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His book "Code" is an amazing exploration of how computers work. One of the best books I've ever read.
by charlieflowers 7y ago
His book "Code" is an amazing exploration of how computers work. One of the best books I've ever read.
- retsibsi 7y agoSeconded. He did an amazing job of combining accessibility and depth. The book opens with, iirc, the scenario of two neighbouring kids who want to communicate with each other from a distance -- how can they encode and transmit their messages? And it builds gradually and logically from there to an explanation of how the incredibly complex behaviour of computers can arise from truly simple building blocks. (Another approach to the same topic, and also excellent, is Nisan and Shocken's The Elements of Computing Systems. That was the first one to properly demystify computers for me -- until then, they were basically magic. I imagine Code would have done the same if I'd read it first.)