Ben gets the chance for a trip of a lifetime when his mum is invited to attend a big conference in Australia. In the midst of a drought, it's hot. And it's dry. Drier than it's been for years. And it only takes a spark to set off a fire… As world leaders gather and a student demo gathers pace, a small flame takes hold — and suddenly an unquenchable fire bursts into life and an inferno of flames up to 100 metres high tear through the streets, threatening homes and lives. And in the smoke and confusion, an important general is kidnapped! Ben — just learning to fly — finds himself at the controls of a microlite and on the trail of the kidnappers…

The Most Human Human is a provocative, exuberant, and profound exploration of the ways in which computers are reshaping our ideas of what it means to be human. Its starting point is the annual Turing Test, which pits artificial intelligence programs against people to determine if computers can "think." Named for computer pioneer Alan Turing, the Tur­ing Test convenes a panel of judges who pose questions--ranging anywhere from celebrity gossip to moral conundrums--to hidden contestants in an attempt to discern which is human and which is a computer. The machine that most often fools the panel wins the Most Human Computer Award. But there is also a prize, bizarre and intriguing, for the Most Human Human. In 2008, the top AI program came short of passing the Turing Test by just one astonishing vote. In 2009, Brian Christian was chosen to participate, and he set out to make sure Homo sapiens would prevail. The author's quest to be...

When an SAS team is sent to train government troops in Karmanga, a poverty-stricken and war-torn republic in the dark heart of southern Africa, Geordie Sharp is caught up un the most dangerous and difficult assignment of his military career. When the SAS men see that the rebels are boosted by ex-US Navy SEAL mercenaries, they begin to sense a hidden agenda, and they know that things are going to get messy. From the author of more than a dozen Sunday Times top ten bestselling thrillers, Tenth Man Down is a pulse-pounding story that sinks its teeth in and doesn't let go.

Geordie Sharp is asked to undertake an SAS operation so outrageous that his conscience will barely allow him to carry it out. The ostensible aim of Operation Nimrod is to train a new Spetznaz unit to combat the threat of the Russian Mafia, but Sharp's orders contain a sinister hidden agenda. When two SAS men are lifted but Mafia agents, the British authorities' secret weapon is turned against London and only Geordie Sharp can save the day.

A Time of Change is a perfect example of the Thurlos's ability to combine passion with tension as they introduce readers to Josephine Buck and other employees at a New Mexico trading post. When The Outpost's owner dies, Josephine, a young Navajo woman, is shocked to discover that Tom Stuart, whom she thought of as a surrogate father, has left her the business.Ben Stuart and his dad had had problems, but military service changed Ben for the better and put the two men back in each other's lives. His father's sudden death ends any possibility of a true reconciliation and leaves Ben fuming at being disinherited.Suspecting that Jo had an affair with his father, Ben is determined to get control of the trading post. Jo's hataalii training shows her that Ben is wounded in both body and soul, and she becomes determined to help him.As Jo and Ben move toward a deeper understanding of each other, they learn...

A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms Run a Google search for "black girls"—what will you find? "Big Booty" and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in "white girls," the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about "why black women are so sassy" or "why black women are so angry" presents a disturbing portrait of black womanhood in modern society.In Algorithms of Oppression, Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search...

Two in the Bush is a record of the six-month journey which took Gerald Durrell, his wife Jacquie, and two cameramen through New Zealand, Australia and Malaya. The object was, first, to see what was being done about the conservation of wild life in these countries, and, secondly, to make a series of television films for the BBC. They were introduced to many rare and remarkable animals -- Royal Albatrosses, Tuataras, Duck-Billed Platypuses, Flying Lizards and Long-Nosed Bandicoots, as well as to some equally unusual humans. Anyone who has read The Overloaded Ark, The Bafut Beagles or The Whispering Land will have enjoyed Gerald Durrell's enthusiastic adventuring and his delight in the absurdity of the situations in which he finds himself. His observation of animal -- and human -- behaviour is always informative and often hilarious. 'Delightfully readable and often very funny.' Daily Mail 'An account of Gerald Durrell's tour of New Zealand, Australia and Malaya in search of...