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The Bit and the Pendulum: From Quantum Computing to M Theory-The New Physics of Information
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Author: Tom Siegfried
List Price: $15.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0471399744
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (22 November, 2000)
Edition: Paperback
Sales Rank: 56,093
Average Customer Rating: 3.69 out of 5
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Customer ReviewsRating: 1 out of 5
Absence of Content
It is rare to see an author tackle such a rich and interesting subject, and write a book so vapid and lacking in content. The material is "explained" in terms of inept metaphors and vague hand-waving assertions. After devoting several hours to studying the book, the reader has the feeling that he's "been had", since he has acquired nothing in return for his effort. In fact, the author appears to have no more than the faintest grasp of the subject he is writing about.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Poorly written and vague
I bought this book on the strength of the reviews here, which as it turns out are extremely misleading. Yes, this is a very interesting topic and I did learn a few things from the book. But I personally found this one of the most poorly written, vacuous books I have ever read. Siegfried has done a broad survey of how scientists have found it useful in various fields to conceive of things in terms of information. It is a promising project; the problem is that he has very little idea of how all this is connected. Worse, he barely explains any of the science. He doesn't even seem to understand it himself--at least when he discusses the areas I am familiar with his explanations are clearly off the mark--but assures us that it is all very important and technical. In lieu of explanation, he drops names, telling the reader over and over and over how he personally talked to so-and-so and they assured him something-or-other was true. In one particularly embarrassing moment, Siegfried actually prints a full page interview in which he asks one scientist several incoherent questions, to which the scientist replies (I'm not kidding), "I don't know how to answer that," suggests the questions are outside of his field, and says Siegfried has gotten his meaning wrong. There's not even enough in this passage to take notes on, yet Siegfried prints it verbatim. I don't mean to bash him--and I'm glad someone is taking an interest in this important topic--but I don't want others to be mislead by these other reviews.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Excellent Introduction to Information Theory
If you are looking for a very readable book on the hot topic of information theory I would strongly recommend this book. Tom Siegfried is a gifted journalist that nurtures strong personal relationships with the leading theatrical physicists in the world. He uses these relationships to get insight into creating a clear layman's explanation for a variety of topics from the nature of computing, the brain, consciousness, quantum mechanics, quantum computing, relativity, string theory and black holes. He has numerous insights from his interviews with great physicists like John Wheeler who coined the term "It from Bits". Siegfried also introduces us to some lesser know information theorist that deserve recognition for their insights into information theory. Siegfried is one of a rare group of people that cares deeply about creating a clear layman's (non-mathematical) explanation of important topics to people that are interested in science and the nature of the world around us. I would rank this book with Ray Kurzweil's book "The Age of Spiritual Machines" as highly recommended for people interested in information theory and the future of computing.
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