Turing's Cathedral

The Origins of the Digital Universe

By: George Dyson

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Legendary historian and philosopher of science George Dyson vividly re-creates the scenes of focused experimentation, incredible mathematical insight, and pure creative genius that gave us computers, digital television, modern genetics, models of stellar evolution - in other words, computer code.

In the 1940s and '50s, a group of eccentric geniuses - led by John von Neumann - gathered at the newly created Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Their joint project was the realization of the theoretical universal machine, an idea that had been put forth by mathematician Alan Turing. This group of brilliant engineers worked in isolation, almost entirely independent from industry and the traditional academic community. But because they relied exclusively on government funding, the government wanted its share of the results: the computer that they built also led directly to the hydrogen bomb. George Dyson has uncovered a wealth of new material about this project, and in bringing the story of these men and women and their ideas to life, he shows how the crucial advancements that dominated twentieth-century technology emerged from one computer in one laboratory, where the digital universe as we know it was born.

©2012 George Dyson (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“The most powerful technology of the last century was not the atomic bomb, but software - and both were invented by the same folks. Even as they were inventing it, the original geniuses imagined almost everything software has become since. At long last, George Dyson delivers the untold story of software’s creation. It is an amazing tale brilliantly deciphered.” (Kevin Kelly, cofounder of WIRED magazine, author of What Technology Wants)

“It is a joy to read George Dyson’s revelation of the very human story of the invention of the electronic computer, which he tells with wit, authority, and insight. Read Turing’s Cathedral as both the origin story of our digital universe and as a perceptive glimpse into its future.” (W. Daniel Hillis, inventor of The Connection Machine, author of The Pattern on the Stone)

unexpected

Far more than I expected because it is everything I expected plus much that I did not know to expect. It is a book that has had the effect of making me substatially more than I was when I began it. It taught me a soul deep humility in the course of teaching me wonder.

Excellent modern history of science

This book has real value to those interested in the history of computation. So many history of science books are thin and give the reader almost nothing, but if you are really interested in mathematics and computation you will enjoy this book.

The Narrator does a good job, not great but solid performance.

Needed an editor

Would you try another book from George Dyson and/or Arthur Morey?

No.

What was most disappointing about George Dyson???s story?

What was most disappointing about the story is that there was no story. At different points in the book it seems a story of Von Neumann, the Institute of Advanced Study, the development of computer technology, a hundred other scientists and engineers, etc. It ends up being none of them. It seems more like a collection of notebooks that contained the potential to form a good book or story.

I was even hoping to learn a bit more of the technology of computers, but all explanations were given in the language of engineers. The book on the Eniac available on audible is much better.

Did Arthur Morey do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The performance was fine.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Couldn't have been much more disappointed.

Any additional comments?

Save your credits.

Too much history not enough Turing

One of the few books where I did not listen to all of it. I generally love any book about Turing or information theory, but he delved too much in to the history. I really didn't need to know that the Indian tribe was on the site of the think tank before the think tank was built on it and so on. Not enough on Turing and his theory and too much history for my taste. (If you like history more than information theory, the book can work for you and go ahead and give it a try)

Information overload

The book starts out with a bang: with an explanation of how the atomic bomb and the computer were motivated by the same forces, with the same potential for destruction.

But it quickly gets bogged down details, instead of keeping the overall story firmly in mind. The author uncovered tons of details, and cannot resist showing them off.

I didn't even make it though the first part.

This book cannot see the wood for the trees

What disappointed you about Turing's Cathedral?

So many irrelevant facts it is really hard to pay attention and filter out the interesting parts... It feels like there are 100 irrelevant pieces of information for every relevant insight.
For a book called "Turing's Cathedral" you would expect Alan Turing to play at least a decent part... I'm amazed to have gotten nearly a quarter through the book and he has barely been mentioned.

Would you ever listen to anything by George Dyson again?

Not likely.

How could the performance have been better?

Stick to the relevant facts and tell what must be a compelling story about the key players involved in creating the field of computing.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration...

Any additional comments?

Disappointed to have used a Credit on this.

A little too much information (of the wrong type)

What disappointed you about Turing's Cathedral?

Call me a starry-eyed optimist but when I read the name Turing in the title of a book I expect a little something on computable numbers, perhaps a bit of incompleteness theorem, a little bit about Manchester, but not that a bunch of people drank around 9000 cups of tea at 5.2 cents each. I kept jumping forward with the hope of finding something interesting. I guess I chose the wrong book.

What was most disappointing about George Dyson’s story?

See above.

What three words best describe Arthur Morey’s performance?

Read with conviction.

What character would you cut from Turing's Cathedral?

Most of them.

Wandering narrative

What disappointed you about Turing's Cathedral?

Lack of structure in the book. It switches between history and personal prognostication of the author.

Would you ever listen to anything by George Dyson again?

Probably not

What does Arthur Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Narration was fine

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Turing's Cathedral?

It is actually two books: 1) a history of computing centered around Princeton personalities, and 2) author's dabbling in computer futures

Any additional comments?

Did I just listen to that audio book, or did the audio book listen to me? Say that phrase a few hundred times and you will know what it feels like listening to 2nd half of the book.

Needed an editor

Would you try another book from George Dyson and/or Arthur Morey?

No.

What was most disappointing about George Dyson’s story?

What was most disappointing about the story is that there was no story. At different points in the book it seems a story of Von Neumann, the Institute of Advanced Study, the development of computer technology, a hundred other scientists and engineers, etc. It ends up being none of them. It seems more like a collection of notebooks that contained the potential to form a good book or story.

I was even hoping to learn a bit more of the technology of computers, but all explanations were given in the language of engineers. The book on the Eniac available on audible is much better.

Did Arthur Morey do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The performance was fine.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Couldn't have been much more disappointed.

Any additional comments?

Save your credits.

Too much history not enough Turing

One of the few books where I did not read it all. I generally love any book about Turing or information theory, but he delved too much in to the history. I really didn't need to know that the Indian tribe was on the site of the think tank before the think tank was built on it and so on. Not enough on Turing and his theory and too much history for my taste. (If you like history more than information theory, the book can work for you and go ahead and give it a try).