Data & IT

"Here's the go-to book for content creators to navigate what it truly means to have a platform: putting yourself out there, letting go of what others think, and claiming the power your authentic self has to offer the world"--

We need to act five times faster to tackle climate change before it is too late. A policy insider, Simon Sharpe provides compelling ideas on how to rethink our strategies and reorganise our efforts in the fields of science, diplomacy, and economics to speed up progress in addressing climate change.

"As a pioneer of ubiquitous computing-the embedding of technology in everyday objects from thermostats to doorbells-computer scientist Mark Weiser's descriptions of smart homes, now thirty years later, might seem to approach our reality. Weiser's views certainly influenced our technology's developers-his 1991 Scientific American article 'The Computer for the 21st Century' was flagged a must-read by Microsoft's Bill Gates and then circulated among the day's digirati, including those Silicon Valley insiders who crowded his beer garden-based 'office hours.' Unlike many of his contemporaries, Weiser's vision was motivated by the philosophies of Michael Polanyi and Martin Heidegger, collaboration with anthropologists such as Lucy Suchman, and insights from artists including Natalie Jeremijenko. He hoped to realize 'tacit computing' as an escape from a single attention-grabbing screen as a portal to work, entertainment, and education. When rivals such as Nicholas Negroponte at MIT's Media Lab championed the development of smart agents (the ancestors of Siri and Alexa) or pervasive sensing in wearable technologies (proto-Fitbits or Apple Watches), Weiser balked. Weiser wanted computers to be something closer to the white cane a person with low vision might use to navigate the world. Good technology, he argued, should not mine our experiences for data to sell or demand our attention. Technology should not rob its users of the hardships that establish their expertise, but instead give them the ability to conceive of the world in new ways. In this compelling biography of a person and idea, digital studies scholar John Tinnell shows Weiser, who died of cancer at 46, would be heartbroken if he had lived to see the ways we use technology today. Informed by deep archival research and interviews with Weiser's family and Xerox PARC colleagues, this book uses Weiser's life to offer a new history of today's technological reality, an inside view of Xerox PARC during its heyday, and a compelling vision of what computers failed to be"--

At a critical point in human history, this book presents proven ways to gain the skills needed to develop sustainable IT practices and set yourself apart as a progressive technology leaderKey FeaturesExecute a sustainable IT strategy with proven methods and real-world use casesProgress as a sustainable IT advocate and set yourself apart from other senior IT leadersIncrease your chances of receiving executive buy-in on your sustainable IT strategyBook DescriptionWe are at a critical point in human history. Humanity is under threat, but all is not lost. We can take action! But how?Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders will show you how. It will walk you through the construction and implementation of a sustainable IT strategy and enable you to do your bit for the future of mankind.The book is split into three parts. Part I details the "why" and the clear and present danger that humanity faces today: the climate crisis. How did we get here, what are the immediate threats, what are the planetary boundaries that we need to peel back to safe levels, and what impact does IT have on society at large? Part II will focus on the "what." It examines the nitty-gritty details of what we can do to unlock significant returns on sustainable investments toward a more sustainable future. Part III, the final part of the book, focuses on the "how." How do you turn your ideas into action? What do you need to do to establish your baseline and your direction of travel towards your objective? This part provides tangible case studies and explains how you can start your journey today to begin delivering global and impactful objectives.By the end of this book, you'll be able to plan, implement, and communicate a sustainable IT strategy and set yourself apart as a progressive technology leader.What you will learnDiscover why IT is a major contributor to carbon emissionsExplore the principles and key methods of sustainable IT practicesBuild a robust, sustainable IT strategy based on proven methodsOptimize and rationalize your code to consume fewer resourcesUnderstand your energy consumption patternsApply a circular approach to the IT hardware life cycleEstablish your sustainable IT baselineInspire and engage employees, customers, and stakeholdersWho this book is forThis book is for executive IT leaders such as CIOs, CDOs, and CTOs dedicated to influencing, inspiring, and engaging businesses, organizations, and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint through sustainable IT practices.Table of ContentsOur Most Significant Challenge AheadRise of Sustainable ITThe Fundamental Building Blocks of a Sustainable IT PracticeData Center & CloudApplication & DataIT Hardware ManagementPower Energy ManagementLeveraging Your Buying PowerSustainability by ITGet started todayPutting a Sustainable IT Strategy in placeFrom Strategy to Execution - Lead with Purpose and Deliver Progress Quickly

Your guide to becoming a green-fingered vigilante - transforming your neighbourhood's neglected corners into bright pockets of plant life. Guerrilla gardening is the global movement of people planting in public places. From scattering wildflower seeds onto road verges to building community allotments on vacant lots, these peaceful acts of rebellion are where flower power meets people power. With no prior knowledge of gardening or activism needed, this 360° handbook contains all the information and inspiration you need to start greening your streets. Not sure how to pick the right plants, gather a gang, or protect your patch? This guide's got you covered. Follow the 7-step action plan, packed with expert advice, illustrated how-to's, and tales of 'how we did it' from around the world. Ellen Miles is an activist spearheading a new wave of guerrilla gardening. Rooted in social justice and climate action, this growing movement needs you. So, whether you want to boost biodiversity, bring people together, create beauty, grow food, or make a political statement, it's time to get guerrilla gardening.

In the late fifteenth century, the earth stood motionless at the center of a small, ordered cosmos. Around us, it was believed, the moon, the sun, and the planets revolved in crystalline spheres, their orbits perfect, eternally unchanging circles. Just over a century later, the sun was now the center of creation; the earth just another planet hurtling through empty, near-infinite space. This is the story of an astonishing change, a transformation in human thought, about both the universe and our place within it, told through the words of the astronomers and mathematicians at its heart.

'A rich and subtle exploration of the sacredness of nature, filled with a timeless wisdom and deep humanity' Guardian In this hugely powerful book, Karen Armstrong argues that it isn't enough to change our behaviour to avert environmental catastrophe - we must rekindle our spiritual bond with the natural world. From gratitude and compassion to sacrifice and non-violence, Armstrong draws themes from the world's religious traditions to offer practical steps to reconnect you with nature.Speaking to anyone interested in our relationship with nature, worried about environmental destruction, or searching for new actions to save our planet, Sacred Nature will uncover the most profound connections between humans and the natural world.'A lamentation in the key of Greta Thunberg, with undertones of Carl Jung' Wall Street Journal'Warm and witty... a challenge to think differently in the face of climate change' Tablet'Karen Armstrong is one of the handful of wise and supremely commentators on religion' Alain de Botton

A concise introduction to database design concepts, methods, and techniques in and out of the cloudIn the newly revised second edition of Beginning Database Design Solutions: Understanding and Implementing Database Design Concepts for the Cloud and Beyond, Second Edition, award-winning programming instructor and mathematician Rod Stephens delivers an easy-to-understand guide to designing and implementing databases both in and out of the cloud. Without assuming any prior database design knowledge, the author walks you through the steps you'll need to take to understand, analyze, design, and build databases.In the book, you'll find clear coverage of foundational database concepts along with hands-on examples that help you practice important techniques so you can apply them to your own database designs, as well as:* Downloadable source code that illustrates the concepts discussed in the book* Best practices for reliable, platform-agnostic database design* Strategies for digital transformation driven by universally accessible database designAn essential resource for database administrators, data management specialists, and database developers seeking expertise in relational, NoSQL, and hybrid database design both in and out of the cloud, Beginning Database Design Solutions is a hands-on guide ideal for students and practicing professionals alike.

A radical vision for a better future: an economy that works for us, rather than the other way around.As this major German bestseller reports, our world is at a tipping point, and we feel it every day. Costs are rising, the gap between the rich and poor is increasing, natural resources are depleted, and the effects of climate change are starting to take hold. We are under increasing social and environmental stress. But, as leading economist Maja Göpel argues here, there is another path forward.She invites us to imagine what we want our future to look like, and offers solutions that will help us to get there. It's time to question our principles, set new goals, and re-evaluate our priorities. Time to rethink our world and find new ways of living that don't drain our planet any further. We need a fair distribution of wealth, and a way to reconcile the social with the ecological. We need to work smarter, not harder.Critical, yet full of encouragement, Maja Göpel chooses surprising and enlightening examples to illustrate how we can leave behind our familiar ways of living to achieve a better future.

Master your camera and let your creativity soar!FUJIFILM X Series Unlimited, 2nd Edition teaches you everything you need to know in order to achieve mastery with your FUJIFILM camera, gaining maximum performance and total creative liberation with your photography...no matter what FUJIFILM X Series camera you use. Written by professional photographer, expert Fuji user, and X Series ambassador Dan Bailey, you'll learn every feature and every menu item, button, and function of the FUJIFILM X Series lineup. More importantly, you'll learn how to use these features and settings in actual shooting situations out in the world in order to capture great photographs.Dan has shot with X Series cameras for nearly ten years, and he's worked closely with the FUJIFILM tech reps and product managers. He knows these cameras inside and out. He knows how they function out in the real world, and he's tested them with a wide range of subject matter, often in extremely challenging conditions, environments, and shooting situations. FUJIFILM X Series Unlimited, 2nd Edition teaches you everything he's learned along the way.In this revised and updated edition of the best-selling first edition, you'll learn all the camera settings, how to use autofocus, how to use and customize the film simulations to create your own "look," how to set up the camera for maximum image quality and performance, and many other features such as bracketing, exposure modes, the ADV mode filters, how to update firmware, and how to optimize your Fuji to match your style and subject matter.This book is absolutely packed with tons of great recommendations, advice, and insight. If you take the time to learn and master just a few of the features covered in this guide, you'll be able to take your creative and technical skills to a whole new level.

Breaking down the 40-year history of the world's most popular art form, one video game at a timePong. The Legend of Zelda.Final Fantasy VII. Rock Band.Fortnite. Animal Crossing: New Horizons. For each of the 40 years of video game history, there is a defining game, a game that captured the zeitgeist and left a legacy for all games that followed. Through a series of entertaining, informative, and opinionated critical essays, author and tech journalist Jordan Minor investigates, in chronological order, the innovative, genre-bending, and earth-shattering games from 1977 through 2022. Minor explores development stories, critical reception, and legacy, and also looks at how gaming intersects with and eventually influences society at large while reveling in how uniquely and delightfully bizarre even the most famous games tend to be.From portly plumbers to armor-clad space marines and the speedy rodents in between, Video Game of the Year paints individual portraits that, as a whole, give readers a stronger appreciation for the vibrant variety and long-lasting impact of this fresh, exciting, and massively popular art form. 00Illustrated throughout with retro-inspired imagery and featuring contributions from dozens of leading industry voices, including New York Times bestselling author Jason Schreier (Blood, Sweat, and Pixels; Kotaku), Max Scoville (IGN), Rebekah Valentine (IGN), Blessing Adeoye Jr. (Kinda Funny), and Devindra Hardawar (Engadget), this year-by-year anthology is a loving reflection on the world's most popular art form.

Explore the latest Long Term Release (LTR) of QGIS with Discover QGIS 3.x - Second Edition, a comprehensive up-to-date workbook built for both the classroom and professionals looking to build their skills using the latest QGIS features.