This book provides an accessible introduction to the fascinating and topical subject of black holes. It bridges the gap between popular non-mathematical expositions and advanced research texts, using simple undergraduate level calculations and the most basic knowledge of relativity to explain current research. This means the theory can be understood by a wide audience of physicists, including those who are not necessarily interested in learning higher-level mathematical techniques.The thir...

Technology-as-a-Service Playbook defines the tactical and strategic plays technology companies must run to build a profitable subscription business. Whether you are a pureplay cloud company or a traditional technology provider making the pivot to the cloud, this book will help guide your decision-making and execution around the "as-a-service" model to put your company on a path to profitable growth.This cloud-driven journey will affect every part of the organization. How offers are...

The first installment in the Elite Ops series, featuring sexy ex-military men ... and the women who rescue their hearts.Former DEA agent Leland Hollis wasn't planning on being a hero. Recovering from an injury sustained during a drug bust gone wrong and with more personal demons than he cares to admit, he wants nothing more than peace and a chance to rebuild his life. But when Anna Mercado's crazy ex shows up wielding a baseball bat, Leland can't ignore his instinct to hel...

AEGIS: an elite team of ex-military men who will do anything for their country…and their womenFighting to clear her brother of murder, freelance reporter Sassy Smith is suddenly kidnapped and thrown into a truck with other women who are about to be sold…or worse. When she sees an opportunity for escape Sassy takes it, but she may have just jumped from the frying pan into the fire.Former Marine Bryan Fisher (aka Hollywood) is no stranger to dangerous situations, or ...

The first comprehensive treatment of active inference, an integrative perspective on brain, cognition, and behavior used across multiple disciplines.Active inference is a way of understanding sentient behavior—a theory that characterizes perception, planning, and action in terms of probabilistic inference. Developed by theoretical neuroscientist Karl Friston over years of groundbreaking research, active inference provides an integrated perspective on brain, cogniti...

A chronicle of recent events that have shaken the world, from the author of Capital in the Twenty-First CenturyAs a correspondent for the French newspaper Le Monde, world-renowned economist Thomas Piketty has documented the rise and fall of Trump, the drama of Brexit, Emmanuel Macron’s ascendance to the French presidency, the unfoldingof a global pandemic, and much else besides, always from the perspective of his fight for a more equitable world. This collection brings toget...

A walk with a friend unspools a far-ranging, darkly comic, philosophical dialogue in this novella by "one of the masters of contemporary European fiction" (George Steiner).With celebrated novels such as The Loser, Woodcutters, and Extinction, Austrian author Thomas Bernhard cemented his reputation as "one of the century's most gifted writers." Though he is favorably compared with Franz Kafka and Samuel Beckett, it is only in recent years t...

In this compelling dialogue, two of the world’s most influential thinkers reflect on the value of equality and debate what citizens and governments should do to narrow the gaps that separate us. Ranging across economics, philosophy, history, and current affairs, Thomas Piketty and Michael Sandel consider how far we have come in achieving greater equality. At the same time, they confront head-on the extreme divides that remain in wealth, income, power, and status nationally and globally.

In the 1960s, Thomas Merton, one of the twentieth century’s great mystics, encountered the ancient Islamic mystical tradition of Sufism. The result was an outpouring of mystical insight and spiritual wisdom.In these talks recorded by Merton during the last two years of his life, you will discover what first inspired Merton. The Sufi mystics have given us: one of the world’s most read poets, Rumi; the beautiful mystical dance of whirling dervishes; interreligious insight; and new fo...

Jo Adams and Rhonda Black reconnect after ten years apart. Rhonda’s twin daughters were Jo’s best friends in high school. With the significant age difference, Rhonda cannot believe Jo, twenty years her junior, will want to be with her long-term.JJo knows what she wants, but can she convince Rhonda she’s in this relationship for the long haul?JRhonda feels caught between a desire to explore a new opportunity for love and the daughter whose response she does not understand. C...

Barbara, a young and impetuous heiress, rejects the stern Lord Uplandtowers to elope with a poor but handsome man, Edmund Willowes. When Barbara’s parents send Edmund to Europe, they hope to change him into a more suitable match for their daughter. But after disaster strikes, Edmund returns in a way nobody could have imagined.

The last thing world class violinist Ava Wellington wants is some nosy writer publishing her biography. Unfortunately, her manager is insistent this is the best way to capitalize on her fame. Ava is terrified someone might discover the secret she’s kept for nearly twenty years, one that could not only destroy her career, but ruin the lives of those she loves most.Journalist Bianca Vega has only just recovered from the loss of her wife and isn’t prepared to see Ava again, not after ...