Showing results by narrator "Gary Tiedemann" in All Categories

In Hidden Games, MIT economists Moshe Hoffman and Erez Yoeli find a surprising middle ground between the hyperrationality of classical economics and the hyper-irrationality of behavioural economics. They call it hidden games. Reviving game theory, Hoffman and Yoeli use it to explain our most puzzling behaviour, from the mechanics of Stockholm syndrome and internalised misogyny to why we help strangers and have a sense of fairness.

What if the healthiest diet included the foods that were enjoyable and respectful of our stressful, overbooked lives? You couldn’t screw it up! Here’s a can’t-miss plan that will build unbreakable habits by incorporating mindset changes, easy restaurant options, and more from “the perfect person to blaze a better path” (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

Previous accounts of the fall of the Inca empire have played up the importance of the events of one violent day in November 1532 at the highland Andean town of Cajamarca. To some, the "Cajamarca miracle" - in which Francisco Pizarro and a small contingent of Spaniards captured an Inca who led an army numbering in the tens of thousands - demonstrated the intervention of divine providence. To others, the outcome was simply the result of European technological and immunological superiority.

In a frozen wasteland where survival hangs by a thread, Simon Frost and his band of hardened warriors embark on a daring mission. With their lives on the line, they scour the treacherous landscape in search of vital resources to keep their camp alive. But when they encounter a ruthless adversary, they find themselves outnumbered and outmatched as a relentless battle erupts. Bullets tear through the air, and the stench of blood saturates the earth as they fight tooth and nail, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.

An epic space opera follows a comfort woman as she claims her agency, a soldier questioning his allegiances and a non-binary hero out to save the solar system. First Sister has no name and no voice. She's a priestess of the Sisterhood, travelling the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister's hopes for freedom are dashed and she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no status and a new captain she knows nothing about.

Nadiya loves her privacy: living alone and writing a popular series of crime novels under a pen name, she’s worked hard to build the quiet life she cherishes. But all that changes when her long-lost half-brother Chase comes to town, needing a place to stay until he can get back on his feet. Chase’s dream job is Nadiya’s worst nightmare: he’s an aspiring TikTok star, oversharing on the internet at every opportunity. When a burglary occurs in the apartment upstairs, Chase decides to film and post all the action

This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a scream. In the remote mountains of Northern Alaska, Dr. Riley Middleton and her team of archeologists discover a burial site containing mummified remains dating to the last ice age. None of them notice the warning carved into the entrance or realize that the tomb had been deliberately sealed from the outside until they’ve already released a virus that turns ordinary people into murderous monsters. But there’s something even more terrifying inside...something ancient...something unspeakably evil.

We like to think of ourselves as rational. This idea is the foundation for classical economic analysis of human behavior, including the awesome achievements of game theory. But as behavioral economics shows, most behavior doesn’t seem rational at all - which, unfortunately, casts doubt on game theory’s real-world credibility. In Hidden Games, Moshe Hoffman and Erez Yoeli find a surprising middle ground between the hyperrationality of classical economics and the hyper-irrationality of behavioral economics.

In 1532, the magnificent Inca empire was the last great civilization still isolated from the rest of humankind. The Conquest of the Incas is the definitive history of this civilization's overthrow, from the invasion by Pizarro's small gang of conquistadors and the Incas' valiant attempts to expel the invaders to the destruction of the Inca realm, the oppression of its people, and the modern discoveries of Machu Picchu and the lost city of Vilcabamba.

When a coordinated EMP attack takes out the nation’s power grid, a small town finds itself at ground zero of an all-out Russian invasion. With limited options and no time to prepare, the citizens have no choice but to turn to a mysterious drifter, Jack Bunker, for help. The former combat engineer has the skills to keep them alive, but he won’t be able to do it alone, not against an overwhelmingly superior force.

The Storm Troupers are a group of weather hackers who roam the plains of Texas and Oklahoma, hopped up on adrenaline and technology. Utilizing virtual reality, flying robots, and all-terrain vehicles, they collect data on the extreme storms ravaging an America decimated by climate change. But even their visionary leader can’t predict the danger on the horizon when a volatile new member joins their ranks and faces a trial by fire: a massive tornado unlike any the world has seen before.

The time spent clearing the city of Westia was beneficial for all the immortals, making them stronger. But Lox is restless. Not wanting to settle down in the city they were building for the immortals, he leaves the city behind in search of new magic and wanders out in the Shattered Continent. Lox soon finds himself in the magical city of Mardis Dane. Floating in the clouds, the city is everything Lox hoped it would be, full of magic and mysteries. But all is not well, and soon unknown forces will ravage this wondrous city...

He’s carved a home out in the wilderness, and met its inhabitants, killing some and making friends with others. Things are looking downright cozy—in a bushcraft kind of way—but there’s a village to the east with tools, resources, and new magic to learn. That’s all incredibly tempting when living among the wild things. Where there are people though, there are complications, including the murder-y kind.

It was the trip of a lifetime…until someone ended up dead. When four couples receive invitations to try out a luxury island resort, they are excited for a week of relaxation and reconnecting.

When we think of electricity, we likely imagine the energy humming inside our home appliances or lighting up our electronic devices - or perhaps we envision the lightning-streaked clouds of a stormy sky. But electricity is more than an external source of power, heat, or illumination. Life at its essence is nothing if not electrical.

Thirteen stories that are just right for a lunch time read. All stories stand alone, and are complete in this volume.

How do magicians make us see the impossible? The Illusionist Brain takes you on an unforgettable journey through the inner workings of the human mind, revealing how magicians achieve their spectacular and seemingly impossible effects by interfering with your cognitive processes. Along the way, this lively and informative book provides a guided tour of modern neuroscience, using magic as a lens for understanding the unconscious and automatic functioning of our brains.

The insurgents rule of terror is complete. They control everything. Everything except a band of patriots who want their town back. Reclaiming their home won't be easy. Not against overwhelming firepower. But Jack Bunker is ready. He has the skills and training to lead them in an explosive battle of survival. Victory will come at a steep price; however, when dark secrets are revealed, exposing some while protecting others.

In The Secrets of Alchemy, Lawrence M. Principe, one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, brings alchemy out of the shadows and restores it to its important place in human history and culture. By surveying what alchemy was and how it began, developed, and overlapped with a range of ideas and pursuits, Principe illuminates the practice. He vividly depicts the place of alchemy during its heyday in early modern Europe, and then explores how alchemy has fit into wider views of the cosmos and humanity.

For over a decade, archaeologist Dr. Martin Anders has searched in vain for proof of the fabled continent of Atlantis. After raising a puzzling artifact from the ocean floor, Anders gets more than he bargained for. It is a piece of modern technology thousands of years old. When a deadly global pandemic threatens the human race with extinction, Anders fails to see how it may be connected to his startling new discovery. That is until he's approached by a powerful biotech company.