The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a web-design drone, and serendipity, sheer curiosity and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey have landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than its name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything. Instead they “check out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behaviour and roped his friends into helping him figure out just what’s going on. But once they take their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the secrets extend far beyond the walls of the bookstore. Evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or Umberto Eco, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like—an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave.
After a layoff during the Great Recession sidelines his tech career, Clay Jannon takes a job at the titular bookstore in San Francisco, and soon realizes that the establishment is a facade for a strange secret.
From Robin Sloan, the New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, comes Sourdough, "a perfect parable for our times" (San Francisco Magazine): a delicious and funny novel about an overworked and under-socialized software engineer discovering a calling and a community as a baker. Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Southern Living Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers quickly close up shop. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her—feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it. Lois is no baker, but she could use a roommate, even if it is a needy colony of microorganisms. Soon, not only is she eating her own homemade bread, she’s providing loaves to the General Dexterity cafeteria every day. Then the company chef urges her to take her product to the farmer’s market—and a whole new world opens up.
Robin Sloan expands the Penumbraverse to new reaches of time and space in a rollicking far-future adventure. In Moonbound, Robin Sloan has written a novel with the full scope and ambitious imagination of the very books that lit the engines of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: an epic quest as only Sloan could conceive it, mixing science fiction, fantasy, good old-fashioned literary storytelling, and unrivaled enthusiasm for what’s next. It is eleven thousand years from now . . . A lot has happened, and yet a lot is still very familiar. Ariel is a boy in a small town under a wizard’s rule. Like many adventurers before him, Ariel is called to explore a world full of unimaginable glories and challenges: unknown enemies, a mission to save the world, a girl. Here, as they say, be dragons. But none of this happens before Ariel comes across an artifact from an earlier civilization, a sentient, record-keeping artificial intelligence that carries with it the perspective of the whole of human history—and becomes both Ariel’s greatest ally and the narrator of our story. Moonbound is an adventure into the richest depths of Story itself. It is a deeply satisfying epic of ancient scale, blasted through the imaginative prism one of our most forward-thinking writers. And this is only the beginning.
From Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, the story of Mr. Penumbra's first trip to San Francisco—and of how he got entangled with the city's most unusual always-open enterprise... It is August 1969. The Summer of Love is a fading memory. The streets of San Francisco pulse to the sounds of Led Zeppelin and Marvin Gaye. And of jackhammers: A futuristic pyramid of a skyscraper is rising a few blocks from City Lights bookstore and an unprecedented subway tunnel is being built under the bay. Meanwhile, south of the city, orchards are quickly giving way to a brand-new industry built on silicon. But young Ajax Penumbra has not arrived in San Francisco looking for free love or a glimpse of the technological future. He is seeking a book—the single surviving copy of the Techne Tycheon, a mysterious volume that has brought and lost great fortune for anyone who has owned it. The last record of the book locates it in the San Francisco of more than a century earlier, and on that scant bit of evidence, Penumbra's university has dispatched him west to acquire it for their library. After a few weeks of rigorous hunting, Penumbra feels no closer to his goal than when he started. But late one night, after another day of dispiriting dead ends, he stumbles across a 24-hour bookstore, and the possibilities before him expand exponentially . . .
At last, the story that definitively bridges the world of Sourdough to that of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. It’s all one Penumbraverse. James Bascule is adrift. College beckons—but not quite strongly enough to actually get him to campus. A trip to Europe showed him a world bigger than his Northern California upbringing—and yet, one broken heart later, Northern California is where he’s returned. Back to his old bedroom, paying his bemused parents rent with his new hobby, baking bread with the sourdough starter that is his only souvenir of what was apparently just a summer fling. The future is being built an hour or two down the highway—it’s 1985; the twenty-first century is just around the corner!—but that’s not his world either. While sitting in a Sonoma County bar, indulging in a little aimless day drinking with a junior college acquaintance, he meets a man. A man with . . . something like a plan. Has James ever heard of a “suitcase clone”? It’s a cutting of a vine used to clone and propagate noteworthy grapes—say, from a legendary European vineyard to an upstart Napa Valley operation. This man has an operation. He has a suitcase. He just needs an enterprising young accomplice up for an adventure. Just how deliriously fun and thrillingly mind-expanding an adventure, James can’t yet know. But we, of course, know how Robin Sloan crafts a story. Crossing the international literary-techno-conspiracy of Mr. Penumbra with the delicious experimentation of Sourdough, The Suitcase Clone is a tale that enriches and expands the Penumbraverse in ways you never saw coming, told by a mysterious narrator with an unexpected perspective on the great puzzles of life. Who could it be?
While the earliest character representations in video games were rudimentary in terms of their presentation and performance, the virtual characters that appear in games today can be extremely complex and lifelike. These are characters that have the potential to make a powerful and emotional connection with gamers. As virtual characters become more
After a layoff during the Great Recession sidelines his tech career, Clay Jannon takes a job at the titular bookstore in San Francisco, and soon realizes that the establishment is a facade for a strange secret.
The Southern Democrat was established by Forney G. Stephens at Blountsville in 1894. After fellow newspaperman Lawrence H. Mathews of the Blount County News-Dispatch died in 1896, Stephens moved the Democrat to Oneonta. When the News-Dispatch folded in 1903, the Democrat was the preeminent Blount County newspaper. Stephens died in 1939, but the Democrat continued to publish in Oneonta for almost 100 years. In 1989 the old Southern Democrat was renamed the Blount Countain. Microfilm for the old Southern Democrat was acquired from the State Archives in Montgomery and studied page by page. Every mention of births, marriages, deaths, obituaries and news important to the history and development of Blount County was reproduced here. This book is vital for any serious student of Blount County, Alabama genealogy and history.
Is cancer a contagious disease? In the late nineteenth century this idea, and attending efforts to identify a cancer “germ,” inspired fear and ignited controversy. Yet speculation that cancer might be contagious also contained a kernel of hope that the strategies used against infectious diseases, especially vaccination, might be able to subdue this dread disease. Today, nearly one in six cancers are thought to have an infectious cause, but the path to that understanding was twisting and turbulent. A Contagious Cause is the first book to trace the century-long hunt for a human cancer virus in America, an effort whose scale exceeded that of the Human Genome Project. The government’s campaign merged the worlds of molecular biology, public health, and military planning in the name of translating laboratory discoveries into useful medical therapies. However, its expansion into biomedical research sparked fierce conflict. Many biologists dismissed the suggestion that research should be planned and the idea of curing cancer by a vaccine or any other means as unrealistic, if not dangerous. Although the American hunt was ultimately fruitless, this effort nonetheless profoundly shaped our understanding of life at its most fundamental levels. A Contagious Cause links laboratory and legislature as has rarely been done before, creating a new chapter in the histories of science and American politics.
This edited volume, authored by scholars, students, and activists, focuses on how peace educators at the collegiate level can more effectively address gender and sexuality. Chapters focus on the classroom and the campus at large, and emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary practice, thoughtful approaches that offer both challenges and safety, and solidarity and support. The volume includes entries on hot and important topics, including trigger warnings, using popular culture in the classroom, sex trafficking, campus sexual assault, and more. Contributors come from a variety of disciplinary areas, making the volume eclectic in nature. Further, most entries include student voices, providing much- needed agency for college youth. While the book does offer a critical perspective, importantly, chapters also offer hope and possibility.
A pioneering guide to understanding and leading workforce ecosystems, which include not only traditional employees, contractors, and gig workers, but also partner and complementor organizations that work with companies to accomplish enterprise and individual goals. Who is your workforce? This was a simple question when most organizations focused on hiring full- and part-time employees, but now organizations engage with both internal and external collaborators including subcontractors, freelancers, app developers, marketplace sellers, and others. As technology enables new, more efficient forms of working, and roles become more project- and outcomes-based, workforces are evolving into workforce ecosystems requiring updated strategies, leadership, and management practices. Workforce Ecosystems by Elizabeth J. Altman, David Kiron, Jeff Schwartz, and Robin Jones is an essential research-driven framework for leading these complex, interconnected workforces. Drawing on case studies, worldwide surveys, and extensive interviews with C-suite executives and senior leaders from Amazon, IBM, Mayo Clinic, NASA, Nike, Roche, Unilever, the US Army, Walmart, and others, the authors explore what workforce ecosystems are and how to navigate their unique challenges and opportunities. Practical and field-tested, Workforce Ecosystems will prepare leaders to identify distinguishing characteristics of workforce ecosystems; take advantage of their increasing relevance as the world becomes more interconnected and technology-enabled; refine business strategies to incorporate them; focus leadership, management practices, and technologies to leverage them; and traverse the ethical, societal, and public policy considerations of workforce ecosystems.
The Southern Democrat was established by Forney G. Stephens at Blountsville in 1894. After fellow newspaperman Lawrence H. Mathews of the Blount County News-Dispatch died in 1896, Stephens moved the Democrat to Oneonta. When the News-Dispatch folded in 1903, the Democrat was the preeminent Blount County newspaper. Stephens died in 1939, but the Democrat continued to publish in Oneonta for almost 100 years. In 1989 the old Southern Democrat was renamed the Blount Countian. Microfilm for the old Southern Democrat was acquired from the State Archives in Montgomery and studied page by page. Every mention of births, marriages, deaths, obituaries and news important to the history and development of Blount County was reproduced here. This book is vital for any serious student of Blount County, Alabama genealogy and history.
Cooper shows that the key to success in such an environment is the careful balance of cost, quality, and functionality - the survival triplet - in which cost is the critical element. He describes eight innovative cost management techniques - including target costing and value engineering - that have emerged in Japanese firms to manage costs across the value chain.
This book contains all the marriages which took place in Cullman County between the year 1877 and 1920. Images of the original documents from the Cullman County Court House were examined page by page and transcribed. Not only was the basic information recorded, but other significant details were gathered such as names of bondsmen, names of officials performing the ceremony, names and relationships of those granting permission, and the location of the ceremony. Sometimes, other details such as birthdays, were recorded. Additionally, details of all licenses returned unexecuted were recorded. The main part of the book is an alphabetical listing of all the grooms. A full name index of the brides follows in the last section. This book is a handy tool for those with ancestors in Cullman County, or those with ancestors in sections of Blount and Winston which became Cullman County.
Blount County was carved out of the territory ceded to the State by the Creek Indians following their defeat at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The earliest settlers began streaming into the former wilderness as early as 1817. Blount was originally a large county, but over the decades pieces were taken to make up other adjoining counties such as Jefferson, Marshall, Etowah, and Cullman. Every cemetery within the contemporary boundaries of Blount was visited by the author and each readable tombstone was copied to develop the contents of this three volume series. Most of the cemeteries were read in 2002. Volume 1 covers alphabetically H through P, beginning with the Hipp Family Cemetery and concluding with the Phillips Cemetery (sometimes called the Old County Line Cemetery). This book is vital to any serious student of Blount County genealogy and history.
Unprecedented consumer power, enabled by technology and globalization is driving a revolutionary transformation that will lead to the demise of retail as we know it. The authors provide a unique and essential view of the future of the industry, arguing that a new business model is necessary in these new times, one based on: Preemptive, precise and perpetual distribution; A neurological customer connection; and total control of the value chain. Some of the authors' key insights and predictions include: * The collapse of the traditional retail/wholesale business model: The more enlightened retailers and wholesalers understand they must own and control the creation, distribution and presentation of their value, directly to the consumer. Internet retailers such as Amazon, must ultimately open bricks and mortar stores: In an over-competed marketplace, preemptive distribution of value to precisely where and how the consumer wants it is vital, meaning that retailers and wholesalers must utilize all available distribution platforms, as well as create new distribution ideas. Successful control of the total value chain is the key driver of economic success: Control does not necessarily mean ownership, as in complete vertical integration. Rather, it means that one must gain dominant control over all its functions as companies like Wal-Mart and Ralph Lauren, who don't own, but certainly control, their total value chains, demonstrate. The imperative to control the value chain will favor those who own production: An increasing number of U.S. brands, wholesalers and retailers, will be acquired by Chinese manufacturers and other emerging countries who can produce consumer goods at a low cost. "--
Lord Charles Sheridan has launched an investigation into a jockey's recent (and mysterious) death-while his wife, Kate, puzzles over the long-ago theft of an actress's jewels. But soon the Sheridans can't help wondering if the two strange events are, somehow, connected.
The Cullman Democrat was established about 25 years after the first newspaper to publish in the town named for the famous German settler, John G. Cullman. While it came relatively late on the scene, its circulation soon grew to match that of the most successful Alabama weekly newspapers. The Democrat was first published by Major W.F. Palmer in June of 1901. Palmer sold the paper to R.L. and J.E. Griffin in 1902, but by the end of January of 1903, the paper was purchased by Joseph Robert Rosson. The Democrat remained in control of the Rosson family for man years after."--Publisher's description
The Southern Democrat was established by Forney G. Stephens at Blountsville in 1894. After fellow newspaperman Lawrence H. Mathews of the Blount County News-Dispatch died in 1896, Stephens moved the Democrat to Oneonta. When the News-Dispatch folded in 1903, the Democrat was the preeminent Blount County newspaper. Stephens died in 1939, but the Democrat continued to publish in Oneonta for almost 100 years. In 1989 the old Southern Democrat was renamed the Blount Countain. Microfilm for the old Southern Democrat was acquired from the State Archives in Montgomery and studied page by page. Every mention of births, marriages, deaths, obituaries and news important to the history and development of Blount County was reproduced here. This book is vital for any serious student of Blount County, Alabama genealogy and history.
The Cullman Democrat was established about 25 years after the first newspaper to publish in the town named for the famous German settler, John G. Cullman. While it came relatively late on the scene, its circulation soon grew to match that of the most successful Alabama weekly newspapers. The Democrat was first published by Major W.F. Palmer in June of 1901. Palmer sold the paper to R.L. and J.E. Griffin in 1902, but by the end of January of 1903, the paper was purchased by Joseph Robert Rosson. The Democrat remained in control of the Rosson family for man years after."--Publisher's description.
A collection of illustrated black-and-white engravings depicting the history of Texas from 1554 to 1900 presented chronologically and featuring a brief introduction to the historical background of each era.
The Blount Count Journal published in Oneonta from 1909 to 1918. Compared to other Blount County papers, the Journal was only a small blip on the journalistic radar in Blount County. However, it is an often overlooked and untapped source of great genealogical and historical knowledge. While some of the articles mirror those published in its contemporary publications, often the Journal captured other obituaries and news missed by the Democrat. Most of the original copies of the Journal were found in the court house in Oneonta. These were reviewed for notices of births, marriages, obituaries and interesting news items. Missing issues from the court house were reviewed at the State Archives in Montgomery. This book will add to the body of knowledge of Blount County, Alabama and will serve as a useful tool for area genealogists and historians.
This comprehensive guide covers every stage of organising and teaching a course in contract drafting. With extensive sample course materials, it offers useful tips for building nuance, creative thinking, and experiential learning into contract drafting curricula.
This book contains all the marriages which took place in Blount County, Alabama between the years 1866 and 1919. Images of the original documents from the Blount County Court House were examined page by page and transcribed. Not only was the primary information recorded, but other significant details were gathered such as names of bondsmen, names of officials performing the ceremony, names and relationships of those granting permission, and the location of the ceremony. Plus, volumes and page numbers were recorded to provide for better documentation. Additionally, details of all licenses returned unexecuted were recorded. This book also contains those marriages recorded at the satellite Blount County court house at Bangor covering the years 1893 to 1901. This book is a handy tool for those with ancestors in Blount County, or those with ancestors in sections of Blount which became Cullman County.
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