Systems Science

Brilliantly exploring today's cutting edge brain research, Mind Wide Open allows readers to understand themselves and the people in their lives as never before. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works and how its systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives.

Almost every society has professional judges, but from ancient Athens to modern Asia, cultures have wanted ordinary people involved in legal decisions. The use of juries comes with challenges; societies must determine how to select jurors, what cases jurors should decide and by what rules, and how to inform jurors about the law and evidence. This Very Short Introduction shows how and why societies around the world have used juries, charting the spread of the twelve-person jury from England to the British colonies in America, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.

The land rush is over. With just a few open stakes remaining two years after the System’s arrival on Earth, the incoming alien groups turn on each other in a cutthroat struggle for dominance. These conflicts are ripe opportunities for bold adventurers and bounty hunter Hal Mason isn’t one to miss his chance. When a trade dispute between two powerful Galactic factions escalates into open warfare, Mason plunges headfirst into the fray.

Has American democracy's long, ambitious run come to an end? Possibly yes. As William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe argue in this trenchant new analysis of modern politics, the United States faces a historic crisis that threatens our system of self-government - and if democracy is to be saved, the causes of the crisis must be understood and defused.

The mystery deepens as more clues come to light about Melvin’s bloodline in the form of long-lost half-siblings. Not all of them are nice. To top it all off, Melvin quickly discovers there is something wrong with his mana. Everything he touches, he corrupts.

The Aliens by Murray Leinster is a gripping, high-stakes first-contact science fiction adventure from the golden age of the genre. Set during humanity’s expansion across the stars, the story follows the crew of the starship Niccola as they confront the mysterious and technologically advanced Plumies—an alien species whose intentions are entirely unknown. When an unexpected encounter leads to a violent misunderstanding and the two ships become physically fused together in deep space, humans and Plumies are forced into an uneasy alliance for survival.

Parker Wu’s life was cut short after a tragic encounter with a very large truck. But when one existence ended, another far more bizarre one began. Reincarnated and transported to the Continent—a world of swords and sorcery in which an all-powerful being known as the Eternal King reigns supreme—Parker is no longer a corporeal being. It seems the Continent has other plans for the late Earthling . . . As it turns out, Parker is now a System, a non-player entity whose purpose is to help a player succeed.

When the System came to Earth, technology failed, monsters appeared, and billions died as humans were inducted into the game-like physics the System enforced. Unfortunately for the System, not all humans were on Earth. Some scattered postbiological individuals decided to push it back, and embarked on a decade-long crusade to eliminate the System from Earth.

John wakes up in a familiar place, only to find a world that is different from what he knows. In order to protect those he loves, John must sift through his memories to ensure his previous ending doesn’t become true once more. He might have brought knowledge of the future back to the past, but this time, he finds his enemies much earlier. How will he tell Sarah, who does not remember the love they shared or the adventures they had, who he really is? Old debts are repaid, and new friends are made as he carves out a familiar path to the top.

One of the few voices to challenge The Guardian's George Monbiot on the future of food and farming (and the restoration of nature) is academic, farmer and author of A Small Farm Future Chris Smaje. In Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future, Smaje presents his defense of small-scale farming and a robust critique of Monbiot’s vision for an urban and industrialized future.

A bounty hunting survivor. A Galactic dark elf. A woman who has given up her humanity to become something more. These stories and more are available in the first short story anthology for the System Apocalypse, covering year one on Earth. When the world ends, humanity steps up, finding new ways to survive in a world with Classes, magic and monsters. The anthology features exciting, new stories by five new writers and a new, never publicly released short story by Tao Wong.

Ominous Obelisks land on Earth with a single message: Join the Games to give humanity a fighting chance to survive... or roll over and die. Too bad for them, Warren isn't the rolling-over type. The Empire is up to something. Warren and his cohort of unlikely heroes have just discovered that the game has been stacked against them. Someone really wants to harvest Earth's resources... And Warren just might know what that resource is... Turns out that Earth has an abundance of a particular mineral that just might make it the richest planet... well, anywhere. If they survive the games, that is.

Ein Sonnensystem im intergalaktischen Leerraum, das es so nicht geben dürfte, und eine fremde Hinterlassenschaft, die ganze Galaxien verwüsten kann. Eine aus unterschiedlichen Spezies zusammengesetzte Expedition soll dieses Geheimnis ergründen, doch nicht jeder Teilnehmer spielt mit offenen Karten. Jason Wu, ein Angehöriger der Sentient Alliance, und Leya Mamoa, eine ehemalige Raumsoldatin, werden in diese Ereignisse verstrickt und zu Schlüsselfiguren im Kampf um die Milchstraße. Sie könnten das Schicksal der Galaxis entscheiden - wenn sie eine gefährliche Reise ins Unbekannte wagen.

Fair Work by Sage Ellison is a vital guide that addresses the injustices within the prison labor system, particularly the need for fair wages and ethical practices. The book examines the systemic barriers that create inequities for incarcerated workers, offering insights into advocacy for meaningful reform. Ellison outlines the challenges faced by those seeking to support fair labor practices, such as exploitation in prison work, ineffective policies, and the need for practical advocacy steps.

Hidden in the basement of the Los Angeles Times, there Melvin will learn wonderful things like interdimensional astronomy, mana fencing, and how to get a girlfriend. Dragons, Gods, and bullies thrive in the Magical World hidden right beneath our eyes. Does Melvin have what it takes to pass?

In a desperate attempt to return to Kalli’s side, Melvin finds himself on a mysterious new planet. There he meets his father, the all-powerful wizard behind the M bloodline. Grounded by powerful magic that prevents him from leaving the planet, Melvin must piece together clues about his family’s past before it’s too late.

Noah secured his first safe zone, got a ton of XP and loot, and saw his name on the national leaderboard for the System. Now he wants more. His party of unlikely adventurers will head north to South Bend, Indiana to try to secure a safe zone that is on the brink of disaster.

Bounty hunter Hal Mason is doing well for himself, a year after the System converted Earth into a lawless, apocalyptic Dungeon World. Now, though, old friends have come calling with a new opportunity and with it, the murky politics of Galactic interests and overlapping contracts. Hal must protect the first train to cross the new wildlands of the American Midwest.

Emotions, affect regulation, and interpersonal social behavior are psychological processes that define how people react to events, environmental difficulties, and other people. These processes build our sense of self, help us form connections, and influence whether we feel comfortable in different situations or with different individuals. Despite the fact that these processes may be witnessed scientifically and subjectively, they constitute a complex interplay between our psychological experience and physiological control.

They Stole Your Status. Now Steal It Back. Tired of being labeled “toxic” for wanting to lead? Watched your job, dignity, and role as provider vanish to welfare traps and feminist gynocracies? Feel like a beta cuck in a world rigged by Eton elites and simps funding OnlyFans thots?