Information and Its Role in Nature (The Frontiers Collection)

Book Description

Information and Its Role in Nature presents an in-depth interdisciplinary discussion of the concept of information and its role in the control of natural processes. After a brief review of classical and quantum information theory, the author addresses numerous central questions, including: Is information reducible to the laws of physics and chemistry? Does the Universe, in its evolution, constantly generate new information? Or are information and information-processing exclusive attributes of living systems, related to the very definition of life? If so, what is the role of information in classical and quantum physics? In what ways does information-processing in the human brain bring about self-consciousness? Accessible to graduate students and professionals from all scientific disciplines, this stimulating book will help to shed light on many controversial issues at the heart of modern science.

Customer Reviews:

A good summary.......2007-04-03

and despite it's flaws, which I'll get to, I agree with it's important conclusion that "natural information-driven interactions are all biological interactions" [as opposed to say computers that require humans to be built]...If there is no recording device involved and no natural mechanism resets the system, no purpose could be identified and we would have a purely force driven interaction- no information would be involved...Life is information at work - information appeared (in its fundamental pragmatic form) when and where life appeared in the Universe. It plays no active role in the inanimate physical world...I would like to conclude with this remark: When it comes to the physical, nonbiological world, the information is only in our heads - it does not actually do anything out there." This last statment is not quite right, information does not need a mind, there is lots of information at the genetic level with the molecular machines, long before humans came along. Dr Thomas Schneider has shown at his website how an objective measure of information is possible at the molecular level. In this sense it is not 'in the eye of the beholder'. But I fully agree that information did not arrive before life. Information requires a 'recognisor', whether a ribosome or mind etc. This conlusion is so rare I give the book high marks for getting there, though awkwardly.

The author makes another common mistake in wrongly defining Shannon information from communication theory as the absolute opposite of entropy adjusted for units. He further confuses them both as order versus disorder. Then with the 2nd law of thermodynamcis which holds that the entropy of the universe is increasing which means under the flawed formula that order increases going back in time until 'the beginning' with the ultimate 'information' or what creationist Lowenstein calls in his book The Touchstone of Life, "the fountainhead". The reason this is false is very simple, Shannon's information or information rate, R, is the reduction of uncertainty to a recognizer after a measurement. Although I have not seen this properly defined in any book there are a number of PhD level sites available with the right formulas including Dr Schneider's (a molecular biologist) as well as the Principia Cybernetica Web. (And a minority number of articles at the XiV.org site, minority because the physicists almost invariably get it wrong. Most of them are taught that maximum information is randomness, and everything unravels from there as they discuss complexity, which this author gets wrong too. Algorithimic information is of very little use in describing biology, which I have described in other book reviews.) If we need a 'recognisor' or molecular machine then information does not exist before life, as it should not. Entropy is not a proper measure of order, it is a measure of the dispersal of energy and did not need ultimate order at the beginning, where there was expected a uniform distribution of particles. The evolution of complexity did not need observers, it required gravity. Without gravitational clumping into stars there are no heavier elements and no life. The beginning was not perfectly ordered wirth infinite information, it was the opposite. K. B. Denbigh gives a good example in his article on the internet. Consider "the spontaneous crystallisation of a super-cooled melt. Under adiabatic conditions the entropy of this system increases" despite the apparent increasing order. Also the "far fetched uses of the entropy concept will not be eradicated until scientists themselves declare them to be mistaken. And indeed they amount to something much more than a mere misuse of words for they have resulted in scientific error as well, notably in biology."

So how did the author get the right conclusion that information requires life? (Though not a mind!) Because he then adopts Kupper's notion of 'pragmatic information', being that information which causes change. However even here he falls into a trap of his own making. He says: When I say 'pragmatic information' or just plain 'information' I am talking about the objective concept of information that has meaning but which cannot be expressed with a number. [As opposed to a proper definition of Shannon information which can be usefully applied as Dr Schneider has proven. The author might say it has no 'meaning' but it can in fact be further usefully applied to such concepts as functionality etc.] Then on page 187 the author says "The unavoidable increase of entropy and uncertainty or loss of information about the microstructure and the concomitant increase of the number of accessible states in a closed system out of equilibrium all point to a clear direction of time..." Here he is presumably referring to Shannon information despite his earlier declaration. He misses the point that all information requires a recognizer, did not precede life and entropy is not uncertainty but a measure of dispersal of energy. His explanations on this page fall right into the creationists' hands. He is implying that the direction of time is the direction of information loss which is nonsense. (But he incorrectly defined Shannon information as the opposite of entropy!) If entropy is uncertainty who is the observer before life? His definitions don't really hold together. Information is being generated in an unbounded manner as long as life evolves.

However because his conclusion is right or almost right, unlike about 99% of the popular books and most physics articles and is relatively good reading despite the contradictions, I will score it high as a philosophy book that may help to dispel some misunderstandings as opposed to one that teaches any practical science (he confesses pragmatic information cannot be quantified).

Human Brain - Apparent Boon of the Omnipotent

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Human Brain - Apparent Boon of the Omnipotent
PANDIT SHRIRAM SHARMA ACHARYA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ULRCRI

Product Description

The present book is complied from the first chapter of volume eighteen of Pt.Shriram Sharma Acharya Vangmaya series. It introduces neuro scientific, psychological and spiritual aspects of human brain and mind. Bioelectrical activities of the neuro-synaptic connections between million billions of neurons, information processing through the nervous system and the neuronal network and the mechanism of storage and retrieval of memory are discussed here along with the anatomy of the human brain and psychological depths of human mind. Major sections of this book deal with detailed analysis of the endocrine system and interrelationship of hormonal secretions and physiological, biochemical, mental and emotional variations. The book also offers scientifically argued, lucid answers to some of our natural inquisitiveness concerning What are the functional centers in the brain, which might be responsible for exceptional memory ?. Hope it would inspire us to move deeper in the depths of the esoteric treasure bestowed by the Supreme Consciousness on our brain.

Book Description

This book introduces the finite element and boundary element methods (FEM and BEM) for applications to quantum mechanical systems. A discretization of the action integral with finite elements, followed by application of variational principles, brings a very general approach to the solution of Schroedinger's equation for physical systems in arbitrary geometries with complex mixed boundary conditions. The variational approach is a common thread through the book and is used for the improvement of solutions to spectroscopic accuracy, to adaptively improve finite element meshs, to develop a time-dependent theory, and also to generate the solution of large sparse matrix eigenvalue problems. A thorough introduction to BEM is given using the modelling of surface plasmons, quantum electron waveguides, and quantum scattering as illustrative examples. The book should be useful to graduate students and researchers in basic quantum theory, quantum semiconductor modeling, computational physics, mathematics and chemistry

Boundary Element Techniques: Theory and Applications in Engineering

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Boundary Element Techniques: Theory and Applications in Engineering
C. A. Brebbia
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387124845

Boundary Elements: Theory and Applications

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Boundary Elements: Theory and Applications
J.T. Katsikadelis
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0080441076

Book Description

The author's ambition for this publication was to make BEM accessible to the student as well as to the professional engineer. For this reason, his main
task was to organize and present the material in such a way so that the book becomes "user-friendly" and easy to comprehend, taking into account only the mathematics and mechanics to which students have been exposed during their undergraduate studies. This effort led to an innovative, in many aspects, way of presenting
BEM, including the derivation of fundamental solutions, the integral representation of the solutions and the boundary integral equations for various governing differential
equations in a simple way minimizing a recourse to mathematics with which the student is not familiar. The indicial and tensorial notations, though they facilitate the author's work and allow to borrow ready to use expressions from the literature, have been avoided in the present book. Nevertheless, all the necessary preliminary mathematical concepts have been included in order to make the book complete and self-sufficient.

Throughout the book, every concept is followed by example problems, which have been worked out in detail and with all the necessary clarifications. Furthermore, each chapter of the book is enriched with problems-to-solve. These problems serve a threefold purpose. Some of them are simple and aim at applying and better understanding the presented theory, some others are more difficult and aim at extending the theory to special cases requiring a deeper understanding of the concepts, and others are small projects which serve the purpose of familiarizing the student with BEM programming and the programs contained in the CD-ROM.

The latter class of problems is very important as it helps students to comprehend the usefulness and effectiveness of the method by solving real-life engineering problems. Through these problems students realize that the BEM is a powerful computational tool and not an alternative theoretical approach for dealing with physical problems. My experience in teaching BEM shows that this is the students' most favorite type of problems. They are delighted to solve them, since they integrate their knowledge and make them feel confident in mastering BEM.

Book Description

This monograph, first published in Russian, presents a new efficient tool of computational mechanics, complex variable boundary integral equations (CV-BIE). The book is conceived as a continuation of the classical monograph by N.I. Muskhelishvili into the computer era. The English edition places more emphasis on problems relating to media with internal structure; it contains more examples showing the potential and advantages of the analysis.

The book may be of use to those who want to calculate stresses, strains, stress intensity factors and effective properties of a medium with internal structure when dealing with problems of materials science, fracture mechanics, micromechanics, soil and rock mechanics, geomechanics, civil and mechanical engineering. It may also serve as a textbook for graduate students on the theory of real potentials, on the CV-BIE and on the CV-BEM.

Boundary Integral Methods: Theory and Applications : Proceedings of the Iabem Symposium Rome, Italy, Oct 15-19, 1990

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Boundary Integral Methods: Theory and Applications : Proceedings of the Iabem Symposium Rome, Italy, Oct 15-19, 1990
Luigi Morino
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387537732

Boundary-Element Methods: Theory and Application (Iop Short Meetings Series 1)

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Boundary-Element Methods: Theory and Application (Iop Short Meetings Series 1)

Manufacturer: Adam Hilger
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Introduction to Boundary Elements: Theory and Applications

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Introduction to Boundary Elements: Theory and Applications
Friedel Hartmann
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387504303

IUTAM Symposium on Nonlinear Instability and Transition in Three-Dimensional Boundary Layers (Fluid Mechanics and Its Applications)

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IUTAM Symposium on Nonlinear Instability and Transition in Three-Dimensional Boundary Layers (Fluid Mechanics and Its Applications)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0792340795

Book Description

Most fluid flows of practical importance are fully three-dimensional, so the non-linear instability properties of three-dimensional flows are of particular interest. In some cases the three-dimensionality may have been caused by a finite amplitude disturbance whilst, more usually, the unperturbed state is three-dimensional. Practical applications where transition is thought to be associated with non-linearity in a three- dimensional flow arise, for example, in aerodynamics (swept wings, engine nacelles, etc.), turbines and aortic blood flow. Here inviscid `cross-flow' disturbances as well as Tollmien-Schlichting and Görtler vortices can all occur simultaneously and their mutual non-linear behaviour must be understood if transition is to be predicted. The non-linear interactions are so complex that usually fully numerical or combined asymptotic/numerical methods must be used.
Moreover, in view of the complexity of the instability processes, there is also a growing need for detailed and accurate experimental information. Carefully conducted tests allow us to identify those elements of a particular problem which are dominant. This assists in both the formulation of a relevant theoretical problem and the subsequent physical validation of predictions. It should be noted that the demands made upon the skills of the experimentalist are high and that the tests can be extremely sophisticated - often making use of the latest developments in flow diagnostic techniques, automated high speed data gathering, data analysis, fast processing and presentation.

Theory and Applications of Boundary Element Methods: Proceedings of 2nd China-Japan Symposium on Boundary Element Methods, October 11-15, 1988 Beijin

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Theory and Applications of Boundary Element Methods: Proceedings of 2nd China-Japan Symposium on Boundary Element Methods, October 11-15, 1988 Beijin
Qinghua Du
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Theory and Applications of Boundary Element Methods

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Theory and Applications of Boundary Element Methods
Yao Zhenhan , and Masataka Tanaka
Manufacturer: Intl Academic Pub House
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Binding: Hardcover

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Seasons go by

Good Translation of Marcovaldo

A pleasure to read

Touching and surreal

Not his best...but still captivating

Marcovaldo: or the Seasons in the City
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Baron in the Trees

Difficult Loves

The Castle of Crossed Destinies

Mr.Palomar

t zero (A Harvest/HBJ BookH)

ASIN: 0156572044

Book Description

Marcovaldo is an unskilled worker in a drab industrial city in northern Italy. He is an irrepressible dreamer and an inveterate schemer. Much to the puzzlement of his wife, his children, his boss, and his neighbors, he chases his dreams-but the results are never the expected ones. Translated by William Weaver. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Customer Reviews:

Seasons go by.......2005-11-17

It's hard not to admire the people who enjoy simple things... as long as they don't get out of touch with the reality. That seems to be the idea behind Italo Calvino's "Marcovaldo: Or the Seasons in the City," a warm little novel that shows the joys of life -- and the weird truths behind them.

Marcovaldo is an unskilled laborer in a rather dreary Italian city, with a stressed wife and a bunch of somewhat dopey kids. He also has an eye for beauty and an idealistic love of natural bounty. A stray rabbit, a blanket of snow, a peaceful park bench, a hidden stash of mushrooms, a trip to the countryside with his children, and a bus on a foggy night.

Marcovaldo revels in the natural beauty and good fortune that come to him on these occasions. Unfortunately, they aren't quite as wonderful as he thinks -- every time, something bizarre and unlucky happens to him, whether it's the noises of urban nighttime, the realities of farm work, diseased rabbits, a plane to Bombay, a minor avalanche, or a bad case of food poisoning.

Popping little idealistic dreams seems like a pretty mean-spirited thing to do. Yes, even to a fictional character like Marcovaldo. But somehow Italo Calvino's charming little book manages to be mocking and funny without being nasty about it. He's an airhead, and somewhat selfish, but amusingly and likably so.

The book is made up of little short stories, each focusing on one "season in the city," and a new problem for Marcovaldo. In a way, each amusing little story feels like a joke, with the punchline only coming at the end. For example, a walk in the fog and boarding a bus becomes a disaster, when Marcovaldo discovers that the "bus" is actually a plane heading for Bombay.

Here and there, Calvino also adds a bit of magical realism to the otherwise prosaic stories, such as one scene where Marcovaldo sneezes away every flake of snow in a large area. Even if this could never happen in the real world, his lush, almost conversational writing makes it come alive and seem plausible.

Its simple stories keep it from being among Calvino's best, but "Marcovaldo: Or the Seasons In the City" is a charming, offbeat book that takes a slightly more cynical look at idealists.

Good Translation of Marcovaldo.......2005-08-26

For any translation, the book ought to include the original text. Although the translation of Marcovaldo is very good, it is a little disappointing that these stories, originally written in Italian are not included in this book. Despite what is described about the book in the editorial review, this product does not include the Italian text. Having said this, the stories are very enjoyable. There are twenty stories divided under themes on seasons. The main character, Marcovaldo, is a simple country man who is experiencing culture shock after he relocates and works in the industrialized part of Northern Italy during the 1950's, and the stories center around his problems of adjustment. One of the funniest stories in the book is titled, "The Wasp Treatment." People may recall something called "bee therapy" where bee venom is used to cure various aliments. Marcovaldo comes up with an idea that is a variation on the bee therapy, but things do not turn out the way that he expects. The book guarantees many laughs and enjoyment, even though it lacks the literary beauty found in the original language.

A pleasure to read.......2005-03-15

This is a work that is simply magical to read. A collection of stories dealing with the imaginative dreamer, Marcovaldo, the book weaves a dreamscape around the protagonist's city life. Sometimes surreal, often funny, and sometimes poignant, Marcovaldo is a book that can work its way into your heart and remain with you. In the words of another reviewer who summed it up quite nicely: "There is a little Marcovaldo in all of us."

Touching and surreal.......2003-05-13

I've read this book as a child. These surreal stories are a
marvel: poetic, tender, still realistic in telling the lives of simple, even poor people, pathethically struggling in the difficulties in a cold city, and yet humorous, cheerful of the scant victories and joys they can attain. These stories are filled whit a great love for humanity, and of a subtle sense of the surreality of life. A must read!

Not his best...but still captivating.......2002-11-06

We have all come to expect one thing from Calvino, an imaginative collection of short stories that come together to create an original novel full of intelligent humor, allusions to real life, and, most importantly, beautiful prose.
And this book does not disappoint.
We are presented with Marcovaldo--a down on his luck (constantly obvious) just above poverty working class man with a family he can't support. While this story may seem old, Calvino approaches it in a unique way. As the book progresses we see Marcovaldo hatch many, seemingly brilliant, plans to get rich only to have them fail miserably a few pages later. And all the while Marcovaldo, although down, catches glimpses of the subtle beauties of life, something that seems to be a trademark of Calvino.
All in all this is a very good book and definately worth the read (can probably be done in one sitting). If you only read one book by Calvino Invisible Cities is the way to go, but if you are looking to expand your library of Italian literature you won't be sorry with Marcovaldo.

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Marcovaldo or The Seasons in the City
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000IMWJWC

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Marcovaldo or the Seasons in the City
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OJ806I

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Marcovaldo: or the Seasons in the City
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OJMKNC

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