Books by Michael Banks

On the Way to the Web: The Secret History of the Internet and Its Founders is an absorbing chronicle of the inventive, individualistic, and often cantankerous individuals who set the Internet free. Michael A. Banks describes how the online population created a new culture and turned a new frontier into their vision of the future.This book will introduce you to the innovators who laid the foundation for the Internet and the World Wide Web, the man who invented online chat, and the people who invented the products all of us use online every day. Learn where, when, how and why the Internet came into being, and exactly what hundreds of thousands of people were doing online before the Web. See who was behind it all, and what inspired them.

I have written this book so that others can benefit from the struggle i've been through. Gotta Kidney?! was written for all the millions of people who are affected directly or indirectly by kidney disease and indeed anyone facing major life-changing challenges of any kind, whether they be medical or otherwise. I believe that people will feel encouraged and inspired by reading Gotta Kidney?! This book is not a medical journal nor does it pretend to be a work of great literature! It is the story of my journey from being diagnosed with CKD (chronic kidney disease) through kidney failure, dialysis, transplant, and into recovery. As the subtitle of the books states, it is A Journey Through Fear to Hope and Beyond. Whenever a major crisis occurs there is always fear of the unknown future. What will happen to me now? How will I survive? The unknown can be scary. So the idea of this book is to give hope and encouragement to those in these circumstances and to inspire and give comfort. You can get through these life events and come out the other end a wiser and happier person. In this accessible story you can find advice and even some light hearted humor along the way. And knowing that others have been down the road you're embarking upon, or on already, can be reassuring and even inspirational.And finally, the book includes a chapter written by Karin, my living donor. Her journey through the various barriers she faced to donating one of her kidneys demonstrates courage and generosity in the face of fear and resistance. Karin and I hope the book will encourage and inspire those considering donating a kidney, or any organ for that matter, to go ahead in the knowledge that the rewards of donation can be so great!

Malibu is a hiking book about the natural beauty and ecology of Southern California. It combines philosophy with a love of nature and California's unspoiled coastal beauty. It is also a tragedy, as that landscape is torn up and paved over for "progress", and Malibu is reduced to just another celebrity suburb of L.A.Malibu is a mixture of a West-coast "Walden" and a modern day "In Praise of Folly." It is an epithany and a lament, lyrical and ludicrous. It extols the virtues of a surfer's life and decries the "illth" of modern materialism. It is a polemic on the core values of modern life and challenges the premises of our everyday lives. Malibu invites you to read this book and take a hike.

This work presents the story of the opening of the Internet, and parallel developments in the alternate world of computer bulletin board systems. it chronicles the inventive, individualistic, and often cantankerous individuals who have created this new culture.