Systems Science

When mysterious broadcasts hijack communication systems around the globe, military and scientific authorities are plunged into panic. Sergeant Bellews, a technician tasked with maintaining advanced experimental machines, finds himself at the center of an unfolding crisis involving intertemporal signals, biological catastrophe, and deceptive intelligence from an unknown future source. As warnings of a civilization-ending bacterial mutation emerge, the line between salvation and annihilation blurs.

With more than 10 stories from exciting new voices and a few veterans of the universe, the second anthology highlights the lives and struggles of humanity's best and worst years after system advent.

Red Shadows plunges listeners into the brutal and supernatural world of Solomon Kane, one of Robert E. Howard’s most iconic pulp heroes. Driven by a fierce sense of justice—and a touch of righteous fury—Kane travels from storm-swept English coasts to the darkest depths of Africa, hunting evil wherever it hides. When the ruthless bandit Le Loup massacres innocent people, Kane swears vengeance and pursues him across continents, facing bloodthirsty raiders, treacherous jungles, curses, and powerful ju-ju magic.

His life a wasteland post-System integration, John Lee struggles to deal with the weight of a world irrevocably changed. Given great power by chance, his Levels a by-product of a rage that he finds unable to quench, John struggles to find the balance between a hatred for the System that destroyed his world and the benefits it gives him, allowing him to save even more. Yet, as he draws survivors across the Yukon to Whitehorse, dangers grow in the deep wilderness, out of sight. It’s a race between Leveling and safety, for John and his friends. One that they might be losing.

Databases are structured collections of data that enable efficient retrieval, insertion, updating, and deletion of information. They serve as the foundation for various applications, from simple contact lists to complex enterprise systems. Key concepts include tables, which organize data into rows and columns; relationships, which define connections between tables; and SQL (Structured Query Language), used to interact with databases by querying and manipulating data.

One of America's most historic political trials is undoubtedly that of Angela Davis. Opening with a letter from James Baldwin to Davis, and including contributions from numerous radicals such as Black Panthers George Jackson, Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, and Erica Huggins, this book is not only an account of Davis's incarceration and the struggles surrounding it, but also perhaps the most comprehensive and thorough analysis of the prison system of the United States.

New beginnings... Everyone craves them, but few have the resolution to go through. And yet John decided to live as a mortal. For his wife, for his daughter. He was willing to give up everything to achieve peace and avoid what he had already suffered in the past. But peace is temporary. How long can it be maintained? Enjoy this seventh issue of The Idle System, just a step away from the last book in the series. If you are ever to live life in another world, you might want to learn what John has to offer.

The SAD pandemic is real. Sexual Violence, Addictions, and Domestic Violence (SAD) result in too many children in care yearly, aging out to different systems such as prison, employment and income assistance programs, mental health institutions, drug rehabilitation, and homelessness. Are we going to allow the cycle to continue for generations?

Powell and Silverglate shine a light on the defects of the federal criminal-justice system: overzealous prosecutors, perjury traps, negligent judges, perverse limits on self-defense, vague and overabundant criminal statutes, insufficient requirements for criminal intent, and no accountability for prosecutors. Most important, they provide a much-needed blueprint for reforming the Department of Justice and the criminal-justice system, including actions an average citizen can take to help restore justice.

Courtroom 302 is the fascinating story of one year in Chicago's Cook County Criminal Courthouse, the busiest felony courthouse in the country. Here we see the system through the eyes of the men and women who experience it, not only in the courtroom but in the lockup, the jury room, the judge's chambers, the spectators' gallery. From the daily grind of the court to the highest-profile case of the year, Steve Bogira's masterful investigation raises fundamental issues of race, civil rights, and justice in America.

After years of ill health, capitalism is now in a critical condition. Growth has given way to stagnation; inequality is leading to instability; and confidence in the money economy has all but evaporated. In How Will Capitalism End?, the acclaimed analyst of contemporary politics and economics Wolfgang Streeck argues the world is about to change.

The mysterious Overlords destroyed all electronics on Earth, imposed a game-like System, and unleashed ravenous horrors upon the planet. Did you hear that Alex Dathers—yes, the Alex Dathers from Youtube with the channel about weapons and armor from the old days—killed a dragon? He actually killed a freakin’ dragon when he was only level 1. I heard it dropped him some epic loot and now he is going on a rampage through the System!

On September 11, 1999, humanity made a monumental discovery in the vastness of space. Scientists uncovered an asteroid of immense scientific importance—a colossal celestial entity. As massive as an aircraft carrier and towering as high as the iconic Empire State Building, this cosmic titan was later named Bennu. Remarkable for much more than its size, Bennu belonged to a rare breed of asteroids capable of revealing the essence of life itself. But just as Bennu became a beacon of promise, researchers identified a grave danger.

The world ended. Greg's real life finally began. For twenty-eight years, Greg survived the corporate trenches. Premium dark roast at 7 AM. Then, Rachel from HR policing the microwave. Brad stealing credit in projects. Then civilization collapsed. The dead rose. Society crumbled. Greg has never been happier.

When it comes to choosing, using, and maintaining a database, understanding its internals is essential. But with so many distributed databases and tools available today, it's often difficult to understand what each one offers. With this practical guide, Alex Petrov guides developers through the concepts behind modern database and storage engine internals.

Lochlan Brady and his daughters have faced some of those dangers and worked to build a place where they and other survivors can start to rebuild civilization. The new world is one where power rules and Loch has found himself to be the most powerful around. It's thrust him into a position of responsibility for not just his daughters but all the other survivors. It's not one he wants but feels he has to take. They have shelter but now Loch and the other survivors must find sources of food and other resources needed to not just survive but to thrive in the Connected System.

Claire has survived the devastating beginning of Merge Prime, imprisonment by the anomaly-hunting organization SHOCKS, and a trip to a dying world. Now reunited with her friends and family, and with her sister bonded to a powerful anomaly of her own, Claire must turn to unexpected allies if she wants to save their lives. The new leader of SHOCKS reaches out to her with a deal—and a way to fight back against the apocalypse. He believes that by combining several anomalies with Claire's unique, System-given powers, she can target worlds that are merged with Earth and break them free.

How can the moon or sun seem to disappear right before our eyes? When the moon, the Earth, and the sun align just right in their orbits, they can cause a solar or lunar eclipse! Find out how light and shadow work together to trigger these cool events.

Permaculture, a Portmanteau of "permanent" and "agriculture" is growing in popularity around the world and for a good reason too. First introduced to protect nature and humankind, permaculture is both a philosophy and a practical approach to sustainable development.

Saturn is famous for its rings. This very windy planet has another claim to fame—it has the most moons of all eight planets! Discover more amazing facts about the sixth planet in the solar system!