Countdown Zero

From Chris Rylander, author of the breakout hit the Fourth Stall saga, comes the second book in the Codename Conspiracy series, a funny and clever mash-up of middle grade school story and spy adventure. Ever since Carson Fender was let go by the secret agency that had enlisted his services to help foil a nefarious plot perpetrated by one of their former agents, he's been back to hanging with his friends, pulling pranks, and not having to lie to everyone about how he's spending his days. And that's for the best, isn't it? Of course, this was all before a note showed up in his school lunch, informing him that Agent Nineteen had three days left to live, and that there might still be someone inside the Agency working against them. Carson has always been able to rely on his friends—but what happens when there's no one left to trust?

250,000 U.S. servicemen were exposed to incredibly high levels of radiation between 1945 and 1962 - without their knowledge or consent. For the government, the experiment was simple: how would soldiers perform under the shadow of the bomb? For the many GI's who witnessed bomb tests, the results have been harrowing; more and more atomic veterans fall victim to incurable cancer and undiagnosed illnesses every year. This hard-hitting, very personal account exposes decades of official indifference, gross negligence, and contempt for life on the part of the U.S. government. Both the government and the armed forces have refused to take responsibility for the atomic veterans. Working with the National Association of Atomic Veterans, Thomas H. Saffer and Orville E. Kelly, victims of atomic testing themselves, did much to bring this situation to public attention. This book, horrifying in the facts it relates, is also a moving, even hopeful testament to the men who knew that the whole truth about nuclear testing had to be exposed.

A top cybersecurity journalist tells the story behind the virus that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear efforts and shows how its existence has ushered in a new age of warfare—one in which a digital attack can have the same destructive capability as a megaton bomb. “Immensely enjoyable . . . Zetter turns a complicated and technical cyber story into an engrossing whodunit.”—The Washington Post The virus now known as Stuxnet was unlike any other piece of malware built before: Rather than simply hijacking targeted computers or stealing information from them, it proved that a piece of code could escape the digital realm and wreak actual, physical destruction—in this case, on an Iranian nuclear facility. In these pages, journalist Kim Zetter tells the whole story behind the world’s first cyberweapon, covering its genesis in the corridors of the White House and its effects in Iran—and telling the spectacular, unlikely tale of the security geeks who managed to unravel a top secret sabotage campaign years in the making. But Countdown to Zero Day also ranges beyond Stuxnet itself, exploring the history of cyberwarfare and its future, showing us what might happen should our infrastructure be targeted by a Stuxnet-style attack, and ultimately, providing a portrait of a world at the edge of a new kind of war.

From Chris Rylander, author of the breakout hit Fourth Stall saga, comes an incredibly funny and clever mash-up of middle grade school story and spy adventure. There are places in the world where heroes are born. There are places where brave men and women fight a never-ending battle against evil in order to keep our country and all other countries safe. There are places where the fate of our planet is being decided, even at this very moment, the consequences of which will echo through history. None of these places is in North Dakota. Carson Fender, seventh grader and notorious prankster, knows this. He's lived in North Dakota for his entire life, going to the same boring school every day, the same boring movie theater every week, the same boring state fair every year. Nothing ever changes, and nothing ever happens. That is, until today. Because today a desperate man hands him a package with a dire set of instructions. And that package is going to lead Carson to discover that there's a secret government agency operating in his small, quiet North Dakota hometown. And that this agency needs his help.

ZERO: Countdown to Tomorrow, 1950s-60s, is the first large-scale historical survey in the United States dedicated to the German artist group Zero (1957-66). Founded by Heinz Mack and Otto Piene, joined by Günther Uecker in 1961, the group expanded to include ZERO, an international network of like-minded artists who shared the group's aspiration to redefine art in the aftermath of World War II. Featuring more than thirty artists from nine countries, the catalogue explores the experimental practices developed by this extensive network of artists whose work anticipated aspects of Land art, Minimalism, and Conceptual art. The publication is organized around points of intersection, exchange, and collaboration that defined these artists' shared history. Among the themes explored are the establishment of new definitions of painting; the introduction of movement and light as both formal and idea-based aspects of art; the use of space as subject and material; the interrogation of the relationship between nature, technology, and humankind; and the production of live actions or demonstrations. At once a snapshot of a specific group and a portrait of a generation, this title celebrates the pioneering nature of both the art and the transnational vision advanced by the ZERO network.

The realistic portrayals of researching, developing, and ultimately defending the Internet from a malicious "Zero-Day" attack will appeal to every corner of the IT community. Although finctional, the numerous accounts of real events and references to real people will ring true with every member of the security community. This book will also satisfy those not on the "inside" of this community, who are fascinated by the real tactics and motives of criminal, malicous hackers and those who defent the Internet from them. * The realistic portrayals of researching, developing, and ultimately defending the Internet from a malicious "Zero-Day" attack will appeal to every corner of the IT community. * This book will entertain, educate, and enlighten the security and IT community about the world of elite security professionals who safeguard the Internet from the most dangerous cyber criminals and terrorists. * Although finctional, the numerous accounts of real events and references to real people will ring true with every member of the security community.

From Chris Rylander, author of the breakout hit Fourth Stall saga, comes the third book in the Codename Conspiracy series—an incredibly funny and clever mash-up of middle grade school story and spy adventure, perfect for fans of Gordon Korman. There is a computer program so unspeakably powerful that its mere existence is unknown to all but the most senior government agents. This computer program is capable of controlling every aspect of communication, transportation, and defense on the planet. This computer program must never fall into the wrong hands or civilization as we know it will be utterly destroyed. This computer program is in North Dakota. Carson Fender, aka the retired Prank Master, aka Agent Zero, aka the all-in-one World's Greatest Hero and World's Greatest Screwup, must protect this program, codenamed Exodus. He is paired once again with his best friend, Danielle, aka Agent Atlas. Together, they must expose an enemy agent working from inside their school—an enemy agent with the mandate to stop at nothing to help secure Exodus. Can Zero and Atlas foil this enemy before it is too late? Carson's final mission will test his loyalty, smarts, and courage as never before.

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