Sam Williams – författare

In the year 2007, the number of people living in the cities of the world—finally and irreversibly—exceeded the number of people living in rural areas. The earth’s population is now more urban than rural, and Christian leaders are trying to figure out what this means for the church. Pastors and kingdom-minded leaders know they need to engage the surrounding community with the gospel but are unsure about how to do so. Ministering in diverse and populous areas brings a unique set of challenges and promises. Evangelistic strategies that work in rural areas seem to bounce off of people in the cities, forcing church leaders to reevaluate church effectiveness. They see that the arena for significant impact is the surrounding community. The wide-open potential for spiritual and social change on this larger scale requires that leaders leverage the multivalent domains of their communities to solve problems the entire city cares about. Eric Swanson and Sam Williams have been working together with missional leaders from cities around the world trying to discover examples and principles of city transformation. They try, investigate, and share effective and proven ways for ministry leaders to mobilize for spiritual impact and partner with other community organizations for societal good. This book is a call to action for spiritual and societal transformation. The authors begin casting their vision for God’s work in cities with an overview of the importance of cities in the twenty-first century. They address the process of community transformation along with examples of where and how cities have been changed for the good throughout history. They challenge readers to a vibrant kingdom-orientation in their ministries and use the concepts of “whole church, whole gospel, and whole city” to explain this large vision. They encourage people of good faith to work together with people of goodwill for the common benefit of cities around the world. To Transform a City is a timely, compelling book that helps readers explore the reality of cities, the potential of their own communities, and the broad strategies churches and Christian leaders need for kingdom impact.

Free as in Freedom interweaves biographical snapshots of GNU project founder Richard Stallman with the political, social and economic history of the free software movement. It examines Stallman's unique personality and how that personality has been at turns a driving force and a drawback in terms of the movement's overall success. Free as in Freedom examines one man's 20-year attempt to codify and communicate the ethics of 1970s era "hacking" culture in such a way that later generations might easily share and build upon the knowledge of their computing forebears. The book documents Stallman's personal evolution from teenage misfit to prescient adult hacker to political leader and examines how that evolution has shaped the free software movement. Like Alan Greenspan in the financial sector, Richard Stallman has assumed the role of tribal elder within the hacking community, a community that bills itself as anarchic and averse to central leadership or authority. How did this paradox come about? Free as in Freedom provides an answer.It also looks at how the latest twists and turns in the software marketplace have diminished Stallman's leadership role in some areas while augmenting it in others. Finally, Free as in Freedom examines both Stallman and the free software movement from historical viewpoint. Will future generations see Stallman as a genius or crackpot? The answer to that question depends partly on which side of the free software debate the reader currently stands and partly upon the reader's own outlook for the future. 100 years from now, when terms such as "computer," "operating system" and perhaps even "software" itself seem hopelessly quaint, will Richard Stallman's particular vision of freedom still resonate, or will it have taken its place alongside other utopian concepts on the 'ash-heap of history?'

Build artificial intelligence (AI) powered voice and text conversational interfaces with AmazonKey FeaturesDevelop Alexa Skills to create a working voice user interface (VUI)Integrate Amazon Lex chatbots into Facebook, Slack, and text messagesLearn to use AWS Lambda, Alexa Skills Kit, and Amazon LexBook DescriptionHave you ever wondered how Alexa apps are made, how voice-enabled technologies work, or how chatbots function? And why tech giants such as Amazon and Google are investing in voice technologies? A better question is: why should I start developing on these platforms? Hands-On Chatbot Development with Alexa Skills and Amazon Lex covers all features of the Alexa Skills kit with real-world examples that help you develop skills to integrate Echo and chatbots into Facebook, Slack, and Twilio with the Amazon Lex platform.The book starts with teaching you how to set up your local environment and AWS CLI so that you can automate the process of uploading AWS Lambda from your local machine. You will then learn to develop Alexa Skills and Lex chatbots using Lambda functions to control functionality. Once you’ve come to grips with this, you will learn to create increasingly complex chatbots, integrate Amazon S3, and change the way Alexa talks to the user. In the concluding chapters, we shift our focus to Amazon Lex and messaging chatbots. We will explore Alexa, learn about DynamoDB databases, and add cards to user conversations.By the end of this book, you will have explored a full set of technologies that will enable you to create your own voice and messaging chatbots using Amazon.What you will learnCreate a development environment using Alexa Skills Kit, AWS CLI, and Node.jsBuild Alexa Skills and Lex chatbots from scratchGain access to third-party APIs from your Alexa Skills and Lex chatbotsUse AWS services such as Amazon S3 and DynamoDB to enhance the abilities of your Alexa Skills and Amazon Lex chatbotsPublish a Lex chatbot to Facebook Messenger, Twilio SMS, and SlackCreate a custom website for your Lex chatbotsDevelop your own skills for Alexa-enabled devices such as the EchoWho this book is forHands-On Chatbot Development with Alexa Skills and Amazon Lex is for developers who are interested in building conversational bots and Alexa skills with Amazon. Prior experience with JavaScript programming is required.

Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards In rollicking rhyme, an adventurous kitty invites his friends for a night-time romp in the busy city. We'll swoon to the moon if the moon is out. We'll have a night to sing about. We'll catercall upon the wall And never worry if we fall.

Funny split-page pictures and simple reading text make these books perfect to share with toddlers. Full of humour and fun, they aid child development as your little one learns to read visual clues and match ears to the right animals. ?

Funny split-page pictures and simple reading text make these books perfect to share with toddlers. Full of humour and fun, they aid child development as your little one learns to read visual clues and match legs to the right animals. ?

A fabulous Halloween gift book—packed full of skeletons dressed up to the nines and ready to party. Out beyond the peaty bog, there’s a haunted mansion in a gloomy, green fog. Skel-e-tons in party wear are dressed to the nines and gathered there, For tonight’s the night the skeletons have their party! Can you spot the skeletons hiding in cupboards, treasure chests, and drawers—even the teapot and the cookie jar? But what are the tentacles that creep through doorways and up through the floorboards? Is it possible that there’s a monster hiding in the house? Each spread features multiple pop-up spooky surprises as the skeletons prepare for the party night of the year!A high-spec pop-up book that would make a perfect seasonal gift—packed with humor, fun, and a few puns along the way.