Synopses & Reviews
Most people are baffled by how computers work and assume that they will never understand them. What they dont realizeand what Daniel Hilliss short book brilliantly demonstratesis that computers seemingly complex operations can be broken down into a few simple parts that perform the same simple procedures over and over again. Computer wizard Hillis offers an easy-to-follow explanation of how data is processed that makes the operations of a computer seem as straightforward as those of a bicycle.Avoiding technobabble or discussions of advanced hardware, the lucid explanations and colorful anecdotes in The Pattern on the Stone go straight to the heart of what computers really do. Hillis proceeds from an outline of basic logic to clear descriptions of programming languages, algorithms, and memory. He then takes readers in simple steps up to the most exciting developments in computing todayquantum computing, parallel computing, neural networks, and self-organizing systems.Written clearly and succinctly by one of the worlds leading computer scientists, The Pattern on the Stone is an indispensable guide to understanding the workings of that most ubiquitous and important of machines: the computer.
Review
Peter Thomas, New ScientistThis is the best book on computers I have ever read. Hillis takes us on a lightening tour of the fundamentals of computing.... Nowhere does [he] lose sight of the fact that what is important is not the detail of these issues, but the story that flows through them and rationality of thought that connects them.”
Dan Brekke, WIRED
[Hillis] conclusion is thoughtfully optimisticand appealing even to a skeptic.”
Bill Brazell, The Industry Standard
The Pattern on the Stone illustrates basic computing concepts with line drawings of Tinkertoys in various positionsa surprisingly helpful approach.... The books gradual pace, low-tech design and gentle title are meant to bring hope to those who feel swamped by a tidal wave of computer-wrought change. And the approach succeeds, by showing the reader how humans, not magicians, discovered a few basic principles and built these amazing machines.”
Publishers Weekly
Hillis…provides an almost philosophical approach to the machine that has changed our lives.... [He] writes with the authority of an expert and the rigor of a logician.... A helpful and succinct volume.”
Library Journal
Everyone has sorted socks and played tic-tac-toe. Hillis uses these simple examples and similar everyday experiences to explain the ideas that make computers work.... Highly recommended.”
Kirkus Reviews
Heres a straightforward answer to the question every parent has been asked, and few can answer: How do computers really work?”
Booklist
A delightful all-in-one introduction to computer science.”
Hartford Courant
An accessible, fascinating account of the fundamental processes that make computers tick.”
Synopsis
Danny Hillis offers a clear, easy-to-understand explanation of how computers perform their amazing feats.
About the Author
Daniel Hillis holds some forty patents, sits on the scientific advisory board of the Santa Fe Institute, and is a fellow of the Association of Computing. His many awards include the Hopper Award, the Spirit of American Creativity Award, and the Ramanujan Award. Hillis was named the first Disney Fellow and became vice president of research and development at the Walt Disney Company in 1996.
Table of Contents
Foreword to the Second EditionPreface: Magic in the Stone
1. Nuts and Bolts
2. Universal Building Blocks
3. Programming
4. How Universal Are Turing Machines?
5. Algorithms and Heuristics
6. Memory: Information and Secret Codes
7. Speed: Parallel Computers
8. Computers That Learn and Adapt
9. Beyond Engineering
Further Reading
Acknowledgments
Index