Bøger af Don Jones

It's been a year since Clara's magic manifested itself and she was accepted into Linginbaum's School for Magic Users ("witch" is such a dated term). She's made friends, learned new spells, and most importantly begun to master her unique, once-in-a-generation type of magic: mathemagic. To Clara, all the magic in the world is a mass of glowing, rainbow-colored mathematical equations that she can alter and manipulate. She's used her special ability to raise new and lasting Borders between the Ordinary world and Underhill, the secret and fantastic world of witches.And now a new school term has begun, with Clara and her friends returning for classes. But things take a strange turn when Clara's dream-elf friend tells her that there's just one more Border left to raise-and that this one must go in a mysterious, desolate forest far in Underhill's North, where an inscrutable something awaits."Clara shines as a spunky protagonist who is grown-up enough to accept her destiny.... Jones links math and magic in a way that makes math seem cool.... Fresh ideas, some welcome diversity, and memorable character work enliven the material." -Booklife review of Clara Thorn, the witch that was found.

Frank and his crew have truly made it: after unleashing version 2 of Endless Sky, a fully immersive sci-fi role-playing game, they're richer than their wildest dreams. They've built a kick-butt new ship and are prepared to start reaching for the Legendary character levels. Sure, their actual bodies have long since been composted, but they were never planning to leave the game.But then a series of adventures and mishaps-including an assassination mission that might not have gone well-send them spiraling in a new direction. They discover a strange new world that absolutely shouldn't exist in the game, find themselves in the crosshairs of the game's largest polity, the Terran Confederacy, and bereft of any polity to call their own.It's time for the crew of the Pretty, Pretty Princess (never put your ship's name to a vote) to knuckle down and do what they've always done: take lemons and start a new lemonade stand franchising business. They'll need to master new skills, level-up their character sheets, amass millions of Experience Points, and figure out who's actually running the game.Endless Sky: New Worlds is the sequel to Endless Sky: Truthsayer, a sci-fi themed "lightweight" LitRPG (or GameLit, if you prefer) in the vein of "Ready Player One."

These are three unrelated stories that are basically about relationships. The story called The Journey of Ben Kaiser is a continuation of my first novel called the Aqueduct. In that book, a small boy falls into an aqueduct, rescued and adopted by two complete strangers. They discover that he has a remarkable talent for music. The Journey of Ben Kaiser continues this story from age 18 through his adulthood. It's a tale of faith and redemption. The Potter describes a relationship between an author and a potter in the artistic crucible of Santa Fe New Mexico. Through their successes and failures they finally discover the nature of love. Last Days is a complete fiction about a medical investigator in Philadelphia who crosses the line and becomes a killer. It has an odd ending. The experiment is a fantasy tale about time travel. Don has trained and worked very hard in the visual arts and is well known in the field of fine art clay. He is now 78 and is finally writing down my experiences in both the art world and musical world. It is remarkable that he learned both the violin and mandolin at 73. He has immersed himself in music of all genres. Instead of an RV he sank a good deal money into high-end sound systems. Having travelled the world backpacking, he has gained much knowledge and courage. He can be reached at rockypath@icloud.com

Ever feel like you're not all that good at troubleshooting things that go wrong? Maybe you're a computer person troubleshooting systems or code, a mechanic troubleshooting machines, or something else - the solution to being a better troubleshooter is to follow a simply, yet rigorous methodology based on facts and science. This book's first Part outlines just such a methodology in under 6,000 words, making it a light, easy read that most people can finish in under an hour. That'll get you started, and into the second Part, which goes into more detail, explores concepts in more depth, and helps you create a Troubleshooting Mind that will make you more effective (and happier) in all your pursuits.The point is that anyone really can become an excellent troubleshooter - and this book can get you started on a repeatable methodology that will help get you there!

Science fiction novel about the convoluted process by which a method of time travel is discovered and the trials and tribulations that follow. "Claybourne began to... well, sort of shimmer and become fuzzy around the edges. How was I going to explain that away? Then... then it really began. I could see through him! "That was it! I was getting the hell out of there." This novel is the humorous account of the accidental discovery of time travel and the problems that arise from it. Tim Templar has languished for years as an undistinguished academic in a third rate Psychology Department. A new line of research sparks his dormant interest and, against the wishes of his Professor, he throws himself into this work as never before. Frustrated in his efforts at every turn he is finally forced to resort to the worst psychiatric hospital in the region in a desperate search for research subjects. He has a stroke of luck when he comes across a seemingly perfect subject in that grim place. Then disaster strikes and Tim is left doubting his own sanity and fearing that his sins are about to catch up with him. He is able to finagle himself a place in the disreputable research establishment to which the misfits and wierdos from the many different faculties of the university are exiled, as a less troublesome alternative to dismissal. Here Tim finds his spiritual home and, seemingly by accident, he is able to pull together a disparate group of researches and emerges with a way to travel in time. This is when a new set of problems confront him. There is an inherent paradox built into time travel. How will Tim respond to it? The military learn of his discovery and believe they can use it as a weapon. Will Tim be able to withstand the pressure they exert on him? The very world we live in may be under threat.

A closed-in community isolated from an outside world with which it long ago lost all contact. Everything, even the air that they breathe, is self-contained; but all is not well. The people of Refuge are ruled with a rod of iron by the Archdeacon and are subject to a rigid religious discipline. One man amongst them begins to question the very foundations of their world. Refuge is breaking down and the Chosen need to break out into the wider world. Luc seeks the Portal through which they can escape but the Redeemers are closing in. Is there any future for Luc and for the Chosen?

Journalist Billy Caldwell thought he knew all there was to know about his legendary Aunt Alma. But when summoned home to his dying mother's bedside he learns that his mother's beautiful younger sister, known locally as "Crazy Alma," was not his aunt at all, but his birth mother. And just to make matters worse, her possessed daughter Bonnie May was his half-sister. The proof, his father proclaims, lies in a journal where over the years he had chronicled not only Alma's bizarre story, but Bonnie May's as well. Born in eastern Kentucky in the mid-fifties Alma's gifted, yet often spiteful "child of the hinterland" had a remarkable secret. For residing within this troubled adolescent's id lived a bizarre and malevolent entity. Always ready for a little "fun and games," this creature of darkness would often defy even its pubescent host in order to take on a life of its own. Then like a demon from hell-first in Kentucky and then later in California-this nightmarish creature would become virtually uncontrollable, destroying whatever Bonnie May, or it, wanted destroyed. Realizing that his father's unfinished manuscript has raised more questions than answers, Billy heads out across the country to try and find the woman who gave him life; and if possible, to confirm, or deny, his father's remarkable tale.

The chilling predictions of a long-ago seer are unearthed. A well-preserved fossil man sheds terrifying light on the future of mankind. A dominant race in the Galaxy interferes with the development of a would-be rival. Something very strange happens in a sleepy English town. A lost colony on a relentlessly hostile planet has survived against all the odds. John Faust is changing the course of history when a fatal illness strikes. He is placed in suspended animation. What sort of world does he wake up to?

Collecting the first three books of stories of witchkind: Daniel Scratch, Master of the Tower, and The Fifth Axis. The world's greatest powers are collected into six Axes: Sky, Earth, Flame, Sea, Beginnings, and Endings. Daniel Scratch, a solitary young orphan of witchkind, is Chosen on this thirteenth birthday to be the sole Adherent of the Sixth Axis, and becomes the living personification of Death and Endings. Join Daniel as he learns to use his new powers, and as he decides what kind of Adherent he will be. He'll face conspiracies from within witchkind itself, and threats that risk unVeiling all of witchkind, exposing them to the humans they live alongside.

This is the story of a little boy who falls into aqueduct and is picked up by two young people. It covers the growth of a talented boy who grows into a young man and experiences much of the pain and mistakes of the teen years. Drugs, alcohol, and sex are thrown into his path and he withdraws into dark world. How he gets out of it is a remarkable convergence of people and circumstance. It's a story about love, faith, and musical redemption. Don Jones is a 77 year old man blessed with many creative talents and accomplishments. He is a potter, painter, musician, and educator. This is his first book, based on a true incident. He currently lives in Cochiti Lake, New Mexico.

A SCIFI LITRPG Welcome to Endless Sky®!Frank Kozina is a subsistence citizen in a near future, one of many living in minimalist housing, eating synthmeals, and holding down grindstone jobs.He does, however, have an Endless Sky starter kit. Endless Sky is an immersive spacegame with galaxies full of alien species and complex politics. Publicly progressing in the rare class of Majordomo while hiding his Assassin class - Frank levels up fast.Which is just as well, because the game has sinister hidden layers that make his choices a matter of life and death.

Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists is a guide to taking control of your professional life. It teaches you to approach your career with planning and purpose, always making active decisions towards your goals.Summary In Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists, you will:     Define what “success” means for your career     Discover personal branding and career maintenance     Prepare for and conduct a tech job hunt     Spot speed bumps and barriers that can derail your progress     Learn how to navigate the rules of the business world     Perform market analysis to keep your tech skills fresh and relevant Whatever your road to success, you’ll benefit from the toolbox of career-boosting techniques you’ll find in Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists. You’ll discover in-demand communication and teamwork skills, essential rules for professionalism, tactics of the modern job hunt, and more. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology A successful technology career demands more than just technical ability. Achieving your goals requires clear communication, top-notch time management, and a knack for navigating business needs. Master the “soft skills,” and you’ll have a smoother path to success and satisfaction, however you define that for yourself. About the book Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists helps you get what you want out of your technology career. You’ll start by defining your ambition—whether that’s a salary, a job title, a flexible schedule, or something else. Once you know where you’re going, this book’s adaptable advice guides your journey. You’ll learn conflict resolution and teamwork, master nine rules of professionalism, and build the confidence and skill you need to stay on the path you’ve set for yourself. What's inside     Personal branding and career maintenance     Barriers that derail progress     The rules of the business world     Market analysis to keep tech skills fresh About the reader For tech professionals who want to take control of their career. About the author Microsoft MVP Don Jones brings his years of experience as a successful IT trainer to this engaging guide. Table of Contents 1 Own your career 2 Build and maintain your brand 3 Network 4 Be part of a technology community 5 Keep your tech skills fresh and relevant 6 Show up as a professional 7 Manage your time 8 Handle remote work 9 Be a team player 10 Be a team leade 11 Solve problems 12 Conquer written communications 13 Conquer verbal communications 14 Resolve conflicts 15 Be a data-driven, critical thinker 16 Understand how businesses work 17 Be a better decision-maker 18 Help others 19 Be prepared for anything 20 Business math and terminology for technologists 21 Tools for the modern job hunt

Three years ago, Daniel Scratch ascended to become Adherent of the Sixth Axis, the primary, magical forces of Endings in the world. Since then, he's tried to use that power for the betterment of all witchkind-despite the "don't bother" attitude of the senior adherents of the other four Axes. The other junior adherents, on the other hand, are much more willing to help the rest of witchkind-especially when it comes to curtailing the humans' use of magic-draining iron.But a critical misstep tears the Veil, the subtle, delicate magic that conceals witchkind's true nature from the humans. Human priests begin calling for a resumption of the Hunts, and the death of all witchkind.To heal the Veil, Daniel must confront his own vulnerabilities, the millennia-old history of his predecessors, and the very nature and reason for his own birth.

SummaryDiscover how scripting is different from command-line PowerShell, as you explore concrete hands-on examples in this handy guide. The book includes and expands on many of the techniques presented in Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches.Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.About the TechnologyAutomate it! With Microsoft''s PowerShell language, you can write scripts to control nearly every aspect of Windows. Just master a few straightforward scripting skills, and you''ll be able to eliminate repetitive manual tasks, create custom reusable tools, and build effective pipelines and workflows. Once you start scripting in PowerShell, you''ll be amazed at how many opportunities you''ll find to save time and effort. About the BookLearn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches teaches you how to expand your command-line PowerShell skills into effective scripts and tools. In 27 bite-size lessons, you''ll discover instantly useful techniques for writing efficient code, finding and squashing bugs, organizing your scripts into libraries, and much more. Advanced scripters will even learn to access the .NET Framework, store data long term, and create nice user interfaces.What''s InsideDesigning functions and scriptsEffective pipeline usageDealing with errors and bugsProfessional-grade scripting practicesAbout the Reader Written for devs and IT pros comfortable with PowerShell and Windows. About the AuthorsDon Jones is a PowerShell MVP, speaker, and trainer who has written dozens of books on information technology topics. Jeffery Hicks is a PowerShell MVP and an independent consultant, trainer, and author. Don and Jeff coauthored Manning''s Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches, Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches, and PowerShell in Depth. Table of ContentsPART 1 - INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTING Before you begin Setting up your scripting environment WWPD: what would PowerShell do? Review: parameter binding and the PowerShell pipeline Scripting language crash course The many forms of scripting (and which to use) Scripts and security PART 2 - BUILDING A POWERSHELL SCRIPTAlways design first Avoiding bugs: start with a command Building a basic function and script module Going advanced with your function Objects: the best kind of output Using all the pipelines Simple help: making a comment Dealing with errors Filling out a manifest PART 3 - GROWN-UP SCRIPTING Changing your brain when it comes to scripting Professional-grade scripting An introduction to source control with git Pestering your script Signing your script Publishing your script PART 4 - ADVANCED TECHNIQUES Squashing bugs Making script output prettier Wrapping up the .NET Framework Storing data-not in Excel! Never the end

Helps readers understand each of the ten .NET Enterprise Servers from a design and operation standpoint. This book provides readers with the information to architect a complete solution, using real-world examples to show how each of the different servers fits an organization's needs.