Photography

Inside the Giant Machine: Confessions of a Former Amazon.com Technologist

To celebrate the international success of this eBook (#1 in its category in 4 countries), we are offering this eBook for $2.99 for a limited time. The price will revert to $9.99 after the promotional period.

- - -
Behind Amazon’s quirky smile logo lurks a cold and calculating giant machine. Author Kalpanik S. reveals his own smile as he tells the somewhat quirky story of his complex and hilarious relationship with Amazon. From the sophisticated wit in his portrayal of the courtship period in “How To Get Hired By Amazon In Ten Days”, to the dark humor of the disillusionment period in “The Cold, Calculating Machine”, Kalpanik’s story is more than just an insider’s view of the giant machine known as Amazon.com. It’s a modern, universal story of the uneasy relationship between an individual and today’s gargantuan corporations. In the end, it is also a story of redemption for creative and free thinking individuals that define America.

This edition of the book was revised in Jan. 2011, & a new chapter was added on the Amazon Warehouse scandal. In 2011, Morning call, a newspaper in Pennsylvania published a lengthy expose on the horrendous work conditions at Amazon's warehouse in the region. That report is covered with author's unique perspective based on his prior work experience at Amazon.

ACCLAIM FOR THE BOOK

. . . . not only does the author makes us feel the vitality of the Hi-Tech worlds of California & Seattle but his very emotional experiences as an immigrant, as father and a former executive relocating to another city & take a first level management position.

I love his leaps of imagination, and the words which hook us in, make us think this is our story.

For example, here is what it means to yearn for acceptance:
"I looked at Seattle's glistening skyline on one side and its beautiful waterfront on the other and asked it the same questions I had asked San Francisco sixteen years ago: will it accept me? Or will its people treat me as someone different, not one of them? And will I accept it, call it my home? “

Overall, a hip, funny and yet very poignant story!

.... .....John Lehman, author

CONFESSIONS OF THE AUTHOR

I must confess that English is my 3rd language. Even though this book was edited by 3 professional English editors, it is obvious, even to me, that this book is written by a Foreign-born author.

Foreign-born or not, I believe I have converted a dull topic—the transformation of Amazon from a retail website to a marketplace—into an interesting and lively story.

This is more of a little book than a big one. Being a technologist, I am trained to be concise. The printed version of this edition is 221 pages. This may be too little for a few readers, too much for others, and just right for the rest. So, If you are looking for a 1,000-page treatise on Amazon that can be used as an example of perfect grammar in the High school English grammar class, then this book may not be the right book for you. There are several other books on Amazon with perfect grammar, which are also perfectly boring!

Oh, and this is not THE Amazon Story, just AN Amazon Story. Only 1 Amazon Employee can write THE Amazon Story - Jeff Bezos, and he is busy doing other things.

This book evolved from a blog which I shared with friends as I interviewed & joined Amazon, moved to Seattle, and then "exited". While 60% of the material was added afterwards, the core of this book remains the original blog entries and still has that feel.

A book about Amazon can be pretty dry, so I have tried to add some humor. In my attempt to make this book funny, a few facts may have been stretched. In that regard, I quote this passage from 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com, written by Mike Daisey, a fellow Amazon alumnus–turned author:

“Some facts were injured in the telling of this story. The truth, however, remains unharmed.”
That applies to this book as well.

Ready to buy? Proceed with caution ;)

Kalpanik S.

To celebrate the international success of this eBook (#1 in its category in 4 countries), we are offering this eBook for $2.99 for a limited time. The price will revert to $9.99 after the promotional period.

- - -
Behind Amazon’s quirky smile logo lurks a cold and calculating giant machine. Author Kalpanik S. reveals his own smile as he tells the somewhat quirky story of his complex and hilarious relationship with Amazon. From the sophisticated wit in his portrayal of the courtship period in “How To Get Hired By Amazon In Ten Days”, to the dark humor of the disillusionment period in “The Cold, Calculating Machine”, Kalpanik’s story is more than just an insider’s view of the giant machine known as Amazon.com. It’s a modern, universal story of the uneasy relationship between an individual and today’s gargantuan corporations. In the end, it is also a story of redemption for creative and free thinking individuals that define America.

This edition of the book was revised in Jan. 2011, & a new chapter was added on the Amazon Warehouse scandal. In 2011, Morning call, a newspaper in Pennsylvania published a lengthy expose on the horrendous work conditions at Amazon's warehouse in the region. That report is covered with author's unique perspective based on his prior work experience at Amazon.

ACCLAIM FOR THE BOOK

. . . . not only does the author makes us feel the vitality of the Hi-Tech worlds of California & Seattle but his very emotional experiences as an immigrant, as father and a former executive relocating to another city & take a first level management position.

I love his leaps of imagination, and the words which hook us in, make us think this is our story.

For example, here is what it means to yearn for acceptance:
"I looked at Seattle's glistening skyline on one side and its beautiful waterfront on the other and asked it the same questions I had asked San Francisco sixteen years ago: will it accept me? Or will its people treat me as someone different, not one of them? And will I accept it, call it my home? “

Overall, a hip, funny and yet very poignant story!

.... .....John Lehman, author

CONFESSIONS OF THE AUTHOR

I must confess that English is my 3rd language. Even though this book was edited by 3 professional English editors, it is obvious, even to me, that this book is written by a Foreign-born author.

Foreign-born or not, I believe I have converted a dull topic—the transformation of Amazon from a retail website to a marketplace—into an interesting and lively story.

This is more of a little book than a big one. Being a technologist, I am trained to be concise. The printed version of this edition is 221 pages. This may be too little for a few readers, too much for others, and just right for the rest. So, If you are looking for a 1,000-page treatise on Amazon that can be used as an example of perfect grammar in the High school English grammar class, then this book may not be the right book for you. There are several other books on Amazon with perfect grammar, which are also perfectly boring!

Oh, and this is not THE Amazon Story, just AN Amazon Story. Only 1 Amazon Employee can write THE Amazon Story - Jeff Bezos, and he is busy doing other things.

This book evolved from a blog which I shared with friends as I interviewed & joined Amazon, moved to Seattle, and then "exited". While 60% of the material was added afterwards, the core of this book remains the original blog entries and still has that feel.

A book about Amazon can be pretty dry, so I have tried to add some humor. In my attempt to make this book funny, a few facts may have been stretched. In that regard, I quote this passage from 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com, written by Mike Daisey, a fellow Amazon alumnus–turned author:

“Some facts were injured in the telling of this story. The truth, however, remains unharmed.”
That applies to this book as well.

Ready to buy? Proceed with caution ;)

Kalpanik S.

Think and Grow Rich: Original Version (AUDIOMP3)

IN EVERY chapter of this book, mention has been made of the money-making
secret which has made fortunes for more than five hundred exceedingly
wealthy men whom I have carefully analyzed over a long period of years.

The secret was brought to my attention by Andrew Carnegie, more than a
quarter of a century ago. The canny, lovable old Scotsman carelessly tossed it
into my mind, when I was but a boy. Then he sat back in his chair, with a merry
twinkle in his eyes, and watched carefully to see if I had brains enough to
understand the full significance of what he had said to me.

CONTENTS OF THIS 245-Page eBook

FOREWORD
PUBLISHER'S PREFACE
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 2 - DESIRE
CHAPTER 3 - FAITH
CHAPTER 4 - AUTO-SUGGESTION
CHAPTER 5 - SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE
CHAPTER 6 - IMAGINATION
CHAPTER 7 - ORGANIZED PLANNING
CHAPTER 8 - DECISION
CHAPTER 9 - PERSISTENCE
CHAPTER 10 - POWER OF THE MASTER MIND
CHAPTER 11 - THE MYSTERY OF SEX TRANSMUTATION
CHAPTER 12 - THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
CHAPTER 13 - THE BRAIN
CHAPTER 14 - THE SIXTH SENSE
CHAPTER 15 - HOW TO OUTWIT THE SIX GHOSTS OF FEAR

2012 US Calendar

2012 US Calendar – Simply Beautiful

This Kindle book is a quick-and-easy-to-use 2012 calendar. It contains a separate page for each month with a photo, as well as a field at the top of the page for quick note recording. This field contains all the days of the given month – for you to be able to record a note for each day.

On the book’s pages, one for each month, I have also stated the number of the week in the year, together with other important items of information like federal holidays and non-working days, plus reminders for the two clock setting days, in March and November. Besides months, the book also contains the full-year calendar for 2012 and 2013, as well as a brief set of instructions on how to record notes.
------------------
Important information related to settings:

When you perform the settings for Kindle, pay attention to two things:
- Displaying should be in "portrait" mode (i.e. press the Aa button on the main page, screen rotation thus becomes first).

- The font size should be a maximum of 4 (this is the default value).
Line spacing maximum: medium, Words per Line: default. (These are all default values.)

To ensure that the calendar stores notes not only in Kindle MyClippings.txt, you must allow "Annotation Backups" in "Settings":

Press "Home", then "Menu", and select "Settings"! Go to the third page, where you will find "Annotation Backups". "Turn on", if it is not turned on.
Once you have done this, all your notes will appear on your own kindle.amazon.com page. Log in and click on the "2012 Us Calendar" under "Your books". All the notes you created in the calendar after turning on "Annotation Backups" will be posted here and you will also be able to share them on your community sites (Facebook, google, twitter) or to make them public on Amazon.

You can also create notes comfortably on your own pc using the "kindle for pc" program: download the book from the "cloud" (Synch and check for new items - or press F5), then select the day of your choice or right-click on it. A small window will appear, in which you can create a note or selection.

When you are finished, remember to synchronise (F5), so that your note becomes available on kindle.amazon.com and on your Kindle reader. (View it full screen, so that the picture does not get pushed to the next page.)

2012 US Calendar – Simply Beautiful

This Kindle book is a quick-and-easy-to-use 2012 calendar. It contains a separate page for each month with a photo, as well as a field at the top of the page for quick note recording. This field contains all the days of the given month – for you to be able to record a note for each day.

On the book’s pages, one for each month, I have also stated the number of the week in the year, together with other important items of information like federal holidays and non-working days, plus reminders for the two clock setting days, in March and November. Besides months, the book also contains the full-year calendar for 2012 and 2013, as well as a brief set of instructions on how to record notes.
------------------
Important information related to settings:

When you perform the settings for Kindle, pay attention to two things:
- Displaying should be in "portrait" mode (i.e. press the Aa button on the main page, screen rotation thus becomes first).

- The font size should be a maximum of 4 (this is the default value).
Line spacing maximum: medium, Words per Line: default. (These are all default values.)

To ensure that the calendar stores notes not only in Kindle MyClippings.txt, you must allow "Annotation Backups" in "Settings":

Press "Home", then "Menu", and select "Settings"! Go to the third page, where you will find "Annotation Backups". "Turn on", if it is not turned on.
Once you have done this, all your notes will appear on your own kindle.amazon.com page. Log in and click on the "2012 Us Calendar" under "Your books". All the notes you created in the calendar after turning on "Annotation Backups" will be posted here and you will also be able to share them on your community sites (Facebook, google, twitter) or to make them public on Amazon.

You can also create notes comfortably on your own pc using the "kindle for pc" program: download the book from the "cloud" (Synch and check for new items - or press F5), then select the day of your choice or right-click on it. A small window will appear, in which you can create a note or selection.

When you are finished, remember to synchronise (F5), so that your note becomes available on kindle.amazon.com and on your Kindle reader. (View it full screen, so that the picture does not get pushed to the next page.)

Because It's There: A Photographic Journey

Because It's There takes us on a marvelous photographic journey with more than 90 adventurous and spectacular images from five continents. Authors/Photographers Charlie and Diane Winger believe there is no better reason to move beyond a familiar horizon, explore what lies around the next bend, and discover a world outside our previous experience than "Because it's there."

Like George Mallory, who uttered that famous response when asked why he strove to be the first to climb Mount Everest, the Wingers are also inspired by mountains. Charlie is the mountaineer of the family, and nearly all the snow-covered, glaciated, massive peaks in this photographic journey were his passion (and obsession). Diane is the hiker and casual rock climber, but has ventured up a few of those more challenging mountains along the way.

The Wingers draw on their extensive collection of photographs taken while writing guidebooks, climbing and trekking among some of the most beautiful peaks in the world, and enjoying time in special outdoor areas which they have come to love. Along the way, they tell a few stories and share a few laughs.

Greatest Clicks: A Dog Photographer's Best Shots

From a Golden Retriever on a swing to a Standard Poodle tending bar, Greatest Clicks is a captivating collection of dog photographs that tickles the funny bone and touches the heart. The images-sweet, silly, and emotive-reveal the innocence and beauty of dogs and why we love them. Snapped by famed pet photographer Mark J. Asher (Old Friends), Greatest Clicks spans a ten-year career, and includes a behind-the-lens recollection for each image.

*Note: This eBook contains color photographs, which are best viewed on the Kindle App for the iPad, the Kindle App for a Smartphone, or a Kindle Fire. It can also be viewed using the Kindle for PC or Mac.

Mark J. Asher is the author of three pet photography books and a dog memoir. His first book, Old Friends, features senior dogs along with their longevity secrets. Mark's follow-up effort, Barking Up the Family Tree, captures kids with their cherished furry friends. The third in his pet photography trilogy, Bark & Ride, explores a world where dogs can drive. Recently, Mark published his first dog memoir entitled Humphrey Was Here, which is an emotional and cathartic story of pet loss and healing.

From a Golden Retriever on a swing to a Standard Poodle tending bar, Greatest Clicks is a captivating collection of dog photographs that tickles the funny bone and touches the heart. The images-sweet, silly, and emotive-reveal the innocence and beauty of dogs and why we love them. Snapped by famed pet photographer Mark J. Asher (Old Friends), Greatest Clicks spans a ten-year career, and includes a behind-the-lens recollection for each image.

*Note: This eBook contains color photographs, which are best viewed on the Kindle App for the iPad, the Kindle App for a Smartphone, or a Kindle Fire. It can also be viewed using the Kindle for PC or Mac.

Mark J. Asher is the author of three pet photography books and a dog memoir. His first book, Old Friends, features senior dogs along with their longevity secrets. Mark's follow-up effort, Barking Up the Family Tree, captures kids with their cherished furry friends. The third in his pet photography trilogy, Bark & Ride, explores a world where dogs can drive. Recently, Mark published his first dog memoir entitled Humphrey Was Here, which is an emotional and cathartic story of pet loss and healing.

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book

Creative professionals seeking the fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Photoshop CS5 choose Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book from the Adobe Creative Team at Adobe Press. The 14 project-based lessons in this book show readers step-by-step the key techniques for working in Photoshop CS5.

In addition to learning the key elements of the Photoshop interface, this completely revised CS5 edition shows readers how to edit images with precise selection control, correct a wide range of lens-based errors, interactively transform their images with the new Puppet Warp tool, and easily remove or replace image elements with the new Content-Aware Fill mode. The book also covers new powerful painting effects to artistically enhance images and shows how to combine multiple exposures into a single HDR image.

For the first time, the companion DVD will feature, in addition to the lesson files, 2 hours of free video tutorials from Learn Adobe Photoshop CS5 by Video by Adobe Press and video2brain, a great added value!

“The Classroom in a Book series is by far the best training material on the market. Everything you need to master the software is included: clear explanations of each lesson, step-by-step instructions, and the project files for the students.” —Barbara Binder, Adobe Certified Instructor, Rocky Mountain Training

Classroom in a Book®, the best-selling series of hands-on software training workbooks, helps you learn the features of Adobe software quickly and easily. Classroom in a Book offers what no other book or training program does—an official training series from Adobe Systems Incorporated, developed with the support of Adobe product experts.

Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

With more than 350,000 copies sold, Understanding Exposure has demystified the complex concepts of exposure for countless photographers. Now updated with current technologies, more than one hundred new images, and an all-new chapter, this new edition will inspire you more than ever to free yourself from “auto” and create the pictures you truly want.

In his trademark easy-to-understand style, author Bryan Peterson explains the relationship between aperture and shutter speed, including how to achieve successful exposures in seemingly difficult situations. You’ll learn:

• Which aperture gives you the greatest contrast and sharpness, and when to use it 
• Which apertures guarantee the background remains an out-of-focus tone 
• Which one aperture—when combined with the right lens—creates an area of sharpness from three feet to infinity 
• How to creatively use shutter speed to either freeze an action or imply motion 
• Where to take a meter reading when shooting a sunset, snow, or a city at dusk

With new information on white balance, flash, HDR, and more, this updated classic will inspire you to stop guessing and take control of your settings for better photos anytime, anywhere, and with any camera.

Teen Angel Kim has Perfect Boobs! (Adult Picture Book - High Def Porn featuring everything from Sexy Nude Girls to XXX Teen Sex!)

(WARNING: This is an ADULT PICTURE BOOK which contains uncensored nudity and sexual content.)

This book contains NO TEXT. Rather, the sexy story is told entirely through High Definition Pictures. Our Adult Picture Books feature sexy nude girls, XXX teen sex and cyber porn of all flavors!

ErotiPics - No Talk, No Text, just High Definition Pics!

(WARNING: This is an ADULT PICTURE BOOK which contains uncensored nudity and sexual content.)

This book contains NO TEXT. Rather, the sexy story is told entirely through High Definition Pictures. Our Adult Picture Books feature sexy nude girls, XXX teen sex and cyber porn of all flavors!

ErotiPics - No Talk, No Text, just High Definition Pics!

Ansel Adams 2010 Wall Calendar

The latest edition of the Ansel Adams wall calendar reproduces 13 classic images by the master photographer, chosen to reflect the changing seasons. Well-known and less familiar photographs are included, depicting grand vistas of the American West as well as intimate studies of plant life, among other favorite subjects. The 2010 calendar is an elegant addition to any home or office, as well as an attractive gift. This is an annual bestseller, with more than 150,000 copies sold each year.

The Digital Photography Book

Scott Kelby, the man who changed the "digital darkroom" forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography--how to take pro-quality shots using the same tricks today's top digital pros use (and it's easier than you'd think).

This entire book is written with a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: "If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, 'Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?' I wouldn't stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth of field. In real life, I'd just say, 'Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.' You d say, 'OK,' and you'd get the shot. That's what this book is all about. A book of you and I shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I've learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak."

This isn't a book of theory—it isn't full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade" to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button.

Here's another thing that makes this book different: each page covers just one trick, just one single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, another pro tool, another pro trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. There's never been a book like it, and if you're tired of taking shots that look "OK," and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, "Why don't my shots look like that?" then this is the book for you.