The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, which was first serialised in 1868, is generally regarded as the first English language detective story of any length. The plot of the book centres around a sizable, priceless diamond that Colonel Herncastle stole from India during the Siege of Seringapatam. Herncastle decides to leave the diamond to his niece Rachel Verinder on her eighteenth birthday despite being shunned by his...
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."---Randy Pausch A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow...