An important book for anyone who wants to understand why cybernetics died on the vine in the mid 1950s. The Conways reveal the role that Wiener's wife, of all things, played in this. I won't spoil the story; read the book ( )

Disappointing. I was hoping for a serious discussion of WIener integration, but this was a pop biography, big on his personal life but not on the details of his work. ( )

Long book but an easy and enjoyable read. Discusses the science of communication and control (cybernetics) at the dawn of the computer age. To simplify, Wiener was interested in how you compute in a pre-digital world. He used analog electronics to study the properties of signals (oscillations, positive and negative feedback, etc.) He was also forward looking and interested in the social aspects of this technology, including the possibility that the machines created by mankind would eventually control mankind (e.g. “The Matrix” trilogy).

I was surprised at how little I knew about this subject. Like the authors say, Wiener has been largely forgotten as all his ideas have been absorbed into modern subdisciplines like control systems, information theory, artificial intelligence, and complex systems. ( )