National Network for Equitable Library Service

The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom-and almost got away with it In 2011, a twenty-six-year-old libertarian programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market: the Silk Road, a clandestine Web site hosted on the Dark Web where anyone could trade anything-drugs, hacking software, forged passports, counterfeit cash, poisons-free of the government's watchful eye.

Most people are baffled by how computers work and assume that they will never understand them. What they don't realize-and what Daniel Hillis's short book brilliantly demonstrates-is that computers' seemingly complex operations can be broken down into a few simple parts that perform the same simple procedures over and over again.

Franklin Foer reveals the existential threat posed by big tech, and in his brilliant polemic gives us the toolkit to fight their pervasive influence. Over the past few decades there has been a revolution in terms of who controls knowledge and information. This rapid change has imperiled the way we think. Without pausing to consider the cost, the world has rushed to embrace the products and services of four titanic corporations. We shop with Amazon; socialize on Facebook; turn to Apple for entertainment; and rely on Google for information.

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now is a timely call-to-arms from a Silicon Valley pioneer. You might have trouble imagining life without your social media accounts, but virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier insists that we're better off without them. In his important new audiobook, Lanier, who participates in no social media, offers powerful and personal reasons for all of us to leave these dangerous online platforms behind before it's too late.

Following his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, The Innovators is Walter Isaacson's revealing story of the people who created the computer and the Internet. It is destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens.

Who is watching you… and why? Written for middle-grade and older readers, Eyes and Spies looks at the way information and data about us is collected and used by individuals, governments, companies, and organizations. Each chapter covers one aspect of the subject, from data collection to computer surveillance to personal privacy. Arguments for both increased security and increased privacy are offered, which encourages readers to think critically about issues and decide for themselves. The book asks three simple questions: Who’s watching, and why?

Power Through Presentations is a light-hearted but practical guide to overcome one of the most common challenges that faces millions of business professionals today: translating ideas into sleek presentations. Other books target presenters who are taking the stage to speak to a room full of people. But most of us create a presentation deck that is then emailed or reviewed over the phone. There’s a massive underserved market of business professionals who need help to create effective PowerPoint® slides in their day-to-day work. Some common challenges are addressed:

Their idea was simple. Four NYU undergrads wanted to build a social network that would allow users to control their personal data instead of surrendering it to big businesses like Facebook. They called it Diaspora. In days they raised $200,000, and reporters, venture capitalists, and the digital community's most legendary figures were soon monitoring their progress. Max dreamed of being a CEO. Ilya was the idealist. Dan coded like a pro. And Rafi tried to keep them all on track.

Jeremy Bailenson draws on two decades spent researching the psychological effects of virtual reality (VR) and other mass media to help listeners understand this powerful new tool.

Self-driving cars were once only in the realm of fantasy, but new artificial intelligence software changes all that. The authors offer insight into the risks and benefits of driverless cars and a lucid explanation of their technology in hopes that these cars could soon be our next "Apollo moment."