When Second Life launched in 2003. running on just 16 servers with barely 1 .ОООdedicated users, it was the culmination of a kind of dream for me. One of the things Td always been interested in, ever since I was a young boy, was how we manipulate the world around us. The world had so much stuff in it; there was always...

Think of all the popular data visualization works out there—the ones that you always hear in lectures or read about in blogs, and the ones that popped into your head as you were reading this sentence. What do they all have in common? They all tell an interesting story. Maybe the story was to convince you of something. Maybe it was to...

As we progress into the second decade of the 21st century, it’s becoming increasingly obvious how the computers of the previous 30 years have begun to look not just old but archaic. The massive CRT monitors of the 1980s and 1990s have given way to pencil-thin displays of the 2000s. The...

Probability theory and fuzzy logic are the principal components of an array of methodologies for dealing with problems in which uncertainty and imprecision play important roles. In relation to probability theory, fuzzy logic is a new kid on the block. As such, it has been and continues to be, though to a lesser degree, an object of...

There's only one source to turn to for the answers to the most puzzling and thought-provoking questions about the world of...

With ever increasing frequency, financial studies in business are acquiring greater importance in the field of management as a consequence of the complexity of the problems arising in present day society. The old treaties that included certain aspects on the raising and placing of payment means have been relegated to history, leaving the way...

What makes a good slide show great? In reality, most of us have an intuitive idea of how to create a basic slide show, but without careful study, most people underestimate the number of tricks that make a great slide show. When you’re ready to go beyond the basics and do more with your shows, when you’re ready to create a...

Some TIME ago a group of mathematicians and computer scientists (including the editors of this volume) thought of making a scientific pilgrimage to the birthplace of al-Khw&rizmf, the outstanding ninth-century mathematician who gave his name to the word "algorithm". As his name indicates, al-Khwarizmi came from the Khorezm...

In the five months that I have been researching and writing Cloud Computing Bible, it has become clear to me that most people recognize that cloud computing is a big deal, even if they are not really clear why that is so. Every day newspaper and magazine articles and radio and TV stories report on cloud computing. The phrase “in the...

Welcome to Th e Web Collection Premium Edition: Adobe Dreamweaver CS5, Flash CS5, and Photoshop CS5—Revealed. Th is book off ers creative projects, concise instructions, and coverage of basic Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop, and Creative Suite integration skills, helping you to create polished, professional-looking websites,...

Making a robot that looks and behaves like a human being has been the subject of many popular science fiction movies and books. Although the development of such a robot faces many challenges, the making of a virtual human has long been potentially possible. With recent advances in various key technologies related to hardware and...