Who Built The Humans?

Who Built The Humans? PDF Author: Phillip Carter
Publisher: Halfplanet Press
ISBN: 9781838112158
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
UPDATE: Now coming to Manchester Comiccon 2022! ★★★★★ "whether you're into Douglas Adams or Isaac Asimov or Robert Heinlein, there's something in here for you." Who Built The Humans? is a novel length collection of mindbending short stories, some of which come together to form their own novellas inside the book. At 125,000 words, it's a multiverse in the palm of your hand. Meet Lax Morales TV personality, founder of Virtualism, and possibly an alien spider from an alternate reality. His story starts with the Swamphenge UFO crash and ends with a teenager called Darlene luring him to the swamps to kill him, because she thinks he killed her sister. In what could be his final moments, Lax has to convince Darlene that she's wrong, whilst fighting off the murderous psychic influence of the horrifying greymen waiting across the water. Nori Furukawa Dubbed 'Spooky Nori' by his peers, this eccentric professor has just announced to the world that he has invented time travel. His plan? To lure real time travellers back from the future so he can capture them and steal their tech. Lucy An intelligent afterlife machine trapped on a parallel Earth. In her timeline humans are long extinct, and it is her life's mission to drag them back from the abyss, even as the universe itself tries to stop her. T'Kxa A reptilian archaeologist on a secretive final mission, T'kxa is exploring one of the last 1000 planets in the universe. She's searching for evidence of the 'ancient ones', an enigmatic race of technologically advanced beings who could stop the stars from dying. T'Kxa's people don't believe in supernovas, but they are about start believing if she can't find what she's looking for. What she doesn't know is that she's looking in the wrong place. The 'ancient ones' are closer than she thinks. Tin foil Tim The world's bestselling 'proberotica' novelist, Tin foil Tim left his office job to pursue a life writing steamy romances about that time he was abducted by aliens. What the world doesn't know yet is that the stories are true. A multiverse in the palm of your hand. WBTH soars from mindbending Science Fiction to delirious comedy at breakneck speeds, bringing the reader along for a ride that seamlessly combines time travel with simulation theory, immortality cults with alien abduction, and squid-like alien overlords with jokes about the dark future we might be hurtling towards. Science Fiction just got weirder. Who Built The Humans? represents a new sub-genre of science fiction. It's a 'Novelthology' guaranteed to get you hooked into Carter's growing multiverse. Each of its 11 universes can be enjoyed individually, or as parts to a greater whole. This is a standalone book, but shares some characters and locations with the upcoming HOLOGRAM KEBAB and THE STEPHANIE GLITCH More reviews (Goodreads) ★★★★★ "Carter writes like a madman and that is truly the only way these stories could have been written. Just like the scribblings of a mad genius" ★★★★★ "Alien architects, infant gods, and your run-of-the-mill tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorists are just a few of the people you'll meet within these 47 stories [...] The content aside, the thing I love most about Who Built The Humans? is the writing style. The cadence of the story telling is absolutely stunning" Try Who Built The Humans? today. It might just become your next favorite book. check out @whobuiltthehumans on instagram for author updates, archived radio interviews and news about new books so far featured on AllFM, North Manchester radio, and others

Who Built The Humans?

Who Built The Humans? PDF Author: Phillip Carter
Publisher: Halfplanet Press
ISBN: 9781838112158
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Get Book Here

Book Description
UPDATE: Now coming to Manchester Comiccon 2022! ★★★★★ "whether you're into Douglas Adams or Isaac Asimov or Robert Heinlein, there's something in here for you." Who Built The Humans? is a novel length collection of mindbending short stories, some of which come together to form their own novellas inside the book. At 125,000 words, it's a multiverse in the palm of your hand. Meet Lax Morales TV personality, founder of Virtualism, and possibly an alien spider from an alternate reality. His story starts with the Swamphenge UFO crash and ends with a teenager called Darlene luring him to the swamps to kill him, because she thinks he killed her sister. In what could be his final moments, Lax has to convince Darlene that she's wrong, whilst fighting off the murderous psychic influence of the horrifying greymen waiting across the water. Nori Furukawa Dubbed 'Spooky Nori' by his peers, this eccentric professor has just announced to the world that he has invented time travel. His plan? To lure real time travellers back from the future so he can capture them and steal their tech. Lucy An intelligent afterlife machine trapped on a parallel Earth. In her timeline humans are long extinct, and it is her life's mission to drag them back from the abyss, even as the universe itself tries to stop her. T'Kxa A reptilian archaeologist on a secretive final mission, T'kxa is exploring one of the last 1000 planets in the universe. She's searching for evidence of the 'ancient ones', an enigmatic race of technologically advanced beings who could stop the stars from dying. T'Kxa's people don't believe in supernovas, but they are about start believing if she can't find what she's looking for. What she doesn't know is that she's looking in the wrong place. The 'ancient ones' are closer than she thinks. Tin foil Tim The world's bestselling 'proberotica' novelist, Tin foil Tim left his office job to pursue a life writing steamy romances about that time he was abducted by aliens. What the world doesn't know yet is that the stories are true. A multiverse in the palm of your hand. WBTH soars from mindbending Science Fiction to delirious comedy at breakneck speeds, bringing the reader along for a ride that seamlessly combines time travel with simulation theory, immortality cults with alien abduction, and squid-like alien overlords with jokes about the dark future we might be hurtling towards. Science Fiction just got weirder. Who Built The Humans? represents a new sub-genre of science fiction. It's a 'Novelthology' guaranteed to get you hooked into Carter's growing multiverse. Each of its 11 universes can be enjoyed individually, or as parts to a greater whole. This is a standalone book, but shares some characters and locations with the upcoming HOLOGRAM KEBAB and THE STEPHANIE GLITCH More reviews (Goodreads) ★★★★★ "Carter writes like a madman and that is truly the only way these stories could have been written. Just like the scribblings of a mad genius" ★★★★★ "Alien architects, infant gods, and your run-of-the-mill tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorists are just a few of the people you'll meet within these 47 stories [...] The content aside, the thing I love most about Who Built The Humans? is the writing style. The cadence of the story telling is absolutely stunning" Try Who Built The Humans? today. It might just become your next favorite book. check out @whobuiltthehumans on instagram for author updates, archived radio interviews and news about new books so far featured on AllFM, North Manchester radio, and others

Home

Home PDF Author: John S Allen
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465073891
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
A leading anthropologist studies the science behind "feeling at home" to show us how home made us human Home is where the heart is. Security, comfort, even love, are all feelings that are centered on the humble abode. But what if there is more to the feeling of being at home? Neuroanthropologist John S. Allen believes that the human habitat is one of the most important products of human cognitive, technological, and cultural evolution over the past two million years. In Home, Allen argues that to "feel at home" is more than just an expression, but reflects a deep-seated cognitive basis for the human desire to have, use, and enjoy a place of one's own. Allen addresses the very basic question: How did a place to sleep become a home? Within human evolution, he ranks house and home as a signature development of our species, as it emerged alongside cooperative hunting, language, and other critical aspects of humanity. Many animals burrow, making permanent home bases, but primates, generally speaking, do not: most wander, making nests at night wherever they might find themselves. This is often in home territory, but it isn't quite home. Our hominid ancestors were wanderers, too -- so how did we, over the past several million years, find our way home? To tell that story Allen will take us through evolutionary anthropology, neuroscience, the study of emotion, and modern sociology. He examines the home from the inside (of our heads) out: homes are built with our brains as much as with our hands and tools. Allen argues that the thing that may have been most critical in our evolution is not the physical aspect of a home, but developing a feeling of defining, creating, and being in a home, whatever its physical form. The result was an environment, relatively secure against whatever horrors lurked outside, that enabled the expensive but creative human mind to reach its full flowering. Today, with the threat of homelessness, child foster-care, and foreclosure, this idea of having a home is more powerful than ever. In a clear and accessible writing style, Allen sheds light on the deep, cognitive sources of the pleasures of having a home, the evolution of those behaviors, and why the deep reasons why they matter. Home is the story about how humans evolved to create a space not only for shelter, but also for nurturing creativity, innovation, and culture -- and why "feeling at home" is a fundamental aspect of the human condition.

The World Without Us

The World Without Us PDF Author: Alan Weisman
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780312427900
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
A penetrating take on how our planet would respond without the relentless pressure of the human presence

Our Final Invention

Our Final Invention PDF Author: James Barrat
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1250032261
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Book Description
Elon Musk named Our Final Invention one of five books everyone should read about the future—a Huffington Post Definitive Tech Book of 2013. Artificial Intelligence helps choose what books you buy, what movies you see, and even who you date. It puts the “smart” in your smartphone and soon it will drive your car. It makes most of the trades on Wall Street, and controls vital energy, water, and transportation infrastructure. But Artificial Intelligence can also threaten our existence. In as little as a decade, AI could match and then surpass human intelligence. Corporations and government agencies are pouring billions into achieving AI’s Holy Grail—human-level intelligence. Once AI has attained it, scientists argue, it will have survival drives much like our own. We may be forced to compete with a rival more cunning, more powerful, and more alien than we can imagine. Through profiles of tech visionaries, industry watchdogs, and groundbreaking AI systems, Our Final Invention explores the perils of the heedless pursuit of advanced AI. Until now, human intelligence has had no rival. Can we coexist with beings whose intelligence dwarfs our own? And will they allow us to? “If you read just one book that makes you confront scary high-tech realities that we’ll soon have no choice but to address, make it this one.” —The Washington Post “Science fiction has long explored the implications of humanlike machines (think of Asimov’s I, Robot), but Barrat’s thoughtful treatment adds a dose of reality.” —Science News “A dark new book . . . lays out a strong case for why we should be at least a little worried.” —The New Yorker

The Human Planet

The Human Planet PDF Author: Simon L. Lewis
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300243030
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 480

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Book Description
An exploration of the Anthropocene and “a relentless reckoning of how we, as a species, got ourselves into the mess we’re in today” (The Wall Street Journal). Meteorites, mega-volcanoes, and plate tectonics—the old forces of nature—have transformed Earth for millions of years. They are now joined by a new geological force—humans. Our actions have driven Earth into a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. For the first time in our home planet's 4.5-billion-year history a single species is increasingly dictating Earth’s future. To some the Anthropocene symbolizes a future of superlative control of our environment. To others it is the height of hubris, the illusion of our mastery over nature. Whatever your view, just below the surface of this odd-sounding scientific word—the Anthropocene—is a heady mix of science, philosophy, history, and politics linked to our deepest fears and utopian visions. Tracing our environmental impacts through time, scientists Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin reveal a new view of human history and a new outlook for the future of humanity in the unstable world we have created.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

A Psalm for the Wild-Built PDF Author: Becky Chambers
Publisher: Tordotcom
ISBN: 1250236223
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 102

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Book Description
Winner of the Hugo Award! In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, bestselling Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk and Robot series, gives us hope for the future. It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They're going to need to ask it a lot. Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Sapiens

Sapiens PDF Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062316109
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Book Description
New York Times Readers’ Pick: Top 100 Books of the 21st Century New York Times Bestseller A Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.” One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas. Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become? Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.

Transcendence

Transcendence PDF Author: Gaia Vince
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465094910
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
In the tradition of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Sapiens, a winner of the Royal Society Prize for Science Books shows how four tools enabled has us humans to control the destiny of our species "A wondrous, visionary work." --Tim Flannery, scientist and author of the bestselling The Weather Makers What enabled us to go from simple stone tools to smartphones? How did bands of hunter-gatherers evolve into multinational empires? Readers of Sapiens will say a cognitive revolution -- a dramatic evolutionary change that altered our brains, turning primitive humans into modern ones -- caused a cultural explosion. In Transcendence, Gaia Vince argues instead that modern humans are the product of a nuanced coevolution of our genes, environment, and culture that goes back into deep time. She explains how, through four key elements -- fire, language, beauty, and time -- our species diverged from the evolutionary path of all other animals, unleashing a compounding process that launched us into the Space Age and beyond. Provocative and poetic, Transcendence shows how a primate took dominion over nature and turned itself into something marvelous.

Humankind

Humankind PDF Author: Rutger Bregman
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316418552
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 480

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Book Description
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The “lively” (The New Yorker), “convincing” (Forbes), and “riveting pick-me-up we all need right now” (People) that proves humanity thrives in a crisis and that our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success as a species. If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest. But what if it isn't true? International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the solidarity in the aftermath of the Blitz, the hidden flaws in the Stanford prison experiment to the true story of twin brothers on opposite sides who helped Mandela end apartheid, Bregman shows us that believing in human generosity and collaboration isn't merely optimistic—it's realistic. Moreover, it has huge implications for how society functions. When we think the worst of people, it brings out the worst in our politics and economics. But if we believe in the reality of humanity's kindness and altruism, it will form the foundation for achieving true change in society, a case that Bregman makes convincingly with his signature wit, refreshing frankness, and memorable storytelling. "The Sapiens of 2020." —The Guardian "Humankind made me see humanity from a fresh perspective." —Yuval Noah Harari, author of the #1 bestseller Sapiens Longlisted for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction One of the Washington Post's 50 Notable Nonfiction Works in 2020

Humans Are Underrated

Humans Are Underrated PDF Author: Geoff Colvin
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698153650
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
As technology races ahead, what will people do better than computers? What hope will there be for us when computers can drive cars better than humans, predict Supreme Court decisions better than legal experts, identify faces, scurry helpfully around offices and factories, even perform some surgeries, all faster, more reliably, and less expensively than people? It’s easy to imagine a nightmare scenario in which computers simply take over most of the tasks that people now get paid to do. While we’ll still need high-level decision makers and computer developers, those tasks won’t keep most working-age people employed or allow their living standard to rise. The unavoidable question—will millions of people lose out, unable to best the machine?—is increasingly dominating business, education, economics, and policy. The bestselling author of Talent Is Overrated explains how the skills the economy values are changing in historic ways. The abilities that will prove most essential to our success are no longer the technical, classroom-taught left-brain skills that economic advances have demanded from workers in the past. Instead, our greatest advantage lies in what we humans are most powerfully driven to do for and with one another, arising from our deepest, most essentially human abilities—empathy, creativity, social sensitivity, storytelling, humor, building relationships, and expressing ourselves with greater power than logic can ever achieve. This is how we create durable value that is not easily replicated by technology—because we’re hardwired to want it from humans. These high-value skills create tremendous competitive advantage—more devoted customers, stronger cultures, breakthrough ideas, and more effective teams. And while many of us regard these abilities as innate traits—“he’s a real people person,” “she’s naturally creative”—it turns out they can all be developed. They’re already being developed in a range of far-sighted organizations, such as: • the Cleveland Clinic, which emphasizes empathy training of doctors and all employees to improve patient outcomes and lower medical costs; • the U.S. Army, which has revolutionized its training to focus on human interaction, leading to stronger teams and greater success in real-world missions; • Stanford Business School, which has overhauled its curriculum to teach interpersonal skills through human-to-human experiences. As technology advances, we shouldn’t focus on beating computers at what they do—we’ll lose that contest. Instead, we must develop our most essential human abilities and teach our kids to value not just technology but also the richness of interpersonal experience. They will be the most valuable people in our world because of it. Colvin proves that to a far greater degree than most of us ever imagined, we already have what it takes to be great.