Jonathan Lee Libri

Nella notte del 12 ottobre 1984 una bomba esplose nel lussuoso Grand Hotel di Brighton, dove era in corso il congresso del Partito Conservatore britannico, causando cinque morti e trenta feriti; era un attentato contro il primo ministro Margaret Thatcher, che però ne uscì illesa e politicamente rafforzata. Attorno a questo fatto di cronaca si intrecciano le vicende immaginarie dei tre protagonisti del romanzo: Moose Finch, il vicedirettore dell'hotel, quarantacinquenne divorziato che ha visto svanire tutte le sue ambizioni, e spera che una perfetta gestione del soggiorno della Thatcher gli faccia ottenere un decisivo avanzamento di carriera; Freya, sua figlia, appena uscita dalle superiori, che cerca di affrontare l'età adulta mediando fra le aspettative del padre e i propri desideri confusi; Dan, il militante dell'IRA responsabile dell'attentato, un giovane cresciuto troppo in fretta per le strade di Belfast. Nelle tre settimane che passano fra il momento in cui l'ordigno a orologeria viene piazzato nella stanza 629 e il momento in cui esplode, Jonathan Lee segue con umanità e delicatezza la vita quotidiana di questi tre personaggi, le loro insicurezze, le loro paure, i loro sogni.

A magisterial illustrated history of Afghanistan, now available in paperback.

Professor Lee's book, "Software Engineering with Computational Intelligence" (SECI), is a groundbreaking contribution to the field of software engineering. It challenges the traditional view of uncertainty, imprecision, fuzziness, and vagueness as peripheral issues, arguing instead that they should be central to the discipline. The complexity and ill-defined nature of the real world necessitate this shift in focus. SECI utilizes computational intelligence (CI) and soft computing (SC) methodologies to address foundational issues in software engineering. CI and SC encompass a range of concepts and techniques essential for the conception, design, construction, and utilization of intelligent systems. Key components include fuzzy logic, neurocomputing, evolutionary computing, probabilistic computing, chaotic computing, and machine learning. The central theme is that combining these methodologies typically yields better performance than using them in isolation. The discussion will particularly emphasize fuzzy logic and fuzzy set theory, highlighting their significance in software engineering. Additionally, some points regarding semantics will be clarified to enhance understanding of the concepts presented.

In this unique and visually stimulating volume, 50 built spaces from around the world are explored through the people who created them. Organised according to the idea that architecture is a result of basic human desires to live, work, pray, play, and stay, 50 Great Adventures traces architecture back to the people who made it happen.Offering a global spectrum of illuminating architectural destinations, the book journeys from Lanzarote, home of Cesar Manrique's Jameos del Agua grotto, a James Bond-style fantasy, to India and Nek Chand's Rock Garden of Chandigarh, a realisation of a childhood dream; and from Arizona where Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti, a vision for a utopian community, shimmers in the desert, to China's Forbidden City, conceived by the Ming emperor Yong Le to assert his authority over a vast empire. Useful travel advice accompanies each piece, giving readers all the information they need to experience these extraordinary places for themselves.

The book offers an in-depth exploration of the history of Asians in the United States, highlighting both established groups and newer communities like the Burmese, Bhutanese, and Tibetan Americans. It presents a thorough and engaging narrative that sheds light on the diverse experiences and contributions of these populations, making it a valuable resource for understanding the complexities of Asian American history.

This unique travel book takes readers on a whistle-stop tour of the world, as seen through the eyes of writers, photographers, filmmakers, composers, painters, sculptors, and philosophers. The author has tracked down life-changing locations—from cities and remote deserts to gardens and cafés—and recounts their transformative power over some of the world’s greatest artists. The result is a global and artistic odyssey that takes readers from the tropical paradise of Gauguin’s Tahiti to the Beatles’ hippie enclave in Rishikesh, and from the hashish dens of Paul Bowles’ Morocco to the Wild West of Sergio Leone. Each entry features color photographs, practical travel advice, and information on exhibitions, festivals, and museums. The book also includes a global directory of twentyfirst-century hotspots, allowing budding artists to experience a creative epiphany of their own. Travellers planning a trip around an intriguing location, aspiring artists looking for a retreat, and fans keen to explore the stories behind their favorite works will find this guide an entertaining and valuable resource.

On the day his mother dies reclusive photographer Rob Fossick - forty-one and already in the twilight of his career - finds among her belongings an unexplained package addressed to a 'Mr Satoshi'. So begins a quest that will propel Rob, anxious and unprepared, into the urban maelstrom of Tokyo. With the help of a colourful group of new acquaintances - a vigilant octogenarian; a beautiful 'love hotel' receptionist; an ex-sumo wrestler obsessed with Dolly Parton - the scene seems set for him to unravel the secrets surrounding Mr Satoshi's identity. But until he has faced his own demons, and begun to reconnect with the world around him, the answers Rob craves will remain tantalisingly beyond his reach ... Combining several interlocking mysteries spanning sixty years of history, Who Is Mr Satoshi? is a uniquely inventive story from a dazzling new voice in British fiction.

In a sparkling glass office in London's Square Mile - a place bursting with flirtations, water-cooler confrontations and dangerous amounts of abject boredom - talented young lawyer Joy Stephens falls forty feet onto a marble floor.In the shadow of this baffling event, the lives of those closest to her begin to collide and change in unexpected ways...

"From the acclaimed author of High Dive comes an enveloping, exultant novel of New York City at the turn of the twentieth century, a story of one man's rise to fame and fortune, and his murder in a case of mistaken identity. On Friday the 13th of November, 1903, a famous man was killed on Park Avenue in broad daylight by a stranger. It was neither a political act nor a crime of passion. It was a mistake. The victim was Andrew Haswell Green, the "Father of Greater New York," who shaped the city as we know it. Without him there would be no Central Park, no Metropolitan Museum of Art, no Museum of Natural History, no New York Public Library. His influence was everywhere, yet he died alone, misunderstood, feeling that his whole life might have been, after all, a great mistake. A work of tremendous depth and piercing emotion, The Great Mistake is a portrait of a self-made man--farm boy to urban visionary; the reimagining of a murder investigation that shook the city; and the moving story of a singular individual who found the world closed off to him, and, in spite of all odds, enlarged it"-- Provided by publisher

Rising from the wreckage of a crashed ship, a man explores a world that is at once strange and familiar. When he encounters the inhabitants of that world, he learns some uncomfortable truths--and a few uncomfortable things about himself.