Book picks similar to
Coding for Dummies by Nikhil Abraham
non-fiction
technology
coding
self-improvement
The Creativity Code: How AI Is Learning to Write, Paint and Think
Marcus du Sautoy - 2019
They can navigate more data than a doctor or lawyer and act with greater precision. For many years we’ve taken solace in the notion that they can’t create. But now that algorithms can learn and adapt, does the future of creativity belong to machines, too?It is hard to imagine a better guide to the bewildering world of artificial intelligence than Marcus du Sautoy, a celebrated Oxford mathematician whose work on symmetry in the ninth dimension has taken him to the vertiginous edge of mathematical understanding. In The Creativity Code he considers what machine learning means for the future of creativity. The Pollockizer can produce drip paintings in the style of Jackson Pollock, Botnik spins off fanciful (if improbable) scenes inspired by J. K. Rowling, and the music-composing algorithm Emmy managed to fool a panel of Bach experts. But do these programs just mimic, or do they have what it takes to create? Du Sautoy argues that to answer this question, we need to understand how the algorithms that drive them work―and this brings him back to his own subject of mathematics, with its puzzles, constraints, and enticing possibilities.While most recent books on AI focus on the future of work, The Creativity Code moves us to the forefront of creative new technologies and offers a more positive and unexpected vision of our future cohabitation with machines. It challenges us to reconsider what it means to be human―and to crack the creativity code.
How the Internet Works (How It Works)
Preston Gralla - 1991
The Internet has changed the world... and, with everything from blogs to podcasts, Internet phones to video, it's still changing the world. Now, it's easy to understand how it all works! This book's big, brilliant, full-color illustrations and clear explanations make it all incredibly simple! DISCOVER HOW THE INTERNET REALLY WORKS... IT'S AMAZINGLY EASY! This new edition has been completely updated for today's hottest Internet technologies, Web connections, hardware, communications and entertainment services, and much more! - See how the Internet can deliver any kind of information, anywhere: web pages, email, music, video, phone calls, and more! - Understand the most exciting new Internet technologies, from blogs and podcasting to wikis and BitTorrent - Discover how your connection to the Internet works... wireless, cable modem, DSL, even cellphones - Go behind the scenes with today's most sophisticated websites, applications, and services - Protect yourself from the latest Internet dangers, including phishing, web surveillance, and wireless hacking Preston Gralla is the award-winning author of more than 30 books, including How the Internet Works, Complete Idiot's Guide to Internet Privacy and Security, Complete Idiot's Guide to Protecting Your Child Online, and How Wireless Works. He has written frequently about security issues, computer technology, the Internet, and has been a columnist for many magazines, websites and newspapers.
Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Steve Krug - 2000
And it’s still short, profusely illustrated…and best of all–fun to read.If you’ve read it before, you’ll rediscover what made Don’t Make Me Think so essential to Web designers and developers around the world. If you’ve never read it, you’ll see why so many people have said it should be required reading for anyone working on Web sites.
An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies
Sergio Sismondo - 2003
Provides an accessible overview of science and technology studies. Features numerous empirical studies and illustrative examples. Focuses on the central debates and key theoretical advances. Includes topics such as realism and social construction, discourse and rhetoric, objectivity, the role of experiment and theory, controversies, and the critique of science and technology.
Unbound: How Eight Technologies Made Us Human, Transformed Society, and Brought Our World to the Brink
Richard L. Currier - 2015
Over time, eight key technologies gradually freed us from the limitations of our animal origins.The fabrication of weapons, the mastery of fire, and the technologies of clothing and shelter radically restructured the human body, enabling us to walk upright, shed our body hair, and migrate out of tropical Africa. Symbolic communication transformed human evolution from a slow biological process into a fast cultural process. The invention of agriculture revolutionized the relationship between humanity and the environment, and the technologies of interaction led to the birth of civilization. Precision machinery spawned the industrial revolution and the rise of nation-states; and in the next metamorphosis, digital technologies may well unite all of humanity for the benefit of future generations.Synthesizing the findings of primatology, paleontology, archeology, history, and anthropology, Richard Currier reinterprets and retells the modern narrative of human evolution that began with the discovery of Lucy and other Australopithecus fossils. But the same forces that allowed us to integrate technology into every aspect of our daily lives have also brought us to the brink of planetary catastrophe. Unbound explains both how we got here and how human society must be transformed again to achieve a sustainable future.Technology: “The deliberate modification of any natural object or substance with forethought to achieve a specific end or to serve a specific purpose.”
Kubernetes: Up & Running
Kelsey Hightower - 2016
How's that possible? Google revealed the secret through a project called Kubernetes, an open source cluster orchestrator (based on its internal Borg system) that radically simplifies the task of building, deploying, and maintaining scalable distributed systems in the cloud. This practical guide shows you how Kubernetes and container technology can help you achieve new levels of velocity, agility, reliability, and efficiency.Authors Kelsey Hightower, Brendan Burns, and Joe Beda--who've worked on Kubernetes at Google--explain how this system fits into the lifecycle of a distributed application. You will learn how to use tools and APIs to automate scalable distributed systems, whether it is for online services, machine-learning applications, or a cluster of Raspberry Pi computers.Explore the distributed system challenges that Kubernetes addressesDive into containerized application development, using containers such as DockerCreate and run containers on Kubernetes, using Docker's Image format and container runtimeExplore specialized objects essential for running applications in productionReliably roll out new software versions without downtime or errorsGet examples of how to develop and deploy real-world applications in Kubernetes
Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing
Rex Black - 1999
The preeminent expert in his field, Mr.Black draws upon years of experience as president of both theInternational and American Software Testing Qualifications boardsto offer this extensive resource of all the standards, methods, andtools you'll need.The book covers core testing concepts and thoroughly examinesthe best test management practices and tools of leading hardwareand software vendors. Step-by-step guidelines and real-worldscenarios help you follow all necessary processes and avoidmistakes.Producing high-quality computer hardware and software requirescareful, professional testing; Managing the Testing Process, Third Edition explains how to achieve that by following adisciplined set of carefully managed and monitored practices andprocessesThe book covers all standards, methods, and tools you need forprojects large and smallPresents the business case for testing products and reviews theauthor's latest test assessmentsTopics include agile testing methods, risk-based testing, IEEEstandards, ISTQB certification, distributed and outsourced testing, and moreOver 100 pages of new material and case studies have been addedto this new editionIf you're responsible for managing testing in the real world, Managing the Testing Process, Third Edition is the valuablereference and guide you need.
High Performance JavaScript
Nicholas C. Zakas - 2010
The problem is that all of those lines of JavaScript code can slow down your apps. This book reveals techniques and strategies to help you eliminate performance bottlenecks during development. You'll learn how to improve execution time, downloading, interaction with the DOM, page life cycle, and more.
Yahoo! frontend engineer Nicholas C. Zakas and five other JavaScript experts -- Ross Harmes, Julien Lecomte, Steven Levithan, Stoyan Stefanov, and Matt Sweeney -- demonstrate optimal ways to load code onto a page, and offer programming tips to help your JavaScript run as efficiently and quickly as possible. You'll learn the best practices to build and deploy your files to a production environment, and tools that can help you find problems once your site goes live.
Identify problem code and use faster alternatives to accomplish the same task Improve scripts by learning how JavaScript stores and accesses data Implement JavaScript code so that it doesn't slow down interaction with the DOM Use optimization techniques to improve runtime performance Learn ways to ensure the UI is responsive at all times Achieve faster client-server communication Use a build system to minify files, and HTTP compression to deliver them to the browser
The Go Programming Language
Alan A.A. Donovan - 2015
It has been winning converts from dynamic language enthusiasts as well as users of traditional compiled languages. The former appreciate the robustness and efficiency that Go's lightweight type system brings to their code; the latter find Go's simplicity and fast tools a refreshing change. Thanks to its well-designed standard libraries and its excellent support for concurrent programming, Go is fast becoming the language of choice for distributed systems. The Go Programming Language is the definitive book on Go for the working programmer. It assumes no prior knowledge of Go, nor any other specific programming language, so you'll find it an accessible guide whether you come from JavaScript, Ruby, Python, Java, or C++. The book will quickly get you started using Go effectively from the beginning, and by the end, you will know how to use it well to write clear, idiomatic and efficient programs to solve real-world problems. You'll understand not just how to use its standard libraries, but how they work, and how to apply the same design techniques to your own projects. The earlier chapters will introduce you to the basic concepts of Go programming---numbers, strings, functions---while at the same time presenting important computer science concepts like recursion, and useful examples of graphics, UTF-8, and error handling. The chapters on methods and interfaces will show you a new way to think about object-oriented programming; the chapter on concurrency explains why concurrency is so important in modern programming, and how Go helps you handle it well. You'll also learn about Go's pragmatic but effective approach to testing; how to build, test, and manage projects using the go tool, and the art of metaprogramming using reflection. The book contains hundreds of interesting and practical examples that cover the whole language and a wide range of applications. The code samples from the book are available for download from gopl.io.
Regular Expressions Cookbook
Jan Goyvaerts - 2009
Every programmer can find uses for regular expressions, but their power doesn't come worry-free. Even seasoned users often suffer from poor performance, false positives, false negatives, or perplexing bugs. Regular Expressions Cookbook offers step-by-step instructions for some of the most common tasks involving this tool, with recipes for C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, and VB.NET.With this book, you will:Understand the basics of regular expressions through a concise tutorial Use regular expressions effectively in several programming and scripting languages Learn how to validate and format input Manage words, lines, special characters, and numerical values Find solutions for using regular expressions in URLs, paths, markup, and data exchange Learn the nuances of more advanced regex features Understand how regular expressions' APIs, syntax, and behavior differ from language to language Write better regular expressions for custom needs Whether you're a novice or an experienced user, Regular Expressions Cookbook will help deepen your knowledge of this unique and irreplaceable tool. You'll learn powerful new tricks, avoid language-specific gotchas, and save valuable time with this huge library of proven solutions to difficult, real-world problems.
How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life
Catherine Price - 2018
Is your phone the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last thing you touch before bed? Do you frequently pick it up "just to check," only to look up forty-five minutes later wondering where the time has gone? Do you say you want to spend less time on your phone--but have no idea how to do so without giving it up completely? If so, this book is your solution.Award-winning journalist Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up--and then make up--with your phone. The goal? A long-term relationship that actually feels good. You'll discover how phones and apps are designed to be addictive, and learn how the time we spend on them damages our abilities to focus, think deeply, and form new memories. You'll then make customized changes to your settings, apps, environment, and mindset that will ultimately enable you to take back control of your life.
About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design
Alan Cooper - 1995
You'll learn the principles of good product behavior and gain an understanding of Cooper's Goal-Directed Design method, which involves everything from conducting user research to defining your product using personas and scenarios. Ultimately, you'll acquire the knowledge to design the best possible digital products and services.