Systems Science

A decade ago, developers built information-sharing software by writing a lot of custom code in a single code base, then adding layers of caching. Now we build information systems: interdependent software and services, data platforms, and event streams. Many of our software-to-systems initiatives fail, though, and when they do, we double down on traditional linear approaches. But linear thinking cannot resolve systems challenges. We need to shift to systems thinking.

When the Doom System appeared, it shattered reality overnight. People took superhuman abilities, their only defense against a world that no longer made sense. But just as humanity began to adapt, the System changed the rules. Now, survival isn’t just a struggle. It’s a competition. For Hiro Johnson, staying alive has become a full-time job. The System twists the streets of New York into death traps, pitting survivors against monsters, hunters, and each other yet rewarding them with powerful skills and weapons.

The Library's operations are expanding. Patrons come and go. Fines levied, books returned. But some dangerous books have been wiped from the system, and only surveillance helps reveal what they are. With some of these books integral to dimensional stability, they have to be retrieved no matter what. Quinn must enlist the help of her assistants and allies to perform rituals capable of locating these books. Some of the information comes too easily, hinting at deception behind every turn. They must navigate the trails before the traps snap shut!

What do you do when you're given advance notice that your planet is about to be inducted into a System in thirty days? Strange arches show up all over the world, and no-one quite knows what's going on, although theories abound. Mike and his grandfather, Collin, try to investigate one of these arches. With the announcement that the training offered will take place on a planet already inducted into the System, Mike loses hope. Collin comes through, surprising Mike with a gold Krugerrand that will allow him to pass through the portal to train.

Marc's home from college on break, spending his time laughing about some of the crazy news stories he's found online, and gaming. When a message appears in his line of sight, blocking out absolutely everything else, he nearly freaks out. The message warns that the world has been in a variant Natural Laws beta test for millennia and that it's about to revert to the norms.

The vampires that once haunted Wichita are gone, reduced to ash. But Terry’s real war is only beginning. Topeka is burning, caught in the ruthless crossfire of S-ranked tyrants locked in a game of conquest. While the city suffers, the supers wage war.

From CSI to Forensic Files to the celebrated reputation of the FBI crime lab, forensic scientists have long been mythologized in American popular culture as infallible crime solvers. Juries put their faith in "expert witnesses", and innocent people have been executed as a result. Innocent people are still on death row today, condemned by junk science.

A compelling new set of interviews on our changing and turbulent times with Noam Chomsky, one of the world's foremost thinkers...

In this new collection of conversations, conducted from 2010 to 2012, Noam Chomsky explores the most immediate and urgent concerns: the future of democracy in the Arab world, the implications of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the European financial crisis, the breakdown of American mainstream political institutions, and the rise of the Occupy movement. As always, Chomsky presents his ideas vividly and accessibly, with uncompromising principle and clarifying insight.

Someone born to maintain, fix, and correct any and every issue that could go wrong in the Habitat that he lives in to make sure he and his fellow humans can remain on display and entertain their owners as any good human pet would. Or at least, that's what he was born to be. Now, after getting a second chance along with a superpower that lets him alter anything and everything in regard to his own body, he's trying to fix his life. To live his life for himself with the goal of actually enjoying it, all while being thrust ever deeper into a situation he didn't expect.

Is our sun behaving differently from other stars? When an amateur astronomer discovers something strange on telescopic solar pictures, an explanation must be found. Is it merely artifact? Or has he found something totally unexpected? An expert international crew is hastily assembled, a spaceship is speedily repurposed, and the foursome is sent on the ride of their lives. What challenges will they face on this spur-of-the-moment mission to our central star?

Getting hit by a truck didn't Isekai Arthur Ward, but he did wake up in a world forever changed. When Earth evolves, passing a threshold few even knew existed, humanity is whisked away by the Grand System to engage in an educational Tutorial to bring them up to speed, the introduction of the new energy source that has been made available: Ether.

House Gracefall wasn’t anything like what Derek had imagined it would be. Instead of rage and anger at the loss of one of their young masters, House Gracefall showed humility and even apologized. Despite one noble house exemplifying honor and nobility, another awaited to reinforce the negative stereotypes that Derek had been anticipating all along. Somehow, out of all that, Derek made a new friend, a new business partner, and learned some secrets, while Silvi got her first taste of the real world of cooking and loved it.

Not long ago, Gary was just another punk teenager living in a ramshackle house in a ramshackle town. To survive, he worked as a gofer for a brutal street gang—until a simple job went bad, and he ended up paired with a Werewolf System that enhanced his strength, stamina, and attitude. But as Gary quickly learned, this gift could also be a curse, costing anyone who got too close to him their life. Now, he's trying to figure out how to use his system to make things better for those around him. Unfortunately, before things get better, they're going to get much, much worse.

A leading expert in epigenetics - how genes switch on and off - provides a revolutionary, holistic, and personalized approach to better health by improving how your genes behave to prevent and reverse common ailments, chronic illnesses, and life-threatening diseases, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, obesity, cancer, diabetes, and more.

In Disunited Nations, geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan presents a series of counterintuitive arguments about the future of a world where trade agreements are coming apart and international institutions are losing their power. Germany will decline as the most powerful country in Europe, with France taking its place. Every country should prepare for the collapse of China, not North Korea. We are already seeing, as Zeihan predicts, a shift in outlook on the Middle East: it is no longer Iran that is the region’s most dangerous threat, but Saudi Arabia.

After finding out the truth about my coma and my current situation, I was shocked. Devastated. Broken. And learning that my benefactor could be my enemy certainly didn't help. But a certain Goddess tells me that there's hope. That I can give back Alex what's rightfully his. And earn a second chance at becoming my real self.

After some unsettling news brought to them by an unexpected messenger, Prince Edgar fled the Raid Dungeon to hurry back to his kingdom, leaving Derek as the impromptu leader. Being concerned about his people on the outside, Derek chose to rule with an iron fist to finish the dungeon as soon as possible. This choice didn’t make him any friends, but he didn’t need any for it to work.

A real-life thriller about the most tumultuous period in America's financial history by an acclaimed New York Times reporter. Andrew Ross Sorkin delivers the first true, behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami.

The last wing of the red cathedral is finally live, and the possibility king awaits. To reach his throne, players will have to face foes capable of bringing about the end of the world. However, nothing can compare to their creator. The prize for defeating him is unprecedented: the ability to create a custom Ripple. A single change that will alter the very fabric of EBO forever. A power that Ned’s enemies would do anything to obtain.

Ten years ago, deep within a rift, a choice was granted. Defeat the Demon King and end the apocalypse. Or take his power for themselves and keep the rifts open. Sloan chose an ending. His party turned against him. They killed him. They split his legacy and belongings amongst themselves. They hid the truth. They profited. Those heroes who betrayed the world. Now he’s back. Reborn. Reincarnated in a world where the system is life.