Book Description
This enthralling book alerts us to nothing less than the existence of new varieties of life. Some of these species can move and eat, see, reproduce, and die. Some behave like birds or ants. One such life form may turn out to be our best weapon in the war against AIDS.

What these species have in common is that they exist inside computers, their DNA is digital, and they have come into being not through God's agency but through the efforts of a generation of scientists who seek to create life in silico.

But even as it introduces us to these brilliant heretics and unravels the intricacies of their work. Artificial Life examines its subject's dizzying philosophical implications: Is a self-replicating computer program any less alive than a flu virus? Are carbon-and-water-based entities merely part of the continuum of living things? And is it possible that one day "a-life" will look back at human beings and dismiss us as an evolutionary way station -- or, worse still, a dead end? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Superb!!
AL is popular science writing of the first order: informative, clear, fascinating, and entertaining.My only disappointment is that it was published in 1992, and thus does not touch on developments in the field since then.I'd love to know how these have panned out, and whether scientists remain enthusiastic about the possibilities of A-Life.Judging from the textbooks on A-life that have been published since 1992, the field is alive, at least, and I can only assume it is well to boot.I'll have to hunt for bibliography elsewhere.My thanks to Levy for sending me on this hunt.AL is a book to fire the imagination.I'd give it 10 stars!

A note on the metaphysical material in AL that bears on the question of whether present iterations of 'artificial life' are, or whether future iterations may one day be, sufficiently complex that they should be considered true LIFE: throughout, Levy stresses the essential link between an (')organism(') (wet or dry) and its environment.Yet, it seems to me, in discussing the question of the LIFE-status of in-silico 'organisms', he considers the 'organisms' alone.I wonder whether this apparent preference reflects his own bias, or a bias on the part of the scientists he profiles?From the perspective of emergent behavior and the capacity to evolve, etc., AL 'creatures' self-evidently bear a striking resemblance to biological creatures.It strikes me, however, that a key consideration in the wet-life as LIFE versus dry-'life' as LIFE argument -- is that wet-life organisms express emergent behavior and evolve, etc., in environments that are, throughout, rife with other life, whereas dry-'life' 'organisms' do the same in environments that are otherwise sterile (by the standards that A-Life scientists themselves would apply).Some consideration of how environments contribute to the LIFE-status of particular (')organism(')s, and of any definition of LIFE (wet or dry) itself, seems to be of the essence.Yet another thought to pursue -- though doubtless ethologists, philosophers, and A-Life scientists have beaten me there.Proof positive that AL is a highly thought-provoking book.Read it!

Great Beginners book
I just loved this book. It gives the novice a very good sampling of the future of Artificial Intellegence and Artificial Life. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the discovery of machine virus'. Somewhat dated, but an extremely good read.

My Review of this Book
I have read this book.

It is about artifical intelligence. If you have a computer you will know exactly what I mean. When you hook up a computer, it acts alive, and you gotta interact with it like it is artifically intelligent.

Like when I hook up the voice-recognition thing where you speake into the mikerofone, it acts like it hears you too, and does what it is told to do. Sometimes that is to write a letter, or to tell it to go onto the net.

I told my computer to go onto the net once thru the mike, and it did it, as it was spoken and said what to do.

So if you read and buy this book you will learn to do this, and hook it up yourself. The book has plans and charts to do all this stuff. When you read it, pass it onto a friend, and they may help you once they read it themselves.

I gave this book 5-stars, because it was a very good one, and I will now know how my computer is so smart. I told it what to do, and it help me with this revue to. So buy it but just one time, because a friend and other people will be able to read this for free, once you give it to them.

Engines are my hobbie, and so are electronic power supplys, so I plan to use this book for that to. I will design new ones that are faster than sound, and my computer will be smart and help me with that.

So buy this book, once, and you will like it along with all the friendly people that you knowe.That's my revuiew, but I will do anew one when a new adition of the book comes out to the press.

I do recomend that you buy this one time for the people who wanto know about how artifical intelligent computers get smarter and help you with life-things you need to do, but not all by yourselfe, but with a computer.

An excellent intro to a new science
While the concept of artificial life has been around at least since humans developed self-awareness, the commensurate decline of religion and rise of the scientific method was necessary for it to become a point of real debate.However, it was not until September 1987 when the event occurred that established a-life as an academic discipline, namely a conference devoted to its study.This work uses that event as a starting point, and does a superb job of presenting nearly all perspectives, including historical.
Like its counterpart, artificial intelligence, the discipline of a-life suffers from a lack of definition. There is no agreement on what life or intelligence are.Additional disagreement arises over the following distinctive descriptions of life.

(a) Objects such as rocks can be assigned a life (intelligence) value of zero and as we moveupward to humans and beyond, the measure of life (intelligence) characteristics isdescribed by a smooth, continuous function where the first derivative never becomes very large, but is always positive.There is no clearly discernible boundary between life and non-life.

(b) Starting from the same initial position as (a), the derivative stays close to zero for some time, and then suddenly becomes unbounded, as the matter now possesses the fundamental essence of life (intelligence).That point of the vertical derivative is the boundary point between animate and inanimate objects.

Much of this book deals with cellular automata and the algorithms used to create them.Like so many new, perhaps revolutionary disciplines, the major players tend to be free spirits.Many of the people described here bounced around before finding their ecological niche in a-life.With the exception of the originators, John von Neumann and John Horton Conway, those who established the study of cellular automata as an academic discipline were academic outsiders who literally created it from nothing.The explanation of that is very well done.While most of the work has been done by computer, no previous knowledge is necessary to understand the text.
One item could have been better handled, but that is largely due to the problems with definitions.Like the workers in chaos, a-lifers tend to see what they want to see.For example, simple rules are used to create an image that either looks or acts like something known to be alive and this is used to argue that life is being created or that the rules that create life are simple.Which is an extremely weak argument.What is being created are items that human eyes interpret as looking like life, and as all psychologists know, the human brain processes images with a bias towards previous experience.The devil's advocate against is a shadow here.However, it is difficult to argue in the negative when you are aiming at a nebulous target.
Whatever your interest in a-life, you will find something of value in this book.Biologists and philosophers who teach general education courses will also find a good deal of discussion material.The hypothetical qualification has been removed form the debate, as there are now objects to argue about.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission

fascinating
I read this more than three years ago, before I started my undergraduate studies. I knew I was going to study computer science, but after reading this book I knew I would forever be drawn to the multidisciplinary fields of biology and computer science. From the question of the origin of life to intelligence, the book convinced me that a new approach is needed to solve these old mysteries.

It's not a masterpiece of literature, but it was interesting enough to forever change my research career. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
If the National Security Agency (NSA) had wanted to make sure thatstrong encryption would reach the masses, it couldn't have done much better thanto tell the cranky geniuses of the world not to do it. Author Steven Levy,deservedly famous for his enlightening Hackers, tells the story of thecypherpunks, their foes, and their allies in Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beatthe Government. From the determined research of Whitfield Diffie and MartyHellman, in the face of the NSA's decades-old security lock, to the commercialworld's turn-of-the-century embrace of encrypted e-commerce, Levy finds dramaand intellectual challenge everywhere he looks. Although he writes, "Behindevery great cryptographer, it seems, there is a driving pathology," his respectfor the mathematicians and programmers who spearheaded public key encryption asthe solution to Information Age privacy invasion shines throughout. Even thegovernmental bad guys are presented more as hapless control fetishists who lackthe prescience to see the inevitability of strong encryption as more than aconspiracy of evil.

Each cryptological advance that was made outside the confines of the NSA's FortMeade complex was met with increasing legislative and judicial resistance.Levy's storytelling acumen tugs the reader along through mathematical and legalhassles that would stop most narratives in their tracks--his words make even thedepressingly silly Clipper chip fiasco vibrant. Hardcore privacy nerds willvalue Crypto as a review of 30 years of wrangling; those readers withless familiarity with the subject will find it a terrific and well-documentedlaunching pad for further research. From notables like Phil Zimmerman to obscurebut important figures like James Ellis, Crypto dishes the dirt on folkswho know how to keep a secret. --Rob LightnerBook Description
From the author who made "hackers" a household word, a groundbreaking book about the most hotly debated subject of the digital age.

Crypto is about privacy in the information age and about the nerds and visionaries who, nearly twenty years ago, predicted that the Internet's greatest virtue-free access to information-was also its most perilous drawback:a possible end to privacy.

Levy explores what turned out to be a decisive development in the crypto wars: the unlikely alliance between the computer geeks and big business as they fought the government's stranglehold on the keys to information in a networked world.

The players come alive here in a narrative that reads like the best of futuristic spy fiction. There is Whit Diffie, the long-haired Newton of crypto who invented the astounding "public key"solution; David Chaum, whose "anony-mous digital money"actually threatened the global financial infrastructure; and "cypherpunks"like Phil Zimmermann, who freely distributed military-strength codes under the nose of the U. S. government. There is also the first behind-the-scenes account of what the secretive National Security Agency really had in mind when it created the controversial "clipper chip"-and how the Clinton administration bungled the operation.

Cryptography-the use of secret codes-has traditionally been the province of puzzle geeks and government spies. But just in time for the Internet-which radically alters the way we share information-a band of outsiders triggered a revolution in this once-cloistered field. But this was a revolution that the government wanted to kill.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

my question answered
The computer age is truly here.Our money, identity and privacy are truly exposed.Having heard about the National Security Agency's battle to prevent the public use of secure cryptography, I really wanted to know if I could trust our government to let me have secure privacy.
History is an excellent teacher.You just have to get the facts and judge for yourself.This book does just that.It tells it's story in an unbiased manner, truly believable and logical.
I have found my answer.Read it and find yours.

Crypto for the Common Man - A Great Intro
Beside Hackers, Crypto is arguably Steven Levy's strongest work.Like Hackers, Levy captures an intimate sense of detail about the characters who fought to bring strong cryptography to the public.Yet, at the same time, he manages to put together a more coherent, linear history than he achieved with Hackers.

In the end, I failed to sense the tension that Levy claims - certainly this was a David vs. Goliath fight, against such formidable and shadowy opponents as the NSA, however he never really establishes a sense of "Oh, Jeez!What if they stop the crypto heroes?"I never really felt like the outcome was in question - but again, that's light criticism when weighed against the strength of the book.

Crypto does a great job conveying a very technically difficult subject - cryptography - which is, of course, one of the skills that cements Levy among the best popular technology writers of our generation.Strongly recommended for anyone interested in technology in general - and, although probably a little technically light for those closer to the subject, it remains a great way to get closer to the people that made it happen.

Some parts Interesting, some parts boring
Now days, communications are more secure than ever thanks to the pubic key crytographic system and the work of those people involve in this story. As you will see, the more bits a key has, most difficult is to break the code, since to factorize a big prime number is almost impossible. Well, that is what we currently know. Although in this book you have this history, I think the author put too much detail in things we are just going to forget soon, making the book a little boring.

EXCELLENT and MOVING book about cryptography stars
This author made a boring subject come alive! In addition, the writing actually made some the people interesting who focused mostly or solely on cryptography...ordinarily I would ignore single focus persons. But this book talked about their successes in a succint way that interested me.

This is a GREAT author. I read his book about the Macintosh and that is why I purchased this book. I am adding AES encryption to a Windows CE device...so cryptography interests me. I also purchased Hackers and will read it later.

Well-researched account
Light-hearted by nature, Steven Levy gives everything the proper treatment in an often amusing way without being irreverent, and he becomes serious where warranted.

This book presents a balanced perspective from both sides: privacy advocates who do not necessarily trust the government, and government authorities terrified of losing their precious wiretaps and other snooping capabilities. The actions of a few self-righteous, overzealous mavericks on both sides are recounted.

Examples of successful U.S. government eavesdropping are mentioned; for instance, it was monitoring that revealed that the Libyans were the bombers of Pan Am flight 103. There is example after example of how the antiquated, rigid NSA position that "crypto is munitions" stifled the ascendant American software industry in the 1990's by restricting exports, giving foreign competitors the edge, while the rest of the world already had strong crypto anyway! Asinine inconsistencies in the old export restrictions are cited. The players of the NSA, NIST, and Congress are named and events, from assembly bills to telling conversations, are recounted. I think most crypto enthusiasts will find this recap informative. It certainly filled in a lot of gaps for me!

The book does not pretend to be a primer on cryptography. Levy does his usual admirable job of reaching out to the masses with lay explanations and clever analogies, but this being specialized math, it will at times go over the heads of some readers. Levy has a good sense of how far to take a technical explanation before dropping it; he doesn't go around the bend. Historical cryptographic systems recounted in David Kahn's tome "The Codebreakers" are now passe, not just because computers do it faster, but also due to relatively recent mathematical discoveries. The chronology of those discoveries is told along with the human stories behind them --of those who yearned to understand the art of secret writing and came to realize that it boils down to hard adversarial mathematics.

The human story throughout is one of unassuming, unlikely geniuses whose discoveries got no immediate fanfare, rather taking decades to catch on. Today (ironically now that the patents have expired) those discoveries are in use every day by most people using the Internet, a cellular phone, or any other wireless device.

The book is at times dull. To me, the accounts of legislative machinations were slow-going but I don't see how they could be made more interesting.

Jim Bidzos is finally vindicated as a real hero of the crypto revolution (after being portrayed in a bad light in a book on PGP). Diffie/Hellman/Merkle, the Cypherpunks, anonymous remailers, Julf Helsingius and Penet, David Chaum and digital cash protocols, court decisions, the Clipper chip --it's all here.

Did government spooks discover public key crypto first, in secret? The book ends with the interesting and hitherto unknown story of James H. Ellis of the General Communications HQ, the British cousin of the NSA.

An index, a small glossary, and an appendix of references are included. Well done!
... Read more

Book Description
The iPod has become a full-blown cultural phenomenon, giving us a new vocabulary (we shuffle our iTunes on our nanos), revolutionizing the way we experience music and radio through the invention of podcasting, opening up new outlets for video, and challenging the traditional music industry as never before. The design itself has become iconic: there is even a shade of white now called iPod White.

Steven Levy has had rare access to everyone at Apple who was involved in creating the iPod -- including Steve Jobs, Apple's charismatic cofounder and CEO, whom he has known for over twenty years. In telling the story behind the iPod, Levy explains how it went from the drawing board to global sensation. He also examines how this deceptively diminutive gadget raises a host of new technical, legal, social, and musical questions (including the all-important use of one's playlist as an indicator of coolness), and writes about where the iPhenomenon might go next in his new Afterword. Sharp and insightful, The Perfect Thing is part history and part homage to the device that we can't live without. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Interesting read
I read this book when it first came out and enjoyed it greatly - I found it an interesting read full of small insights into the industry in general and Apple specifically. As someone that has been a casual user of iPods and other MP3 players for years (first was a Diamond Rio 500), as I read the book (and saw Steven Levy on Charlie Rose) it explained why certain things are they way they are with the iPod. I enjoy history of technology books, and this one is well-written.

I love this book
I had no idea how much fun this book would be. I expected to learn how the iPod was developed, and I did. I expected to read about how cool the iPod is, and I did. I expected to read about the way the iPod changed both Apple and the music industry, and I did.

I did not expect to laugh out loud every few minutes, but I did. Steven Levy is a great writer - his knowledge of Apple combined with his knowledge of popular music makes the book great fun to read. Levy is simply an excellent writer, writing about an excellent product.

As a bonus, this is a valuable book to read if you design products of any kind, because it provides insights into how exceptional products are created - i.e., fanatical attention to detail, and an inner drive to make not just a good product, but a great one.

If you like music and technology, I guarantee you will enjoy this book. Of course, I own a couple of iPods, so I am biased. If you own a Zune, you may disagree. But even Zune owners might find it interesting to see how great products are designed.

A great look at the iPod's impact
I really enjoyed this book, and I think Levy did a really good job of writing a book that appeals not only to diehard Apple fans or "nerds", but to everyday people.The book speaks to how huge of a product the iPod has become, and how modest the early goals of the product were for Apple.It was a device that took only a few short months to fabricate and ship, but it's legacy will last for years to come.

Enjoyable book
I very much enjoyed this book.Great story about the vision of Steve Jobs and Apple, and how a company can aspire to great products.Makes me want to go and buy more ipods and Macs.

An intriguing read on iPod and its impact
Why do people ask for an iPod when they want an MP3 player? Other players hold as many or more songs, and play them just as well. Owning an iPod is more about music than about keeping up with the latest trends. That is why the iPod still holds the top spot in MP3 player sales. Author Steven Levy explores how the iPod came to be and how it earned its status as a cultural icon. Even the book's iPod-looking cover could evoke emotion from an iPod fan. We recommend this book to iPod lovers who will relish its story. Businesspeople, trend spotters and marketers also will gain insight into the way Apple made millions from selling music, machines and coolness. ... Read more

Book Description

These vivid pages remind us of how much can be accomplished in a good and humane classroom.
- Howard Gardner

While the professional literature is glutted with theories on educational reform, our children remain starved for authentic learning that grows out of their unique, original classroom experiences. Award winning teacher Steven Levy attributes this disparity to the lack of clear examples illustrating the kind of thinking and planning that results in powerful learning. The void, he asserts, too often prompts teachers to "either return to the curriculum guide or try to implement projects developed by others."

Starting from Scratch presents an inspired alternative. In detailed accounts, it explains the step-by-step observations, thinking, and planning that enabled Levy to develop a variety of original projects with his elementary students. These have ranged from environmental inquiries--students studying the impact of a local bike path on their community--to an imaginative look at the qualities of number--a classroom quest to determine which is the greatest number.

While these projects were generated by the children's own interests, they also provided myriad opportunities for basic skills development. In this regard, Starting from Scratch offers a creative reconciliation of some of the more hotly debated issues in education: project based learning versus basic skills; integrated curriculum versus discipline centered instruction; state and national standards versus local and individual interests. Instead of recapitulating fundamental arguments, Starting from Scratch simply shows successful illustrations of how "the best of both worlds" can coexist in an engaged classroom.

Starting from Scratch was written primarily with professional educators in mind. But its appeal will extend to parents, business leaders, and anyone interested in related issues such as character education, teaching gifted and talented students, and teaching thinking. In short, it will inspire anyone concerned with the challenge of educating strong individuals who have a spirit of community.

Customer Reviews (3)

So, Brian...use your frustration...
The point of this book is how classrooms can, when teachers don't start from where the students are at ("Scratch"), leave kids disengaged, bored and frustrated.

Use what he gives you to take urban kids into their lives. Okay, they are poor, maybe illiterate, possibly angry....but are they not also intelligent, curious and hungry?????

Stop complaining!

Excellent, Excellent Book
An excellent and highly entertaining book.The classroom stories are wonderful: creative and humorous. I've had great success with several of Levy's ideas in my own classroom.

refreshing, invigorating, one of the best books ever
Steven Levy paints a vivid picture of his magical classroom in all its glory.Wonderful stories, curriculum ideas, and a refreshing educational philosophy.This book is great reading for anyone, and a must have forteachers. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Steven Levy's classic book explains why the misuse of the word "hackers" to describe computer criminals does a terrible disservice to many important shapers of the digital revolution. Levy follows members of an MIT model railroad club--a group of brilliant budding electrical engineers and computer innovators--from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. These eccentric characters used the term "hack" to describe a clever way of improving the electronic system that ran their massive railroad. And as they started designing clever ways to improve computer systems, "hack" moved over with them. These maverick characters were often fanatics who did not always restrict themselves to the letter of the law and who devoted themselves to what became known as "The Hacker Ethic." The book traces the history of hackers, from finagling access to clunky computer-card-punching machines to uncovering the inner secrets of what would become the Internet. This story of brilliant, eccentric, flawed, and often funny people devoted to their dream of a better world will appeal to a wide audience.Book Description
Today, technology is cool.Owning the most powerful computer, the latest high-tech gadget, and the whizziest web site is a status symbol on a par with having a flashy car or a designer suit.And a media obsessed with the digital explosion has reappropriated the term "computer nerd" so that it's practically synonymous with "entrepreneur."Yet, a mere fifteen years ago, wireheads hooked on tweaking endless lines of code were seen as marginal weirdos, outsiders whose world would never resonate with the mainstream.That was before one pioneering work documented the underground computer revolution that was about to change our world forever.With groundbreaking profiles of Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, MIT's tech Model Railroad Club, and more, Steven Levy's Hackers brilliantly captures a seminal moment when the risk takers and explorers were poised to conquer twentieth-century America's last great frontier.And in the Internet age, "the hacker ethic"--first espoused here--is alive an well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (81)

A well-written account of computer pioneers - just make sure you're interested in this stuff
As the description mentions, Steven Levy's "Hackers" is not about computer criminals, but refers to the more traditional definition of "someone who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a computer and computer network."I purchased this book because I was intrigued with Sierra On-Line, and was interested in learning more about some of the founding software companies and people who became rich from the computer boom of the early 80s.Having just finished Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet about the creation of the Internet, and being bored out of my mind with it, I was hoping "Hackers" would be a little more exciting.Unfortunately, the first half of the book mirrors "Wizards" in a lot of ways and discusses much of the same content.What's more, before purchasing, I had no idea this book was published in 1984 and that it would naturally only discuss computers up to the early 80s.

"Hackers" is divided into three parts:

1.True Hackers - 1946 - mid 70s.This section focuses on the early computer pioneers at MIT, such as the Tech Model Railroad Club, the Lincoln Laboratory, and experimenting with large mainframes such as the PDP-1 and TX-0.It describes in detail how they would spend hours punching in code for these computers to come up with the simplest hacks. I struggled to get through this section. It was so incredibly detailed and filled with minutiae that it took me two months and several breaks to get through the 200+ pages.Some of it was interesting, but there was just so much information I didn't need to know or care about.

2.Hardware Hackers - Mid 70s - 1980.All about the Homebrew Computer Club and the development of early personal computers, focusing on the Altair 8800, TRS-80, development of BASIC, and Stephen Wozniak's creation of the Apple and Apple II Personal Computers.This section was definitely more lively than the first, but there is still nothing that couldn't have been summed up in a 4 or 5 page magazine article or a visit to Wikipedia.

3.Game Hackers - Late 70s - 1982.This section is largely about the development of the game company Sierra On-Line, although the first few chapters spend a lot of time discussing arly game development.This section was the most interesting in the book, especially to gain some insight into the culture that existed in the gamin industry back in its development, but not as exciting as I thought it was going to be.Since the book was published in 1984, there is no mention of the incredibly popular King's Quest series that launched Sierra to the top of the industry.

The main underlying theme of this book is the "hacker ethic," characterized by open access to computers (no passwords), mistrust of authority, computers are beneficial to changing people's lives, and all information should be free.It is very heavily discussed throughout the book and it's implications on the industry and the people in it.If this were a thesis paper about the hacker ethic I would have given Mr. Levy an A+ for staying so on focus.Unfortunately, it's not a thesis paper.If you are purchasing this book for entertainment purposes, make sure you are REALLY interested in early hacker culture.I thought I was but the book was just too dry for me. Not to mention it was hard to keep up with the hundreds of people introduced in the book. On the plus side, it is exceptionally well-researched and hardly seems dated at all.Until I got to the last few chapters, I had no idea the book was over twenty years old.

The positive side of hacking
It's so relieving to see Levy's capture of the positive side of the qualification to be able to hack. I believe the progress in the software and hardware development has been greatly advanced be the qualifications theses people have shown.
When it later comes to the aspect of what this qualification has been used for, the results are more dubious. It is sad, however, that todays meaning of the term hacker seems to cover only the negative side of the history.

Couldn't put it down
Great read on the early days of computer hackers, only wish it was updated (the book ends in the 80's but does include a small update/list of where the main players are in later years (the 90's))

Very well written, it was easy to follow and understand.From the early days at MIT to the later years with Sierra On-Line, this tells of the early hackers and thier acheivements.There are some especially great stories behind the scenes in the later parts of the book.

An amazing insight into the mind of a computer enthusiast
Steven Levy has written a masterpiece, and I will be forever grateful to him for it. Although when I read it (circa year 2001) computers were much more mainstream than the period this book covers (1960s-80s), the book still broke new ground for me. It was before the blogging era, and especially before all the aspiring hackers of the world "united" via a network of blogs, forums, feeds, "planets" (feed collections on specific topics) and link accumulators like Reddit and Digg. In other words, it was much more difficult for me to find people with interests similar to mine.

Or maybe I didn't look hard enough. This is not the point, anyway. The point is that this book took me "out of the closet" as a hacker, proud of my hobby, instead of wondering whether I'm some kind of an autistic freak. Reading it, I understood two things of utmost importance:

1. There were, and there are, many people with my interests and peculiarities. And these are the people that made the computer revolution happen.
2. Somehow, Steven Levy managed to explain in words the reason people find computers and programming so fascinating. In some sense it was a revelation. I kept saying to myself "yes, exactly!" and "ahh, now I understand" very frequently while reading the book.

Here are a couple of great quotes from the book regarding (2):

"What kept him going was his fascination with the machine, how it let you build complicated systems completely under your control."

I heard people referring to this as instant gratification. Engineering is fun, solving problems is fun, and building solutions is fun - this probably has strong roots in the ancestral humans, shaped by evolution to be smarter than other animals. As opposed to other, more "physical" disciplines of engineering, like electrical, mechanical or structural engineering, programming allows you to actually create real and useful things with a computer as your only tool. An electrical engineer may wait for a long time until his board will be produced, and only then he can "play with it". For a computer programmer, things are much simpler. It is very easy and quick to build systems and use them.

"[...] computers were an infinitely flexible artistic medium, one in which you could express yourself by creating your own little universe."

"Code is art" is a very popular notion these days, perhaps coined by Knuth in his "The Art of Computer Programming" books. People do art for fun - they draw, play and compose music, write and design pretty gardens. In this sense, programming is not much different - it is an act of creation and self-expression. It is fun.

As I said, this book is a treasure chest of insightful quotes like the ones above. Levy interviewed most of the who-and-whos in the world of computing from the 1960s in the MIT labs and through the 1980s in the Californian game development companies. In addition to being explanatory of the "hacker nature", the book is also a great historical reference for the early years of computing. How lucky we are these days to have the opportunity to hack so easily. Just a few decades ago, people interested in computers had to use clanky, slow, terminals or worse, batch-processing machines. There are so much free open-source development tools one really doesn't need to spend money on anything further than the hardware - and PCs are cheap and powerful.

I can't recommend this book enough to anyone interested in computing, and programming in particular. As an aid to discovering your internal motivations, you own yourself to read it.

Oh, what might have been...
SL does a fine job of charting the early history of hacking at MIT and Stanford and beyond.As a member of the 3rd-generation-of-hackers generation (though, regretfully, not a hacker myself), I remember well the first personal computers and computer game systems, and the passion of friends and classmates of mine who were among the first to own and cut their programming teeth on them.It's amazing to think how far computers have come in my lifetime, a true technological revolution.SL's book reminds us not only how very near the beginnings of personal computing history we are, but how very far we've drifted from the intellectual and social ideals that marked those beginnings.What a shame that the Hacker utopias Levy describes are no more, and that computers and computing, today, are so enchained to commerce (granted that there are of course many extraordinary applications of computer technology, today, and many more to expect in the future, as well).I can only imagine how disappointed the Greenblatts, Nelsons, Felsensteins, etc., of yesteryear must be.The passing of the Hacker age -- if, indeed, it has passed -- is no less than the passing of a culture, as Richard ("last of the Hackers") Stallman laments.Reading Hackers, especially the opening chapters about the MIT AI-lab hacking community, I found myself wishing that I, too, had been 'present at the creation' and blessed with enormous hacking talent.SL's book is a long trip down many others' very pleasant -- in equal parts exciting and frustrating -- memory lane.As later chapters explore the computer gaming scene, and subsequent generations of hackerism, the subject-matter of Hackers becomes less compelling, and the writing a bit tiresome.I could, for instance, have done without SL's incessant harping on the social akwardnesses and missed sexual gambits of the gamers he profiles, material that reads sophomorically in the extreme.This aside, Hackers is an entertaining and informative piece of sociological journalism.FYI, "Artificial Life", by the same author, is a far better written first-rate piece of science journalism.Hackers is a could-read; Artificial Life is a should-read. ... Read more

Book Description
A systematic introduction to interpretation as a technical therapeutic skill. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Back in the early 1980s, word spread about an inviting little personal computer that used something called a mouse and smiled at you when you turned it on. Steven Levy relates his first encounter with the pre-released Mac and goes on to chronicle the machine that Apple developers hoped would "make a dent in the universe." A wonderful story told by a terrific writer (Levy was the longtime writer of the popular "Iconoclast" column in MacWorld; he's now a columnist with Newsweek, the birth and first ten years of the Macintosh is a great read.Book Description
The creation of the Mac in 1984 catapulted America into the digital millennium, captured a fanatic cult audience, and transformed the computer industry into an unprecedented mix of technology, economics, and show business. Now veteran technology writer and Newsweek senior editor Steven Levy zooms in on the great machine and the fortunes of the unique company responsible for its evolution. Loaded with anecdote and insight, and peppered with sharp commentary, Insanely Great is the definitive book on the most important computer ever made.It is a must-have for anyone curious about how we got to the interactive age.

"Engaging . . . A delightful and timely book."--The New York Times Book Review

"A holy scripture for loyal clickers of the mouse that may someday result in placement by digital Gideons in all motel rooms (virtual and actual) serving travelers on the information highway." --San Francisco Examiner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Insanely Great or just Half-Hearted?
Let me preface this review with the fact that I love Steven Levy.Well, his books anyhow.That said, this review is necessarily tainted by my experience with some of his other work.The curse of the author who pens a masterpiece (i.e. "Hackers" by Levy) is that everything that came before, and after, will be compared against said masterpiece.The case of "Insanely Great" is no different.

While I found this book to be an enjoyable read (I've read and re-read it more than once), and containing some decent detail about the origins of the original Macintosh, I also found it to be somewhat half-hearted in its presentation.Relative to "Hackers", of course.

I really got the sense that Levy was just plowing through the history, rather than lovingly exploring the details.While it's clear from the book that Levy truly loves the Mac, it's less clear that he loved the story of how it came to be.The writing lacked the obvious fascination and passion that he presents in "Hackers", and the breadth of research and intricate technical detail that he shows in "Artificial Life" and "Crytpo".In "Insanely Great", he just seems to be going through the motions of telling the story.

The most passionate and moving bits of writing in the book are when he is describing his love and respect for the machine.He clearly recognizes and conveys the absolute technical epiphany that Macintosh represented to the computer industry (heck, to the world).These bits are closely followed by some great (and well thought out) rants about the weaknesses of the machine - and the metaphorical medium it has spread across the world.

Finally, the book almost accidentally documents Levy's interesting relationship with Steve Jobs.Clearly any book about Macintosh will prominently feature the Mac Daddy (sorry, I had to use that term) - but the writing clearly shows that Levy was quite affected by Jobs.This is also not surprising, as Jobs' personality is as powerful and complicated as any great human being.In my opinion, the insight into Jobs that Levy offers - as well as the shadows of their relationship that are cast upon the walls of the book - offer a fresh view that other Mac/Apple histories might not offer.

Great view into the development of the Mac
This book shines for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of how the Macintosh came to be. Everyone knows the basic story of how Apple based the Mac on the innovations of Xerox, but the real story is much deeper than that. Xerox PARC provided the innovation and spark, but there was a lot more blood and guts work that followed, especially considering the state of computer technology at the time. While there is of course a lot about Steve Jobs, equal attention is given to the various engineers who did nuts and bolts software and hardware development. Those looking for corporate intrigue and board room warfare could probably find better accounts elsewhere, although these are also covered here (as they inevitably had an effect on the Mac's development over the years.)

Given how commonplace the GUI and its various metaphors (folders and files, desktop, trash can, etc.) are today, it's easy to lose sight that the original Mac (and Lisa) team were really venturing way off into the unknown.

This book is a great read for anyone or any company trying to do the same.

I for "Internet"
Once upon a time, a guy named Steve had a vision: to take IBM's place in the computer industry. Not by copying IBM's ideas as Michael Dell did. No. By innovating...
Steve Jobs, a charismatic and driven individual, who wears the same outfit so he doesn't have to waste his time deciding what to wear, and who once was exiled from his own company, came back. Although many critics always thought of Jobs as an opportunistic individual, more than creative and visionary, and labeled him as a "One Hit Wonder" was able to make a "Come Back." This book tells the story of the first Mac, the one that only a few people knew about, and then, it takes you through a journey of one of the greatest companies ever founded: Apple, Inc. The story that almost wasn't told. After years of mismanagements and senior executives not understanding what Apple Computers was all about, Steve Jobs returned not just to save the company, but also to redirect where the company was headed. As many people said, "Apple was off track," and it was, it really was. However, Jobs' return not only brought blood back to Apple, but also put them on the black ink once again.
Before picking up this book, ensure that you have enough time to read it all at once. You won't be able o put it down. If you are a Mac fan, or if you are just interested in knowing a bit more of what Apple has gone through, this book is for you.
Enjoy it!

Fast, furious, and full of excitement
People who read this are in for an evening of excitement and fun. It's like apulp fiction story for the silicon age.

Sould of a new Macintosh
Steven Levy, author of Hackers, reprises his examination of the high-tech industry with a close-up on the making of the Macintosh.Levy retells the story of the Macintosh's genesis, its influence from research at Xerox PARC, the ill-fated Apple Lisa and finally its painful birth.This is not a classic business book and really doesn't cover the rise and fall of Apple or it's CEOs in any great detail.Instead this is a more intimate story of the people who helped make the Macintosh.If you liked "Soul of a New Machine" you'll love this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Originally published in 1990, The Unicorn's Secret tells the strange tale of Ira Einhorn, a counterculture bigwig who hobnobbed with the likes of Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin before police discovered the badly decomposed body of his girlfriend Holly Maddux in a trunk in his Philadelphia apartment in 1979. Although Einhorn, known to friends and enemies alike as "The Unicorn," claimed innocence in Maddux's murder, he fled the country after receiving an unusually low bail (and before being found guilty of the crime in absentia in 1983) and didn't surface again until 1997, when he was apprehended by police in France, still proclaiming his innocence. Levy spent 30 months researching the case and the Unicorn's life to write this book, which includes finely painted detail of Einhorn's rise, from his days as a would-be campus leader during the first shock waves of the '60s to his heyday as a respected ecologist, sociologist, and man-about-town in the 1970s. As Levy tracks the collision course between Einhorn and Maddux, a small-town Texas girl from a conservative home, hints of Einhorn's darker side emerge, illustrated by entries from the Unicorn's own diaries, filled with vast wellsprings of inner rage. The danger to Maddux rises palpably as the book nears its grisly conclusion, with Levy finding his own conclusions safely sealed away inside the paper remnants of Einhorn's darkly brilliant mind. --Tjames Madison ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Decent Book, The Real Story
This book has every detail you could ever want on Ira Einhorn and the murder of Holly Maddux.Given the evidence the author presents, it's difficult to see Einhorn's innocence.

But the book is fair-minded. Holly Maddux is not portrayed as a totally naive innocent. In many ways, she is shown as a selfish decadent child of the late 1960s. It's also proper to note that Holly repeatedly returned to Ira over the years, despite the objections of many caring people in her sphere.Was Ira truly manipulating her? Not according to this book.

The seductiveness of Social Movements
Ira Einhorn was a child of the Age of Aquarius.He was not only a child, though, he was an instigator, planner, creator of that weird era.He became leader of a social movement and no story better illustrates the power of such media-driven movements. First of all, they have the ability to make ordinary people interpret the world in terms that differ from reality. Thus, we are subjected to daily litanies of the awful environment while the US (again) tops the UN list of nations with the cleanest water and safest food.

The other power of social movements is the manner in which all sorts of crimes are permitted for the "good of the movement".Ira was a showman who not only caught the leading fads and trends but created them. Thus he joined New Age idiocy (UFO's, ESP, conspiracies at every corner) with ecology where he was the instigator of the preposterous "Earth Day", a celebration that has now become a financially successful cottage industry. Add to that radical politics, drugs and sex and one has the recipe for a disaster. Repeatedly he outwitted politicians who attempted to cash in on the latest craze.Through sheer showmanship and continual media self-promotion he established himself as the man around town.

Around this time enter one Holly Madux, former high school cheerleader from Texas and susceptible to his many charms. Five years later she "disappears".Skip forward and her body is found in Ira's apt, he is arrested and with the help of Arlen Specter (R-PA) he is released on a $40,000 bond and skips the country.He resurfaces in Ireland only to disappear again.Finally, in 1997 he was caught in France, still proclaiming his innnocence.

Friends felt he had deserted "the Cause" though he is fondly remembered for his power as an organizer, facilitator and power broker - perhaps his true calling.His private life was, of course, much different from his public persona and apparently involved cruelty toward his lovers.In his latest interviews one almost gets the sense of entitlement for commission of a crime due to his past actions.A sad, touching, horrifying, eye-opener of a book.

THE UNICORN'S SECRET:MURDER IN THE AGE OF AQUARIUS
I have no doubt that the material contained in this book is as factual as the writer portrays.I did find it difficult to keep up with the changes in time, setting and circumstances of the characters. Perhaps the writer feels that this is a way of sustaining the suspense, but I found it distracting. Overall, I was interested in this man who was recently brought back to the US to stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend. I did learn a lot about him and that is good background for what will inevitably be Court TV material soon. It might have been helpful to the reader to have a psychiatrist's view of Holly and why she did not leave Ira when she was obviouly drawn to another man. I almost gave up on this book before reading the "secret" revealed in the last chapters. Good account of Ira Einhorn who was evil before he killed Holly.

Gripping, Informative, a Real Page-Turner
This book is far more than a whodunit. It is a wonderful history of thepolitics and pop-culture of the 1960s and 1970s and it provides in-depthcharacter analyses of all of the central players. This one really puts"The Age of Aquarius" in perspective! Was the Unicorn a murdereror framed by secret operatives? The revelations in the last chaptersprovided an unequivocal answer for me.

Maniacal Ira Einhorn Still Hides In France . . .
Hard to believe that I was about 5 years old in a suburb of Philadelphia when Holly Maddux's body was found in a trunk in Ira Einhorn's apartment . . . even harder to believe is that he managed to escape and has been livingin France for all these years.This book is fabulous . . . I was totallyengrossed in it from page 1.Being from the Philadelphia area, I wassomewhat familiar with the case, but reading this book opened up so muchmore to me about Holly, her family, and this monster, Ira Einhorn.He wasa small-town nobody, the founder of Earth Day who thought the worldrevolved around him.What a shame that Holly got involved with him andcould have been so naive and easily fooled.The pictures are disturbing --she was such a beautiful girl, and Ira such a fat, disgusting,ragged-looking oaf.It does not seem to make sense.Then again, it showshow manipulative and sneaky Ira really was.

Even though I knew how thebook was going to end, I actually found myself applauding Holly as shebegan to discover her strengths and pull away from Ira and resolutelydecide to remove herself from his life.What if she had been able to dothat?How wonderful (for everyone) if that had happened . . . but Irawould not let anyone leave him.He considered Holly to be his possession,and was not about to let anyone get away from him so easily.It amazes methat he was able to escape detection for so long, and that his friends andacquaintances actually trusted and believed his stories . . . even afterHolly's body was found.How does one explain that?A body is found inyour apartment and you expect everyone to believe you had nothing to dowith it?That there was a conspiracy against Ira Einhorn?Get real!Irawas a nobody -- no one would waste their time conspiring against him.Thebook was fascinating and frightening at the same time.Much better thanthe TV movie about the case (which, I admit, sparked my interest andconvinced me to buy this book).I recommend it to anyone who is at allintrigued by the case, or anyone who is a fan of the true-crime genre.Itis a page-turner, a tale that will sicken and sadden you all at once. Unfortunately, it is a story without a resolution, since Einhorn is stillin France and has not been brought to justice -- and that will make youseethe with anger. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Great Collection Of Essays From The Blogosphere
This is a great collection of essays from the blogosphere covering tech topics and some integrating tech into very funny stories.

This is written pretty much as the who's who amongst bloggers for 2006-2007.

Great bedtime reading.

Great collections of tech essays.
Superb collection of tech essays with some emphasis on the information technology/internet side of things. Nicely touches on the human element (social networking) and the changes that connected computers have brought to this aspect of human behavior. Very funny in parts. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Computer User, published by MSP Communications on June 1, 2002. The length of the article is 2529 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Standing up to Big Brother: Steven Levy's "Crypto." (Books). (book review)
Author: Christy Mulligan
Publication: Computer User (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2002
Publisher: MSP Communications
Volume: 20Issue: 6Page: 22(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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Book Description
The first of the new IJPA Key Papers Series: Papers from the Decades. This indispensable volume is packed with classic texts that are as relevant today as they were in the 1950s, a pivotal era in psychoanalysis. They are essential reading for anyone connected to or interested in psychoanalysis. ... Read more

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Word count: 1651. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism on May 1, 1995. The length of the article is 2925 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Five journalists share their experiences of surfing the Internet and following discussions in electronic news groups. They find it useful for research, to connect with friends and to understand issues. Some of them have had to come to terms with peers discussing their published pieces and have had to face criticism. Many, who started of with the serious intention of researching, admit that they are tempted to browse.

Citation Details
Title: The virtual water cooler: where journalists hang out on-line. (includes related article about how to join newsgroups and use bulletin boards)
Author: Jim Upshaw
Publication: Columbia Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 1995
Publisher: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
Volume: v34Issue: n1Page: p61(4)

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Customer Reviews (2)

Good first place to turn
SEC Answer Book is a good first place to turn for answers to most securities compliance questions.The most recent annual update adds a chapter on securities litigation and enforcement, and brings the book fully current on Sarbanes-Oxley.

Very useful
One of the better securities compliance guidebooks on the market.Around 1,000 pages, fully up to date, and quite readable despite the intricate subject matter.
The book covers periodic reporting, the EDGAR system, audit committee requirements,insider reporting, short-swing trading, proxy solicitations, shareholder proposals, Rule 144, tender offer disclosures, securities fraud, and going private transactions, among other areas.In each area it starts with the big picture (including the history and rationale for each rule) and then covers the detail in an organized, methodical manner.There are hundreds of examples and compliance tips; dozens of forms; and several tables of statutes, cases, and SEC no-action letters.Very useful. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Music Trades, published by Music Trades Corp. on October 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1882 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: FRICTION FREE COMMERCE? FORGET IT! A LOOK AT CHALLENGES POSED BY THE INTERNET.
Author: Steven Levy
Publication: Music Trades (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 1998
Publisher: Music Trades Corp.
Page: NA

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Book Description
This digital document is an article from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 4784 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Validation evidence for the Netherlands physical activity questionnaire for young children: the Iowa Bone Development Study.(Research Note--Epidemiology)
Author: Kathleen F. Janz
Publication: Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 76Issue: 3Page: 363(7)

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