Evil Geniuses

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When did America give up on fairness? The author of Fantasyland tells the epic history of how America decided that big business gets whatever it wants, only the rich get richer, and nothing should ever change—and charts a way back to the future. “Essential, absorbing . . . a graceful, authoritative guide . . . a radicalized moderate’s moderate case for radical change.”—The New York Times Book Review During the twentieth century, America managed to make its economic and social systems both more and more fair and more and more prosperous. A huge, secure, and contented middle class emerged. All boats rose together. But then the New Deal gave way to the Raw Deal. Beginning in the early 1970s, by means of a long war conceived of and executed by a confederacy of big business CEOs, the superrich, and right-wing zealots, the rules and norms that made the American middle class possible were undermined and dismantled. The clock was turned back on a century of economic progress, making greed good, workers powerless, and the market all-powerful while weaponizing nostalgia, lifting up an oligarchy that served only its own interests, and leaving the huge majority of Americans with dwindling economic prospects and hope. Why and how did America take such a wrong turn? In this deeply researched and brilliantly woven cultural, economic, and political chronicle, Kurt Andersen offers a fresh, provocative, and eye-opening history of America’s undoing, naming names, showing receipts, and unsparingly assigning blame—to the radical right in economics and the law, the high priests of high finance, a complacent and complicit Establishment, and liberal “useful idiots,” among whom he includes himself. Only a writer with Andersen’s crackling energy, deep insight, and ability to connect disparate dots and see complex systems with clarity could make such a book both intellectually formidable and vastly entertaining. And only a writer of Andersen’s vision could reckon with our current high-stakes inflection point, and show the way out of this man-made disaster.

How an elite cabal rewrote the American dream for their gain – and left the rest of world behind. Evil Geniuses is the secret history of how, over the last half century, from even before Ronald Reagan through Donald Trump, America has sharply swerved away from its dream of progress for the many to a system of unfettered profit and self-interest for the few. As the social liberation of the 1960s finally ended in the chaos of Vietnam and Watergate, a cabal of rich industrialists, business chiefs, wide-eyed libertarians and right-wing economic radicals were waiting, determined to claw back everything they saw as rightfully theirs. Largely out of sight, they rapidly built and funded a new empire of think tanks and academic institutions and professional organisations, lobbying and political groups, using them to transform politics, media, finance, the legal system and US laws to reinvent and control the political economy. A throwback to the robber barons of a century earlier, they sold the remade system to the people as a nostalgic return to traditional American values. Within a decade, America’s flourishing forward-thinking vision was incarcerated by the unchecked financial accumulation and political power of the super-rich. Now, the moneymen are running the show. In this hugely entertaining and deeply researched cultural and economic exposé, New York Times bestselling author Kurt Andersen maps the rich history of intricate networks, unlikely connections and dark truths which are controlling a nation, revealing how on earth America got to where it is now – and what it might do to win its progressive future back.

Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ and a fascination with systems of all kinds. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now he’s fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. Although Cadel may be advanced beyond his years, at heart he’s a lonely kid. When he falls for the mysterious and brilliant Kay-Lee, he begins to question the moral implications of his studies. But is it too late to stop Dr. Darkkon from carrying out his evil plot? This ebook includes a sample chapter of GENIUS SQUAD.

Thinking big and thinking bad, fifty of the world's most notorious criminal masterminds have lied, cheated, murdered and swindled their way onto the pages of this book. Many of these miscreants had the brains and charisma to be successful in legitimate walks of life, yet they chose to take a different path - a path that perhaps got them richer more quickly, certainly in the cases of mobster Al Capone, robber Ronnie Biggs and drug baron Howard Marks, but which ultimately was to lead to their downfall. The impetus to cross the moral boundary into criminal territory is not provided just by a desire for great wealth, however, as this compelling narrative reveals. Consider the motivation of spies such as the Cambridge Four, terrorists such as Osama bin Laden and Carlos the Jackal and outlaws such as Bonnie and Clyde. The aims of such individuals transcend the merely material. Their criminality is driven by a need to exert power and then experience the thrill the exerting of this power brings in its wake. Criminal Masterminds provides a fascinating insight into the careers and character flaws of the most audacious reprobates that have come to the attention of the world's lawmakers. It will entertain, astound and sometimes shock you. It might even give you ideas...

The next hilarious compendium of "User Friendly" comic strips from the wicked hand of the elusive "Illiad". Chronicling the continuing saga of Canada's hardest working ISP, Columbia Internet, "Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell" serves up more details and stories from the lives of everybody's favorite characters: A.J. Cobb, Pitr, Mike, Dust Puppy, Miranda and Greg.

A dozen fiendishly fun projects for the Raspberry Pi! This wickedly inventive guide shows you how to create all kinds of entertaining and practical projects with Raspberry Pi operating system and programming environment. In Raspberry Pi Projects for the Evil Genius, you’ll learn how to build a Bluetooth-controlled robot, a weather station, home automation and security controllers, a universal remote, and even a minimalist website. You’ll also find out how to establish communication between Android devices and the RasPi. Each fun, inexpensive Evil Genius project includes a detailed list of materials, sources for parts, schematics, and lots of clear, well-illustrated instructions for easy assembly. The larger workbook-style layout makes following the step-by-step instructions a breeze. Build these and other devious devices: LED blinker MP3 player Camera controller Bluetooth robot Earthquake detector Home automation controller Weather station Home security controller RFID door latch Remote power controller Radon detector Make Great Stuff! TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists.

IF EVIL'S YOUR NAME, THEN THESE ARE YOUR GAMES! Always wanted to be a genius game creator? This Evil Genius guide goes far beyond a typical programming class or text to reveal insider tips for breaking the rules and constructing wickedly fun games that you can tweak and customize to suit your needs! In Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius, programming wunderkind Ian Cinnamon gives you everything you need to create and control 57 gaming projects. You'll find easy-to-follow plans featuring Java, the most universal programming language, that run on any PC, Mac, or Linux computer. Illustrated instructions and plans for an awesome mix of racing, board, shoot 'em up, strategy, retro, and puzzle games Gaming projects that vary in difficulty-starting with simple programs and progressing to sophisticated projects for programmers with advanced skills An interactive companion website featuring a free Java compiler, where you can share your projects with Evil Geniuses around the globe Removes the frustration-factor-all the parts you need are listed, along with sources Regardless of your skill level, Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius provides you with all the strategies, code, and insider programming advice you need to build and test your games with ease, such as: Radical Racing Screen Skier Whack an Evil Genius Tic-Tac-Toe Boxing Snake Pit Space Destroyers Bomb Diffuser Trapper Oiram Java Man Memory Ian Says

A comprehensive overview of robotics principles, systems, and applications This hands-on TAB guide is filled with DIY projects that show readers, step-by-step, how to start creating and making cool inventions with the Makey Makey invention kit. Each project features easy-to-follow, fully-illustrated instructions and detailed photographs of the finished gadget. You will see how to apply these skills and start building your own Makey Makey projects. 20 Makey Makey Projects for the Evil Genius starts off with very approachable introductory projects, making it a great starting point for beginners. It then builds to more challenging projects, allowing more experienced users to go further by incorporating technologies like Raspberry Pi, Processing and Scratch programming, 3D Printing, and creating wearable electronics with Makey Makey. Projects are divided into four categories: “Fun and Games,” Interactive,” Hacks and Pranks,” and “Makey Makey Go.” • No prior programming or technical experience is required • Basic enough for beginners, but challenging enough for advanced makers • Written by two educators who believe in fostering creative innovation for all