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The Physics of Information Technology
The Physics of Information Technology is a physics text, not a work of popular science: it assumes the reader has done a physics degree or the larger part of one. The connection with information technology is threefold: Gershenfeld takes an information-theoretic approach at a fundamental level, focuses on areas of physics relevant to information technology, and uses examples from computing systems. The result is dense but richly rewarding, covering an immense range of material and often providing a different perspective on it to that of more traditional physics textbooks. (The Physics of Information Technology might be suitable as a text for an advanced electrical engineering course.) Enhancing the work's utility for students, each chapter has a "selected references" section, which lists maybe half a dozen books along with one sentence descriptions, and a set of problems, with full worked solutions.
Gershenfeld starts with chapters on noise and information in physical systems, covering noise mechanisms, the equipartition and fluctuation-dissipation theorems, channels, Shannon's theorems, and Fisher information. A rapid electromagnetism refresher is followed by a chapter on circuits, transmission lines, and waveguides, and another on antennas. A general review of optics is followed by a chapter "Lensless Imaging and Inverse Problems", covering matched filters, coherent imaging, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Turning towards solid state physics, a quick overview of quantum statistical mechanics and electronic structure leads to an explanation of the operation of junctions, diodes, and transistors and various kinds of semiconductor logics; a chapter on opto-electronics looks at systems for the generation, detection, and modulation of light; and a chapter covers magnetic materials and recording. Two chapters then link this back to the information theory, covering instrumentation and signal modulation, detection, and coding and, adding complexity, many-body effects (superconductivity), non-equilibrium thermodynamics (thermo- and piezo-electricity), and relativity. And a long final chapter offers a solid introduction to quantum computing and communications, starting with an explanation of the necessary quantum mechanics.
Gershenfeld packs a huge amount into The Physics of Information Technology. Though he does review background theory, he does so rapidly and then cuts straight to the essentials. The section on coding, for example, explains arithmetic and Huffmann compression in just a paragraph each, while two and a half pages on thermoelectricity explain thermocouples and Peltier coolers. The mathematics is perhaps an exception, with the bits Gershenfeld chooses to treat in detail (and it gets quite involved in places) sometimes rather arbitrary - the mathematics can usually be skipped without too much loss. So the discussion of ferro- and ferri-magnetism includes a page and a half of mathematics deriving the Heisenberg Hamiltonian and J coupling, but then drops out of "mathematics mode" pretty much entirely (with one paragraph here quoted as an example of the style):
"In an antiferromagnet such as Mn or Cr the exchange energy is negative, therefore neighbouring spins alternate orientation and there is no net movement even though there is long-range magnetic order. A ferrimagnet is a ceramic oxide that has a spontaneous moment but is a good insulator. The moment arises because it has an antiferromagnetic coupling, but there are interpenetrating spin-up and spin-down lattices that have different moments but do not cancel. Most common ferrimagnets are made from materials containing iron oxides, called ferrites. Because they do not conduct, they do not screen electric fields or have eddy current heading, and so they are useful for a range of microwave applications as well as guiding flux in coils. One example is the microwave equivalent of optical Faraday rotation, which is used in a "magic T" to steer microwave signals in different directions depending on whether they arrive at the input or the output port. This apparent violation of reversability is possible because magnetic interactions break time reversal invariance, since the sign of time appears in the velocity in the basic vxB law. Cables are often wrapped around ferrites, such as the beads on computer monitor cables, to add inductance to filter out unwanted high-frequency components."This also illustrates the use of examples from computer hardware.
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Interactions, units, and magnitudes
- Noise in physical systems
- Information in physical systems
- Electromagnetic fields and waves
- Circuits, transmission lines, and wave guides
- Antennas
- Optics
- Lensless imaging and inverse problems
- Semiconductor materials and devices
- Generating, detecting, and modulating light
- Magnetic storage
- Measurement and coding
- Transducers
- Quantum computing and communications
Purchase this book from FatBrain. Danny Yee has written nearly six hundred book reviews.
fyi to timothy: you're supposed to wait a little more than 3 minutes between new articles
It's illegal to give a girl a ride in a car in Afghanistan but the following are probably also illegal. You tell me.
Anal Chug [n] A drinking ritual practiced at frats and camps. It involves three participants. The bender bends over while the pourer pours liquid down the bender's back, through the bender's buttocks in to the mouth of the chugger who is waiting below.
Arabian Goggles [n] A seldom-seen manuever involving the testicles, where the satchel is spread wide and placed on the face of he 'ride', thus resting the balls in the gogglee's eye sockets.
Australian Death Grip [n] The act of grabbing a woman by the haunches/crotch and staring deeply into her eyes until you're slapped or kissed. A recommended tactic for very crowded bars. Another great opportunity for wagering among
friends.
Bavarian Illuminati [n] Saving a load for at least two weeks and then blowing it three feet into the air to the surprise of both you and your lover as you realize that you've just cum in your own mouth.
Beef Curtain [n] The shanked out remains of the labia after being stretched like Play-doh from an hour or so of jimmy-jam (aka Beef Drapes, Meat Tarp)
Bismark [n] The act of ejaculating on a girl and then beating her so that her blood mixes with the performer's semen. So I was told. Amazing that there's a word for this!
Blumpie [n] Receiving oral sex while defecating.
Bowling Ball [v] To vaginally penetrate a woman with two fingers while analy penetrating with one. Like the way a bowler holds a ball.
Cheswick [n] A penis that is wider than it is long.
Choad [n] Disputed term. (1) see Cheswick, or (2) see Grundle.
Cleveland Steamer [n] The act of leaving a shit stain on the rib cage of a woman while recieving penile pleasure from tit fucking. (aka Hawiian Muscle Fuck, Pasadena Mudslide).
Corn Dog [n] Very simple. Take a hot, burly beershit between a girls tits. Make her smear it all around. Then, titty-fuck her for a while. Soon, your cock will resemble a well-done corn dog. Then, have her suck your big fat corn dog.
Coyote [n] This occurs when you wake up in the room of a nasty wombat and you know you've got to give her the slip. However, you realize that your arm is wrapped around her. Therefore, you must gnaw off your own arm to get out of this situation. Can be very painful.
Davy Crockett [n] A sexual manuever in which you slip muscle relaxant into your gals' snizzpod, then slide your entire head in, thus wearing her now relaxed snatch like a coonskin cap.
Dirty Sanchez [n] While fucking a girl doggy style, insert a finger in her ass and get it all shitty. Then, reach around to her face and give her a shit moustache, a 'shitstache' if you will.
Dirty Schultz [n] Same as Dirty Sanchez, except you give yourself the 'shitstache'.
Dog in a Bathtub [n] This is the proper name for when you attempt to insert your nuts into a girl's ass. It is so named because it can be just as hard as keeping a dog in the tub while giving it a bath.
Dutch Oven [n Entrapping an unsuspecting sleeping partner in a world of ass odor by farting under the covers and pulling them over her head (and yours as well if you're into that sort of thing).
Dutch Treat [n] The unexpected result of a Dutch Oven gone terribly wrong. Very messy indeed (aka 'Gambling and Losing').
Felch [v] After anal sex.... to take a straw and suck out the blood, semen, misc. stuff from another's colon. Nice...
Fisnotegut [n] Bad smelling vagina (aka Skunkbox).
Gibbling [v] First tie a raw piece of bacon to a string. The person getting fucked in the ass swallows it while the person riding them holds the string. At the moment of climax, the pitcher pulls the string, causing the catcher to gag
reflex to kick in triggering the ass muscle to automatically clench up tight.
Glazed Dougnut [n] The act of taking a girl in the ass, pulling out, and splooging all over her 'pastry-buns', thus transforming her rump into the allusion of an oversized, quivering glazed doughnut (aka Cop's Delight, Hot
Cross Buns).
Golden Shower [n] The act of urinating on another - sometimes right in the mouth
Greek [v] The act of using your 'glue stick' (if you know what I mean) and gluing the chick's eyes closed with your man seed.
Grundle [n] The area between the back of the scotum and the anus (aka Scranus and Choad in some circles).
High Dive [n,v] The skill of pulling your johnson all the way out of your partner's hole, and in one motion jamming it home again. Best used in the corn hole technique, but can be very dangerous.
Hot Lunch [n] The result of defacating a tube of shit directly into a young girl's mouth.
Hot Lunch (Vegetarian) [n] A variation of the Hot Lunch in which the 'diner' stretches a piece of saran of wrap over her open mouth such that chewing (for texture) is possible, but no actual contact with waste product occurs (aka Dental Dam).
Hot Karl [n,v] This can refer to the person who performs the act, the person who receives the act, or the act itself. Having a girl perform oral sex on you immediately after having anal sex with her.
Hot Karl Candy Cane [n] A variation of the Hot Karl in which the man who is recieving the oral cock cleaning gives the woman a reach around (aka Shocker).
Hodge [v] To beat another with one's penis (aka Roscoe).
Kennebunkport Surprise [n] The act of covertly filling your cheeks with chunky-style New England Chowder, and screaming in disgust as you hurl it between your partners legs while chewing box (performing cunninlingus).
Leave-in Conditioner [n] Dollops of semen strtegically left in a woman's hairdo at a public gathering following fellatio. A good lesson for those who refuse to swallow the evidence.
Love Gun [n] Same as Bowling Ball except with pointer and index finger in vagina and pinky in anus.
Mad Blumkin [n] See Blumpie.
The Moose [n] The sign given to a friend (who's in hiding) while you're boning a girl from behind. It is performed by placing both hands over the head, with palms facing out and waving wildly. Can be supplemented by shouting 'Hey Rocky!'
Mushroom Tattoo [n] This is the mark that is left a couple of days after receiving a particularly firm Roscoe [Hodge].
Myra [n] Like Blumpie, but for a woman.
New Jersey Meathook [n] The unusual method of inserting one's finger in the ass of your partner while screwing her, and feeling her cervix. Most effective from behind (aka Oven Stuffed Roaster).
The New York Style Taco [n] Anyime when you are so drunk that when you go down, you puke on her box. Happy trails.
The Nixon [n] A Variation of The Moose in which you give two peace signs as your signal of dominance. May be enhanced by shaking jowls and yelling 'I am not a crook!'
Pasta Bar [n] very simple, really. Get your favorite pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, etc..). While you're eating her out, get her really wet. Then, start showing the hard pasta up in her. Keep getting the pasta wet, and it will soon
soften to the point of edibility. Enjoy!
Paying the Rent [v] A position in which the woman is folded in half, knees above shoulders, while the man holds the back of her calves and bangs her ferociously.
Pearl Necklace [n] She lays on her back giving you a blowjob while you're astride, then you pull out when it's time to blow your wad and leave something resembling a nice pearl necklace all around her lovely neck.
Pink Glove [n] This frequently happens during sex when a girl is not wet enough. When you pull out to give her the money, the inside of her twat sticks to your hog. Thus, the pink glove.
Pink Sock [v] The act of farting while getting your ass licked, thus opening the hole so that the licker can jam their tounge the maximum distance (aka Pink Sleeve).
Roscoe [v] To beat another with one's penis (aka Dirty Sanchez. Instead of shit, get your finger all bloody (she has to be on the rag) and she won't know anything is wrong until the morning when she awakes with a crusty dry-blood
moustache.
Stalactite [n] Entrapping an unsuspecting sleeping partner with a hanging gob of loogie that you have spit at her ceiling, while you pull the covers over yourself. A variation of the Dutch Oven that can only be used away from one's home field.
The Stranger [n] Sitting on your hand until it falls asleep and then jerking off, eliciting the feeling of a hand job from someone else. LoL!
Snowball [v] To receive one's own ejaculation from a partner's mouth (see 'Clerks' * the movie).
Squick [v] To drill a hole in a person's skull and fuck it.
Stinky Pinky [n] The act of sticking ones pinky in another's anus.
Tea Bag [v] To place one's scrotum on another's nose so that one testicle lies on each side of the face.
Texas Hot Plate [n] The receiver either gets under a glass table or holds a piece of glass over their head while the giver defecates from above onto the glass.
Topeka Destroyer [n,v] The act of vomiting directly onto someone's head while they're performing fellatio on you (aka Cold Lunch).
Tossing Salad [v] Licking another's anus! Done in prison as payment for drugs. Saw this on a HBO special.
Valsalva [n] The act of pinching shut (with thumb and forefinger) a woman's nose while receiving fellatio; most effective when employed just prior to the release point due to the gag reflex and ensuing swallow that the woman is forced to do to continue breathing. A great first date ploy, as it sets the stage for what the rules of engagement will be going forward.
Walrus [n] Make a girl sneeze after giving a blow job. The jizz will run downher face like walrus tusks.
physics shmysics, i wanna be an mcse
yum yum
with someone the other day about how our products obey the laws of physics, but software, GEEZUS! Software obey's no laws whatsoever! Neither natural nor social.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
FUCK. That was all. Good day.
"I wanna be like Mike!"
Bo Jackson says "You watch too much tv, kid".
Perseus Books; ISBN: 0738202967). Less hardcore, and the semiconductor physics stuff is dated, but everyhing explained in that great Feynman way.
Milo
Momma said knock you out.
Sitting in a chair for > 8 hours a day leads to an increase in mass and a decrease in kinetic energy.
From hell's heart I fstab at /dev/hdc
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is nothing but intellectual masturbation
99% of you slashweenies are incapable of comprehending a real physics text. Go back to reading your Stephen Hawking books or yacking about Beowulf clusters you children.
I ran across this in a google search:
http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~ematias/papers/music
It's pretty easy to grasp and (unlike the book) it's free! :-)
...is a foaming fucker.
i nearly pissed myself; i'd never heard a real cumslurping whore before
So there's more to it than just trying to find space for more storage devices?
I work for a financial company who is a big IBM mainframe customer.... the guys who maintain the frames' are always looking for places to keep the DASD packs.
This problem even scales down to us distributed systems guys... where do we put the raid?? There's no more room for new servers!!! There's no more room in that tower for another drive!!!
Perhaps this book can help?
Microsoft Fucking Sucks!! Up The Penguins!!
im gonna foam ben
1. Computer connected to a networking line.
2. Network line connected to the WAN cloud.
3. Another network line coming out of the WAN cloud to another computer.
You meant there is more to it than just that!!
I've already foamed cmdrtaco
I mean, this is all wonderful, but when will they increase the maximum network length for Token Ring lobes so I can run a direct line across town to my friend's house for 16Mbit interactive gaming heaven? ;)P
You are not the customer.
How scattering can create additional usable channels, from the current Physics Today:
http://physicstoday.org/pt/vol-54/iss-9/p38.html
I decided that behaving ethically was the most nihilistic thing I could do. - Paul Pavel
This sounds like a really good read. It's all very well being able to dump bytes to a device or read packets from the network, but a good understanding of what's going on in a physical sense is invaluable. :-)
Maybe one of these days when I've read the other 2 dozen books I have lying around waiting, I'll get this one.
With this sort of understanding, great things should be possible.
Please post more reviews of proper text books such as these.
PS Those of you in the UK, in case you didn't already know, your local public library is obliged to get you any book you ask for, no matter how obscure. It's the law. So get this one
I'm out of my tree just now but please feel free to leave a banana.
It would be nice if the author had given basic bibliographic information up front - title, author, publisher. It's customary in book reviews.
Liam Healy
If you really want to understand tuning and how it is connected with spectra of sounds you should read Bill Sethares excellent book "Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale". Take a look at this article to get a preview about what the book is all about. He is not using the concept of a harmonic template at all, but relies solely on sensory dissonance (by Plompt and Levelt). The results are still quite usable in composing music.
IMHO, this book is about the only way the usual geek can understand the basics of harmony, consonance, and composition.
-- Imperial units must die --
you're winner!!