Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists [Paperback]

This best-selling book is now available in an inexpensive softcover format.
Imagine living during the Renaissance and being able to interview that eras greatest scientists about their inspirations, discoveries, and personal interests. The latter half of our century has seen its own Renaissance - informations technology has changed irrevocable the way we live, work, and think about the world. We are fortunate, therefore, that the authors of Out of Their Minds have been able to talk so candidly with the founders of computer science.Imagine living during the Renaissance and being able to interview that era's greatest scientists about their inspirations, discoveries, and personal interests. The latter half of our century has seen its own Renaissance--informations technology has changed irrevocable the way we live, work, and think about the world. We are fortunate, therefore, that the authors of Out of Their Minds have been able to talk so candidly with the founders of computer science....1: Linguists: how to Talk to Machines.- A Restless Inventor.- The Uncommon Logician of Common Sense.- A Clear Romantic Vision.- 2: Algorithmists: How to Solve Problems Fast.- Appalling Prose and the Shortest Path.- The Possibilities of Chance.- Boundless Interests, A Common Thread.- In Search of Good Structure.- Of Time, Space, and Computation.- A Good Solution is Hard to Find.- 3: Architects: How to Build Better Machines.- A Delight in Making Things Work.- Racing with the Speed of Light.- The Biological Connection.- 4: Sculptors of Machine Intelligence: How to Make Machines Smart.- #x2022; The Power of Knowledge.- A Twenty-Year Bet.- Epilogue: Secrets Of Success?.- Postscript: The Next 25 Years.- References.- Acknowledgments.The 15 scientists whose work is profiled in the book have each made significant contributions to a part of the creation of modern computer science. Some are well-known: Donald Knuth, Alan Kay, Danny Hillis; others are not, althougl“7