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| Natural Computing: DNA, Quantum Bits, and the Future of Smart Machines |  | Authors: Dennis E. Shasha, Cathy Lazere
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $7.00
as of 9/10/2010 02:56 CDT details
You Save: $9.95 (59%)
New (38) Used (11) from $6.78
Seller: R&S Biblioteca
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 99,164
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 0393336832
Dewey Decimal Number: 006.3
EAN: 9780393336832
ASIN: 0393336832
Publication Date: May 17, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780393336832 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
Reports from the cutting edge, where physics and biology are changing the fundamental assumptions of computing. Computers built from DNA, bacteria, or foam. Robots that fix themselves on Mars. Bridges that report when they are aging. This is the bizarre and fascinating world of Natural Computing. Computer scientist and Scientific American’s “Puzzling Adventures” columnist Dennis Shasha here teams up with journalist Cathy Lazere to explore the outer reaches of computing. Drawing on interviews with fifteen leading scientists, the authors present an unexpected vision: 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. Space engineers are at work designing machines that adapt to extreme weather and radiation. “Wetware” processing built on DNA or bacterial cells races closer to reality. One scientist’s “extended analog computer” measures answers instead of calculating them using ones and zeros. In lively, readable prose, Shasha and Lazere take readers on a tour of the future of smart machines. 50 illustrations
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| Customer Reviews:
Thought-provoking August 16, 2010
J. Scott Shipman (Annandale, VA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Natural Computing is an interesting and thought-provoking amalgam of mini-essays/bio's of the people engaged in computing other than digital. The format is fast paced and engaging. The authors cover Adaptive Computing, Harnessing Lifestuff, and Physics and Speed. My favorite was the chapter on Nancy Leveson called, "It's the System Stupid." This chapter uses the Bhopal, India incident to illustrate the power of interaction in safety. On the tradition of root-cause analysis, "Leveson argues that the approach is simplistic and harmfull. Often the chain starts at the most convenient root cause, and usually only one root cause is identified. In addition, systemic factors that allowed the even to occur are often ignored." This mini-discourse in system safety is worth the very reasonable price of the book.
The authors frequently reference their subject's work, which allows the reader to dig deeper than the topical treatment presented.
Very well done and recommended for anyone curious about the new frontiers of computing.
The future of computing August 1, 2010
readingreader
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Good book.. Was delivered in perfect condition.. I almost finished it..look forward to doing business again! The future is almost here!!!
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