Brown Dogs and Barbers: What's Computer Science All About?

by Karl Beecher

Computers are everywhere, running our lives, handling our social interactions, serving as the backbone of every business. And yet, how well do we understand them? How much do we know about their rise to ubiquity? We take computers for granted, but there is a fascinating wealth of ideas waiting to be explored, a rich trail of information explaining how we got to where we are now. That trail includes grand dreams, intricate puzzles, mind-stretching concepts and a cast of colourful characters. Brown Dogs and Barbers is a story about computer science. Join me on a journey through the story of computing, discover just what makes the machines tick, learn why computers work the way they do and meet the cast of characters responsible for it all.

Genres: Computer Science

260 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2014

Reviews

[Terry Freedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Karl Beecher explains what computing is all about, and how computer science has developed over (surprisingly) a few thousand years. It's a good introduction to computational thinking, though I found it challenging. The reason is that it's very mathematical in places, and while the author makes a valiant attempt to get through to mathematically-challenged people such as myself, it is not always an easy read.

I also thought it was a shame that Ada Lovelace is absence from these pages, but the author did explain to me in a private email that he was trying to focus only on the hardware side of computing, while acknowledging how important Lovelace was. (Please note, he has given me permission to quote from our private correspondence.)

Having made those comments about the hard aspects of this book, I should mention that on the whole it is a lighthearted and easy read. I would thoroughly recommend it for any teacher (or student) who wishes to expand and deepen their knowledge of the subject.