Favourite computer history books?
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From: Patrick Scheible on 3 May 2010 19:03 Tom Harrington <tph(a)pcisys.no.spam.dammit.net> writes: > In article > <a8563890-deb9-4237-a6e5-5eca9ea77d78(a)p2g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>, > Mensanator <mensanator(a)aol.com> wrote: > > > On May 2, 9:25�pm, Lewis <g.kr...(a)gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote: > > > I would say _Tiger, Tiger_ (Renamed _The Stars My Destination_ for the > > > US) is the best sci-fi book ever written. What is even more remarkable > > > is that is was written over 50 years ago during the early days of > > > Sci-Fi. It reads very much like a book from the early 80's in many > > > ways. > > > > That was a good story, like the Harry Potter series, it's just that > > I would hardly call it sci-fi. Like Harry Potter's magic, it would > > more appropriately be called Fantasy. > > > > Teleportation, mind reading, "seeing" electromagnetic radiation, > > c'mon! > > What utter nonsense. > > Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. I can see it. Bees see UV. Other creatures see other parts of the spectrum. Why couldn't there be a mutation with different EM sensors? Teleportation is harder, but is it really harder than faster than light travel? -- Patrick
From: Mensanator on 3 May 2010 19:28 On May 3, 5:47 pm, Tom Harrington <t...(a)pcisys.no.spam.dammit.net> wrote: > In article > <a8563890-deb9-4237-a6e5-5eca9ea77...(a)p2g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>, > > Mensanator <mensana...(a)aol.com> wrote: > > On May 2, 9:25 pm, Lewis <g.kr...(a)gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote: > > > I would say _Tiger, Tiger_ (Renamed _The Stars My Destination_ for the > > > US) is the best sci-fi book ever written. What is even more remarkable > > > is that is was written over 50 years ago during the early days of > > > Sci-Fi. It reads very much like a book from the early 80's in many > > > ways. > > > That was a good story, like the Harry Potter series, it's just that > > I would hardly call it sci-fi. Like Harry Potter's magic, it would > > more appropriately be called Fantasy. > > > Teleportation, mind reading, "seeing" electromagnetic radiation, > > c'mon! > > What utter nonsense. > > Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. I can see it. The character in question was blind to that part of the spectrum. > > I'm guessing that's not what happens in the book, though. Uh, no. It's been decades since I read it, but I believe what said character could see was the micro-wave portion of the spectrum. There's a scene where she describes the sky lighting up by the defense grid. I assumed she was seeing radar. > > -- > Tom "Tom" Harrington > Independent Mac OS X developer since 2002http://www.atomicbird.com/
From: Charles Richmond on 3 May 2010 19:31 Michelle Steiner wrote: > In article <w9z39y9uex3.fsf(a)zipcon.net>, Patrick Scheible <kkt(a)zipcon.net> > wrote: > >> The Foundation trilogy deserves to be on that list. It's hackneyed now, >> but that's mostly because it's been copied so much. > > Back in the late 1980s, I took a course at a local college; most of the > other students in the class were fresh out of high school. One of them > criticized A Tale of Two Cities for using such a hackneyed opening line: > "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." > Yes, one would think that Dickens could have been more creative and original! ;-) Reminds me of a kid in the fourth grade, who--when asked what are the uses of elephant ivory--said "making soap". :-) -- +----------------------------------------+ | Charles and Francis Richmond | | | | plano dot net at aquaporin4 dot com | +----------------------------------------+
From: Mensanator on 3 May 2010 19:43 On May 3, 6:03 pm, Patrick Scheible <k...(a)zipcon.net> wrote: > Tom Harrington <t...(a)pcisys.no.spam.dammit.net> writes: > > In article > > <a8563890-deb9-4237-a6e5-5eca9ea77...(a)p2g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>, > > Mensanator <mensana...(a)aol.com> wrote: > > > > On May 2, 9:25 pm, Lewis <g.kr...(a)gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote: > > > > I would say _Tiger, Tiger_ (Renamed _The Stars My Destination_ for the > > > > US) is the best sci-fi book ever written. What is even more remarkable > > > > is that is was written over 50 years ago during the early days of > > > > Sci-Fi. It reads very much like a book from the early 80's in many > > > > ways. > > > > That was a good story, like the Harry Potter series, it's just that > > > I would hardly call it sci-fi. Like Harry Potter's magic, it would > > > more appropriately be called Fantasy. > > > > Teleportation, mind reading, "seeing" electromagnetic radiation, > > > c'mon! > > > What utter nonsense. > > > Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. I can see it. > > Bees see UV. Other creatures see other parts of the spectrum. Why > couldn't there be a mutation with different EM sensors? The ability to see radar ignores physical reality, that's why it's magic and not sci-fi. > > Teleportation is harder, but is it really harder than faster than > light travel? There was some author (I forget who) that pointed out one of the problems with teleportation is conservation of energy, telporting from one side of Earth to the other results in a net velocity difference of up to 2000 mph. You wouldn't last very long when you re-appeared. And don't most FTL schemes employ some work-around that doesn't actually involve going faster than light? Fanciful work-arounds that don't violate the basics of physics are sci- fi. Pretending physics doesn't exist is magic. > > -- Patrick
From: Jennifer Usher on 3 May 2010 19:57
"Charles Richmond" <frizzle(a)tx.rr.com> wrote in message news:hrl2eq$bv8$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... > Jamie Kahn Genet wrote: >> I'm just re-reading Steven Levy's 'Hackers' and wondering what might be >> missing from my personal library of computer history. I love reading >> about the era (especially the amazing people and their achievements) >> that I _just_ missed (I'm 32 and only got my own computer when I was 20 >> :-\ ). >> >> Books like 'Hackers' and 'Where Wizards Stay Up Late' enthrall me. I'd >> give a lot to go back to the late 70's and be one of the first with a >> personal computer *sigh* People like Richard Greenblatt and Steve >> Wozniak are my heros, if I can be said to have any. They changed the >> world in powerful ways that most people are simply unaware of. >> >> Anyway - what are your all-time favourite books about computers, >> technology, and the people involved? >> >> Once I get home I'll compile a list of my books and post it here. But >> don't let that delay you sharing! I'd be interested in your take even on >> books I own. >> > > Try these books: > > The Computer from Pascal to von Neumann by Herman Heine Goldstine > > A History of Modern Computing, 2nd Edition (History of Computing) by Paul > E. Ceruzzi > > > The following book has some personal insights, but does *not* always get > the technical facts right. For example, he calls the PDP-10 a > minicomputer, when obviously it is *not*: > > Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely > > > The next book is very interseting but does play fast and loose with a lot > of the facts IMHO: > > Fire in the Valley by Freiberger and Swaine > > > There are *many* other books on computer history. Check the following web > page *below* the outline for a list of computer history books: Another good source of computer history is the Jargon File, which has been published as "The New Hacker's Dictionary" and which is available for free at: http://catb.org/jargon/index.html. While it is not a history book, it contains a lot of history. And it is an enjoyable read. There are also a number of good books on the history of Apple, such as "Insanely Great," "iWoz," "Cult of Mac," and "Apple Confidential 2.0." And there are several books on the history of Silicon Valley, including a relatively new one, if I recall the title is "Silicon Valley," which has quite a few photos showing the history of the Valley, both past and present. And, if you get the chance, a visit to the Digital Computer Museum in Mountain View is worth the effort. There you can see things like an Apple I, and the very first mouse. -- Jennifer Usher |