Peder
Well-Known Member
I am only half way through 'The Master Algorithm' and am already convinced that it is one of the best books of any genre that I have read in the past few years. It is popularized-science and the subtitle is 'How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake the World.'
If you have ever wondered about how a computer 'learned' enough, and got 'smart' enough, to beat the world chess champion some years back – and how it could possibly accomplish that feat without 'thinking,' because we just know it can't think – then this is a book for you. And if, in a different realm, you have ever wondered about evolution and nature-versus-nurture, this is likewise a book for you. Even if you are 'up' on such topics I would claim that you will gain insights from this book that you might not already have.
The language is definitely approachable, with very few assumptions about technical background. One accurate blurb describes it as written “breezily, but with deep authority.”
You have already heard it all elsewhere: “The machines are coming” and “The Singularity is near.” Here's where you'll find out how that is happening in language you can follow.
My rating is way above
; it is in the range 'Run-Don't-Walk!' to get this book.
Because, after all, the machines really are coming, and your time is short.
(A machine has just defeated a master Go player, for example, more difficult even than chess.)
Happy reading,
Peder
If you have ever wondered about how a computer 'learned' enough, and got 'smart' enough, to beat the world chess champion some years back – and how it could possibly accomplish that feat without 'thinking,' because we just know it can't think – then this is a book for you. And if, in a different realm, you have ever wondered about evolution and nature-versus-nurture, this is likewise a book for you. Even if you are 'up' on such topics I would claim that you will gain insights from this book that you might not already have.
The language is definitely approachable, with very few assumptions about technical background. One accurate blurb describes it as written “breezily, but with deep authority.”
You have already heard it all elsewhere: “The machines are coming” and “The Singularity is near.” Here's where you'll find out how that is happening in language you can follow.
My rating is way above
; it is in the range 'Run-Don't-Walk!' to get this book. Because, after all, the machines really are coming, and your time is short.
(A machine has just defeated a master Go player, for example, more difficult even than chess.)
Happy reading,
Peder
