Natural Computing – DNA, Quantum Bits, and the Future of Smart Machines - Softcover

Shasha, Dennis E.; Lazere, Cathy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393336832 ISBN 13: 9780393336832

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010

Synopsis

Paperback. Pub Date: 2010 07 Pages: 320 Publisher: WW Norton & Co. Drawing on interviews With fifteen Leading Scientists in lively. Readable prose. the authors present an unexpected vision of the future of smart machines: the future of computing is a synthesis with nature. That vision will change not only computer science but also fields as disparate as finance. engineering and medicine.

About this title

Review:

The biographies, by Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere, are bite-size--no more than six pages or so--and the technical material is segregated in sidebars so that the reader doesn't get bogged down unless he or she wants to.

[A] breezy overview of current trends in computer design and software.... Amateur tech enthusiasts should be absorbed by this knowledgeable but welcoming look at the bleeding edge of computing.

There are many possible approaches to natural computing--computing inspired by nature--and Lazere and Shasha's new book gives a good overview of all of them... by telling the stories of some of the main players in the field.... even if you aren't a techie, the personal storytelling, which so nicely combines the technical focus of the book with the personal fascinations of the players, will still impress you with the natural computing field's main themes and challenges.... The authors also make the convincing case for parallel programming languages, such as K and APL, which seem indispensable when it comes to making effective use of the new generation of computer architectures.--Jan Van Den Bussche

[D]oes much to demystify what computer scientists do as well as reviewing the current state of research in the field. It's the sort of book that's perfect for a college student thinking about a career in computer science, or trying to understand which academic advisors to pick for his or her thesis.--Alexander Haislip, author of Essentials of Venture Capital

Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere draw upon interviews with 15 leading scientists working in disparate fields to explore the outer reaches of computing. They expected to write a book about a future world dominated by thinking machines, but instead found that the common vision to have emerged across all of these fields is that "the future of computing is a synthesis with nature.".... Reading the book, I came away with the comforting thought that the mindset of future computers will seem far less alien to my kids than to me.--Thomas P.M. Barnett

About the Author:

Dennis E. Shasha, professor of computer science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University, has written the "Puzzling Adventures" column in Scientific American. He lives in New York City. Cathy Lazere, a former editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit, is a freelance writer. She is based in New York.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0393336832
• ISBN 13: 9780393336832
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288