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The Fuzzy Future: From Society and Science to Heaven in a Chip by Bart Kosko  (7)

Fuzzy Thinking: The New Science of Fuzzy Logic by Bart Kosko  (44)

Noise/Music: A History by Paul Hegarty  (5)  $16.72

Decoding the Universe: How the New Science of Information Is Explaining Everything in the Cosmos, from Our Brains to Black Holes by Charles Seife  (28)  $6.99

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next by Lee Smolin  (88)  $10.85

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From Publishers Weekly
Noise, USC professor Kosko (Fuzzy Thinking) says, may be properly defined as "a signal we don't like," but as his book shows, there's much more to noise than idling buses and loud neighbors. The author makes the claims that the universe itself may be no more than noise, and that life might not have evolved without it. And though white may be the most widely recognized color of noise, Kosko describes others, including pink and black. Particularly informative are his passages on the development and use of noise-canceling technology (used as commonly by racecar drivers to block out engine noise as by physicians to listen to a fetus's heartbeat). Kosko's book will appeal mainly to science buffs; despite the author's accessible prose, swaths of the book assume an acquaintance with physics and electrical engineering. However, passages on topics such as actress Hedy Lamar's patent for a WWII-era "secret communication system," hold some attraction for a wider audience.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* From the author of the hugely popular and influential Fuzzy Thinking 1993) comes this exploration of what seems like a fairly simple concept: noise. Well, it ain't that simple, folks. Noise can be aural, but it doesn't have to be. Noise can be loud, but not always. Noise can be bad, but sometimes it's good. What is noise? It is, simply, an unwanted signal that disrupts a wanted signal. You're in a restaurant, and you're having a conversation. Next table over, someone else is talking, too loud for your comfort. Your conversation is the signal, theirs is the noise; although, to the person at the other table, his conversation is the signal, and yours may be the noise. Noise, in other words, can be a very subjective thing. This is an endlessly fascinating book; in fact, it's one of those books that, while reading it, keep you lifting your head from the page and muttering "Wow!" to yourself as you absorb something else you had never thought of before. Kosko is an engaging writer, and he makes the science seem simple without ever dumbing it down (yes, there are equations in the book, but don't panic). David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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First Sentence:
What is noise? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
adaptive stochastic resonance, stable bell curves, noise benefit, frequency rectangle, flat frequency spectrum, nanotube transistor, noise cancellers, timing noise, brown noise, average noise level, noise maps, interval theorem, mal noise, noise spikes, private nuisance, noise code, pink noise, impulsive noise, threshold system, spiking neurons, black noise Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hedy Lamarr, United States, Bell Laboratories, Noise Code, Los Angeles, Nobel Prize, Claude Shannon, Physical Review, Sampling Frequency New!
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