Overcomplicated [electronic resource] : Technology at the Limits of Comprehension

Título:

Overcomplicated [electronic resource] : Technology at the Limits of Comprehension

Autor:

Arbesman, Samuel.

Descripción:

Editor:

Penguin Publishing Group,

Fecha:

2016

Formato digital:

CLOUDLIBRARY EPUB

Idioma:

Inglés

Resumen

Why did the New York Stock Exchange suspend trading without warning on July 8, 2015? Why did certain Toyota vehicles accelerate uncontrollably against the will of their drivers? Why does the programming inside our airplanes occasionally surprise its creators?
After a thorough analysis by the top experts, the answers still elude us.
You don't understand the software running your car or your iPhone. But here's a secret: neither do the geniuses at Apple or the Ph.D.'s at Toyota--not perfectly, anyway. No one, not lawyers, doctors, accountants, or policy makers, fully grasps the rules governing your tax return, your retirement account, or your hospital's medical machinery. The same technological advances that have simplified our lives have made the systems governing our lives incomprehensible, unpredictable, and overcomplicated.
In Overcomplicated , complexity scientist Samuel Arbesman offers a fresh, insightful field guide to living with complex technologies that defy human comprehension. As technology grows more complex, Arbesman argues, its behavior mimics the vagaries of the natural world more than it conforms to a mathematical model. If we are to survive and thrive in this new age, we must abandon our need for governing principles and rules and accept the chaos. By embracing and observing the freak accidents and flukes that disrupt our lives, we can gain valuable clues about how our algorithms really work. What's more, we will become better thinkers, scientists, and innovators as a result.
Lucid and energizing, this book is a vital new analysis of the world heralded as "modern" for anyone who wants to live wisely.

Reseñas (3)

Reseña de Publisher's Weekly

Arbesman (The Half-Life of Facts), a self-described "complexity scientist," presents a new framework for understanding and working with complex technological systems in this thought-provoking treatise. Arbesman argues that technological systems have become so complicated that not even those who design them fully understand how they work, nor do they always know what to do when their systems fail or return unexpected, possibly catastrophic results. He illustrates this through numerous examples of flaws or breaks in increasingly sophisticated systems such as traffic control, the stock market, machine translation, and medical devices. Despite the damage caused by bugs in programs and other system defects, they are valuable in that they reveal components of the technology at work. Arbesman proposes that programmers and designers approach technological complexity with the mindset of naturalists, who study the natural world by cataloging its variety. By treating failures or glitches in the system as by-products of the evolution of complexity, he says, we can predict paths to new technology and better prepare for the unintentional consequences. Arbesman moves confidently through his layered argument in smooth, clear prose. He convincingly conveys the relevancy of the subject to all types of industries, but his book will mostly appeal to readers interested in the theoretical component of computer science. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Reseña de Booklist

Modern technology has become so complex that even experts can no longer understand technological systems in all their parts and workings. It frequently feels like we're losing control of our own technological creations. Technology often behaves in ways that appear mysterious to us, the causes of effects too difficult to tease from the tangle. Arbesman explores this complexity and the limits of our ability to comprehend truly intricate systems and offers a strategy for better understanding. He argues that such complications are inevitable and that the evolution of our technology is best understood as a quasi-biological process. Biological thinking allows us to approach technological complexity in a more useful and holistic way and to accept the limits of our ability to understand it. What stands out most is Arbesman's compelling hopefulness for the future. Caution in the face of our technology is understandable, but there's no reason to be afraid of it. Technology can sometimes seem miraculous yet that's no reason to worship it. This book aims to offer us a better way forward.--Keogh, John Copyright 2016 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Every computer user has experienced programs that inexplicably crash or, less frequently, exhibit unexpected capabilities. Such behavior arises because the system has reached a level of complexity that is beyond even its creators' skills to disentangle. It may seem strange that human beings can produce such entities. However, Arbesman (senior adjunct fellow, Silicon Flatirons Ctr. for Law, Technology, & Entrepreneurship, Univ. of Colorado; The Half-Life of Facts) points out that this situation is not unique to computer software but can also be found in legal and tax codes and in our infrastructure. In particular, the author stresses the similarity between such systems and biological evolution, in which the process of accretion adds new functions to the original system, imperfectly, but fitting just well enough to make them work. Unlike many who fear the singularity or who are overwhelmed by technological incomprehensibility, Arbesman offers a more optimistic view. He asks readers to accept that at best we can grasp only an overview of the situation, to be content with understanding the portions that are accessible, and to rejoice in being members of a species that has the intellect to produce such marvelous creations. VERDICT This is a short, comprehensible book that should find an -audience.-Harold D. Shane, Mathematics Emeritus, Baruch Coll. Lib., CUNY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.