He explores where the age of information is taking us, swept along by a deluge of signs and signals, news and images, blogs and tweets. Information theory began as a bridge from mathematics to. Jun 20, 2011 acclaimed science writer james gleick discusses his latest work. A history, a theory, a flood and over 2 million other books are available for amazon kindle. A fascinating intellectual journey through the history of communication and information, from the language of africas talking drums to the invention of written alphabets.
The information a history a theory a flood epub download deutsch bit. A history, a theory, a flood in new york journal of books. The information a history a theory a flood epub download. Mar 06, 2012 a fascinating intellectual journey through the history of communication and information, from the language of africas talking drums to the invention of written alphabets. The subtitle, a history, a theory, a flood, gives the game away. Gleick sets himself a monumental task to tell the story of information throughout human history and delivers. In a sense, the information is a book about everything, from words themselves to talking drums, writing and lexicography, early attempts at an analytical engine, the telegraph and telephone, eniac, and the ubiquitous computers that followed. This is a history, not a textbook on information theory. Acclaimed science writer james gleick discusses his latest work.
A history, a theory, a flood is a book by science history writer james gleick published in march 2011 which covers the genesis of our current information age. In order to do that, gleick has had to look to the beginning of history and before and to the ends of the universe and beyond. A history, a theory, a flood, his sweeping survey of how humans use information and how this practice. By james gleick from the prologue we can see now that information is what our world runs on. This is part of what noted science writer james gleick explores in the information. The film is the first step on a journey toward understanding the history of the earth according to genesis. Beginning with the development of various alphabets and.
The light reflects off the ceiling and bathes the room in indirect light. Apr, 2011 the past folds accordionlike into the present, james gleick writes in the information. Filmed at the royal society, london on tue 12 apr 2011 7. To the point where the universe itself can be seen as a giant computer, and each of our choices, thoughts, movements become like states in the machine. It also cherry picks odd and interesting facets of the history of information but presents. I was particularly thrilled to learn about the influence information theory had on the development of modern physics, evolution and biology, as well as. Information, it seems, is life itself, and gleick shows how shannons information theory not only led to computers and cyberspace, but also transformed biology into an information science. Acclaimed science writer james gleick presents an eyeopening vision of how our relationship to information has transformed the very nature of human consciousness. The book uses the contributions of claude shannon as a thread to tie everyones work together, but this is not a biography of claude shannon. The author managed to synthesize the history, the theory, and the flood of information to produce actual knowledge, an understanding of the role information plays in the world of human beings. Information is something we are all curious about but how accurately can we predict the future if we fail to understand the past. The approach leans toward the theoretical conceptions of information and barely acknowledges the kind of information we usually think of as new ideas entering our minds. A history, a theory, a flood by james gleick has a rather nebulous title and the subtitle doesnt really help one understand what this book hopes to be about.
To the point where the meaning of information becomes irrelevant. James gleick, the author of the best sellers chaos and genius, n. James gleick from the invention of scripts and alphabets to the long misunderstood talking drums of africa, james gleick tells the story of information technologies that changed the very nature of human. Mar 01, 2011 the author managed to synthesize the history, the theory, and the flood of information to produce actual knowledge, an understanding of the role information plays in the world of human beings. A history, a theory, a flood by james gleick pantheon books, 2011, 527 pages, various prices explores the ideas that lead to and encompass what is now called information theory. A history, a theory, a flood summary the information is an examination of the history of information theory as well as an essay on how computers and the internet have changed the way in which people interact with and approach information. But every era of history has had its own information revolution. It was on the new york times bestseller list for three weeks following its debut. Please limit discussion to improvement of this article. Information, communication, and information theory.
The story of information begins in a time profoundly unlike our own, when every thought and utterance vanished as soon as it was born. A history, a theory, a flood, james gleicks tourdeforce history of information theory. It is a book that vibrates with excitement, and it transmits that excited vibration with very little signal loss. Follow del tackett as he travels across the continent with over a dozen scientists and scholars to see fascinating new evidence for creation and a global flood. I had to read it, and when i saw it at the carrot common location of book city, just sitting there on a table, i picked it up and bought it.
From the invention of scripts and alphabets to the long misunderstood talking drums of africa, james gleick tells the story of information technologies that changed the very nature of human consciousness. Jan 23, 2015 cove lighting this consists of placing continuous series of fluorescent tubes in a groove along one or more walls of a room, about 12 inches from the ceiling. The partials sequence complete collection dan wells ebook. Beginning with the development of various alphabets and ending with whats expected next from the. Mar 24, 2011 ive just finished reading the information. We sort the mail, build sandcastles, solve jigsaw puzzles, separate wheat from chaff, rearrange chess pieces, collect stamps, alphabetize books. From the bestselling author of the acclaimed chaos and genius comes a thoughtful and provocative exploration of the big ideas of the modern era. Information now floods our society, gleick explains, requiring us to filter and search. A fascinating intellectual journey through the history of communication and information, from the language of africa. It pervades the sciences from top to bottom, transforming every branch of knowledge. The extensive citations are welcomed as the author barely scratches the surface of any theory of information. What do electrical circuits have in common with african talking drums and the human genome. When information is cheap, attention becomes expensive.
Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet. The theory focuses on such 20thcentury notables as claude shannon. I was particularly thrilled to learn about the influence information theory had on the development of modern physics, evolution and biology, as well as library studies and social media. A history, a theory, a flood is a book by science history writer james gleick published in march 2011 which covers the genesis of our current. The information isnt just a natural history of a powerful idea.
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