This third volume of Naturally Hypernatural explores contemporary concepts of landscape in the humanities and the arts in relation to the notion that our age is defined by a 'geology of the human' and that this reckoning constitutes a new epoch, aptly named the anthropocene. The thesis of this volume - that there is no homogeneous concept of landscape, just as there is no uniform definition of nature or culture - was developed concurrently at a conference at the University of Graz and at a series of exhibitions centered on film, painting and photography at the Kunsthaus Graz. This thesis has been fortified by registering the simultaneity of land art, the ecological movement and the view of the earth from space. Art since the modern period reveals how divergent ideas of landscape are intertwined with differently chanted conceptions of subjectivity, perception and space.

In The Mechanics of Awaking Gary Sherman takes us on a journey beyond ordinary perception to the field of energy and awareness beyond the mind and body, a place within each of us where we can discover the essence of ourselves and learn about our self from our self so that we can consciously create the life we wish to experience. With a clarity that is rare, the author distills three primary skills we can use to open the self and its mechanics to self-observation and expanded self-awareness. He provides a playful, simple yet profound practice for learning how to utilize these skills within our daily life so that we gain access to our inner life, our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and intuitive promptings, as well as entrance into the larger states of consciousness that support our very being.

Welcome to the world of PyQGIS, the blending of Quantum GIS and Python to extend and enhance your open source GIS toolbox. With PyQGIS you can write scripts and plugins to implement new features and perform automated tasks. This book will guide you in getting started with PyQGIS. After a brief introduction to Python, you'll learn how to understand the QGIS Application Programmer Interface (API), write scripts, and build a plugin. This book is designed to allow you to work through the examples as you go along. At the end of each chapter you will find a set of exercises you can do to enhance your learning experience. The PyQGIS Programmer's Guide is compatible with the version 2.0 API released with QGIS 2.0. Both source code and data to accompany the book are available online.

Desktop Geographic Information System (GIS) software gives you the ability to make maps and analyze geographic information. This book provides a foundational level of knowledge for understanding GIS and the open source desktop mapping applications that are available for use, for free, today. Learn about vector and raster data, how to convert data, interacting with spatial databases, creating new map data, geoprocessing, scripting, and more. Special sections include focused learning on the Quantum GIS and GRASS GIS software platforms but other packages are also introduced. The Geospatial Desktop is written by the creator of Quantum GIS, so you can rest assured that you will be led by one of the most knowledgeable authors on the subject.

It is fair to say that the arrival of the Great Northern Railroad to Seattle and Puget Sound in 1893 remains the most historically economic event in the Pacific Northwest. James J. Hill's relentless ambition to tap the resources of the Northwestern United States and then the Orient. He put the great engineer, John F. Stevens in charge of finding a pass through the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. This crossing would cause Jim Hill and the Great Northern to continually experience difficulties that cost the railroad unknown fortunes in man-made and natural disasters. Accidents and disasters that would finally culminate in the worst avalanche disaster in this country's history. The Wellington Avalanche is described in this book in the most detailed manner ever published. However, an aspect never before examined, is the story of the Japanese laborer who worked on the Great Northern. It is a sad story in railroad history. It is the story of a number of outstanding businessmen who enhanced their fortune and power by the illegal importation and exploitation of thousands of Japanese. Ruby El Hult, author of "Northwest Disaster" says "Gary's book is a scholarly and well documented story of both the best and the worst of how the northwest grew from struggling logging communities, to diverse cities of aerospace, high technology, and important international port cities.