The Psychology of Computer Programming


Gerald M. Weinberg - 1971
    Weinberg adds new insights and highlights the similarities and differences between now and then. Using a conversational style that invites the reader to join him, Weinberg reunites with some of his most insightful writings on the human side of software engineering.Topics include egoless programming, intelligence, psychological measurement, personality factors, motivation, training, social problems on large projects, problem-solving ability, programming language design, team formation, the programming environment, and much more.Dorset House Publishing is proud to make this important text available to new generations of programmers -- and to encourage readers of the first edition to return to its valuable lessons.

Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future: The Ingenious Ideas That Drive Today's Computers


John MacCormick - 2012
    A simple web search picks out a handful of relevant needles from the world's biggest haystack: the billions of pages on the World Wide Web. Uploading a photo to Facebook transmits millions of pieces of information over numerous error-prone network links, yet somehow a perfect copy of the photo arrives intact. Without even knowing it, we use public-key cryptography to transmit secret information like credit card numbers; and we use digital signatures to verify the identity of the websites we visit. How do our computers perform these tasks with such ease? This is the first book to answer that question in language anyone can understand, revealing the extraordinary ideas that power our PCs, laptops, and smartphones. Using vivid examples, John MacCormick explains the fundamental "tricks" behind nine types of computer algorithms, including artificial intelligence (where we learn about the "nearest neighbor trick" and "twenty questions trick"), Google's famous PageRank algorithm (which uses the "random surfer trick"), data compression, error correction, and much more. These revolutionary algorithms have changed our world: this book unlocks their secrets, and lays bare the incredible ideas that our computers use every day.

The Driver in the Driverless Car: How Our Technology Choices Will Create the Future


Vivek Wadhwa - 2017
    Another is composing classical music. Labs are creating life-forms from synthetic DNA. A doctor designs an artificial trachea, uses a 3D printer to produce it, and implants it and saves a child's life. Astonishing technological advances like these are arriving in increasing numbers. Scholar and entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa uses this book to alert us to dozens of them and raise important questions about what they may mean for us. Breakthroughs such as personalized genomics, self-driving vehicles, drones, and artificial intelligence could make our lives healthier, safer, and easier. But the same technologies raise the specter of a frightening, alienating future: eugenics, a jobless economy, complete loss of privacy, and ever-worsening economic inequality. As Wadhwa puts it, our choices will determine if our future is Star Trek or Mad Max. Wadhwa offers us three questions to ask about every emerging technology: Does it have the potential to benefit everyone equally? What are its risks and rewards? And does it promote autonomy or dependence? Looking at a broad array of advances in this light, he emphasizes that the future is up to us to create--that even if our hands are not on the wheel, we will decide the driverless car's destination.ContentsPreface IntroductionPART ONE: The Here and Now1. A bitter taste of dystopia2. Welcome to Moore’s world3. How change will affect us personally and why choices matter4. If change is always the answer, what are the questions?PART TWO: Does the technology have the potential to benefit everyone equally?5. The amazing and scary rise of Artificial Intelligence6. Remaking education with avatars and A.I.7. We are becoming data; our doctors, softwarePART THREE: What are the risks and the rewards?8. Robotics and Biology: The inevitable merging of man and machine9. Security and privacy in an era of ubiquitous connectivity10. The drones are coming11. Designer genes, the bacteria in our guts, and precision medicinePART FOUR: Does the technology foster autonomy or dependency?12. Your own private driver: Self-driving cars, trucks, and planes13. When your scale talks to your refrigerator: The Internet of Things14. The future of your body is electric15. Almost free energy and foodConclusion: So will it be Star Trek or Mad Max?NotesAcknowledgmentsIndexAbout the authors

The Master Note System: A New Way to Use Evernote to Organize Your Life


Marjory Harris - 2016
    Or perhaps you’re already using a digital note app, but you can't find a particular note without a tedious search. What if you could have a one-stop spot where you can find everything you need, in an instant, on all your devices, wherever you are? Organize Your Whole Life On A Single Page Learn a new way to organize your life using Evernote, a free program.Bestselling author Marjory Harris created a simple system to put everything in Master Notes, one or two clicks away. Using the free version of Evernote and the free Master Note templates that come with the book, you can do this too. Experienced Evernote Users Will Learn New Tricks, and New Users Will Learn The Essentials What makes this so special? This new Master Note method is not described in any other Evernote guide out there. Using Master Notes, you’ll quickly find anything you need within just one or two clicks. You won’t find an Evernote system this simple and user friendly anywhere else. This concise and informative book is jam-packed with useful tips for newbies and would-be ninjas. Getting things done will be easier than ever with this actionable guide. As one reader said, "The graphics and pictorials make for an easy and captivating read. I didn't even know I was learning because the real life scenarios made for a compelling read." Here's what some readers are saying: * The Master Note system is a stroke of genius.The book is detailed; graphics galore -- N. Lane * A brilliant method for organizing your notes. -- K. Hook * It's written so you can understand it if you've never used Evernote before, or even if you're a veteran. She's put instructions for both Mac and PC which I really appreciated. -- T. Micola Imagine Your Life Finally Organized Without Any More Digital Clutter With this book and the Master Note System ✔ You'll increase your productivity ✔ You'll free up time you now waste looking for information or sorting data ✔ You'll get free templates you need to organize everything that matters to you ✔ You'll stop wasting time searching and reading repetitive notes ✔ You'll end your struggle with information overload ✔ You'll get rid of existing clutter ✔ You'll learn an exciting new way to work ✔ You'll clarify your thinking ✔ You'll free yourself from dependence on tags or notebooks and tedious searches ✔ You'll keep new information organized and readily accessible This book comes with a FREE indispensable set of pre-made tables for your own Master Notes. Get organized now. Increase your productivity and free up your valuable time.

Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals


Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic - 2015
    You'll discover the power of storytelling and the way to make data a pivotal point in your story. The lessons in this illuminative text are grounded in theory, but made accessible through numerous real-world examples--ready for immediate application to your next graph or presentation.Storytelling is not an inherent skill, especially when it comes to data visualization, and the tools at our disposal don't make it any easier. This book demonstrates how to go beyond conventional tools to reach the root of your data, and how to use your data to create an engaging, informative, compelling story. Specifically, you'll learn how to:Understand the importance of context and audience Determine the appropriate type of graph for your situation Recognize and eliminate the clutter clouding your information Direct your audience's attention to the most important parts of your data Think like a designer and utilize concepts of design in data visualization Leverage the power of storytelling to help your message resonate with your audience Together, the lessons in this book will help you turn your data into high impact visual stories that stick with your audience. Rid your world of ineffective graphs, one exploding 3D pie chart at a time. There is a story in your data--Storytelling with Data will give you the skills and power to tell it!

The Business of LIFE: How You Can Prosper In The Information Age


Chris Brady - 2004