Summer reading

"This long-awaited work from one of the world's most respected scientists presents a series of dramatic discoveries never before made public. Starting from a collection of simple computer experiments - illustrated in the book by striking computer graphics -Stephen Wolfram shows how their unexpected results force a whole new way of looking at the operation of our universe.Wolfram uses his approach to tackle a remarkable array of fundamental problems in science, from the origins of apparent randomness in physical systems, to the development of complexity in biology, the ultimate scope and limitations of mathematics, the possibility of a truly fundamental theory of physics, the interplay between free will and determinism, and the character of intelligence in the universe. Written with exceptional clarity, and illustrated by nearly a thousand original pictures, this seminal book allows scientists and nonscientists alike to participate in what promises to be a major intellectual revolution."All of which sounds terrific until you realize that the publisher is Wolfram Media, Inc., so that the modest claims of being "long-awaited and written (with exceptional clarity) by one of the world's most respected scientists", and so on, are ... well... written by someone employed by the author, if not by the author himself.And yet, this isn't some crank claiming perpetual motion. Stephen Wolfram actually is a highly respected scientist. He was born in London and educated at Eton, Oxford, and Caltech. He received his PhD in theoretical physics in 1979 at the age of 20, on the basis of significant work in physics and cosmology. He received one of the first MacArthur 'genius' awards. He's also been successful in business: in 1986 he founded Wolfram Research, Inc. and began the creation of Mathematica, now the world's leading software system for technical computing and symbolic programming (which explains where the money to start Wolfram Media, Inc. came from). Whatever he is, he's no c