Back in my undergrad days, before I transferred to an engineering school, I studied pre-engineering in the physics department of Eastern Illinois University. While there, I got a chance to help a professor with his research, which involved learning Mathematica, a technical computational software. I don’t remember any of what I learned, but it made an impact on me. It had an easy user interface with an ability to make some amazing graphs. Mathematica introduced me to 3D graphs. While waiting for the movie Arrival to release, I read an article that Stephen Wolfram was consulting on the film. I knew exactly who he was because his software made such an impact on my life despite only a few months of using it. When the opportunity to review his latest collection of essays came up, I jumped at the chance. Adventures of a Computational Explorer delivered on all my expectations.
Disclaimer
TL;DR
Stephen Wolfram’s Adventures of a Computational Explorer swings wide from a movie set to the design review process to a memoir in the form of data analytics. This collection is for anyone interested in computational sciences, AI, and fans of Mathematica. Recommended.
From the Publisher
Through his pioneering work in science, technology and language design, Stephen Wolfram has developed his own signature way of thinking about an impressive range of subjects. In this lively book of essays, Wolfram takes the reader along on some of his most surprising and engaging intellectual adventures.
From science consulting for a Hollywood movie, solving problems of AI ethics, hunting for the source of an unusual polyhedron, communicating with extraterrestrials, to finding the fundamental theory of physics and exploring the digits of pi, Adventures of a Computational Explorer captures the infectious energy and curiosity of one of the great pioneers of the computational world.
Review: Adventures of a Computational Explorer
Stephen Wolfram’s collection of essays explores scientific computing in a number of ways. The book discusses his interests with a lot of nods to the Wolfram family of products. One of my favorite essays discussed the art of naming functions. (I struggle with this when writing my own programs.) Another was a sort of memoir using personal data analysis. The essays cover a lot of ground from cellular automaton to distributing time capsule beacons around the universe to artificial intelligence. Each gives a fascinating look into Wolfram’s curiosity. The collection shows the breadth of Wolfram’s interests and the depth of his knowledge.
The essays reminded me of blog posts more than narrative articles. They are dense, information packed, and worth a slow, deliberate read. The ideas come at the reader fast and in multitudes. Many of these ideas were unfamiliar to me, and I learned a ton reading this book. While we all know that science, math, and computers are huge subjects, it’s always weird to encounter areas that one is not familiar with.
Because it’s by Stephen Wolfram, a number of Wolfram Research’s products grace the pages. While I didn’t keep track, I’m pretty sure there’s multiple mentions on each page. It did slow down my reading a bit as it felt like an extended commercial for Wolfram products. But I kept in mind that he’s just discussing his life’s work.
Innovative Ebook
There was a lot in this book that I didn’t understand; luckily for me, links litter the text. They point to the Wolfram Alpha website. While not all were helpful, I liked this feature. It slowed the flow of the text but actually sped up my reading because I didn’t have to search on my own. This has differed from a lot of the scientific reading I’ve done lately, and I appreciate the links.
By adding the links, it creates a better view of the author’s intent. It allows less room for misinterpretation. This makes it easier to research more in-depth or search for alternate points of view.
The Creation Process
I enjoyed how Wolfram approaches his products from naming a function to design reviews. He covers the creation process from the micro to the macro when it comes to his products. Creativity is an important aspect of science, but it’s rarely discussed. What exactly does it mean to be creative as a scientist? Wolfram addresses the creative process in Adventures of a Computational Explorer.
I liked learning that he is still involved in the design reviews. It shows that after all these years the passion for the product is still there. The first essay documents his time as a consultant for the movie Arrival. [Excellent movie based on the short story Story of Your Life. Both movie and short story are worth your time.] The look behind the scenes at his contributions showed his work ethic and how he creates ideas to fit an existing paradigm. The iterations between the science and the story provide a good look at Hollywood’s process.