The Ascent of Information: Books, Bits, Genes, Machines, and Life's Unending Algorithm
- Downloads：1001
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-04 08:51:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Caleb Scharf
- ISBN：0593087240
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Your information has a life of its own， and it's using you to get what it wants。
One of the most peculiar and possibly unique features of humans is the vast amount of information we carry outside our biological selves。 But in our rush to build the infrastructure for the 20 quintillion bits we create every day， we've failed to ask exactly why we're expending ever-increasing amounts of energy， resources， and human effort to maintain all this data。
Drawing on deep ideas and frontier thinking in evolutionary biology， computer science， information theory， and astrobiology， Caleb Scharf argues that information is， in a very real sense， alive。 All the data we create--all of our emails， tweets， selfies， A。I。-generated text and funny cat videos--amounts to an aggregate lifeform。 It has goals and needs。 It can control our behavior and influence our well-being。 And it's an organism that has evolved right alongside us。
This symbiotic relationship with information offers a startling new lens for looking at the world。 Data isn't just something we produce; it's the reason we exist。 This powerful idea has the potential to upend the way we think about our technology， our role as humans， and the fundamental nature of life。
The Ascent of Information offers a humbling vision of a universe built of and for information。 Scharf explores how our relationship with data will affect our ongoing evolution as a species。 Understanding this relationship will be crucial to preventing our data from becoming more of a burden than an asset， and to preserving the possibility of a human future。
One of the most peculiar and possibly unique features of humans is the vast amount of information we carry outside our biological selves。 But in our rush to build the infrastructure for the 20 quintillion bits we create every day， we've failed to ask exactly why we're expending ever-increasing amounts of energy， resources， and human effort to maintain all this data。
Drawing on deep ideas and frontier thinking in evolutionary biology， computer science， information theory， and astrobiology， Caleb Scharf argues that information is， in a very real sense， alive。 All the data we create--all of our emails， tweets， selfies， A。I。-generated text and funny cat videos--amounts to an aggregate lifeform。 It has goals and needs。 It can control our behavior and influence our well-being。 And it's an organism that has evolved right alongside us。
This symbiotic relationship with information offers a startling new lens for looking at the world。 Data isn't just something we produce; it's the reason we exist。 This powerful idea has the potential to upend the way we think about our technology， our role as humans， and the fundamental nature of life。
The Ascent of Information offers a humbling vision of a universe built of and for information。 Scharf explores how our relationship with data will affect our ongoing evolution as a species。 Understanding this relationship will be crucial to preventing our data from becoming more of a burden than an asset， and to preserving the possibility of a human future。
Reviews
Mizuki
，
I actually don't think I understand the meaning of this book as a whole but anyway each topic was scientifically interesting and enjoy listening while commuting。 I somewhat hope that all the data I made would be useful for something。 I actually don't think I understand the meaning of this book as a whole but anyway each topic was scientifically interesting and enjoy listening while commuting。 I somewhat hope that all the data I made would be useful for something。 。。。more
Jeff Kaye
，
Caleb Scharf has written an extrordinarily good book that intertwines the story of humans and life on earth with 'our' creation of data into the dataome。 Whether the dataome is our creation or not （it may have been pre-programmed by the laws of the universe） the ingenious story is matched by the author's examplary use of the language that we （or the laws） have created to produce a work that， even if pre-ordained， enters my brain （that wet mass of computational power） and is welcomed there。I am n Caleb Scharf has written an extrordinarily good book that intertwines the story of humans and life on earth with 'our' creation of data into the dataome。 Whether the dataome is our creation or not （it may have been pre-programmed by the laws of the universe） the ingenious story is matched by the author's examplary use of the language that we （or the laws） have created to produce a work that， even if pre-ordained， enters my brain （that wet mass of computational power） and is welcomed there。I am no physicist or scientist but evolutionary theory and Darwinian-derived thought processes have driven my attention for many years。 Over forty years ago， a reading of Dawkins' "The Blind Watchmaker" hurled me into the subject that has underscored much of my thinking about life on this planet。For Caleb Scharf to entertain and educate to such an extent is evidence of a huge knowledge allied to a real talent for bringing his novel ideas into reality so well。 Whether the dataome， or even knowledge of it， will substantially alter the way we live （knowing how little humanity has troubled itself to take seriously the impact of climate change - a self-evident calamity that we know about yet find it hard to reverse） is very unclear。 Nevertheless， the dataome and how it impacts the world will， most likely， be a serious subject of increasing attention as the intelligence of non-humanity grows。 。。。more
Mike Welch
，
all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。 all hail the dataome。
Kalyan Turaga
，
Great book I have listened， my kind of book。 It takes 2 or 3 more readings to enjoy the content of this book。 It covers spectrum of topics from Dataome perspective。 Apt to the title book sticks to the theme and explores very interesting topics。 I like this book， want to buy it and keep it in my library。
Armen Shirvanian
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