Beyond Zero and One

Beyond Zero and One
Author: Andrew Smart
Publisher: OR Books
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2015-12-03
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1682190072

“Andrew Smart deftly shows why it’s time for us to think deeply about thinking machines before they begin thinking deeply about us.” —Douglas Rushkoff, author, Escaping the Growth Trap,Present Shock, and Program or Be Programmed “Provocative and cool.” —Cory Doctorow “Forget the Turing test—will the supersmart AIs that we hear so much about these days pass the acid test? In this playful, informative, and prescient book, Andrew Smart brings psychedelics into dialogue with neuroscience in order to challenge the whiz-bang computational views of human and machine sentience that dominate the headlines. Giving robots LSD sounds like a joke, but Smart is dead serious in his critique of the hidden and sometimes dangerous biases that underlie both popular and scientific fantasies of digital minds.” —Erik Davis, host of “Expanding Mind” and author, Techgnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information “Philosophy, psychedelics, robots, and the future; consciousness and intelligence, what else do you desire? Here you will see why those machines that reach singularity will be smarter than us and take over the world—and shall need to be conscious…and maybe they can only be conscious if they are human enough. The thesis of the book, and the path shown us by Smart, leads to a great trip, of imagination and philosophy, of maths and neuroscience.” —Dr. Tristan Bekinschtein, Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge Can we build a robot that trips on acid? This is not a frivolous question, according to neuroscientist Andrew Smart. If we can’t, he argues, we haven’t really created artificial intelligence. In an exposition reminiscent of crossover works such as Gödel, Escher, Bach and Fermat’s Last Theorem, Andrew Smart weaves together Mangarevan binary numbers, the discovery of LSD, Leibniz, computer programming, and much more to connect the vast but largely forgotten world of psychedelic research with the resurgent field of AI and the attempt to build conscious robots. A book that draws on the history of mathematics, philosophy, and digital technology, Beyond Zero and One challenges fundamental assumptions underlying artificial intelligence. Is the human brain based on computation? Can information alone explain human consciousness and intelligence? Smart convincingly makes the case that true intelligence, and artificial intelligence, requires an appreciation of what is beyond the computational.

Build Beyond Zero

Build Beyond Zero
Author: Bruce King
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2022-06-16
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 164283212X

“Net Zero” has been an effective rallying cry for the green building movement, signaling a goal of having every building generate at least as much energy as it uses. Enormous strides have been made in improving the performance of every type of new building, and even more importantly, renovating the vast and energy-inefficient collection of existing buildings in every country. If we can get every building to net-zero energy use in the next few decades, it will be a huge success, but it will not be enough. In Build Beyond Zero, carbon pioneers Bruce King and Chris Magwood re-envision buildings as one of our most practical and affordable climate solutions instead of leading drivers of climate change. They provide a snapshot of a beginning and map towards a carbon-smart built environment that acts as a CO2 filter. Professional engineers, designers, and developers are invited to imagine the very real potential for our built environment to be a site of net carbon storage, a massive drawdown pool that could help to heal our climate. The authors, with the help of other industry experts, show the importance of examining what components of an efficient building (from windows to solar photovoltaics) are made with, and how the supply chains deliver all those products and materials to a jobsite. Build Beyond Zero looks at the good and the bad of how we track carbon (Life Cycle Assessment), then takes a deep dive into materials (with a focus on steel and concrete) and biological architecture, and wraps up with education, policy and governance, circular economy, and where we go in the next three decades. In Build Beyond Zero, King and Magwood show how buildings are culprits but stand poised to act as climate healers. They offer an exciting vision of climate-friendly architecture, along with practical advice for professionals working to address the carbon footprint of our built environment.

Autopilot

Autopilot
Author: Andrew Smart
Publisher: OR Books
Total Pages: 138
Release: 2013-07-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1939293111

Andrew Smart wants you to sit and do nothing much more often – and he has the science to explain why. At every turn we’re pushed to do more, faster and more efficiently: that drumbeat resounds throughout our wage-slave society. Multitasking is not only a virtue, it’s a necessity. Books such as Getting Things Done, The One Minute Manager, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People regularly top the bestseller lists, and have spawned a considerable industry. But Andrew Smart argues that slackers may have the last laugh. The latest neuroscience shows that the “culture of effectiveness” is not only ineffective, it can be harmful to your well-being. He makes a compelling case – backed by science – that filling life with activity at work and at home actually hurts your brain. A survivor of corporate-mandated “Six Sigma” training to improve efficiency, Smart has channeled a self-described “loathing” of the time-management industry into a witty, informative and wide-ranging book that draws on the most recent research into brain power. Use it to explain to bosses, family, and friends why you need to relax – right now.

After Zero

After Zero
Author: Christina Collins
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2018-09-04
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1492655333

This award winning book offers kids an authentic depiction of selective mutism and a story of the experience of middle school interactions and mental illness. Elise carries a notebook full of tallies, each page marking a day spent at her new public school, each stroke of her pencil marking a word spoken. A word that can't be taken back. Five tally marks isn't so bad. Two is pretty good. But zero? Zero is perfect. Zero means no wrong answers called out in class, no secrets accidentally spilled, no conversations to agonize over at night when sleep is far away. But now months have passed, and Elise isn't sure she could speak even if she wanted to—not to keep her only friend, Mel, from drifting further away—or to ask if anyone else has seen her English teacher's stuffed raven come to life. Then, the discovery of a shocking family secret helps Elise realize that her silence might just be the key to unlocking everything she's ever hoped for... A 2019 Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts (NCTE) A 2018 Cybils Nominee A Texas Lone Star Reading List title "Powerful and poetic."—John David Anderson, author of Posted and Ms. Bixby's Last Day "This tender and truthful book stays with you long after the words have gone."—Patricia Forde, author of The List "A must read. After Zero reminds us of so many loved ones of those suffering from anxiety or depressive disorders. It is a story that will hopefully foster empathy and maybe even communication with our 'quiet' peers."—Wesley King, author of OCDaniel Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 to 7 Great for parents and educators looking for: A story that addresses middle school social interactions, grief, loss and mental illness A story that depicts selective mutism authentically

How to Heal After a Toxic Relationship

How to Heal After a Toxic Relationship
Author: Olga Fernandez Txasko
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2019-02-17
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 9781793479709

Self-help book written by a survivor of narcissistic abuse.I have experienced the abuse of a narcissistic couple. I know what it feels like when the one you believed it was your great love leaves you broken and lost in this life. I've been empty, without direction. But I've been able not only to break the relationship, but to see the great value I carry inside me. This book revolves around you, the victim and not the narcissist or the abuser.It is important that you see that you have not been responsible for his behavior and that if you have been "trapped" into the relationship, it has not been because of his charm, but for the chemistry that his behavior has produced in you.You need to understand why you haven't been able to split up from him before, or why it is so difficult for you to do so. And if you have broken up, you need to know that the chemistry is responsible for sometimes "craving" to go back to him. You need to know that you are not a weirdo for it. It happens to us all. Don't diminish yourself for those feelings.In the break up from the narcissist emotional factors intervene. But the chemistry plays a great role as you will see in this book. In addition, the abuse you have experienced modifies your brain. Neuroscientists have discovered that long-term narcissistic abuse can lead to real physical brain damage. When we suffer constant emotional abuse, victims, we experience a reduction of the hippocampus, amygdala inflammation and inhibition of the prefrontal cortex. Which leads to devastating effects.It is important to see that you are not responsible for the behavior of the narcissist and that you have reacted in a certain way to survive, not because you have any intrinsic problem. It is necessary that you see and understand it in order to see your true value, that is independent of your achievements and is above of what others believe or say. It is very hard to see the true face of these demons, to digest that the person you have loved and to whom you have given your life to, does not exist. Opening one's eyes to the truth is very hard, but it is harder to live in an abusive relationship with mr. evil. In the book I give you the guidelines to carry out the zero contact, to get away from the toxic relationship. And if you can not do it because it is not your moment, I tell you how to apply the grey stone method that consists, basically, of refraining from any emotional reaction .But not only does the book show you how to get away from the narcissist, but it allows you to get rid of the limiting beliefs that the narcissist instilled in you.When we carry traumas and false beliefs that are not our True Self, that unconsciously keep us trapped, instead of taking care of ourselves, we continue to be the object of abuse and lack of esteem. But as you begin to be the source of your own life, you learn to live with healthy emotions, your true self comes to light. Your strength and your power come out, and the great woman inside you begins to live.Give yourself the opportunity now to take out that brave woman that lives inside and that has not been let out. Discover the great woman you are.I wish you all the best.

In Search of Captain Zero

In Search of Captain Zero
Author: Allan Weisbecker
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2002-09-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1585421774

In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his long-time surfing companion, Patrick, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Patrick's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend. In Search of Captain Zero is, according to Outside magazine, "A subtly affecting tale of friendship and duty. [It] deserves a spot on the microbus dashboard as a hell of a cautionary tale about finding paradise and smoking it away." In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road is a Booksense 76 Top Ten selection for September/October.

Ultimate Zero and One

Ultimate Zero and One
Author: Colin P. Williams
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 146120495X

As miniaturisation deepens, and nanotechnology and its machines become more prevalent in the real world, the need to consider using quantum mechanical concepts to perform various tasks in computation increases. Such tasks include: the teleporting of information, breaking heretofore "unbreakable" codes, communicating with messages that betray eavesdropping, and the generation of random numbers. This is the first book to apply quantum physics to the basic operations of a computer, representing the ideal vehicle for explaining the complexities of quantum mechanics to students, researchers and computer engineers, alike, as they prepare to design and create the computing and information delivery systems for the future. Both authors have solid backgrounds in the subject matter at the theoretical and more practical level. While serving as a text for senior/grad level students in computer science/physics/engineering, this book has its primary use as an up-to-date reference work in the emerging interdisciplinary field of quantum computing - the only prerequisite being knowledge of calculus and familiarity with the concept of the Turing machine.

Zero to One

Zero to One
Author: Blake Masters
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2014-09-18
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 075355030X

WHAT VALUABLE COMPANY IS NOBODY BUILDING? The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them. It’s easier to copy a model than to make something new: doing what we already know how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. Every new creation goes from 0 to 1. This book is about how to get there. ‘Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.’ ELON MUSK, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla ‘This book delivers completely new and refreshing ideas on how to create value in the world.’ MARK ZUCKERBERG, CEO of Facebook ‘When a risk taker writes a book, read it. In the case of Peter Thiel, read it twice. Or, to be safe, three times. This is a classic.’ NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB, author of The Black Swan