Content tagged with "information"

The Ascent of Information: Books, Bits, Genes, Machines, and Life’s Unending Algorithm
Book Review
November 27, 2022
472

Not sure what to do with this book. I abandoned it about 2/3 of the way through, because I felt like I was over my head and wasn’t understanding anything. But, I was determined to “break it” . So, I dove back in, reading the introduction and conclusion, studying the index, reading the reviews on…

The Demon in the Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving the Mystery of Life
Book Review
December 16, 2019
193

This is not a book for the casual reader. A lot of this went over my head, but I managed to maintain a loose grip on it until the end. Essentially, the author is arguing for the inclusion of information science along with physics, chemistry, and biology as the disciplines that deal with the origins…

A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age
Deane’s Library
Book Review
October 9, 2017
85

Lovely biography of Claude Shannon, who gave us information/communication theory. Covers his life from birth to death, in short chapters, each devoted to some aspect or time period. The longest chapter is a discussion of “A Mathematical Basis for Communication,” and is one of the best summaries I’ve…

Why Information Grows: The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies
Deane’s Library
Book Review
January 31, 2016
331

This is an enormously conceptual book, and is more about economics than information. The author makes the claim that the functionality and ordering of atoms in physical products is information, and this grows with economies. A computer is only worth more than the plastic and chemicals its made out…