $20,000 desktop DNA synthesizer could develop and unleash a deadly virus. Imagine an undetectable deepfake video of a U.S. president making a racial slur racing across the internet on the eve of an election. Imagine terrorists or paramilitaries stockpiling autonomous weapons designed to make their own decisions about when to engage. As cofounder of DeepMind, the pioneering AI company now owned by Google, Mustafa Suleyman has witnessed firsthand just how rapidly our technology is advancing--and how flawed our approaches to grappling with these changes are. The coming decades, he argues, will be defined by a burst of innovation, an inevitable wave of powerful, fast-proliferating new technologies across fields like synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Driven forward by immense strategic and financial incentives, these breakthroughs will solve huge challenges and create vast wealth--but upheaval, too, on a once unimaginable scale. Will humankind make it through the narrow corridor between dystopia and catastrophe? In The Coming Wave, Suleyman shows how this new technological super-wave fits a historical pattern of innovation and proliferation, while departing from it in key ways: namely, the speed of change, the breadth of risks, and the wave's potential to democratize access to dangerous, world-altering power. The cumulative risks threaten the very nation state, humanity's centuries' old "grand bargain" of living under centralized authority in exchange for security. As our fragile governments sleepwalk into catastrophe, humanity is left in an existential bind, with techno-authoritarianism on one side and even more catastrophic outcomes, like societal collapse, on the other. We are about to cross a critical threshold in the history of our species. In this groundbreaking book from the ultimate AI insider, Suleyman firmly establishes "the containment problem"--or the challenge of maintaining human control over dangerous technologies--as the essential dilemma of our age, showing that radical steps must be taken if we are to live alongside technology of once unimaginable power"--- Subjects: Artificial intelligence; Information technology;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- Proving ground : the untold story of the six women who programmed the world's first modern computer / by Kleiman, Kathy,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."After the end of World War II, top-secret research continued across the United States as engineers and programmers rushed to complete their confidential assignments. Among them were six pioneering women, tasked with figuring out how to program the world's first general-purpose, programmable, all-electronic computer-a machine built to calculate a single ballistic trajectory in twenty seconds rather than forty hours by human hand-even though there were no instruction codes or programming languages in existence. But their story, never told to the reporters and scientists who thronged the huge computer after it became public, was lost. Kathy Kleiman, through meticulous research and vivid prose, brings these women back to life, and back into the historical record. For more than two decades, she met with four of the original six ENIAC Programmers, poured over documentation and images, and recorded extensive oral histories with the women about their work. She found stories that had been relegated and dismissed by even computer history experts, who had assumed the women in the old black-and-white pictures with ENIAC were nothing more than models. PROVING GROUND is a character-driven narrative that restores these women to their rightful place as technological revolutionaries. As the tech world continues to struggle with gender imbalance and its far-reaching consequences, the story of the ENIAC Programmers' groundbreaking work is more urgently necessary than ever before, and PROVING GROUND is the celebration they deserve"--- Subjects: Biographies.; Computer programmers; ENIAC (Computer); Women computer programmers;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- The Moscow offensive / by Brown, Dale,1956-author.;
"America's first line of defense--Brad McLanahan and the heroes of the Iron Wolf Squadron--must counter a dangerous Russian strike from within the homeland in this cutting-edge tale from the New York Times master of the high-tech military thriller, Dale Brown. On a remote island estate, a billionaire investor sells his air freight company to a mysterious new owner. The purchaser is none other than the President of Russia, Gennadiy Gryzlov. The Russians will use these private planes to secretly transport dangerous cargo into the United States. The inept American President Stacy Anne Barbeau has failed to account for the Russian threat. But others have been vigilant and will not leave America defenseless. Brad McLanahan and the Iron Wolf Squadron have joined forces with the newly formed Alliance of Free Nations in Eastern Europe, to prepare for the attack they know is imminent. Working with the most cutting-edge technology, the team will deploy CIDs--Cybernetic Infantry Devices--twelve-foot-tall humanoid combat robots, each armed with more firepower than a conventional platoon. But their state-of-the-art weapons may not be enough to combat the threat. The Russians have managed to reverse engineer their own combat robots nearly decimated in a previous attack, and have slowly begun smuggling them across America's borders. Dealing with an unprecedented danger and a feckless president and congress, McLanahan and the Iron Wolf Squadron will once again put their own lives on the line to check this new Russian peril and keep the home of the brave and the free world safe"--- Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Special forces (Military science); Special operations (Military science); Terrorism;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie / by MacLeod, Elizabeth.; Deas, Mike,1982-;
"Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie, music legend, activist and teacher! Buffy Sainte-Marie is not exactly sure where or when she was born, but it was likely the Piapot Reserve in the Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. As a baby she was adopted out to a white family in the United States. But nothing would stop Buffy from connecting to her roots and sharing the power and the beauty of her heritage with the world. Buffy's songs have inspired three generations of fans, garnering international acclaim and many awards. But her talents don't stop there! She's an accomplished visual artist and has broken important ground on television, including a regular stint on Sesame Street. A peace activist from the start, Buffy became an advocate for education, creating programs for Indigenous students in 1969, then in 1996 taking full advantage of computer technology to connect classrooms worldwide to share Indigenous learning. Still an activist today, she is a prominent supporter of Idle No More. After an incredible career lasting more than 60 years, Buffy's music and message is as uplifting and important today as it ever was."--- Subjects: Biographies.; Sainte-Marie, Buffy; Musicians; Singers; Composers; Cree Indians;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- Water confidential : witnessing justice denied--the fight for safe drinking water in Indigenous and rural communities in Canada / by Blacklin, Susan,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."In Water Confidential, Susan Blacklin (formerly Sue Peterson) revisits the important work of her late ex-husband, Dr. Hans Peterson. Beginning in 1996, Peterson, growing frustrated with his work in government funded research in Saskatchewan, brought attention to the desperate need for equal access to safe drinking water after a health inspector encouraged him to visit the Yellow Quill First Nation. In response to the issue, he developed biological technology for effective water treatment, still in use today. Peterson and Blacklin joined forces with scientists from around the world to establish the registered national charity, the Safe Drinking Water Foundation. The SDWF developed accredited education programs for schools across Canada, while also educating the general public and Water Treatment Operators from Indigenous communities. Advocacy became a high priority when they discovered a variety of challenges to their mission, including questionable government practices that were blocking the reality of safe drinking water in First Nations communities. As committed activists, it became their life's work to ensure that access to Peterson's technology was available to all rural and First Nations communities. Thirty years later, the majority of First Nations communities in Canada continue to face atrocious health issues as a result of unsafe drinking water. Blacklin, now retired, shares her deep concerns at the indifference, corruption, and lack of due diligence from all levels of government in response to the safe water movement. She echoes the work of the SDWF stating that Canada needs to implement federal drinking water regulations, and that a responsible government should use rather than abuse science when accurately determining Boil Water Advisories and addressing the deplorable state of access to potable water. In this passionate and timely memoir, Blacklin shares her experiences with fundraising, activism and lobbying work. She reveals the complexities of negotiating between cultures, communities and the provincial and federal government. Blacklin emphasizes that ensuring safe drinking water to each and every First Nations community should be the top priority toward reconciliation with Indigenous people of Canada."--- Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Blacklin, Susan.; Drinking water; Drinking water; Human rights workers; Right to water; Water quality management; Water-supply; First Nations; First Nations;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- Tom Clancy shadow of the dragon / by Cameron, Marc,author.; Clancy, Tom,1947-2013,creator.;
A missing Chinese scientist, unexplained noises emanating from under the Arctic ice, and a possible mole in American intelligence are just some of the problems that plague President Jack Ryan in the latest entry in Tom Clancy's #1 New York Times bestselling series. Aboard an icebreaker in the Arctic Ocean a sonar operator hears an unusual noise coming from the ocean floor. She can't isolate it and chalks the event up to an anomaly in a newly installed system. Meanwhile, operatives with the Chinese Ministry of State Security are dealing with their own mystery--the disappearance of brilliant but eccentric scientist, Liu Wangshu. They're desperate to keep his crucial knowledge of aerospace and naval technology out of their rivals' hands. Finding Liu is too great an opportunity for any intelligence service to pass up, but there's one more problem. A high-level Chinese mole, codenamed Surveyor, has managed to infiltrate American Intelligence. President Jack Ryan has only one choice: send John Clark and his Campus team deep into China to find an old graduate student of the professor's who may hold the key to his whereabouts. It's a dangerous gamble, but with John Clark holding the cards, Jack Ryan is all in.- Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Spy fiction.; Ryan, Jack, Sr. (Fictitious character); Clark, John (Fictitious character); Intelligence officers; Presidents; Conspiracies; Missing persons;
- Available copies: 3 / Total copies: 3
-
unAPI
- Data baby : my life in a psychological experiment / by Breslin, Susannah,author.;
"What if your parents turn you into a human lab rat when you're a child? Will that change the story of your life? Will that change who you are? When Susannah Breslin is a toddler, her parents enroll her in an exclusive laboratory preschool at the University of California, Berkeley, where she becomes one of over a hundred children who are research subjects in an unprecedented 30-year study of personality development that predicts who she and her cohort will grow up to be. Decades later, trapped in what she feels is an abusive marriage and battling breast cancer, she starts to wonder how growing up under a microscope shaped her identity and life choices. Already a successful journalist, she makes her own curious history the subject of her next investigation. From experiment rooms with one-way mirrors, to children's puzzles with no solutions, to condemned basement laboratories, her life-changing journey uncovers the long-buried secrets hidden behind the renowned study. The question at the gnarled heart of her quest: Did the study know her better than she knew herself? At once bravely honest and sharply witty, Data Baby is a compelling and provocative account of a woman's quest to find her true self, and an unblinking exploration of why we turn out as we do. Few people in all of history have been studied from such a young age and for as long as Susannah Breslin, but the message of her book is universal. In an era when so many of us are looking to technology to tell us who to be, it's up to us to discover who we actually are"--- Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Breslin, Susannah; Breslin, Susannah.; Harold E. Jones Child Study Center.; Breast; Child psychology; Human experimentation in psychology; Personality development; Women journalists;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- Tom Clancy shadow of the dragon [sound recording] / by Cameron, Marc,author.; Brick, Scott,narrator.; Clancy, Tom,1947-2013,creator.; Random House Audio Publishing,publisher.;
Read by Scott Brick.A missing Chinese scientist, unexplained noises emanating from under the Arctic ice, and a possible mole in American intelligence are just some of the problems that plague President Jack Ryan in the latest entry in Tom Clancy's #1 New York Times bestselling series. Aboard an icebreaker in the Arctic Ocean a sonar operator hears an unusual noise coming from the ocean floor. She can't isolate it and chalks the event up to an anomaly in a newly installed system. Meanwhile, operatives with the Chinese Ministry of State Security are dealing with their own mystery--the disappearance of brilliant but eccentric scientist, Liu Wangshu. They're desperate to keep his crucial knowledge of aerospace and naval technology out of their rivals' hands. Finding Liu is too great an opportunity for any intelligence service to pass up, but there's one more problem. A high-level Chinese mole, codenamed Surveyor, has managed to infiltrate American Intelligence. President Jack Ryan has only one choice: send John Clark and his Campus team deep into China to find an old graduate student of the professor's who may hold the key to his whereabouts. It's a dangerous gamble, but with John Clark holding the cards, Jack Ryan is all in.- Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Audiobooks.; Spy fiction.; Ryan, Jack, Sr. (Fictitious character); Clark, John (Fictitious character); Conspiracies; Intelligence officers; Missing persons; Presidents;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- Invasion of privacy [sound recording] / by Reich, Christopher,1961-author.; Michael, Paul(Actor),narrator.;
Read by Paul Michael.On a remote, dusty road forty miles outside of Austin, Texas, FBI agent Joe Grant and a confidential informant are killed in a deadly shootout. Left to pick up the pieces is Mary Grant, Joe's young wife and mother of their two daughters. The official report places blame for the deaths on Joe's shoulders ... but the story just doesn't add up and Mary has too many troubling questions that need answers.- Subjects: Mystery fiction.; Suspense fiction.; United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation; Information technology; Government investigators; Privacy, Right of; Audiobooks.;
- Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- Final option / by Cussler, Clive,author.; Morrison, Boyd,1967-author.;
When the CIA realizes the identities of three American spies in Brazil have been compromised, they turn to Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon to rescue the agents. What seems a routine operation turns out to be a trap designed by Juan Cabrillo's greatest enemy, a man driven by hate to seek the ultimate revenge. At the heart of the plot is a state-of-the-art ship that is identical to the Oregon: same weaponry, same technology, same ability to evade capture. The only thing it doesn't have is Cabrillo and his talented crew. But will they be enough to go up against the one ship that rivals their own? The crew of the Oregon must piece together a series of disturbing events, including the mysterious sinking of a nuclear attack submarine and the possible discovery of a WWII-era weapon that was thought to be lost in the jungles of Brazil, in the ultimate game of cat and mouse.- Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Cabrillo, Juan (Fictitious character); Ship captains; Rescues; Revenge;
- Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
-
unAPI
Results 81 to 90 of 109 | « previous | next »