Braille and Binary Codes, Abaci to Chips and the Graphical Revolution

Even though Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software was published almost a decade ago, it is a wonderful, fascinating read. If you have ever wondered about the codes (broadly speaking) that make computer hardware and software work the way they do, how the many inventions of mankind that have made our lives more productive work, read this book. The fact that it was printed in 2000 did not stop me from buying it. I was initially intrigued by the title and after reading a few pages, I decided it is a book I MUST have for my personal library.



Three chapters caught my eyes particularly: Chapter 3 - Braille and Binary Codes. You could not find a better chapter/book on Braille and how it came about. Chapter 18 - From Abaci to Chips. Here you will find a great account of the evolution of the calculating machine, from abacus to the modern calculator. (being Chinese, I learned how to use abacus from my dad/and in school) Finally, the last chapter. Chapter 25 - The Graphical Revolution. As someone who is not a technie but someone into art/photography, this chapter is priceless, it takes the reader from the very beginning of computing, the evolution of how graphical information is presented, CRT, TV, GUI, Vector and Raster graphics, jpegs, gifs. I am so pleased to have bought the book. Highly recommended.

Other Books by Charles Petzold

Geology Underfoot in Northern Arizona by Lon Abbott and Terri Cook

If you are planning a trip to see the Grand Canyon, the beautiful Red Rocks of Sedona, or the famed magical rock formation of the Antelope Valley, or the Meteor Crater, you MUST get Geology Underfoot in Northern Arizona by Lon Abbott and Terri Cook this book as your travel companion. The book may look like a serious university geology book on the surface, it is a truly fascinating read about Northern Arizona's unique geological past. For example, do you the patch of ground that is Northern Arizona today was once a seabed until about 1800 millions years ago?

Having seen the beautiful red rocks of Sedona, I was intrigued by its endless lines of tuscan red, brown and peach, towering spires perfectly sculptored by forces of nature, majestic mesas and butte rising above the arid desert floor. They did not just happen to look this way. I wanted to find out how it all began. This book did not disappoint. Tons of interesting information, I felt as if I had taken a university geology class :) See Pictures of Sedona



About the Authors

"Geologists Lon Abbott and Terri Cook teach at Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona. Lon's fieldwork has taken him from the remote mountain peaks of Papua New Guinea to a 15,000-foot-deep ocean trench near Costa Rica and many places in between. Terri has specialized in rocks from deep-sea hot springs. Her interests in geology and archaeology have led her across six continents. Lon and Terri are also the authors of Hiking the Grand Canyon's Geology."

Native North America - a book by Larry J Zimmerman

Picked up the following book and it has been a wonderful read. "Native North America" by Larry Zimmerman offers a comprehensive account of Native North American life, complete with many illustrations, artefacts and beautiful images. Highly recommended.

Check out my other blog for Sedona photography


Product Description

"With abundant photographs, more than 150 in color, NATIVE NORTH AMERICA illustrates tribal life, sacred arenas, spiritual traditions, and artifacts of the indigenous peoples of North America, from the Inuit of the Canadian north to the Navajo of the American southwest.

Beginning with a brief history of Native Americans, Larry Zimmerman and Brian Molyneaux explore individual culture areas, region by region. They discuss Native American spiritual observances, including personal and communal rituals, initiation rites, and curing ceremonies. Through descriptions of the powwow, rites of passage, plant rituals, oral storytelling, dreams, the ghost dance, and the drum, the authors provide a sensitive introduction to Native American spiritual traditions and examines issues that face Native Americans today."

About the Author

"Larry Zimmerman is Chair of the American Indian and Native Studies Program at the University of Iowa. He is author of Peoples of Prehistoric South Dakota and coeditor of Indians and Anthropologists: Vine Deloria, Jr. and the Critique of Anthropology and South Dakota Leaders. Brian Molyneaux is Director of the University of South Dakota Archaeology Laboratory. He has done extensive archaeological fieldwork in the Great Plains and Canada. He is the author of The Sacred Earth, editor of The Cultural Life of Images: Visual Representation in Archaeology, and coeditor of The Presented Past: Heritage, Museums and Education."