The life and times of one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century: Claude Shannon - the neglected architect of the Information Age, whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded.Claude Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He constructed a fleet of customized unicycles and a flamethrowing trumpet, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots. He also wrote the seminal text of the digital revolution, which has been called "the Magna Carta of the Information Age." His discoveries would lead contemporaries to compare him to Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. His work anticipated by decades the world we'd be living in today - and gave mathematicians and engineers the tools to bring that world to pass. In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman reveal Claude Shannon's full story for the first time. It's the story of a small-town Michigan boy whose career stretched from the era of room-sized computers powered by gears and string to the age of Apple. It's the story of the origins of our digital world in the tunnels of MIT and the "idea factory" of Bell Labs, in the "scientists' war" with Nazi Germany, and in the work of Shannon's collaborators and rivals, thinkers like Alan Turing, John von Neumann, Vannevar Bush, and Norbert Wiener. And it's the story of Shannon's life as an often reclusive, always playful genius. With access to Shannon's family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and creative genius to life.
Simon & Schuster
|
9781476766683
|
Hardcover
Artificial Intelligence
By Mitchell, Melanie
No recent scientific enterprise has proved as alluring, terrifying, and filled with extravagant promise and frustrating setbacks as artificial intelligence. The award-winning author Melanie Mitchell, a leading computer scientist, now reveals its turbulent history and the recent surge of apparent successes, grand hopes, and emerging fears that surround AI.In Artificial Intelligence, Mitchell turns to the most urgent questions concerning AI today: How intelligent -- really -- are the best AI programs? How do they work? What can they actually do, and when do they fail? How humanlike do we expect them to become, and how soon do we need to worry about them surpassing us? Along the way, she introduces the dominant methods of modern AI and machine learning, describing cutting-edge AI programs, their human inventors, and the historical lines of thought that led to recent achievements. She meets with fellow experts like Douglas Hofstadter, the cognitive scientist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the modern classic Godel, Escher, Bach, who explains why he is "terrified" about the future of AI. She explores the profound disconnect between the hype and the actual achievements in AI, providing a clear sense of what the field has accomplished and how much farther it has to go. Interweaving stories about the science and the people behind it, Artificial Intelligence brims with clear-sighted, captivating, and approachable accounts of the most interesting and provocative modern work in AI, flavored with Mitchell's humor and personal observations. This frank, lively book will prove an indispensable guide to understanding today's AI, its quest for "human-level" intelligence, and its impacts on all of our futures.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
|
9780374257835
|
Hardcover
In Defense of Elitism
By Stein, Joel
The night Donald Trump won the presidency, our author Joel Stein, Thurber Prize finalist and former staff writer for Time Magazine, instantly knew why. The main reason wasn't economic anxiety or racism. It was that he was anti-elitist. Hillary Clinton represented Wall Street, academics, policy papers, Davos, international treaties and the people who think they're better than you. People like Joel Stein. Trump represented something far more appealing, which was beating up people like Joel Stein. In a full-throated defense of academia, the mainstream press, medium-rare steak, and civility, Joel Stein fights against populism. He fears a new tribal elite is coming to replace him, one that will fend off expertise of all kinds and send the country hurtling backward to a time of wars, economic stagnation and the well-done steaks doused with ketchup that Trump eats. To find out how this shift happened and what can be done, Stein spends a week in Roberts County, Texas, which had the highest percentage of Trump voters in the country. He goes to the home of Trump-loving Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams; meets people who create fake news; and finds the new elitist organizations merging both right and left to fight the populists. All the while using the biggest words he knows.
Grand Central Publishing
|
9781455591473
|
Hardcover
Breaking News
By Rusbridger, Alan
An urgent account of the revolution that has upended the news business, written by one of the most accomplished journalists of our timeTechnology has radically altered the news landscape. Once-powerful newspapers have lost their clout or been purchased by owners with particular agendas. Algorithms select which stories we see. The Internet allows consequential revelations, closely guarded secrets, and dangerous misinformation to spread at the speed of a click.In Breaking News, Alan Rusbridger demonstrates how these decisive shifts have occurred, and what they mean for the future of democracy. In the twenty years he spent editing The Guardian, Rusbridger managed the transformation of the progressive British daily into the most visited serious English-language newspaper site in the world. He oversaw an extraordinary run of world-shaking scoops, including the exposure of phone hacking by London tabloids, the Wikileaks release of U.S.diplomatic cables, and later the revelation of Edward Snowden's National Security Agency files. At the same time, Rusbridger helped The Guardian become a pioneer in Internet journalism, stressing free access and robust interactions with readers. Here, Rusbridger vividly observes the media's transformation from close range while also offering a vital assessment of the risks and rewards of practicing journalism in a high-impact, high-stress time.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
|
9780374279622
|
Hardcover
Office 365 All-in-One For Dummies
By Weverka, Peter
The deepest reference on Microsoft's productivity service Office 365 offers the same productivity power as past versions of Microsoft Office along with tools designed to boost collaboration in the workplace and instant access to the latest Office updates without buying a whole new software package. It's an ideal solution for both the office and home use. The author of the bestselling Office All-in-One For Dummies shares his advice on how to navigate the nuts and bolts of getting things done with Office 365. Look inside for step-by-step instructions on Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and OneNote along with a dive into the cloud services that come with Office 365. Access Office 365 Make sense of common Office tasks Use Excel, Word, outlook, PowerPoint and more Take advantage of 365 online services If you're a home or business user interested in having a complete reference on the suite, this book has you covered.
For Dummies
|
9781119576242
|
Paperback
Samsung Galaxy S10 For Dummies
By Hughes, Bill
The bestselling guide to your new Samsung This book documents all the features and capabilities of Samsung Galaxy S10 device, approaching them from the point of view of a user who is intimidated by the technology and baffled by the documentation and online support that comes with the phones. All aspects of the suite of devices are covered, from setup and configuration, to extensive use of the phone features and capabilities: texting, e-mailing, accessing the Internet, maps, navigation, camera and video, social networking, taking pictures, watching movies, downloading apps, synching with a PC, and expanding the phone's potential with new software releases. The accessible and fun writing style provides clear direction and doesn't hinder the book's important content and coverage. Readers will keep this book close by, referring to it often as they explore the features of their new Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone. Navigate your phone Use mobile data technology Send and receive messages Have fun with apps If you're baffled by the documentation and online support that comes with your phone, your solution is here!
For Dummies
|
9781119579397
|
Paperback
Creating a Website
By Macdonald, Matthew
You can easily create a professional-looking website with nothing more than an ordinary computer and some raw ambition. Want to build a blog, sell products, create forums, or promote an event? No problem! This friendly, jargon-free book gives you the techniques, tools, and advice you need to build a site and get it up on the Web.The important stuff you need to know:Master the basics. Learn HTML5, the language of the Web.Design good-looking pages. Use styles to build polished layouts.Get it online. Find a reliable web host and pick a good web address.Use time-saving tools. Learn free tools for creating web pages and tracking your visitors.Attract visitors. Make sure people can find your site through popular search engines like Google.Build a community.
A Mind at Play
By Soni, Jimmy
The life and times of one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century: Claude Shannon - the neglected architect of the Information Age, whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded.Claude Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He constructed a fleet of customized unicycles and a flamethrowing trumpet, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots. He also wrote the seminal text of the digital revolution, which has been called "the Magna Carta of the Information Age." His discoveries would lead contemporaries to compare him to Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. His work anticipated by decades the world we'd be living in today - and gave mathematicians and engineers the tools to bring that world to pass. In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman reveal Claude Shannon's full story for the first time. It's the story of a small-town Michigan boy whose career stretched from the era of room-sized computers powered by gears and string to the age of Apple. It's the story of the origins of our digital world in the tunnels of MIT and the "idea factory" of Bell Labs, in the "scientists' war" with Nazi Germany, and in the work of Shannon's collaborators and rivals, thinkers like Alan Turing, John von Neumann, Vannevar Bush, and Norbert Wiener. And it's the story of Shannon's life as an often reclusive, always playful genius. With access to Shannon's family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and creative genius to life.
Artificial Intelligence
By Mitchell, Melanie
No recent scientific enterprise has proved as alluring, terrifying, and filled with extravagant promise and frustrating setbacks as artificial intelligence. The award-winning author Melanie Mitchell, a leading computer scientist, now reveals its turbulent history and the recent surge of apparent successes, grand hopes, and emerging fears that surround AI.In Artificial Intelligence, Mitchell turns to the most urgent questions concerning AI today: How intelligent -- really -- are the best AI programs? How do they work? What can they actually do, and when do they fail? How humanlike do we expect them to become, and how soon do we need to worry about them surpassing us? Along the way, she introduces the dominant methods of modern AI and machine learning, describing cutting-edge AI programs, their human inventors, and the historical lines of thought that led to recent achievements. She meets with fellow experts like Douglas Hofstadter, the cognitive scientist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the modern classic Godel, Escher, Bach, who explains why he is "terrified" about the future of AI. She explores the profound disconnect between the hype and the actual achievements in AI, providing a clear sense of what the field has accomplished and how much farther it has to go. Interweaving stories about the science and the people behind it, Artificial Intelligence brims with clear-sighted, captivating, and approachable accounts of the most interesting and provocative modern work in AI, flavored with Mitchell's humor and personal observations. This frank, lively book will prove an indispensable guide to understanding today's AI, its quest for "human-level" intelligence, and its impacts on all of our futures.
In Defense of Elitism
By Stein, Joel
The night Donald Trump won the presidency, our author Joel Stein, Thurber Prize finalist and former staff writer for Time Magazine, instantly knew why. The main reason wasn't economic anxiety or racism. It was that he was anti-elitist. Hillary Clinton represented Wall Street, academics, policy papers, Davos, international treaties and the people who think they're better than you. People like Joel Stein. Trump represented something far more appealing, which was beating up people like Joel Stein. In a full-throated defense of academia, the mainstream press, medium-rare steak, and civility, Joel Stein fights against populism. He fears a new tribal elite is coming to replace him, one that will fend off expertise of all kinds and send the country hurtling backward to a time of wars, economic stagnation and the well-done steaks doused with ketchup that Trump eats. To find out how this shift happened and what can be done, Stein spends a week in Roberts County, Texas, which had the highest percentage of Trump voters in the country. He goes to the home of Trump-loving Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams; meets people who create fake news; and finds the new elitist organizations merging both right and left to fight the populists. All the while using the biggest words he knows.
Breaking News
By Rusbridger, Alan
An urgent account of the revolution that has upended the news business, written by one of the most accomplished journalists of our timeTechnology has radically altered the news landscape. Once-powerful newspapers have lost their clout or been purchased by owners with particular agendas. Algorithms select which stories we see. The Internet allows consequential revelations, closely guarded secrets, and dangerous misinformation to spread at the speed of a click.In Breaking News, Alan Rusbridger demonstrates how these decisive shifts have occurred, and what they mean for the future of democracy. In the twenty years he spent editing The Guardian, Rusbridger managed the transformation of the progressive British daily into the most visited serious English-language newspaper site in the world. He oversaw an extraordinary run of world-shaking scoops, including the exposure of phone hacking by London tabloids, the Wikileaks release of U.S.diplomatic cables, and later the revelation of Edward Snowden's National Security Agency files. At the same time, Rusbridger helped The Guardian become a pioneer in Internet journalism, stressing free access and robust interactions with readers. Here, Rusbridger vividly observes the media's transformation from close range while also offering a vital assessment of the risks and rewards of practicing journalism in a high-impact, high-stress time.
Office 365 All-in-One For Dummies
By Weverka, Peter
The deepest reference on Microsoft's productivity service Office 365 offers the same productivity power as past versions of Microsoft Office along with tools designed to boost collaboration in the workplace and instant access to the latest Office updates without buying a whole new software package. It's an ideal solution for both the office and home use. The author of the bestselling Office All-in-One For Dummies shares his advice on how to navigate the nuts and bolts of getting things done with Office 365. Look inside for step-by-step instructions on Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and OneNote along with a dive into the cloud services that come with Office 365. Access Office 365 Make sense of common Office tasks Use Excel, Word, outlook, PowerPoint and more Take advantage of 365 online services If you're a home or business user interested in having a complete reference on the suite, this book has you covered.
Samsung Galaxy S10 For Dummies
By Hughes, Bill
The bestselling guide to your new Samsung This book documents all the features and capabilities of Samsung Galaxy S10 device, approaching them from the point of view of a user who is intimidated by the technology and baffled by the documentation and online support that comes with the phones. All aspects of the suite of devices are covered, from setup and configuration, to extensive use of the phone features and capabilities: texting, e-mailing, accessing the Internet, maps, navigation, camera and video, social networking, taking pictures, watching movies, downloading apps, synching with a PC, and expanding the phone's potential with new software releases. The accessible and fun writing style provides clear direction and doesn't hinder the book's important content and coverage. Readers will keep this book close by, referring to it often as they explore the features of their new Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone. Navigate your phone Use mobile data technology Send and receive messages Have fun with apps If you're baffled by the documentation and online support that comes with your phone, your solution is here!
Creating a Website
By Macdonald, Matthew
You can easily create a professional-looking website with nothing more than an ordinary computer and some raw ambition. Want to build a blog, sell products, create forums, or promote an event? No problem! This friendly, jargon-free book gives you the techniques, tools, and advice you need to build a site and get it up on the Web.The important stuff you need to know:Master the basics. Learn HTML5, the language of the Web.Design good-looking pages. Use styles to build polished layouts.Get it online. Find a reliable web host and pick a good web address.Use time-saving tools. Learn free tools for creating web pages and tracking your visitors.Attract visitors. Make sure people can find your site through popular search engines like Google.Build a community.
Blue
By Kupferschmidt, Kai