Book picks similar to
A New History of Modern Computing by Thomas Haigh
history
history-of-science
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computing
Mafiaboy: How I Cracked The Internet And Why Its Still Broken
Michael Calce - 2008
After 2 months and hundreds of hours of wiretapping, the FBI and RCMP staged a late-night raid to apprehend the most wanted man in cyberspace—a 15-year-old kid, Mafiaboy. 8 years later, Mafiaboy, a.k.a.Michael Calce, has ignored requests from every major media outlet in North America and has not told a word of his story—until now. Using his experience as a cautionary tale, Calce takes the reader through the history of hacking and how it has helped make the internet the new frontier for crime in the 21st century.
Beginning Programming All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies
Wallace Wang - 2007
If programming intrigues you (for whatever reason), Beginning Programming All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies is like having a starter programming library all in one handy, if hefty, book.In this practical guide, you'll find out about algorithms, best practices, compiling, debugging your programs, and much more. The concepts are illustrated in several different programming languages, so you'll get a feel for the variety of languages and the needs they fill.Inside you'll discover seven minibooks:Getting Started: From learning methods for writing programs to becoming familiar with types of programming languages, you'll lay the foundation for your programming adventure with this minibook. Programming Basics: Here you'll dive into how programs work, variables, data types, branching, looping, subprograms, objects, and more. Data Structures: From structures, arrays, sets, linked lists, and collections, to stacks, queues, graphs, and trees, you'll dig deeply into the data. Algorithms: This minibook shows you how to sort and search algorithms, how to use string searching, and gets into data compression and encryption. Web Programming: Learn everything you need to know about coding for the web: HyperText. Markup Language (better known simply as HTML), CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and Ruby. Programming Language Syntax: Introduces you to the syntax of various languages - C, C++, Java, C#, Perl, Python, Pascal, Delphi, Visual Basic, REALbasic - so you know when to use which one. Applications: This is the fun part where you put your newly developed programming skills to work in practical ways. Additionally, Beginning Programming All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies shows you how to decide what you want your program to do, turn your instructions into "machine language" that the computer understands, use programming best practices, explore the "how" and "why" of data structuring, and more. And you'll get a look into various applications like database management, bioinformatics, computer security, and artificial intelligence. After you get this book and start coding, you'll soon realize that -- wow! You're a programmer!
Venom: Vendettas, Betrayals and the Price of Power
David Crowe - 2019
They plotted. They schemed. They unleashed chaos.Australia lost two prime ministers in three years in a period of political bloodshed that took the nation's government to the brink of collapse - until an extraordinary election changed everything.Venom is the secret history of the brutal power play to lead the government. It sheds new light on the fall of Tony Abbott, the rise of Malcolm Turnbull and the electrifying leadership spill that brought parliament to a halt in August 2018. In a day-by-day account, it reveals the strategy Scott Morrison used to defeat his opponents and claim ultimate authority.David Crowe reported these events for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age as they unfolded. Using more than one hundred interviews with the participants, he tells an epic story of revenge, hatred and the ruthless pursuit of power. And he asks whether the future holds any peace when the past is so full of poison.PRAISE'David Crowe is both wise guide and sage interpreter in this gripping journey through the angry years of Australian politics' Chris Uhlmann'David Crowe writes with precision and clarity - dissecting the characters, deep rivalries and ideological wars that churned through three Liberal Prime Ministers' Patricia Karvelas'A compelling read about a time of Liberal madness' Michelle Grattan'Crowe's book is as good a piece of modern political history as you'll find. It has some failings' Dennis Atkins, The Australian'... a 21st-century contribution to the [revenge tragedy] genre' Jeff Sparrow, Sydney Morning Herald / The Age
Zero Day: The Threat In Cyberspace
Robert O'Harrow Jr. - 2013
For more than a year, Washington Post reporter Robert O'Harrow has explored the threats proliferating in our digital universe. This eBook is a compilation of that reporting. With chapters built around real people, including hackers, security researchers and corporate executives, this book will help regular people, lawmakers and businesses better understand the mind-bending challenge of keeping the internet safe from hackers and security breaches -- and all out war.
A People's History of Computing in the United States
Joy Lisi Rankin - 2018
But throughout the 1960s and 1970s a diverse group of teachers and students working together on academic computing systems conducted many of the activities we now recognize as personal and social computing. Their networks were centered in New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Illinois, but they connected far-flung users. Joy Rankin draws on detailed records to explore how users exchanged messages, programmed music and poems, fostered communities, and developed computer games like The Oregon Trail. These unsung pioneers helped shape our digital world, just as much as the inventors, garage hobbyists, and eccentric billionaires of Palo Alto.By imagining computing as an interactive commons, the early denizens of the digital realm seeded today's debate about whether the internet should be a public utility and laid the groundwork for the concept of net neutrality. Rankin offers a radical precedent for a more democratic digital culture, and new models for the next generation of activists, educators, coders, and makers.
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
Steven Levy - 1984
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 captured 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 and well.
Quantum Computing Since Democritus
Scott Aaronson - 2013
Full of insights, arguments and philosophical perspectives, the book covers an amazing array of topics. Beginning in antiquity with Democritus, it progresses through logic and set theory, computability and complexity theory, quantum computing, cryptography, the information content of quantum states and the interpretation of quantum mechanics. There are also extended discussions about time travel, Newcomb's Paradox, the anthropic principle and the views of Roger Penrose. Aaronson's informal style makes this fascinating book accessible to readers with scientific backgrounds, as well as students and researchers working in physics, computer science, mathematics and philosophy.
MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-290): Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment
Dan Holme - 2003
As you d expect, there s accurate, clearly written coverage of every exam objective (now including Service Pack 1): installation and configuration; user, group, and computer accounts; filesystems and backup/recovery; hardware, disk storage, and printers; Update Services and licensing; monitoring, and more. The content s been extensively revamped and more effectively focused on the exam s objectives. There s also a large Prepare for the Test section packed with questions, answers, testing skills, and suggested practices. You ll find more case studies, more troubleshooting scenarios, electronic practice testing in practically any form your heart desires, and (if you don t have Windows Server handy) a 120-day evaluation version. There s even a 15% discount coupon for your exam -- making this package an even more compelling proposition. Bill Camarda, from the June 2006 href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/newslet... Only
Accidental Empires
Robert X. Cringely - 1992
Accidental Empires is the trenchant, vastly readable history of that industry, focusing as much on the astoundingly odd personalities at its core—Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mitch Kapor, etc. and the hacker culture they spawned as it does on the remarkable technology they created. Cringely reveals the manias and foibles of these men (they are always men) with deadpan hilarity and cogently demonstrates how their neuroses have shaped the computer business. But Cringely gives us much more than high-tech voyeurism and insider gossip. From the birth of the transistor to the mid-life crisis of the computer industry, he spins a sweeping, uniquely American saga of creativity and ego that is at once uproarious, shocking and inspiring.
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.
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
Charles Petzold - 1999
And through CODE, we see how this ingenuity and our very human compulsion to communicate have driven the technological innovations of the past two centuries. Using everyday objects and familiar language systems such as Braille and Morse code, author Charles Petzold weaves an illuminating narrative for anyone who’s ever wondered about the secret inner life of computers and other smart machines. It’s a cleverly illustrated and eminently comprehensible story—and along the way, you’ll discover you’ve gained a real context for understanding today’s world of PCs, digital media, and the Internet. No matter what your level of technical savvy, CODE will charm you—and perhaps even awaken the technophile within.
Windows 7 Inside Out
Ed Bott - 2009
It's all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts tackle Windows 7--and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery! Compare features and capabilities in each edition of Windows 7.Configure and customize your system with advanced setup options.Manage files, folders, and media libraries.Set up a wired or wireless network and manage shared resources.Administer accounts, passwords, and logons--and help control access to resources.Configure Internet Explorer 8 settings and security zones.Master security essentials to help protect against viruses, worms, and spyware.Troubleshoot errors and fine-tune performance.Automate routine maintenance with scripts and other tools. CD includes: Fully searchable eBookDownloadable gadgets and other tools for customizing Windows 7Insights direct from the product team on the official Windows 7 blogLinks to the latest security updates and products, demos, blogs, and user communities For customers who purchase an ebook version of this title, instructions for downloading the CD files can be found in the ebook.
Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball
Kerry Eggers - 2018
For almost a decade, they won 60 percent of their games while making it to the Western Conference Finals twice. However, what happened off-court was just as unforgettable as what they did on the court. When someone asked Blazers general manager Bob Whitsitt about his team’s chemistry, he replied that he’d “never studied chemistry in college.” And with that, the “Jail Blazers” were born. Built in a similar fashion to a fantasy team, the team had skills, but their issues ended up being their undoing. In fact, many consider it the darkest period in franchise history. While fans across the country were watching the skills of Damon Stoudamire, Rasheed Wallace, and Zach Randolph, those in Portland couldn’t have been more disappointed in the players’ off-court actions. This, many have mentioned, included a very racial element—which carried over to the players as well. As forward Rasheed Wallace said, “We’re not really going to worry about what the hell [the fans] think about us. They really don’t matter to us. They can boo us every day, but they’re still going to ask for our autographs if they see us on the street. That’s why they’re fans and we’re NBA players.” While people think of the Detroit Pistons of the eighties as the elite “Bad Boys,” the “Jail Blazers” were actually bad. Author Kerry Eggers, who covered the Trail Blazers during this controversial era, goes back to share the stories from the players, coaches, management, and those in Portland when the players were in the headlines as much for their play as for their legal issues.
Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight
David A. Mindell - 2008
Neil Armstrong responded by switching off the automatic mode and taking direct control. He stopped monitoring the computer and began flying the spacecraft, relying on skill to land it and earning praise for a triumph of human over machine. In Digital Apollo, engineer-historian David Mindell takes this famous moment as a starting point for an exploration of the relationship between humans and computers in the Apollo program. In each of the six Apollo landings, the astronaut in command seized control from the computer and landed with his hand on the stick. Mindell recounts the story of astronauts' desire to control their spacecraft in parallel with the history of the Apollo Guidance Computer. From the early days of aviation through the birth of spaceflight, test pilots and astronauts sought to be more than "spam in a can" despite the automatic controls, digital computers, and software developed by engineers.Digital Apollo examines the design and execution of each of the six Apollo moon landings, drawing on transcripts and data telemetry from the flights, astronaut interviews, and NASA's extensive archives. Mindell's exploration of how human pilots and automated systems worked together to achieve the ultimate in flight -- a lunar landing -- traces and reframes the debate over the future of humans and automation in space. The results have implications for any venture in which human roles seem threatened by automated systems, whether it is the work at our desktops or the future of exploration.
CompTIA Network+ Study Guide: Exam N10-004
Todd Lammle - 2009
Using his one-of-a-kind conversational style, Todd gives you clear and concise information on crucial networking topics through practical examples and insights drawn from his real-world experience. This Study Guide thoroughly covers all exam objectives for the CompTIA Network+ exam (N10-004), including key topics such as network technologies, media and topologies, devices, management, tools, and security. Along with the book you get a CD-ROM featuring a custom test engine with chapter review questions, two practice exams, flashcards, and the book as a searchable PDF.Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.For Instructors: Teaching supplements are available for this title.