Rating: 
Summary: An interesting book about life and intelligence
Review: Very interesting approach to the themes of life and computation.
The historical chapters are great!
Makes one think about what is intelligence...
I recommend it to my friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Voice of Dissent
Review: While I understand and (to a certain extent) agree with all the positive comments from the reviewers on this page, I find myself unable to share the sentiments.The book is well written in the sense that Dyson provides a rich series of anecdotes and historical facts to back up the connection between the evolution of man and machine that he posits as his central thesis. And while I really appreciated those anecdotes, I didn't find that he really earned my belief. I often found that he made leaps of logic in the way he lay the thing out that were expected to stand more on the charmingness of the stories and/or the pithiness of the quotations that preface each chapter than on a real well-constructed argument. I often didn't follow how he got from point C to point D and frankly I found many of the connections that he made rather streched in appropriateness. This said, Dyson is clearly a very smart guy with a lot of interesting things to say on the topic, so despite my concerns/disbelief, the book is a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent preaching
Review: Who is going to listen to Dyson's preaching? His religion is a very sad one because it makes human beings feel very small. A book to be read like good wine, a little bit at a time with many breaks to think about what one has read.
Rating:
Summary: Propeller head? Read it!
Review: Wow! What a bunch of excellent reviews! They all provide excellent information. That won't stop me from entering my own review, but I will present it in the form of a self-test. Answer questions for the intended reader (IR) of the book. 1. Does the IR have one or more books relating to Science with the word "fuzzy" in the title? 2. Does the IR describe time sitting in front of the computer as "fun"? 3. Does the IR cite Gödel's theorem at recreational gatherings? 4. Does the IR have both a cellular phone and a Personal Digital Assistant? 5. Does the IR cite evolutionary theory as an explanation for everyday phenomena? 6. Is the IR a member of the Sierra Club or Greenpeace and a regular reader of one of the following: Scientific American, Nature, Science, or Technology Review? 7. Does the IR regularly read Discover magazine and is a college graduate (or equivalent autodidact)? I think you get the idea. If "yes" is the answer to one or more of the above, this book should be a hit. If you said "yes" to three or more, this book is a must have!
| 
