false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173017357m/238558.jpg 238558 1 Physics and computer science genius Stephen Wolfram, whose Mathematica computer language launched a multimillion-dollar company, now sets his sights on a more daunting goal: understanding the universe. Wolfram lets the world see his work in <I>A New Kind of Science</I>, a gorgeous, 1,280-page tome more than a decade in the making. With patience, insight, and self-confidence to spare, Wolfram outlines a fundamental new way of modeling complex systems.<p> On the frontier of complexity science since he was a boy, Wolfram is a champion of cellular automata--256 "programs" governed by simple nonmathematical rules. He points out that even the most complex equations fail to accurately model biological systems, but the simplest cellular automata can produce results straight out of nature--tree branches, stream eddies, and leopard spots, for instance. The graphics in <I>A New Kind of Science</I> show striking resemblance to the patterns we see in nature every day.<p> Wolfram wrote the book in a distinct style meant to make it easy to read, even for nontechies; a basic familiarity with logic is helpful but not essential. Readers will find themselves swept away by the elegant simplicity of Wolfram's ideas and the accidental artistry of the cellular automaton models. Whether or not Wolfram's revolution ultimately gives us the keys to the universe, his new science is absolutely awe-inspiring. <I>--Therese Littleton</I> 231083 5 2002 A New Kind of Science total:157|5:38|4:42|3:47|2:22|1:8| 157 551 333 36 4 1 false false Sun Aug 03 07:16:00 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 03 07:43:24 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sun Nov 16 10:21:05 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 19 20:31:54 -0800 2008
I don't pretend to know much about anything relating to math or science, but wtf ...more...]]> 2 0 true true Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 11:58:51 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 23:41:40 -0700 2009 1
It was hard to pass the Introduction and the first Chapter, when you hear the author praising himself, his own importance and why literally 'everybody' in science and why science itself is 'wrong' and did...more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 30 22:13:13 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 22:31:35 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 27 17:02:12 -0700 2008 Wed May 07 08:34:31 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Aug 29 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Thu Apr 03 10:06:09 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 03 10:06:09 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false true Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Nov 29 20:09:33 -0800 2007 Thu Mar 19 16:36:38 -0700 2009 so much from this. Truth be told, though, I'm not qualified to judge how much potential Wolfram's ideas have in real world science, and while reading...more...]]> 1 0 true false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Aug 10 09:35:03 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 09:41:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Aug 31 23:15:52 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 23:21:14 -0700 2009
I was introduced to this book by way of a seminar class on nonlinearity and complexity, taught by Prof. Leon Chua in Berkeley EE. Chua produced a treatise as an answer to this Wolfram's NKS.

Chua's book is available from W...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Fri Mar 13 11:44:10 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 11:44:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 22 20:37:49 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 20:40:03 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Aug 26 08:51:57 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 09:10:48 -0700 2009 http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/149]]> 3 0 false false Sun Sep 20 21:01:20 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 21:36:43 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 21:01:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Dec 03 17:07:24 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 03 17:08:43 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Wed Sep 10 14:13:20 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 10 14:18:01 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 true false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 07:48:03 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 07:48:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jul 09 18:08:49 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 18:18:09 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 19 16:46:57 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 11:04:33 -0700 2008 If you've ever considered the limitations of mathematics in biology or even the theory of evolution, "The New Science" is an interesting and thought provoking read.
I strongly recommend flipping through Ray Kurzweil book "The Singularity Is Near...more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Jan 23 18:40:07 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 23 18:48:08 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 true false Sun Dec 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Oct 16 19:00:02 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 07 22:22:53 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=238558