Turing (A Novel about Computation)

Nonfiction, Computers, Advanced Computing, Computer Science, General Computing, Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book Turing (A Novel about Computation) by Christos H. Papadimitriou, The MIT Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christos H. Papadimitriou ISBN: 9780262250788
Publisher: The MIT Press Publication: February 11, 2005
Imprint: The MIT Press Language: English
Author: Christos H. Papadimitriou
ISBN: 9780262250788
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication: February 11, 2005
Imprint: The MIT Press
Language: English

The world of computation according to Turing, an interactive tutoring program, as told to star-crossed lovers: a novel.

Our hero is Turing, an interactive tutoring program and namesake (or virtual emanation?) of Alan Turing, World War II code breaker and father of computer science. In this unusual novel, Turing's idiosyncratic version of intellectual history from a computational point of view unfolds in tandem with the story of a love affair involving Ethel, a successful computer executive, Alexandros, a melancholy archaeologist, and Ian, a charismatic hacker. After Ethel (who shares her first name with Alan Turing's mother) abandons Alexandros following a sundrenched idyll on Corfu, Turing appears on Alexandros's computer screen to unfurl a tutorial on the history of ideas. He begins with the philosopher-mathematicians of ancient Greece—"discourse, dialogue, argument, proof... can only thrive in an egalitarian society"—and the Arab scholar in ninth-century Baghdad who invented algorithms; he moves on to many other topics, including cryptography and artificial intelligence, even economics and developmental biology. (These lessons are later critiqued amusingly and developed further in postings by a fictional newsgroup in the book's afterword.) As Turing's lectures progress, the lives of Alexandros, Ethel, and Ian converge in dramatic fashion, and the story takes us from Corfu to Hong Kong, from Athens to San Francisco—and of course to the Internet, the disruptive technological and social force that emerges as the main locale and protagonist of the novel.

Alternately pedagogical and romantic, Turing (A Novel about Computation) should appeal both to students and professionals who want a clear and entertaining account of the development of computation and to the general reader who enjoys novels of ideas.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The world of computation according to Turing, an interactive tutoring program, as told to star-crossed lovers: a novel.

Our hero is Turing, an interactive tutoring program and namesake (or virtual emanation?) of Alan Turing, World War II code breaker and father of computer science. In this unusual novel, Turing's idiosyncratic version of intellectual history from a computational point of view unfolds in tandem with the story of a love affair involving Ethel, a successful computer executive, Alexandros, a melancholy archaeologist, and Ian, a charismatic hacker. After Ethel (who shares her first name with Alan Turing's mother) abandons Alexandros following a sundrenched idyll on Corfu, Turing appears on Alexandros's computer screen to unfurl a tutorial on the history of ideas. He begins with the philosopher-mathematicians of ancient Greece—"discourse, dialogue, argument, proof... can only thrive in an egalitarian society"—and the Arab scholar in ninth-century Baghdad who invented algorithms; he moves on to many other topics, including cryptography and artificial intelligence, even economics and developmental biology. (These lessons are later critiqued amusingly and developed further in postings by a fictional newsgroup in the book's afterword.) As Turing's lectures progress, the lives of Alexandros, Ethel, and Ian converge in dramatic fashion, and the story takes us from Corfu to Hong Kong, from Athens to San Francisco—and of course to the Internet, the disruptive technological and social force that emerges as the main locale and protagonist of the novel.

Alternately pedagogical and romantic, Turing (A Novel about Computation) should appeal both to students and professionals who want a clear and entertaining account of the development of computation and to the general reader who enjoys novels of ideas.

More books from The MIT Press

Cover of the book Making Democracy Fun by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Progress and Confusion by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Exchange Rate Regimes in the Modern Era by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book How Not to Network a Nation by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Play Matters by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Representation in Scientific Practice Revisited by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Philosophical Provocations by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book The Continued Exercise of Reason by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Digital Crossroads by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Heredity Explored by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book The Mind–Body Problem by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Central Banking in Theory and Practice by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book The Myth of the Moral Brain by Christos H. Papadimitriou
Cover of the book Literary Gaming by Christos H. Papadimitriou
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy