David E. Y. Sarna – författare

The “greater fool” theory of economics states that it’s possible to make money by buying paper (securities), whether overvalued or not, and later, selling it at a profit because there will always be an even greater fool willing to pay the higher price. Many described in this book profited by peddling such worthless junk to foolish investors. But for some people—Bernie Madoff, Norman Hsu, Sholam Weiss, and “Crazie Eddie” Antar, aka the “Darth Vader of Capitalism”—overvalued securities were not enough. Outright fraud was their way of life. History of Greed is the compelling inside story of the names you know—Charles Ponzi, Baron Rothschild, Lou Pearlman—and the names you don’t—Isaac Le Maire, the world’s first “naked” short-seller. It’s also our story—why we ignore the lessons of the past and fall prey, most every time, to the promise of easy money.For thousands of years, alchemists unsuccessfully tried to turn worthless base metals into gold. Where science failed at turning nothing into something, business succeeded. Sometimes we praise the creators of derivatives, collateral debt obligations, subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or auction rate securities as Wall Street’s new financial wizards, the creators of “magic paper.” Other times, we vilify and prosecute them as scam artists. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell who is who. History of Greed reveals the inside secrets of how the markets really work, and how scam artists abuse them to gain an unfair edge or to outright steal. It describes how luftgescheft (“air business”), wizardry, dishonesty, and fraud are used to swindle people. Along with a comprehensive bibliography, History of Greed also details:400 years of financial fraud—from everyday fraud to the odd and unusual Accounting fraud (phantom sales), stock option fraud (backdating), auction rate securities, hedge fund fraud, Ponzi schemes, promotion fraud (pump-and-dump scams), and money launderingHow to detect fraudulent schemesHow government regulation only fixes yesterday’s problemsIf it’s too good to be true, it probably is. If they say you can’t lose, you probably will. History of Greed shows that there really is no such thing as a free lunch, while also detailing how not to become the “greater fool.”

From small start-ups to major corporations, companies of all sizes have embraced cloud computing for the scalability, reliability, and cost benefits it can provide. It has even been said that cloud computing may have a greater effect on our lives than the PC and dot-com revolutions combined.Filled with comparative charts and decision trees, Implementing and Developing Cloud Computing Applications explains exactly what it takes to build robust and highly scalable cloud computing applications in any organization. Covering the major commercial offerings available, it provides authoritative guidance through the implementation process. It puts cloud computing into historical context and considers how cloud computing affects project management, budgeting, and lifecycle management in your organization. It also explains how to: Choose the best combination of platforms, tools, and servicesDevelop new cloud applications from scratch Migrate legacy software Prevent lock-in to a single vendorEstimate costs and benefitsAddress reliability, availability, and security concernsUse interclouding, Cloud Brokers, and other techniques for safe deployment in public, private, and hybrid cloudsTake advantage of the latest developments, including OpenStack From software and testing tools to best practices and service providers, this book considers the entire cloud application environment. It details the platforms available, tools that facilitate development, as well as the costs involved. Designed for software developers and their managers, this complete resource includes case studies that illustrate the latest cloud computing technologies, implementation issues, and solutions. It also provides access to a blog to keep you current on the latest developments.