by Steve Grand ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001
Smoothly written and thought-provoking—worth a look for anyone curious about computer intelligence. (14 line drawings)
The latest word on computer intelligence, from the designer of a popular computer game.
Grand is the British inventor of Creatures—a game whose players guide the destiny of artificial “animals,” each with simulated genetics, hormonal systems, and rudimentary intelligence. The game’s players—several million of them, worldwide—care for, train, and breed their creatures, which “live” entirely inside their desktop computers. This is not so much an account of how Grand developed the game, as of the philosophy of artificial life he gained in the process—surprisingly, a very holistic and non-mechanistic view. Life, he believes, is an emergent phenomenon: while living things are built of simple and ultimately mechanistic parts, life itself grows out of their complex organization. Refreshingly, he avoids making inflated claims for his field; instead, he points out that an artificial brain no brighter than a squirrel might serve such useful functions as controlling traffic signals. This philosophy of design led him to create his game not by deciding what he wanted his creatures to do, but by giving them specific traits and letting their behavior emerge from the interplay of their “genes” and environment. Several chapters are dedicated to describing the chemical and cellular makeup of living organisms, and the strategies Grand employed to simulate these on a computer—for example, his solution to the problem of feeding, with both short-term and long-term consequences for the creature’s energy. On the whole, Grand succeeds in providing useful hints to computer-savvy readers without drowning laymen in details of programming. At the same time, he gives an entertaining glimpse of the game itself, with descriptions of “Ron,” the first creature he programmed for the computer game.
Smoothly written and thought-provoking—worth a look for anyone curious about computer intelligence. (14 line drawings)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-674-00654-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harvard Univ.
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2001
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by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Simon Carnell & Erica Segre ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2016
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
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Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
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by Richard Rhodes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1986
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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