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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
I'm not sure if my computer science background helped or hindered my enjoyment of this book. Maybe someone that knows less about the math of making a computer and computer programs would've been more able to enjoy the book as a prosaic piece but it felt quite like a manual for me that I felt obliged to absorb. Hofstadter truly has a special mind for his ability to draw connection though. He is a master of the "everything is connected and I can prove it" approach to literature and science. Philosophical questions of cognition and computation left me stupefied while I read it.
Usually I don't mind masturbatory intellectualism, but this was a bit much
Gave up on p.582.
If recursion had a fandom, this is the fandom wiki, ran by this one guy, who, for some reason, decided to print and sell it. You do have to admire the balls though (also of the editor and the publisher who approved of this sprawling monstrosity).
If recursion had a fandom, this is the fandom wiki, ran by this one guy, who, for some reason, decided to print and sell it. You do have to admire the balls though (also of the editor and the publisher who approved of this sprawling monstrosity).
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
sincerest gratitude and apologies to the New York Public Library: thanks for letting me renew this book for a whopping *5 TIMES* & sorry i kept it for almost 5 months - i’m too dumb to finish it at a normal human’s reading speed. it was a truly fun read though.
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
One of those books that changes the way you think forever.
I can't say I actually enjoyed reading this book. As a professional programmer, professional classical musician, and avid reader, I had very high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it turned out to be quite a slog to trudge all the way through. There are a couple of interesting parallels between the various topics the author pulls in; in particular the Dialogues between chapters were more interesting than most other parts of the book (as long as you read said Dialogues with an eye to their structure as well). But this book spends a great deal of time simply discussing number theory, which was exceedingly boring and wasn't even necessary to understanding the high-level points the author was making. Furthermore, while the writing style often contained cute little witticisms (which I did appreciate), it was overall ridiculously verbose and overdone for the actual content conveyed therein. I can't recommend reading it - a summary of the main points and a couple of choice examples would be a much better value for your time.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced