Albert Einstein: A Biography [extract from forthcoming book]
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I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS of finishing my biography of Albert Einstein for my wonderful publisher, Hyperink. I’m already late with it, but my excuse to them was that I have been ill. Hyperink believed me because it was the truth. The fact that science makes my brain turn to mush was not one of the reasons for the delay. Everyone knows who Albert Einstein is, and I thought I could just write about his life in general without getting too deep into the science, about which I know less than nothing, which is theoretically possible. Anyway, here’s my intro, which will be included in the forthcoming book…
My first novel is actually a novelette
I’VE WRITTEN A NOVEL. It’s called ‘Turmoil’ for short, with the full title of ‘The Company: Project Turmoil’. It’s actually a novelette, which is shorter than a novella, which in turn is shorter than a novel. If you’ve bought and enjoyed any of my non-fiction books, then maybe you’ll enjoy this, my first work of fiction. It’s currently on sale through Amazon for $2.99. I’ve only released it as a Kindle ebook for now (free virtual Kindle). The paperback version will be available some time soon.
Hope Solo chosen as ambassador for Seiko
THIS NEWS RELEASE (below) caught my eye, partly because I recently wrote a short biography of Hope Solo, the US women’s soccer team’s goalkeeper, and because I wear a Seiko watch myself. I do have other watches, but I’ve always found Seiko’s self-winding – the so-called Kinetic – range of watches actually quite fascinating. I mean how do they work? What is the magical technology behind it? Anyway, it’s a great excuse to plug my Hope Solo biography, which actually is selling very well – she must be a very popular person.
Martin Scorsese: A Biography [extract from forthcoming book]
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MARTIN SCORSESE IS ONE of the most important film directors in the history of cinema, not only because of the extraordinary films that he himself has made, but also because of his tireless efforts to preserve cinematic culture and its artifacts. He is hugely popular and widely celebrated for being both a master director as well as an ardent cinephile, a fan of cinema, with whom ordinary film-lovers can identify. He seems to be as enthusiastic about, and as awe-struck by, the cinematic experience as the rest of us are.
Ai Weiwei: biography of China’s most controversial artist
« Extract from the book, Biography of Ai Weiwei »
AI WEIWEI IS CHINA’S most famous living, modern contemporary artist. His fame and notoriety transcend the art world and encompass the realm of our broader, global modern culture. Even if you don’t know who he is, you have almost certainly seen at least one of his works.
Linus Torvalds: biography of the revolutionary creator of Linux
« Extract from the book, Biography of Linus Torvalds »
LINUS TORVALDS IS CONSIDERED in Europe, the United States, and beyond, to be one of the most important people of the past 100 years. Some people even call him a revolutionary hero.
Ai Weiwei installs cameras in his studio so everyone can watch him round the clock
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AI WEIWEI. HE’S PROBABLY the most famous Chinaman after Confucius, except for Bruce Lee, and Jackie Chan, and Jet Li, and Chow Yun-Fat, and Ang Lee, and Yao Ming… anyway, he’s quite well known. He’s certainly the most famous Chinese artist in the world, possibly in history.
1940 Census – National Archives, the US Constitution and IBM
«Examining computer history: Pioneers of the Computer Age »
AMID THE CURRENT WIDESPREAD interest in the 1940 census in the US and the country’s National Archives, it is probably worth remembering that International Business Machines, or IBM as it is more commonly known, is inextricably linked to the census survey that takes place every 10 years in the US. Continue Reading →
The world’s most valuable computer companies [book extract]
« Extract from the book, Pioneers of the Computer Age »
DESPITE THE TURMOIL OF the past few years in stock markets around the world, and despite the “technology bubble” having burst many years ago, there are still many computer and Internet-related companies that are making massive profits, and are worth many hundreds of billions of dollars.
Charles Babbage and the beginning of the Computer Age [book extract]
« Extract from the book, Pioneers of the Computer Age »
IN THE BEGINNING, there was the word, and the word was “computer”. Actually, it may have something else, but for the purposes of this book, we’ll start from there, from that word, from “computer”.
In remembrance of a pioneer who passed away [book extract]
« Extract from the book, Pioneers of the Computer Age »
BY ALL ACCOUNTS STEVE JOBS was one of those rare people who saw the future. He somehow knew what the future held for people, especially when it came to technology. Many people – including President Barack Obama – called him a “visionary” in their tributes after learning of his death in 2011, at the age of 56, after many years of suffering from pancreatic cancer.
The changing face of computer games
« Extract from the book, Pioneers of the Computer Age »
WHY DO THEY KEEP CHANGING Lara Croft’s appearance? She was fine the way she was in the original.
The future of computers
« Extract from the book, Pioneers of the Computer Age »
NOBODY NEEDED TO SAY IT but PCs were always destined to be superseded by newer, faster, better and – hopefully – cheaper devices. Everyone knew it, but didn’t think about it. It’s the nature of technology – everything changes, all the time. But are they already becoming obsolete? Most people probably thought they’ll be around for at least another 50 years or more.
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Biography of Hope Solo
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HOPE SOLO IS ARGUABLY THE BEST goalkeeper in women’s soccer today. And even though her sporting talent, by itself, has made her internationally famous, she is also increasingly gaining celebrity status for her appearances on television on numerous entertainment shows, as well as her adventurous magazine photo shoots.
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Biography of Ana Ivanovic
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IT’S OFFICIAL. ANA IVANOVIC IS the sexiest tennis player in the world. Ever. She’s also “the most beautiful”. And “the hottest female athlete on the planet”. And she has “the most beautiful body”. She’s the “best looking woman in the history of tennis”. Continue Reading →
Niccolo Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince’
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WHEN I FIRST READ Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince about 10 years ago, I was left in a state of mild trauma by the time I’d finished. It was one of the most cold-blooded books I think I’ve ever read. Not because it’s written in a particularly dispassionate way. In fact it’s written in a comparatively emotive style, earthy you might say, as well as pragmatic and realistic. Continue Reading →
‘The Sayings of Confucius’
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LIKE MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE, I sometimes visit quotations websites, just to read a few wise words, have my spirits lifted, and maybe get some ideas. And quotations by Confucius are always worth reading for their emphasis on human values and strengths.
Nassim Taleb’s ‘Fooled by Randomness’
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WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL I considered a career in finance. Or to be more embarrassingly precise, I considered becoming an accountant. I chose the appropriate subjects and got myself onto a business degree course. I was still only 19 and you could say I was following a non-random course towards my career objective. Continue Reading →
‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man’
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I FIRST CAME ACROSS John Perkins’s Confessions of an Economic Hit Man a few years ago when I was living and working in Abu Dhabi, a tiny city-state which serves as the capital of a conglomerate of similar city-states—including Dubai—all collectively known as the United Arab Emirates, or the UAE, which itself is located on the eastern coast of the Arabian peninsula. Continue Reading →
Barack Obama’s ‘Dreams from My Father’
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THE FIRST TIME I SAW a news report about Barack Obama was well before he became the first black President of the United States of America. And, in this book, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Obama takes the reader back to those not-too-distant days when the world was completely different. Continue Reading →
Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’
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WHEN I FIRST READ Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in my early 20s, a part of my psyche immediately recognized and understood the sheer importance of Joseph Conrad’s classic. Continue Reading →
Free Kindle – a virtual Kindle ebook reader for your computer
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DO YOU WANT TO READ Kindle ebooks but don’t have a Kindle device? Not yet decided whether you want to buy a Kindle? Why not test drive a virtual Kindle now on your computer? Amazon offers free virtual Kindles for both Mac and PC – and according to some reports, it happens to be the most popular way to read Kindle books. You can download a free virtual Kindle for your Mac or PC free at the links below.