My top future tech and science books
Will be updated each year. (last update January 2019)
Finally, I’ve decided to make a list of top books that I came across and read. I didn’t include in this list all the partially read books, as well as a pile of some specific editions (that were useful for me from professional point of view and are not likely to be interesting for everybody).
In fact, there is also a huge list of cool books but currently its only about those which i’ve read in 2018.
Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently [2016]
I actively recommend this edition to those of you who want to expand your worldview. The book provides you with a number of examples proving that our brain tends to simplify a lot of events and that our reality is much more diverse than we think. Among the examples, there are both popular experiments on perceptual deceptions and other little-known conclusions. For instance, the more art skills a person has, the more quick-tempered about the little things he or she is (oh, it’s so me!) The thing is that such people easily find relevant connections between the objects that in fact may not correlate at all, and this usually leads to real troubles. The book is easy-to-read and almost anyone can find it useful. And for those who solve creative tasks in particular.
Machine Learning and Security: Protecting Systems with Data and Algorithms [2018]
Probably, this is the most complete edition on the basis of Machine Learning appliance in the sphere of cybersecurity released so far. The book is useful for those who deal with security issues one way or another and want to know what are the real possibilities of ML in that field now. One of the biggest benefits of this edition is a variety of practical examples. Talking about the drawbacks, I wish there was more information on Deep Learning that actually is quite limited in the book. But as for the first taste, even this amount would be more than enough.
Gen Z @ Work: How the Next Generation Is Transforming the Workplace [2017]
Here and there, everyone is grumbling at the youngsters and their stupidity but in fact you just didn’t find a clue to them. The new generation is much better in solving tasks that many companies will have to solve in the future. Yes, the young are bad at remembering data and focusing on one thing at a time, but they excellently accumulate any information and generate conclusions, which would be their key advantage when dealing with Artificial Intelligence. The book is a must-read for all of you who work with young colleagues, or who is a parent of elementary-school age or teenage children. I’m sure you will definitely change your mind on your younger co-workers. Just don’t carry it too far.
The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future [2016]
This book is probably the best for you if you want to understand the fundamental future trends that will be developing in 10–20 years. And it is not about some banal trends like artificial intelligence, Internet of things, blockchain, big data and others. The book covers the topics of global flows, which touch all our society, such as access granting, or marketplaces, crowdsourced ownership, quantified self and so on, and the companies that are believed to play first fiddle in the near future. If you are still in the process of professional searching or you have children that need your help in choosing their future career path, that book is for you no doubt. Still, maybe the new generation will find everything described in this book quite obvious as they already live in that future.
Dirty Genes [2018]
Now, let’s come back from the delightful future to the upsetting now and speak about health issues. Bad genes. On the one hand, scientists have recently concluded that genes play crucial role in our lives and exploring our genome is extremely important. On the other hand, this edition claims that whatever it might be, the genome is not a doom. The main idea of the book is that not only we need to know what genes are our soft spots, but we also should control their expression therefore it would be possible to prevent or reduce possible negative consequences. The book lists about 10 various genes, faults in which can harm our health a lot. The main value of the edition consists in the compilation of changes in our everyday habits (eating patterns mostly) that can be made in order to become a better version of yourself, even if we were not lucky enough to be born without these very gese faults. A funny fact is that we have already heard all of these advices, still maybe this time their presentment will finally come home to us.
Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Max Tegmark) [2017]
This exceptionally futuristic edition covers the topic of the future of AI and us, people in that future. It’s hard to admit that in fact we are nothing but a transitional phase that one day will mutate into another life form — just like reptiles that begot us, or bacteria that begot more rational beings. All the narration starts with a funny story about a laboratory engaged into creation of new artificial intelligence. It managed to drive Amazon company to bankruptcy just in a few days. They were taking Amazon servers on lease for 1 dollar per hour and earning 2 dollars per hour by solving simple tasks on Amazon Mechanical Turk. And it goes deep down! Although it is a confabulation, there are no reasons to say that it won’t be possible in the next several years.
Blindsight (peter watts). [2006]
Feels like it’s the first scifi I’ve read after a 20-year break. But it really blows you away, even if you are an experienced fiction reader. One would think it was almost impossible to invent something new speaking about the humanity that meets extraterrestrial creatures, but the way this edition describes such situation is really weird in a good sense. The most important thing is that it is an example of well thought-out science fiction, where each idea could really exist in real life and be subject to the laws of nature. In between all that stuff, there is also deep thinking that touches social topics, relationships, sociology, philosophy and other. If you want to get your hands on some really good fiction, this is one hundred percent for you.
The End of Alzheimers (Dale Bredesen) [2018]
The book covers the latest approaches to the Alzheimer’s disease treatment, the issue that nowadays affects more and more people overtly or covertly. In the past, it was deemed that this disease was caused by two particular proteins that started to multiplicate at an extremely high rate filling all the space around. This (if we try to describe all that process in simplified form) could prevent neurons from communicating properly, which progressively led to the attenuation of cerebration. But according to the latest researches, these proteins are not a cause, but a consequence of much deeper changes and actually these proteins are just trying to protect the body. As the body starts to lack the necessary amount of particular elements for the proper performance, the proteins switch off the unnecessary brain functions in order to safe the amount of energy that the body spends on life sustaining. This process can be prevented not by struggling with this very consequence, but fighting with the reasons of body’s decision to fade. Sadly, easier said than done, as there are over 50 factors that, if activated at the same time, lead to such result. And in order to turn the clock back, you have to eliminate the majority of those factors. That generally can be done by healthy eating and consumption of necessary amount of nutritious elements (vitamins, minerals, and so on) and reducing the amount of toxic agents (toxins, viruses, bacteria, fungus and so on). If you are worried about the issue of dementing disease that can affect your relatives or friends, you must study this question and start taking steps in advance.
Synthetic Biology — a Primer [2012]
If you are interested in the ways of recreation of a unique living organism with programmed functions in practice, this book is the best choice for you. Also, you will learn about GMO, one-celled bacteria and how it is possible to interfere in their functioning. This edition that covers synthetic biology is one of the most clear and understandable ones intended for a common reader — and this makes it best in a row. Synthetic biology is a discipline of the future that is going to surpass the programming in 10 years, mark my words (despite the fact that the book itself is not that new and you won’t find there any information on CRISPR and everything that came after this cool invention).
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari [1996]
I started reading this book about 3 years ago, but at that time the information that I got just from the first, second and third chapters was overwhelming for me — so I decided to leave the rest of the book for the better times. So, finally, that moment came and I finished it, at the right time of my life — and this time I managed to put everything in its proper place. It helped me a lot at the end of the year 2018, when a had to outwear numerous troubles that seemed to come out of nowhere. As a result I managed to pull myself out of long-term stress and I’m really grateful to it for that.
That’s all for today. A now, as for the most important part of my post, in case you are interested in such overviews and books of the listed topics, comment down below if you want me to post my book lists for the previous years or to make more detailed reviews on some particular editions. Also, I would be glad if you give me your book recommendations or mention the ones that you have wanted to read for a long time, but haven’t done it yet — and I will make an overview of that book for you. Anyway, share this compilation with your friends and leave your comments, I will be thankful for any of them. Thank you!
