Showing results by narrator "Chris Newman" in All Categories

The Candy House opens with the staggeringly brilliant Bix Bouton, whose company, Mandala, is so successful that he is “one of those tech demi-gods with whom we’re all on a first name basis.” Bix is forty, with four kids, restless, and desperate for a new idea, when he stumbles into a conversation group, mostly Columbia professors, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or “externalizing” memory. Within a decade, Bix’s new technology, “Own Your Unconscious”—which allows you access to every memory you’ve ever had, and to share your memories in exchange for access to the memories of others—has seduced multitudes.

This is a great package of several titles in one book. The topics are all related to the history of the Netherlands. 

There is no doubt that Michelangelo is one of the most influential artists of all time, together with some other Renaissance geniuses, such as Leonardo and Rafael. Michelangelo had a vision, a dream, and the talent to carry out those imaginations. His life, in our perspective, is a compilation of great works of art, architecture, sculptures, paintings, and intricate movements, contrast, colors, and anatomy of the human body. Religious and thematic symbolism are intertwined in his frescos and structures. Let us learn more about this great artist.

Zapata was associated with political efforts against Daz and the landowning hacendados from an early age, and when the Revolution emerged in the year 1910, he was placed as a key figure in the peasant insurgence in Morelos. He established the Freedom Army of the South with the help of certain other peasant leaders, and he rapidly rose to become its undisputed head.

The Dutch East India Company, officially the United East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie; VOC), was a megacorporation created in the early 17th century by a government-directed merger of many competing Dutch trade services. You might think that Amazon or Google is big, but the VOC is still thought to be the world's biggest corporation in documented history.

Alan Mathison Turing was a mathematician, computer system researcher, scholar, cryptanalyst, thinker, and theoretical biologist from the U.K. With the Turing device, which can be considered a design of a general-purpose computer system, Turing had a substantial influence on the development of theoretical computer technology, offering a formalization of the ideas of algorithm and calculation. Turing is considered the creator of theoretical computer technology and AI.

Picasso’s work is famous. His art is intricate, yet bizarre. His personal life was filled with struggles, and his children weren’t any better off, creating substance abuse and suicidal headlines. Despite the dysfunctionality in his personal and family life, his artwork reflected something new and fresh. And in a variety of paintings, an underlying rebel message against totalitarian regimes. Having lived through many horrors of the Spanish war, as well as other 20th-century conflicts, the painter showed both style and morale in his works, and left a legacy studied by the masses.

There are doers and there are preachers. The people who were executing orders or abusing people in World War Two wouldn’t have been able to commit any atrocities if the country hadn’t warmed up to an inhumane narrative. That’s where propaganda came in. Propaganda has long been part of various countries and societies to make the population believe something, and to find culprits, create feelings of animosity, and glorify local leaders or military campaigns.

Initially diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and after a separation of his parents, Edmund Kemper already showed his twisted mind at 15 years old, when he murdered both his grandparents, who were taking care of him. Whether through nature or nurture, this man didn’t show a promising future from the get-go. But perhaps nobody could have suspected the horrors he would inflict on his many victims later in his life.

Benjamin Franklin was an author, physicist, innovator, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political thinker who resided in America. Franklin was just one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a drafter and signer of the US Declaration of Independence, and the first postmaster general of the United States. For his discoveries and views about electrical energy, he was an essential player in the American knowledge and the history of physics as a researcher. He is most prominent for his developments like the lightning arrester, bifocals, and the Franklin hotplate.

For centuries, raw and primal urges and principles had taken hold of conquerors, officials, and governments. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Humanity just needed to acknowledge knowledge. It needed to value the art of studying phenomena and learning, not just spiritual notions and religion. Welcome to the book about how this happened. Welcome to a glimmer of hope in humanity’s realization of what this world is and what lies in the elements yet to be discovered. Get ready for some enlightenment in your own life as you learn about the Age of Enlightenment.

Harriet Tubman (March 10, 1822—March 10, 1913) was an abolitionist and political activist in the United States. Tubman, who was born into slavery, got away and went on to free around 70 enslaved people, which includes family members and good friends, through the Underground Rail Road, a network of antislavery activists and safe houses. She worked for the Union Army as an armed scout and spy throughout the American Civil War. Tubman was an activist in the women's suffrage movement in her last years.

This is a combo of 16 topics, and unique artists, composers, writers, and actors, compiled into a comprehensive biography guide. Listen to the struggles, the background, the poverty and wealth, and genius brains from the16th to the 20th century - all of which have brought certain insights, and understandings in artistic, literature, musical, or dramatic movements, to the next level. You will understand the motivation and circumstances of these great artists better. It will help you rethink your own life, your own legacy, and your plans for the future.

Mark Twain is arguably one of the most famous authors in the United States, with his books Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. His characters were a typical, yet deviant, episode of the time period in which he lived, depicting the circumstances under which many people lived. If you want to know more about this known author, this classical writer, then get started on listening right now!

Many people have had the pleasure to listen to Mozart’s music. His legacy has lived on for more than two centuries. And although he only lived to be 35 years old, he has had a major impact on the classical music genre. From simple rebel to sheer genius, this intelligent composer has shown the world that despite all the odds, masterpieces and pure art can become a reality.

Most people have heard of Ludwig von Beethoven, one of the most famous composers of all time. His music had a certain aggression, passion, and beauty to it that still brings admirers to tears, more than 200 years later. His symphonies came from his creativity, the circumstances, and the trends in that time period in Germany and Austria. There is much to say about the historical context, the deep experiences, and the studies that Beethoven encountered during his life.

William Shakespeare is the celebrated script writer of the most popular plays in the English language. By writing both tragedies, romances, and comedies in the 16th century, he made a name for himself and became successful in the art of drama. Shakespeare’s life and decisions led to his acclaim, and in this audiobook, we will lay out some of the most significant changes in both his personal choices and his career. Despite of his financial debts, his complex family life, and his background, he was able to entertain his audiences both in his time and for centuries after his death.

Marilyn Monroe has been part of the sexual revolution during the mid-20th century. Her influence in the movie industry, as an icon for attractiveness and femininity, have been noticed by hundreds of millions, even after her death. Did Marilyn Monroe have success? Yes. Was her life easy? Not by far. Her failed marriages, early childhood trauma, mood disorder, and some of the struggles with her sexuality, contracts, and Hollywood producers have made her life go up and down so much that I’m sure she would describe some moments as the ultimate bliss and others as a living hell.

Claude Monet has been the icon for the impressionist movement. His family life wasn’t perfect, but despite all obstacles, the French genius painter has left us a legacy and a new perspective on realism and technique in their purest forms. In this guide, we’ll go over his youth, his style, his methods, his most famous paintings, and many of the reasons why he made the decisions he made.

Perhaps you have heard of Edgar Allan Poe. Perhaps not. Either way, this 19th-century author has received quite some fame for his works and his unique style. His mystery and gruesome horror stories, comedy, and other genres have reached far into the depths of American literature. Edgar Allan Poe had a life, a background worth studying. His death, however, was and still is a mystery by itself. Find out more about this fascinating author, in a time we can hardly understand without knowing more about it.