Overclocked

"Cory Doctorow straps on his miner's helmet and takes you deep into the caverns and underground rivers of pop culture, here filtered through SF-colored glasses. Enjoy."-Neil Gaiman New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow has been hailed as one of the freshest voices in science fiction, and this collection of intriguing novellas is yet another reason why. Have you ever wondered what it's like to live through a bioweapon attack or to have every aspect of your life governed by invisible ants? In Cory Doctorow's collection of novellas, he wields his formidable experience in technology and computing to give us mind-bending sci-fi tales that explore the possibilities of information technology-and its various uses-run amok. "Anda's Game" is a spin on the bizarre new phenomenon of "cyber sweatshops," in which people are paid very low wages to play online games all day in order to generate in-game wealth, which can be converted into actual money. Another tale tells of the heroic exploits of "sysadmins"-systems administrators-as they defend the cyberworld, and hence the world at large, from worms and bioweapons. And yes, there's a story about zombies, too. "He sparkles! He fizzes! He does backflips and breaks the furniture! Science fiction needs Cory Doctorow." -Bruce Sterling, award-winning author of Schismatrix Plus and The Difference Engine

Amid the seemingly exponential advancement of technology and the increasingly portentous implications of its continued development and proliferation, many futurists speculate about an imminent historical threshold when the nature of human existence will be forever changed—the Singularity. In Singularities, Joshua Raulerson mounts a wide-ranging study of the Singularity as a subject for theory and cultural studies, drawing science fiction texts into a complex dialogue with digital culture, transhumanist movements, political and economic theory, consumer gadgetry, gaming, and related areas of our high-tech postmodernity. By doing so, he shows how the Singularity greatly shapes many of our contemporary anxieties and aspirations.

Playing with Videogames documents the richly productive, playful and social cultures of videogaming that support, surround and sustain this most important of digital media forms and yet which remain largely invisible within existing studies. James Newman details the rich array of activities that surround game-playing, charting the vibrant and productive practices of the vast number of videogame players and the extensive 'shadow' economy of walkthroughs, FAQs, art, narratives, online discussion boards and fan games, as well as the cultures of cheating, copying and piracy that have emerged. Playing with Videogames offers the reader a comprehensive understanding of the meanings of videogames and videogaming within the contemporary media environment.

Build your very own custom PC- How you want, and the freedom to do it where you want while avoiding frustration and complex steps. Are you on a budget but you want to buy your dream pc but its to expensive. Now is your chance to build your very own custom PC for personal, business, or entertainment use. This is the perfect guide to help you finally set up the perfect PC with out the hassle or the demands of being a computer wiz kid. We have a very easy step by step chapter by chapter guide that will turn you into a PC building genie. Chapter previews- Chapter 1- Choosing the parts Chapter 2- Building the physical computer Chapter 3- Preparation Chapter 4- Inner Construction Chapter 5- Choosing and installing the computer's software Chapter 6- Security Chapter 7- Optimizing and Overclocking With this easy step guide its impossible not to make the custom pc you always wanted. Try it now!

This is the eBook version of the print title. Access to the media files found on the DVD included with print editions included with Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 21 Edition, is available through product registration—see instructions in back pages of your eBook. For 25 years, Upgrading and Repairing PCs has been the world’s #1 guide to PC hardware: The single source for reliable information on troubleshooting and fixing problems, adding hardware, optimizing performance, and building new PCs. Now, better than ever, this 21st edition offers beefed-up coverage of the newest hardware innovations and maintenance techniques, plus more than two hours of new DVD video. Scott Mueller delivers practical answers about PC processors, mother-boards, buses, BIOSes, memory, SSD and HDD storage, video, audio, I/O, input devices, networks, Internet connectivity, power, and much more. You’ll find the industry’s best coverage of diagnostics, testing, and repair—plus cutting-edge discussions of improving performance via overclocking and other techniques. NEW IN THIS EDITION • The newest processors, including Intel’s 3rd generation Ivy Bridge Core i-Series processors and AMD’s 2nd generation Trinity CPUs • 3TB (and larger) disks, 4K sectoring, partition alignment, faster SATA disk interfaces, and SSD (solid state drive) hard drive replacements • New firmware innovations, from full UEFI BIOS support to built-in motherboard flash BIOS upgrade utilities • Integrated video and audio, including 5.1/7.1 surround sound, HDMI, and DisplayPort connections, and Windows 8 compatible multi-touch touchscreen technology • Updated PCI Express 3.0, 4.0 interfaces, and Power Supply specifications for powering high-end video cards • Emerging interfaces such as SATA Express, USB 3.0, and Thunderbolt • Updated coverage of building PCs from scratch—from choosing and assembling hardware through BIOS setup and troubleshooting INCLUDED MEDIA Don't forget about the free bonus content available online! You'll find a cache of helpful material to go along with this book. To access these materials at no extra cost, see the instructions included in the back pages of this ebook. You will be required to register your book and supply a code found in the instructions. Download two hours of up-to-the minute, studio-quality how-to videos—all playable on your computer! In this edition, Scott Mueller offers true insider information about several of the key components in a PC, including motherboards, solid-state drives, and more. You also can download PDFs of the complete 19th and 20th editions of this book.

"Raymond Chen is the original raconteur of Windows." --Scott Hanselman, ComputerZen.com "Raymond has been at Microsoft for many years and has seen many nuances of Windows that others could only ever hope to get a glimpse of. With this book, Raymond shares his knowledge, experience, and anecdotal stories, allowing all of us to get a better understanding of the operating system that affects millions of people every day. This book has something for everyone, is a casual read, and I highly recommend it!" --Jeffrey Richter, Author/Consultant, Cofounder of Wintellect "Very interesting read. Raymond tells the inside story of why Windows is the way it is." --Eric Gunnerson, Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation "Absolutely essential reading for understanding the history of Windows, its intricacies and quirks, and why they came about." --Matt Pietrek, MSDN Magazine's Under the Hood Columnist "Raymond Chen has become something of a legend in the software industry, and in this book you'll discover why. From his high-level reminiscences on the design of the Windows Start button to his low-level discussions of GlobalAlloc that only your inner-geek could love, The Old New Thing is a captivating collection of anecdotes that will help you to truly appreciate the difficulty inherent in designing and writing quality software." --Stephen Toub, Technical Editor, MSDN Magazine Why does Windows work the way it does? Why is Shut Down on the Start menu? (And why is there a Start button, anyway?) How can I tap into the dialog loop? Why does the GetWindowText function behave so strangely? Why are registry files called "hives"? Many of Windows' quirks have perfectly logical explanations, rooted in history. Understand them, and you'll be more productive and a lot less frustrated. Raymond Chen--who's spent more than a decade on Microsoft's Windows development team--reveals the "hidden Windows" you need to know. Chen's engaging style, deep insight, and thoughtful humor have made him one of the world's premier technology bloggers. Here he brings together behind-the-scenes explanations, invaluable technical advice, and illuminating anecdotes that bring Windows to life--and help you make the most of it. A few of the things you'll find inside: What vending machines can teach you about effective user interfaces A deeper understanding of window and dialog management Why performance optimization can be so counterintuitive A peek at the underbelly of COM objects and the Visual C++ compiler Key details about backwards compatibility--what Windows does and why Windows program security holes most developers don't know about How to make your program a better Windows citizen

The prevalence of science fiction readership among those who create and program computers is so well-known that it has become a cliché, but the phenomenon has remained largely unexplored by scholars. What role has science fiction played in the actual development of computers and computing? And likewise, how has computing (including the related fields of robotics and artificial intelligence) affected the course of science fiction? The 18 essays in this critical work explore the interrelationship of these domains over the span of more than half a century.