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EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW IS WRONG...
That was the strange message left on Cory Maddox's e-mail--just at the moment when years of work on a revolutionary subspace computer system was about to pay off. Nothing would be the same for Cory again. Suddenly his life was thrown into chaos when the company that controlled his patent was sold out from under him, and instead of imminent wealth, Cory was facing immediate poverty. Then along came Alan Stark, who wanted to recruit Cory for a special research project on virtual reality.
Stark was reviving the secret NSA work of the legendary Matthew Brand, who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances years before. Cory had always idolized Brand, so he was initially thrilled to be involved. But he quickly discovered that there was nothing virtual about the realities he was working on. Instead, he found that Stark was on the verge of controlling the very fabric of reality itself.
Cory was unsure of Stark's ultimate goal, until he began to recall pieces of another life and found himself in the middle of a battle between two groups of people who could use "rabbit holes" in space and time to jump between different realities, personalities, and lives. Whoever had control of the power to shape reality would have the power to become a god--or a devil. But before Cory could combat Stark and his minions, he first had to remember which side he was on...
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Customer Reviews (12)

I Guarantee You Will Love This Book
If you are naturally curious, like interesting plot twists and rich environments, then you are going to love this book.

I tend to agree with other reviewers that this work is the inspiration for the movie "The Matrix" and in many ways is a superior work.The ideas in Chalker's work are much more developed than in The Matrix and does a much better job of keeping it's integrity throughout.

First get a good grip on Reality
Jack L. Chalker's theory of existence was spelled out in Book I, P. 223: "... Sometime, somebody, in a world we otherwise know nothing about but which has to be far more advanced than the one we now knew, built a vast computer for some reason and put tremendous knowledge and capability into it.Something went wrong, or so it seemed.A group, a small group, of people from that original place, that true universe, had come into the system and gotten lost, then trapped, in an ever-increasing series of exquisitely detailed virtual universes.. [Brand] was the only hope of getting everybody together again and back to reality. ..."
Chalker wrote, "All reality is programming.We cannot know the real: we are trapped in an endless series of simulations, all of us, and some, like myself, in simulations within simulations. ...."He uses an IT, a thing, a faceless one or a gray ancient to speak these lines, rather than a flesh and blood character.This device implied a para-programmer, one outside the mind of man.This invented God is in control not onlyof the author outside the story's pages but in control of all the characters within the pages of the book.
Reality now has a counterpart, virtual reality.The characters, en mass, stare into the mirror of their own minds and realize that they had no measuring rod with which to gauge their own realities. The mind is self reflective.The mind has no outer objective way to measure either its input or output.The characters reveal the dead end of human thought.The fact that the tactile nerves register solidity reveals little regarding production or projection of such solidity.There is no way to distinguish whether the neurons fire due to sensory input rather than from say drugs or computer generated inputs.Reality, thus loses its previous foundation.
Chalker posits an Existence Computer with limitless memory able to fill in a separate reality for each and every mind.Everyone gets their own set of individual mental constructs.With this god-like computer unlimited universes to surround each person's set of ideas could be created.(P. 211BK II). Taking this idea one step further, each person is a circuit on the mother board of the universe.Every solid item that surrounds a person is created within another little circuit.The whole universe is the giant circuitry, the mother board of existence.We are all but chips, powered from this hidden source of energy that we call existence.Chalker names his god character Matthew Brand.Brand understands the circuitry and power of the Existence Computer enough to become part of it.Brand was able to join with the energy reactor in order to control the energy flow into the mother board of the Existence Computer.

Good 13th Floory Fun
I know! Thirteenth Floor wasn't based on this novel (or the series, either), but that movie kept coming to mind as I read the first part of Cybernetic Walrus. Chalker is original and creative in this book, though, and it's much more satisfying than the "What Is Real?" movies out there. A thoroughly enjoyable book, stands as an adventure in its own right, but also beckons the reader on to the rest of the trilogy.

The protagonist, Cory Maddox undergoes plenty of transformation in this story, running through several life "phases" while trying to sort out who to trust. One of the enjoyable features of this series is that the reader is never quite certain who he should trust, either. Often, I found myself wanting to urge Cory & Riki to trust the wrong (in hindsight) characters.

Plenty here for either the SF or fantasy fan. Thoroughly enjoyable--Chalker knows how to entertain while stretching the mind and imagination. Perhaps the worst feature of this book is that the 3rd book of the trilogy is so difficult to obtain.

A solid four-star rating: great fun, but not absolute genius.

One of the best cyberspace series yet!
Jack Chalker continues his tradition of unique ideas and perspectives in the Wonderland series.What starts out as a classic cyberspace story quickly turns in unexpected directions.This book will definitely get youthinking about the true nature of reality.If you liked the movie,"The Matrix," get this book!The movie stole Chalker's ideaswithout giving credit, and the book explores the ideas to a greater depth. Too bad Del Rey is so short-sighted and has not reprinted the 3rd book inthis series.

the nature of reality, and the mystery of its control clash.
Mr Chalker takes an ongoing presence in the works of the great Phillip K. Dick, and spins the begginigs of a series that will not let any fans down. the nature of reality, in question for the protagonist, as he shuffles from life to life offers a challenging mystery, as to the mystery of our existence, and its ultimate nature. A must read for fans, and worthy of comparisson to the infamous Well World series of books. ... Read more

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Winning, in all areas of life, is dependent on motivation and mental attitude. By applying the principles of Psycho-Cybernetics, you, too, can improve your life. Regardless of your status in life, it's never too late to start getting what you want out of life! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The other side of the coin to his other book "Three Magic Words"
This book was published in the 1960s (after looking through all his other books which are mostly philosophical rather than practical especially "Three Magic Words", which he says in one of his books, is the other side of the coin to "Success-Cybernetics") and is in my opinion, the best and most practical one. There are some good pointers and may seem common sense to most people already. However, I have found that you have to sift through the myriad of stories to get at his points in each one, most of the time.

Tough-love that works
Don't look for gentle handholding in this book. The reader is called to the carpet for not taking action and attaining success where desired. This is not your 21st century coddling politically-correct self-help text. The author is particularly harsh on religion, especially Christianity (although he takes many shots at Buddhism and Taoism). If you can get past that, there is some extremely useful information here.

Cybernetics is the science of feedback loops. Try something-then evaluate the results-then make adjustments-then try again. Anderson encourages using this idea for your life. If an action isn't producing the desired results, try something else. Eventually, you will get on the right track, everything will become automatic, and the success loop will re-enforce itself. He promotes this simple idea through many motivating and colorful stories.

While some readers may find his style coarse, I found it was exactly the kick in the pants that I needed. Something I had been procrastinating over/avoiding for over two years I finally got done thanks to Anderson's writing. I believe that is the highest form of praise for any motivational book.

Keep what works, get rid of the things that don't work ...
One of the best lines in the book,says Keep the things, ideas that work, get rid of the things that don't work, and try the things that look like they might work.

best book I have ever read
This book is so absorbing and entertaining that you cant put it down. It will teach you the secret of succeeding at everything in your life and inspire you to do so . You'll be so excited that you will love doing thingsthat you never previously had the guts to do. A must read and referencebook on the secrets of living the way you've really dreamed of . ... Read more

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The second edition of the International Encyclopaedia of Systems and Cybernetics provides, once again, a complete overview of the state of Cybernetics and its development since its beginnings more then fifty years ago. Many of the events around the worldwide during recent years can be better understood by applying instruments belonging to system theory and cybernetics. Thus, the function of neural networks as a model of the interaction of many single elements in one coherent action can be applied to other social interactions and communication schemes: from the building of insect states, to the spreading of epidemics or the course of a stock market crash. This Encyclopaedia contains the widely known basic concept as well as detailed information on many sections of the field. Most of this knowledge resulted from hundreds of lectures given at international und national congresses, and is made easily accessible to a broad public as well as to the majority of scientists for the first time here. The work contains almost 4,000 entries in alphabetical order with numerous citations by hundreds of authors. Over 1,500 special references to and details of societies for Cybernetics around the world, and leading professional journals complete this presentation. Above all, the number of references in French, Italian, German and many other languages has risen considerably compared with the first edition. The International Encyclopaedia of Systems and Cybernetics is an essential aid for scientists, librarians and students in many fields: e.g. philosophy, economics, ecology, history, politology, sociology and communication science. With its broad scientific approach, this work can make a significant contribution to the improvement of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary exchange. Equally, this encyclopaedia will be of interest to executives working in business, politics and society. ... Read more

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In this book, Slava Gerovitch argues that Soviet cybernetics was not just an intellectual trend but a social movement for radical reform in science and society as a whole. Followers of cybernetics viewed computer simulation as a universal method of problem solving and the language of cybernetics as a language of objectivity and truth. With this new objectivity, they challenged the existing order of things in economics and politics as well as in science.

The history of Soviet cybernetics followed a curious arc. In the 1950s it was labeled a reactionary pseudoscience and a weapon of imperialist ideology. With the arrival of Khrushchev's political "thaw," however, it was seen as an innocent victim of political oppression, and it evolved into a movement for radical reform of the Stalinist system of science. In the early 1960s it was hailed as "science in the service of communism," but by the end of the decade it had turned into a shallow fashionable trend. Using extensive new archival materials, Gerovitch argues that these fluctuating attitudes reflected profound changes in scientific language and research methodology across disciplines, in power relations within the scientific community, and in the political role of scientists and engineers in Soviet society. His detailed analysis of scientific discourse shows how the Newspeak of the late Stalinist period and the Cyberspeak that challenged it eventually blended into "CyberNewspeak." ... Read more

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A special double issue of the journal Cybernetics and Human Knowing dedicated to the life and work of Heinz Von Foerster. For details see table of contents. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Beyond 6 Stars--And a Seventh for Accessible Pricing
I could spend a lifetime reading and re-reading this book, and each of the cited sources, and not waste the time at all.This is one of the most extraordinary works I have encountered, and while I cannot do it justice, I will summarize it.Four other books that join this one in framing my third and last stage of life:
Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny
A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility--Report of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Revised and Updated 5th Anniversary Edition: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits

Bottom line:Humanity can evolve, must evolve, and the Whole Earth, Co-Evolution concepts that Stewart Brand and others pioneered (not mentioned here), that indigenous people's everywhere have understood for centuries, are a natural path for us all.We *can* create a prosperous world at peace.

Short version of the book:Synergy is cool again, synergy and self-organization complement each other and are distinct; bioeconomics is hugely important and supports the premise that the whole is larger than the sum of the parts and that interactions and exchanges can and should be done for the whole, "beyond selfishness," cybernetics rules, information is the space between, and ethics is both a form of cybernetics and a cultural adaptation that helps the whole evolve and persist.

The author earned an inter-disciplinary PhD in social and life sciences, and went on to be the director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems and has been active in: International Society for the Systems Sciences; International Society for Bioeconomics; Association for Politics and the Life Sciences; Epic of Evolution Society; International Society for Human Ethology; Human Behavior and Evolution Society; International Society for Endocytobiology; European Sociobiological Society, and International Association for Cybernetics.

I've never heard of any of these, but mention them to both praise the author's inter-disciplinary background, and point out that it is not all that inter-disciplinary (see the Web of Knowledge at the Phi Beta Iota Public Intelligence Blog version of this review).Four books from a world that is NOT covered by this extraordinary book:
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
Conscious Evolution: Awakening Our Social Potential
Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming

This book is easier to read than E. O. Wilson's CONSILIENCE, and every bit as erudite.Within each chapter I absolutely marveled at the history and the homework that went into summarizing the history of the ideas developed therein.

This is such a complex and deep book I would have preferred the notes on their respective page, and chapter-specific bibliographies in addition to the consolidated one.This book needs its own web page, and would be extremely interesting as a Wiki-book with infinite branching.

QUOTE:Holistic Darwinism is not a different theory; it involves a different perspective on the evolutionary process.

QUOTE:Holistic Darwinism is distinctive in that it is concerned especially with the bioeconomics--the functional costs and benefits--of cooperative phenomena of all kinds.

I smile for two reasons: first, Tom Atlee's new book, Reflections on Evolutionary Activism, will be on Amazon shortly (is at Phi Beta Iota now); and second, having just read a book that taught me we now have neuro-economists, I marvel at how an entire fraudulent discipline is finally finding respectability by devolving back to the real world.

This book by itself is a PhD if fully exploited, which I cannot.A few high points:

+Sociobiology favors democracy, those who says it does not are in error.I agree.

+Recognizing inter-dependence is an "aha" moment (the Republican word is epiphany).

+Genes alone don't cut it.Culture and cybernetics are integral to human consciousness and evolution and outcome.

BIG INSIGHT FOR ME:The more complex a society or superorganism becomes, the more vital it is that it develop faster, better, cheaper feedback loops with less and less corruption of signal.This is consistent with all of my reading on the collapse of complex societies, and the author covers that literature.He does not, however, mention Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems or other related books on resilience.

+Bioeconomics first written about in 1913 (that the author can determine).Focuses on the acquisition of resources by living beings, the author concluding that humanity is a collective survival enterprise.

KEYWORDS: network theory, network dynamics, niche construction, emergence theory, evolutionary developmental systems theory, systems biology, gene-culture co-evolution theory, and many more.

+ Politics is badly formed and badly executed human cybernetics.

+ Political ecosystem is ready for Evolutionary Activism (my conclusion)

+ Richard Dawkins made a huge contribution but was a reductionist.Holistic Darwinism is a segue to neo-Darwinism and inspired by Dawkins.

+Cooperation and complexity go together--Tom Atlee would say that competition and cooperation go together.Both Atlee and this author discuss non-zero, win-win and related strategies.

+Prime mover theories don't stand up, convergences do.

+In his review of the collapse literature, I keep coming back to inadequate responses, and the reality that inadequate responses are tied to corruption and the loss of integrity in feedback loops.

QUOTE:"In short, a global superorganism will succeed only as a cooperative process in which the pooling of sovereignty on a global level is viewed as mutualistic and is not seen as the imposition of a regime that serves the interests of only one power, or one segment of the world community, namely the rich countries and multinational firms."

+The author speaks of a need for integrating anthropology with economics and the life sciences, in my view he does not go nearly far enough, some of us are already at Web 4.0 and thinking about how Cognitive Science on the one side (this book being part of that side) and Collective Intelligence on the other (see Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace) must inevitably integrate all information in all languages all the time, and connect all human minds to all of that information in near-real-time.I won't like to my books, they are easily found.

The author concludes that the social sciences have failed, and I quite agree.

Keeps getting better
This work states the case for the importance of synergy across biology and economics much more solidly than his prior work. It is surprising that the book has not gotten a review until now. I wish that works like this were getting more attention than the intelligent design vs. evolution debate. Corning assembles a lot of evidence to point towards the "new evolutionary paradigm." I cannot think of another work which marshalls so many parallel lines of research to where a new synthesis might be coming. Readable, sometimes polemical, informative, and clear. At some point, though, there is almost too much thrown into his case. Four sections packed in a lot: Synergy and evolution, Bioeconomics, Thermodynamics of life, and Evolutionary ethics. The thermodynamics section was a gem on the often confused subject of how biology meets thermodynamic theory. His idea: "In sum, the development of novel bioenergetic technologies in the evolutionary process has had little to do with entropy or dissipative structures and much more to do with engineering--design improvements in the ability of living systems to capture and utilize available energy. It is the organized use of available energy in evolved, informed (cybernetic) structures that has been the key, as noted earlier. And the explanation for these changes lies in their economic advantages, as Lotka long ago suggested." (p. 351)

A great read; a passionate and encylopedic collection of current ideas assembled into an intriguing hypothesis. I look forward to other reviews of his work. ... Read more

Product Description
Dark Future is a science fiction setting that gives players a chance to step into a possible future where America has fallen and immoral corporations have divided up a once great nation. The cities of the new "corporate-nations" are divided further into large gated communities that shelter the wealthy and powerful behind high tech and heavily armed security. Meanwhile the poor are cast out into "other-cities", lawless ghettos where gangs, crime and violence are a way of life.

It contains 9 classes, 27 prestige classes, as well as new skills and skill uses, feats, original psychic powers, unique equipment, firearms and complete new rules for cybernetic augmentation and cybernetic systems. The book also contains a world description of the powers that be: international corporations, merciless gangs, military research facilities, fanatical religious sects and tyrannical government bodies.

Dark Future also introduces the exciting new "contacts" system. This new system allows characters to become closely connected to the NPCs of their world. Through contacts the GM and the players can flesh out and experience the many faces of this divided and dangerous world. In Dark Future as in the modern world, its not what you know, its who you know.

The world of "Dark Future" gives players a chance to experience a new setting unlike any they have ever played. "Dark Future" allows players to pick up where classic novels such as "Fahrenheit 451," "Brave New World," and "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" leave off. "Dark Future" takes the story and flavor of these classic novels and combines it with a Hollywood sense of action and intensity. The characters in "Dark Future" represent the person who has realized the machinery of the world is no longer in the citizens control and chooses to either fight the powers that be, or become a willing part of the system exploiting it for their own gain.

"Dark Future" is a simple role-playing system that offers endless possibilities. Whether it's a ruthless bounty hunter bringing rogue psychics to justice, a cybernetically altered mercenary eliminating enemies of his corporate masters, or a Surger whose psychic powers demolish and destroy anything in his way, the players have a wide selection of roles to play in the world, not all of them necessarily good ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

It is after World War Three....
...and the world is trying to put itself back together. Japan, which was able to sit out the war, is now the center of civilization. Well, not really. Mega-corporations run the nation, having most of the wealth and having assumed control over their employees. Now they fight against each other, using all the weapons available to gain total power over all Japan. The story focues on one such corporation developing an AI with true self-awareness. They in fact create Tokugawa, the first program with consciousness. They start training it with scenarios and ideas from Japan's past, making him into a Samurai. Little did they know how much he would need the training!

Don't judge by the cover. This is cyberpunk to the max, with advanced computers, cool weapon systems, VR devices and hired mercenaries!

If you liked this book, there is also the second in the series: The Cybernetic Shogun.

An interesting Suprise
I have to admit, I passed this book many times on the bookshelf (laughing) before I had the nerve to read it. Despite the slightly uncanny title, the book is rather ingenious for its time. Remembering that Milan wrote itduring the genesis of the cyber-punk revolution. An interesting tale aboutthe plight to find a theorem for generating randomness. I believe thatdie-hard C.P. readers will find this early text an interesting read,especially in comparing with more modern works. ... Read more

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Neural Network Modeling offers a cohesive approach to the statistical mechanics and principles of cybernetics as a basis for neural network modeling. It brings together neurobiologists and the engineers who design intelligent automata to understand the physics of collective behavior pertinent to neural elements and the self-control aspects of neurocybernetics. The theoretical perspectives and explanatory projections portray the most current information in the field, some of which counters certain conventional concepts in the visualization of neuronal interactions. ... Read more

Product Description
Child prodigy and brilliant MIT mathematician, Norbert Wiener founded the revolutionary science of cybernetics and ignited the information-age explosion of computers, automation, and global telecommunications. His best-selling book, Cybernetics, catapulted him into the public spotlight, as did his chilling visions of the future and his ardent social activism.
Based on a wealth of primary sources and exclusive access to Wiener’s closest family members, friends, and colleagues, Dark Hero of the Information Age reveals this eccentric genius as an extraordinarily complex figure.No one interested in the intersection of technology and culture will want to miss this epic story of one of the twentieth century’s most brilliant and colorful figures.
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Customer Reviews (15)

shocking! disturbing! controversial! (and, fairly good!)
As you might guess from my choice of review title, I'm spoofing the corny book title and scattered journalistic excesses of this otherwise solid biography. I must confess that despite reading the book cover to cover I am still unable to see the subject as a "dark hero" of anything, although like many more ordinary mortals he was quite human and capable of being angry, nasty, jealous, and spiteful when provoked (or when he thought himself provoked). Perhaps the worst that can be said of him was he broke with a fragile young protege, Walter Pitts, in an unpleasant way, and apparently sent him on a tailspin into alcoholism and early death. However, it was clearly not his intention to cause such an outcome, and Mr. Pitts' background made him particularly susceptible to such a denouement. If anyone in the book can be described as "dark" (an adjective which I find unfortunate when used as a negative), it would be Wiener's wife, whose sexual obsessions and reactionary, anti-Semitic political views are fully aired.

Wiener was obviously a brilliant thinker, a very important mathematician and engineer, a good self-promoter, and a seminal figure in the early days of information theory and computers. He did not quite grab the brass ring in either field, however: that honor goes respectively to Claude Shannon and Johnny von Neumann. What he did do was write a scientific book which somewhat inexplicably became a best seller and made him famous in a way few scientists have been. Later in his career he became increasingly concerned with the possible negative effects of computers and cybernetics on human society, and issued some warnings which we would continue to be well advised to heed.

That this biography was written by journalists rather than scientists is evident throughout. There is an annoying tendency to employ unnecessarily purplish adjectives and to be sloppy with scientific definitions (e.g. entropy is defined as the state of maximum disorder and chaos, and then a little later defined correctly as a measure of the amount of disorder). I would have preferred a more balanced assessment of Wiener's importance vis-a-vis other major figures of his time, such as Shannon and von Neumann. However, the book is nonetheless well-researched and detailed, and certainly gives the reader an excellent depiction of Wiener the man and the scientist.

bent twig coming home to roost
I was mainly interested in the psychological insights. People who have been born with a brain face problems that those who accept regimentation for uniformity might consider crazy. Norbert Wiener's activism in response to the use of nuclear weapons at the end of World War II might be used to display some of his fits of temper in this book, but the level of psychological attention on how his mind worked in various situations and the ways other people tried to help seemed very down to earth for me. My interest in psychotic multiplicity wanted all the details on his wife Margaret. Just to provide a sample:

Dr. Pauline Cooke, a research fellow at the University of Illinois Medical School and a member of McCulloch's retinue who later also moved to Cambridge got the same impression. "It would be impossible for a person like Margaret Wiener to like Warren McCulloch. He was the antithesis of everything a middle-class German believes in. They were social worlds apart." (p. 224).

I was recycling periodicals from my closet when I found a review of this book in the New York Review of Books and wanted to get not just this book, but Snapping, by the same authors, which has a second edition covering a Branch Davidian event on April 19, 1993, near Waco, Texas, when Mt. Carmel went up in smoke.

A Fascinating Account of Norbert Wiener - Father of Cybernetics.
_Dark Hero of the Information Age:In Search of Norbert Wiener The Father of Cybernetics_ by the researchers Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, who had previously written on cults and fundamentalism, is a fascinating biography of an important figure in the history of the last century who played an important role in heralding in the coming age of information.Norbert Wiener (1894 - 1964) was a fascinating individual and a man of many talents who is perhaps best remembered as both a mathematician and the father of the science of cybernetics.Wiener was a highly eccentric individual who had been renowned as a child prodigy in his youth and studied at Tufts and Harvard from the ages of 11 to 14, eventually earning his Ph.D. at age 18.Following his early years, Wiener became an academic originally focusing on philosophy and mathematics, though taking a more applied bent towards mathematical research than some of his contemporaries such as G. H. Hardy, who routinely castigated him for this.Wiener's career took off at MIT where he developed the science of cybernetics, which was to play such an important role in furthering engineering, biological, and social sciences, as well as playing the role of an astute commentator on the role of automation.Cybernetics (a term derived from the Greek for "steersman"), the creation of Norbert Wiener, was an essential science in the understanding of feedback and control systems.Wiener continued to develop his theories following the publication of his first book on the subject and in particular examined the role of automation among workers.Wiener also was able to prove an inspiration for several important engineering projects focusing on such things as the human brain, artificial intelligence, and the development of prostheses for amputees.Wiener's ideas played an important role in the United States, but with the advent of the Cold War they also played a role in the Soviet Union, as well as in India where Wiener saw certain potential developments arising from newfound technologies.While Wiener was an agnostic throughout his life, his ancestors were Jews and he may have been related to the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, and he developed a profound interest in Indian philosophy and Hinduism ultimately leading him to accept the notion of reincarnation.Wiener's theories played an important role in paving the way for the information age to come and we see the end result of that in the information explosion in this century.This book offers a fascinating examination of the life of Norbert Wiener and is an excellent biography of this great man.

This book starts with Wiener's early life, particularly as he developed into a child prodigy.The book begins with Leo Wiener, the father of Norbert Wiener, who was an adamant proponent of the ideals of Tolstoy and vegetarianism.Leo Wiener came to the United States and eventually made his way to Cambridge, Massachusetts where Norbert's talents for languages became widely known.Norbert Wiener became known as the "most remarkable boy in the world" and would attend university at Tufts and Harvard, originally specializing in zoology, along with other child prodigies such as William James Sidis.Following his Ph.D. at Harvard at the age of 18, Wiener traveled to Europe to study logic and philosophy with such individuals as Bertrand Russell.However, upon returning home, Wiener underwent somewhat of a crisis.Wiener, who was a lifelong manic depressive and prone to absent-minded spells and depressions, would largely see his emotional turmoil as arising out of his early youth.Wiener went on to join the faculty at MIT, an engineering school which hoped to promote a new mathematics department.Wiener made several important contributions and it was here that he developed his science of cybernetics.Wiener was known to all his students for his "Wienerwegs" or "Wienerwalks", where he frequently absent-mindedly roamed about the halls and campus of MIT.Wiener married and had two daughters.He also became involved with various other individuals and prodigies who tried to advance the science of cybernetics and the logical system developed by Russell in the _Principia Mathematica_.Wiener also was active in promoting the Macy conferences, where a diverse group of intellectuals including mathematicians, economists, social scientists, and anthropologists worked out the ideas of cybernetics.Wiener was deeply concerned about the role that automation would play in the coming era and wrote an important work focusing on the "human use of human beings" to show his concern over the new role of automation and computers.Wiener also wrote some more religious and philosophical works in which he attempted to address the problem of the "golem" from Jewish mythology as it concerned man and his creations.During the Cold War, Wiener refused to participate in research for the military and this led to his being branded a "Red" by the FBI.Wiener eventually was to travel to Europe and even the Soviet Union where he attempted to advance the science of cybernetics, although he made clear that he disapproved of the role of both superpowers in the Cold War.Wiener also knew the mathematician and Nobel Prize winner John Nash while he was at MIT.In his old age, Wiener took an interest in India and Hinduism.Wiener attempted to identify a new role for automation in India and the potentially liberating effects of such technologies.Wiener also traveled to Stockholm to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony and it was here that he died.

This book offers an interesting account of the life of an important figure in the dawn of the information age.Norbert Wiener and his science of cybernetics played a great role in giving rise to the information age and the era of computing.While Wiener was certainly a man of many talents and contradictions, he also had a darker side to him as did the technologies made possible through his advances.It is for this reason that he may be seen as the "dark hero of the information age" and the father of cybernetics.

100,000% Shovelware
From a historical and economic and sociological perspective, this book is utter propaganda.

For example, from page 340, "To date, India's engineers and entrepreneurs have had the most success following the path Wiener chartered for their country's advancement, and while their numbers are still small compared to the whole of their population, they are reaping many of the benefits Weiner envisioned without the drawbacks of older models of industrialization."

Joke!

There is categorically no relationship between India's newfound economic success and Norbert Wiener.None.Na-da.Nothing.Zip-0!

And that was just a single sentence from this text.Just imagine what else lurks in 400 pages of writing from what are two absolute fools.Flo conway and Jim siegelman are the stupidest writers ever!

Dark Hero of the Information Age recounts his life and discoveries - and the consequences of his discoveries.
Dark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Nortbert Wiener the Father of Cybernetics tells of an ex-child prodigy and MIT mathematician who founded cybernetics - and then spent the rest of his life warning the world of the consequences of the new technologies he helped foster. Surprisingly, his works and his warnings are relatively unknown today - despite the fact many of his concerns and predictions came true. Dark Hero of the Information Age recounts his life and discoveries - and the consequences of his discoveries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Product Description

In these ground-breaking essays, Heinz von Foerster discusses some of the fundamental principles that govern how we know the world and how we process the information from which we derive that knowledge. The author was one of the founders of the science of cybernetics.

Product Description
Do you struggle daily to reach your goals, overcome obstacles, and eliminate pesky worries about your future?

Most of us still live by the motto "no pain, no gain." But this approach to life is actually a prescription for fear, frustration, and self-doubt.

Entrepreneurial genius Dan Kennedy has teamed up with Dr. Maxwell Maltz to create The New Psycho-Cybernetics: A Mind Technology for Living Your Life without Limits. Dr. Maxwell Maltz's principles of Psycho-Cybernetics have inspired and enhanced the lives of more than 30 million people around the world. Dr. Maltz invented a simple, step-by-step program that will help you replace a negative self-image with positive affirmations of empowerment.

The New Psycho-Cybernetics will help you:

*Deprogram yourself from self-doubt and negative self-evaluators
*Respond to stressful events with positive, corrective action
*Improve your self-image and reprogram yourself for success
*Learn to recognize potential signs of danger and avoid failure
*Overcome resistance to change
*Cope with important responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed
*Use a variety of techniques to virtually eliminate stress and anxiety from your life
*Learn a 10-point program for daily self-image strength conditioning
*And much more... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

It just doesnt get better than Psycho-Cybernetics
It still amazes me that the principles that Dr. Maltz founded in 1960 are still, In my personal experience, "The BEST" way for self-improvement that can ever come. This in light of the fact that since then maybe gazillions of books have been published, and even the "practical" methods are not as practical as these principles here, be it techniques for relaxation, dealing with the critic within, or "shadow boxing" . Dr. Maltz was a GENIUS, and this program is a must buy. If only more people had the courage to change their life, truly, this would be the No. 1 course, by far, to do that!

we can do whatever we put our minds to
love learning new things. its true , we can do & be anything we put pur minds to. i appreciate anyone with the skills to put into writing just how easy it really is to do, if your openminded enough & willing to try new things. thank you

Adjust your self-image for a happier life
The subject matter in these CDs was not handled by Dr. Maltz himself but by Dan Kennedy, a lifelong student and practitioner of Dr. Maltz's Creative Psycho-Cybernetics. Mr. Kennedy, in my opinion, was making a commentary on Dr. Maltz's work which he interspersed with audio clips of Dr. Maltz. Upon hearing the contrast, I felt it to be advantageous if I were to buy Dr. Maltz's book, Psycho-Cybernetics, and particularly because Dr. Maltz sounded very lucid. I am not disappointed that this product is more of a commentary than the actual work. It adds to my understanding of the subject and I am happy with the purchase.

love it! - nice supplement to original version
I heard from associates I work with that Psycho-Cybernetics is one of the best "mindset" and personal development books ever.I enjoyed it and I really enjoy audio books, so picked up this 6-CD set to go along with that version.Really enjoyed the two authors, Maxwell Maltz and Dan Kennedy.It was a good mixture of theory and practical use, as well a new and old.Kennedy added some very nice examples to back up what Dr. Maltz talked about.Hearing the two together really helped me to understand it.

I have read mixed reviews about this audio book, especially when comparing it to the original version of the book, which was first published in the 60s.This one is great, in my opinion, since it gives you a different perspective on the original writings.Is it a replacement?Maybe.It's definitely a good start though, so if you're like me and enjoy audio books, definitely pick it up.

Dan Kennedy disappoints from the first second
As I started listening to the program the first thing that is said is how much psycho-cybernetics should be acknowledged because this and that... Dan, I'm sorry but your approval seeking is almost as appaling as ...
Then he proceeds to 'tell' his experiences. I can pretty much see people repeating "I find myself relying more and more on psycho-cybernetics" like good robots and thinking they are better for it. It's so ridiculous it's actually fun.
The 60s (original) version is simply better. ... Read more