Download or read book Dive Into Algorithms written by Bradford Tuckfield and published by No Starch Press. This book was released on 2021-01-05 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dive Into Algorithms is a broad introduction to algorithms using the Python Programming Language. Dive Into Algorithms is a wide-ranging, Pythonic tour of many of the world's most interesting algorithms. With little more than a bit of computer programming experience and basic high-school math, you'll explore standard computer science algorithms for searching, sorting, and optimization; human-based algorithms that help us determine how to catch a baseball or eat the right amount at a buffet; and advanced algorithms like ones used in machine learning and artificial intelligence. You'll even explore how ancient Egyptians and Russian peasants used algorithms to multiply numbers, how the ancient Greeks used them to find greatest common divisors, and how Japanese scholars in the age of samurai designed algorithms capable of generating magic squares. You'll explore algorithms that are useful in pure mathematics and learn how mathematical ideas can improve algorithms. You'll learn about an algorithm for generating continued fractions, one for quick calculations of square roots, and another for generating seemingly random sets of numbers. You'll also learn how to: • Use algorithms to debug code, maximize revenue, schedule tasks, and create decision trees • Measure the efficiency and speed of algorithms • Generate Voronoi diagrams for use in various geometric applications • Use algorithms to build a simple chatbot, win at board games, or solve sudoku puzzles • Write code for gradient ascent and descent algorithms that can find the maxima and minima of functions • Use simulated annealing to perform global optimization • Build a decision tree to predict happiness based on a person's characteristics Once you've finished this book you'll understand how to code and implement important algorithms as well as how to measure and optimize their performance, all while learning the nitty-gritty details of today's most powerful algorithms.
Download or read book Dive Into Algorithms written by Bradford Tuckfield and published by No Starch Press. This book was released on 2021-01-25 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dive Into Algorithms is a broad introduction to algorithms using the Python Programming Language. Dive Into Algorithms is a wide-ranging, Pythonic tour of many of the world's most interesting algorithms. With little more than a bit of computer programming experience and basic high-school math, you'll explore standard computer science algorithms for searching, sorting, and optimization; human-based algorithms that help us determine how to catch a baseball or eat the right amount at a buffet; and advanced algorithms like ones used in machine learning and artificial intelligence. You'll even explore how ancient Egyptians and Russian peasants used algorithms to multiply numbers, how the ancient Greeks used them to find greatest common divisors, and how Japanese scholars in the age of samurai designed algorithms capable of generating magic squares. You'll explore algorithms that are useful in pure mathematics and learn how mathematical ideas can improve algorithms. You'll learn about an algorithm for generating continued fractions, one for quick calculations of square roots, and another for generating seemingly random sets of numbers. You'll also learn how to: Use algorithms to debug code, maximize revenue, schedule tasks, and create decision trees Measure the efficiency and speed of algorithms Generate Voronoi diagrams for use in various geometric applications Use algorithms to build a simple chatbot, win at board games, or solve sudoku puzzles Write code for gradient ascent and descent algorithms that can find the maxima and minima of functions Use simulated annealing to perform global optimization Build a decision tree to predict happiness based on a person's characteristics Once you've finished this book you'll understand how to code and implement important algorithms as well as how to measure and optimize their performance, all while learning the nitty-gritty details of today's most powerful algorithms.
Download or read book Algorithms in a Nutshell written by George T. Heineman and published by "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". This book was released on 2008-10-14 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Creating robust software requires the use of efficient algorithms, but programmers seldom think about them until a problem occurs. Algorithms in a Nutshell describes a large number of existing algorithms for solving a variety of problems, and helps you select and implement the right algorithm for your needs -- with just enough math to let you understand and analyze algorithm performance. With its focus on application, rather than theory, this book provides efficient code solutions in several programming languages that you can easily adapt to a specific project. Each major algorithm is presented in the style of a design pattern that includes information to help you understand why and when the algorithm is appropriate. With this book, you will: Solve a particular coding problem or improve on the performance of an existing solution Quickly locate algorithms that relate to the problems you want to solve, and determine why a particular algorithm is the right one to use Get algorithmic solutions in C, C++, Java, and Ruby with implementation tips Learn the expected performance of an algorithm, and the conditions it needs to perform at its best Discover the impact that similar design decisions have on different algorithms Learn advanced data structures to improve the efficiency of algorithms With Algorithms in a Nutshell, you'll learn how to improve the performance of key algorithms essential for the success of your software applications.
Download or read book Grokking Algorithms written by Aditya Bhargava and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-05-12 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book does the impossible: it makes math fun and easy!" - Sander Rossel, COAS Software Systems Grokking Algorithms is a fully illustrated, friendly guide that teaches you how to apply common algorithms to the practical problems you face every day as a programmer. You'll start with sorting and searching and, as you build up your skills in thinking algorithmically, you'll tackle more complex concerns such as data compression and artificial intelligence. Each carefully presented example includes helpful diagrams and fully annotated code samples in Python. Learning about algorithms doesn't have to be boring! Get a sneak peek at the fun, illustrated, and friendly examples you'll find in Grokking Algorithms on Manning Publications' YouTube channel. Continue your journey into the world of algorithms with Algorithms in Motion, a practical, hands-on video course available exclusively at Manning.com (www.manning.com/livevideo/algorithms-?in-motion). Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Technology An algorithm is nothing more than a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem. The algorithms you'll use most often as a programmer have already been discovered, tested, and proven. If you want to understand them but refuse to slog through dense multipage proofs, this is the book for you. This fully illustrated and engaging guide makes it easy to learn how to use the most important algorithms effectively in your own programs. About the Book Grokking Algorithms is a friendly take on this core computer science topic. In it, you'll learn how to apply common algorithms to the practical programming problems you face every day. You'll start with tasks like sorting and searching. As you build up your skills, you'll tackle more complex problems like data compression and artificial intelligence. Each carefully presented example includes helpful diagrams and fully annotated code samples in Python. By the end of this book, you will have mastered widely applicable algorithms as well as how and when to use them. What's Inside Covers search, sort, and graph algorithms Over 400 pictures with detailed walkthroughs Performance trade-offs between algorithms Python-based code samples About the Reader This easy-to-read, picture-heavy introduction is suitable for self-taught programmers, engineers, or anyone who wants to brush up on algorithms. About the Author Aditya Bhargava is a Software Engineer with a dual background in Computer Science and Fine Arts. He blogs on programming at adit.io. Table of Contents Introduction to algorithms Selection sort Recursion Quicksort Hash tables Breadth-first search Dijkstra's algorithm Greedy algorithms Dynamic programming K-nearest neighbors
Download or read book Data Algorithms written by Mahmoud Parsian and published by "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". This book was released on 2015-07-13 with total page 778 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you are ready to dive into the MapReduce framework for processing large datasets, this practical book takes you step by step through the algorithms and tools you need to build distributed MapReduce applications with Apache Hadoop or Apache Spark. Each chapter provides a recipe for solving a massive computational problem, such as building a recommendation system. You’ll learn how to implement the appropriate MapReduce solution with code that you can use in your projects. Dr. Mahmoud Parsian covers basic design patterns, optimization techniques, and data mining and machine learning solutions for problems in bioinformatics, genomics, statistics, and social network analysis. This book also includes an overview of MapReduce, Hadoop, and Spark. Topics include: Market basket analysis for a large set of transactions Data mining algorithms (K-means, KNN, and Naive Bayes) Using huge genomic data to sequence DNA and RNA Naive Bayes theorem and Markov chains for data and market prediction Recommendation algorithms and pairwise document similarity Linear regression, Cox regression, and Pearson correlation Allelic frequency and mining DNA Social network analysis (recommendation systems, counting triangles, sentiment analysis)
Download or read book Algorithmic Thinking written by Daniel Zingaro and published by No Starch Press. This book was released on 2020-12-15 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A hands-on, problem-based introduction to building algorithms and data structures to solve problems with a computer. Algorithmic Thinking will teach you how to solve challenging programming problems and design your own algorithms. Daniel Zingaro, a master teacher, draws his examples from world-class programming competitions like USACO and IOI. You'll learn how to classify problems, choose data structures, and identify appropriate algorithms. You'll also learn how your choice of data structure, whether a hash table, heap, or tree, can affect runtime and speed up your algorithms; and how to adopt powerful strategies like recursion, dynamic programming, and binary search to solve challenging problems. Line-by-line breakdowns of the code will teach you how to use algorithms and data structures like: The breadth-first search algorithm to find the optimal way to play a board game or find the best way to translate a book Dijkstra's algorithm to determine how many mice can exit a maze or the number of fastest routes between two locations The union-find data structure to answer questions about connections in a social network or determine who are friends or enemies The heap data structure to determine the amount of money given away in a promotion The hash-table data structure to determine whether snowflakes are unique or identify compound words in a dictionary NOTE: Each problem in this book is available on a programming-judge website. You'll find the site's URL and problem ID in the description. What's better than a free correctness check?
Download or read book Python Data Structures and Algorithms written by Benjamin Baka and published by Packt Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2017-05-30 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Implement classic and functional data structures and algorithms using Python About This Book A step by step guide, which will provide you with a thorough discussion on the analysis and design of fundamental Python data structures. Get a better understanding of advanced Python concepts such as big-o notation, dynamic programming, and functional data structures. Explore illustrations to present data structures and algorithms, as well as their analysis, in a clear, visual manner. Who This Book Is For The book will appeal to Python developers. A basic knowledge of Python is expected. What You Will Learn Gain a solid understanding of Python data structures. Build sophisticated data applications. Understand the common programming patterns and algorithms used in Python data science. Write efficient robust code. In Detail Data structures allow you to organize data in a particular way efficiently. They are critical to any problem, provide a complete solution, and act like reusable code. In this book, you will learn the essential Python data structures and the most common algorithms. With this easy-to-read book, you will be able to understand the power of linked lists, double linked lists, and circular linked lists. You will be able to create complex data structures such as graphs, stacks and queues. We will explore the application of binary searches and binary search trees. You will learn the common techniques and structures used in tasks such as preprocessing, modeling, and transforming data. We will also discuss how to organize your code in a manageable, consistent, and extendable way. The book will explore in detail sorting algorithms such as bubble sort, selection sort, insertion sort, and merge sort. By the end of the book, you will learn how to build components that are easy to understand, debug, and use in different applications. Style and Approach The easy-to-read book with its fast-paced nature will improve the productivity of Python programmers and improve the performance of Python applications.
Download or read book Genetic Algorithms and Machine Learning for Programmers written by Frances Buontempo and published by Pragmatic Bookshelf. This book was released on 2019-01-23 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Self-driving cars, natural language recognition, and online recommendation engines are all possible thanks to Machine Learning. Now you can create your own genetic algorithms, nature-inspired swarms, Monte Carlo simulations, cellular automata, and clusters. Learn how to test your ML code and dive into even more advanced topics. If you are a beginner-to-intermediate programmer keen to understand machine learning, this book is for you. Discover machine learning algorithms using a handful of self-contained recipes. Build a repertoire of algorithms, discovering terms and approaches that apply generally. Bake intelligence into your algorithms, guiding them to discover good solutions to problems. In this book, you will: Use heuristics and design fitness functions. Build genetic algorithms. Make nature-inspired swarms with ants, bees and particles. Create Monte Carlo simulations. Investigate cellular automata. Find minima and maxima, using hill climbing and simulated annealing. Try selection methods, including tournament and roulette wheels. Learn about heuristics, fitness functions, metrics, and clusters. Test your code and get inspired to try new problems. Work through scenarios to code your way out of a paper bag; an important skill for any competent programmer. See how the algorithms explore and learn by creating visualizations of each problem. Get inspired to design your own machine learning projects and become familiar with the jargon. What You Need: Code in C++ (>= C++11), Python (2.x or 3.x) and JavaScript (using the HTML5 canvas). Also uses matplotlib and some open source libraries, including SFML, Catch and Cosmic-Ray. These plotting and testing libraries are not required but their use will give you a fuller experience. Armed with just a text editor and compiler/interpreter for your language of choice you can still code along from the general algorithm descriptions.
Download or read book Distributed Algorithms written by Wan Fokkink and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2013-12-06 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to distributed algorithms that emphasizes examples and exercises rather than mathematical argumentation. This book offers students and researchers a guide to distributed algorithms that emphasizes examples and exercises rather than the intricacies of mathematical models. It avoids mathematical argumentation, often a stumbling block for students, teaching algorithmic thought rather than proofs and logic. This approach allows the student to learn a large number of algorithms within a relatively short span of time. Algorithms are explained through brief, informal descriptions, illuminating examples, and practical exercises. The examples and exercises allow readers to understand algorithms intuitively and from different perspectives. Proof sketches, arguing the correctness of an algorithm or explaining the idea behind fundamental results, are also included. An appendix offers pseudocode descriptions of many algorithms. Distributed algorithms are performed by a collection of computers that send messages to each other or by multiple software threads that use the same shared memory. The algorithms presented in the book are for the most part “classics,” selected because they shed light on the algorithmic design of distributed systems or on key issues in distributed computing and concurrent programming. Distributed Algorithms can be used in courses for upper-level undergraduates or graduate students in computer science, or as a reference for researchers in the field.
Download or read book A Common Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms Second Edition written by Jay Wengrow and published by Pragmatic Bookshelf. This book was released on 2020-08-10 with total page 714 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Algorithms and data structures are much more than abstract concepts. Mastering them enables you to write code that runs faster and more efficiently, which is particularly important for today’s web and mobile apps. Take a practical approach to data structures and algorithms, with techniques and real-world scenarios that you can use in your daily production code, with examples in JavaScript, Python, and Ruby. This new and revised second edition features new chapters on recursion, dynamic programming, and using Big O in your daily work. Use Big O notation to measure and articulate the efficiency of your code, and modify your algorithm to make it faster. Find out how your choice of arrays, linked lists, and hash tables can dramatically affect the code you write. Use recursion to solve tricky problems and create algorithms that run exponentially faster than the alternatives. Dig into advanced data structures such as binary trees and graphs to help scale specialized applications such as social networks and mapping software. You’ll even encounter a single keyword that can give your code a turbo boost. Practice your new skills with exercises in every chapter, along with detailed solutions. Use these techniques today to make your code faster and more scalable.
Download or read book Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python written by Al Sweigart and published by No Starch Press. This book was released on 2020-12-16 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN NOVICE AND PROFESSIONAL You've completed a basic Python programming tutorial or finished Al Sweigart's bestseller, Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. What's the next step toward becoming a capable, confident software developer? Welcome to Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python. More than a mere collection of advanced syntax and masterful tips for writing clean code, you'll learn how to advance your Python programming skills by using the command line and other professional tools like code formatters, type checkers, linters, and version control. Sweigart takes you through best practices for setting up your development environment, naming variables, and improving readability, then tackles documentation, organization and performance measurement, as well as object-oriented design and the Big-O algorithm analysis commonly used in coding interviews. The skills you learn will boost your ability to program--not just in Python but in any language. You'll learn: Coding style, and how to use Python's Black auto-formatting tool for cleaner code Common sources of bugs, and how to detect them with static analyzers How to structure the files in your code projects with the Cookiecutter template tool Functional programming techniques like lambda and higher-order functions How to profile the speed of your code with Python's built-in timeit and cProfile modules The computer science behind Big-O algorithm analysis How to make your comments and docstrings informative, and how often to write them How to create classes in object-oriented programming, and why they're used to organize code Toward the end of the book you'll read a detailed source-code breakdown of two classic command-line games, the Tower of Hanoi (a logic puzzle) and Four-in-a-Row (a two-player tile-dropping game), and a breakdown of how their code follows the book's best practices. You'll test your skills by implementing the program yourself. Of course, no single book can make you a professional software developer. But Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python will get you further down that path and make you a better programmer, as you learn to write readable code that's easy to debug and perfectly Pythonic Requirements: Covers Python 3.6 and higher
Download or read book Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures written by Marcello La Rocca and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 768 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures introduces a collection of algorithms for complex programming challenges in data analysis, machine learning, and graph computing. Summary As a software engineer, you’ll encounter countless programming challenges that initially seem confusing, difficult, or even impossible. Don’t despair! Many of these “new” problems already have well-established solutions. Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures teaches you powerful approaches to a wide range of tricky coding challenges that you can adapt and apply to your own applications. Providing a balanced blend of classic, advanced, and new algorithms, this practical guide upgrades your programming toolbox with new perspectives and hands-on techniques. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology Can you improve the speed and efficiency of your applications without investing in new hardware? Well, yes, you can: Innovations in algorithms and data structures have led to huge advances in application performance. Pick up this book to discover a collection of advanced algorithms that will make you a more effective developer. About the book Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures introduces a collection of algorithms for complex programming challenges in data analysis, machine learning, and graph computing. You’ll discover cutting-edge approaches to a variety of tricky scenarios. You’ll even learn to design your own data structures for projects that require a custom solution. What's inside Build on basic data structures you already know Profile your algorithms to speed up application Store and query strings efficiently Distribute clustering algorithms with MapReduce Solve logistics problems using graphs and optimization algorithms About the reader For intermediate programmers. About the author Marcello La Rocca is a research scientist and a full-stack engineer. His focus is on optimization algorithms, genetic algorithms, machine learning, and quantum computing. Table of Contents 1 Introducing data structures PART 1 IMPROVING OVER BASIC DATA STRUCTURES 2 Improving priority queues: d-way heaps 3 Treaps: Using randomization to balance binary search trees 4 Bloom filters: Reducing the memory for tracking content 5 Disjoint sets: Sub-linear time processing 6 Trie, radix trie: Efficient string search 7 Use case: LRU cache PART 2 MULTIDEMENSIONAL QUERIES 8 Nearest neighbors search 9 K-d trees: Multidimensional data indexing 10 Similarity Search Trees: Approximate nearest neighbors search for image retrieval 11 Applications of nearest neighbor search 12 Clustering 13 Parallel clustering: MapReduce and canopy clustering PART 3 PLANAR GRAPHS AND MINIMUM CROSSING NUMBER 14 An introduction to graphs: Finding paths of minimum distance 15 Graph embeddings and planarity: Drawing graphs with minimal edge intersections 16 Gradient descent: Optimization problems (not just) on graphs 17 Simulated annealing: Optimization beyond local minima 18 Genetic algorithms: Biologically inspired, fast-converging optimization
Download or read book Distributed Algorithms written by Wan Fokkink and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2013-12-06 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to distributed algorithms that emphasizes examples and exercises rather than mathematical argumentation.
Download or read book Boosting written by Robert E. Schapire and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An accessible introduction and essential reference for an approach to machine learning that creates highly accurate prediction rules by combining many weak and inaccurate ones. Boosting is an approach to machine learning based on the idea of creating a highly accurate predictor by combining many weak and inaccurate “rules of thumb.” A remarkably rich theory has evolved around boosting, with connections to a range of topics, including statistics, game theory, convex optimization, and information geometry. Boosting algorithms have also enjoyed practical success in such fields as biology, vision, and speech processing. At various times in its history, boosting has been perceived as mysterious, controversial, even paradoxical. This book, written by the inventors of the method, brings together, organizes, simplifies, and substantially extends two decades of research on boosting, presenting both theory and applications in a way that is accessible to readers from diverse backgrounds while also providing an authoritative reference for advanced researchers. With its introductory treatment of all material and its inclusion of exercises in every chapter, the book is appropriate for course use as well. The book begins with a general introduction to machine learning algorithms and their analysis; then explores the core theory of boosting, especially its ability to generalize; examines some of the myriad other theoretical viewpoints that help to explain and understand boosting; provides practical extensions of boosting for more complex learning problems; and finally presents a number of advanced theoretical topics. Numerous applications and practical illustrations are offered throughout.
Download or read book Dive Into Deep Learning written by Joanne Quinn and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2019-07-15 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The leading experts in system change and learning, with their school-based partners around the world, have created this essential companion to their runaway best-seller, Deep Learning: Engage the World Change the World. This hands-on guide provides a roadmap for building capacity in teachers, schools, districts, and systems to design deep learning, measure progress, and assess conditions needed to activate and sustain innovation. Dive Into Deep Learning: Tools for Engagement is rich with resources educators need to construct and drive meaningful deep learning experiences in order to develop the kind of mindset and know-how that is crucial to becoming a problem-solving change agent in our global society. Designed in full color, this easy-to-use guide is loaded with tools, tips, protocols, and real-world examples. It includes: • A framework for deep learning that provides a pathway to develop the six global competencies needed to flourish in a complex world — character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. • Learning progressions to help educators analyze student work and measure progress. • Learning design rubrics, templates and examples for incorporating the four elements of learning design: learning partnerships, pedagogical practices, learning environments, and leveraging digital. • Conditions rubrics, teacher self-assessment tools, and planning guides to help educators build, mobilize, and sustain deep learning in schools and districts. Learn about, improve, and expand your world of learning. Put the joy back into learning for students and adults alike. Dive into deep learning to create learning experiences that give purpose, unleash student potential, and transform not only learning, but life itself.
Download or read book Automate This written by Christopher Steiner and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-08-30 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rousing story of the last gasp of human agency and how today’s best and brightest minds are endeavoring to put an end to it. It used to be that to diagnose an illness, interpret legal documents, analyze foreign policy, or write a newspaper article you needed a human being with specific skills—and maybe an advanced degree or two. These days, high-level tasks are increasingly being handled by algorithms that can do precise work not only with speed but also with nuance. These “bots” started with human programming and logic, but now their reach extends beyond what their creators ever expected. In this fascinating, frightening book, Christopher Steiner tells the story of how algorithms took over—and shows why the “bot revolution” is about to spill into every aspect of our lives, often silently, without our knowledge. The May 2010 “Flash Crash” exposed Wall Street’s reliance on trading bots to the tune of a 998-point market drop and $1 trillion in vanished market value. But that was just the beginning. In Automate This, we meet bots that are driving cars, penning haiku, and writing music mistaken for Bach’s. They listen in on our customer service calls and figure out what Iran would do in the event of a nuclear standoff. There are algorithms that can pick out the most cohesive crew of astronauts for a space mission or identify the next Jeremy Lin. Some can even ingest statistics from baseball games and spit out pitch-perfect sports journalism indistinguishable from that produced by humans. The interaction of man and machine can make our lives easier. But what will the world look like when algorithms control our hospitals, our roads, our culture, and our national security? What happens to businesses when we automate judgment and eliminate human instinct? And what role will be left for doctors, lawyers, writers, truck drivers, and many others? Who knows—maybe there’s a bot learning to do your job this minute.
Download or read book What Algorithms Want written by Ed Finn and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2017-03-10 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The gap between theoretical ideas and messy reality, as seen in Neal Stephenson, Adam Smith, and Star Trek. We depend on—we believe in—algorithms to help us get a ride, choose which book to buy, execute a mathematical proof. It's as if we think of code as a magic spell, an incantation to reveal what we need to know and even what we want. Humans have always believed that certain invocations—the marriage vow, the shaman's curse—do not merely describe the world but make it. Computation casts a cultural shadow that is shaped by this long tradition of magical thinking. In this book, Ed Finn considers how the algorithm—in practical terms, “a method for solving a problem”—has its roots not only in mathematical logic but also in cybernetics, philosophy, and magical thinking. Finn argues that the algorithm deploys concepts from the idealized space of computation in a messy reality, with unpredictable and sometimes fascinating results. Drawing on sources that range from Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash to Diderot's Encyclopédie, from Adam Smith to the Star Trek computer, Finn explores the gap between theoretical ideas and pragmatic instructions. He examines the development of intelligent assistants like Siri, the rise of algorithmic aesthetics at Netflix, Ian Bogost's satiric Facebook game Cow Clicker, and the revolutionary economics of Bitcoin. He describes Google's goal of anticipating our questions, Uber's cartoon maps and black box accounting, and what Facebook tells us about programmable value, among other things. If we want to understand the gap between abstraction and messy reality, Finn argues, we need to build a model of “algorithmic reading” and scholarship that attends to process, spearheading a new experimental humanities.
