Often, medieval book bindings—as many as one in five from the 15th and 16th centuries—are reinforced with fragments of pages from older printed volumes that bookbinders considered obsolete. Without the option of dismantling precious books to reveal the fragments, specialists turn to x-ray technology to reveal words that have been hidden from view for hundreds of years. A team at the University of Iowa recently used familiar medical technology—a computerized tomography (CT) scanner—to do just that.
A timely book that reads like a Hunter S. Thompson adventure. A recommended purchase for libraries with computer science, public policy, or current events collections.
Wiggins and Jones’s analysis of how data has been gathered, interpreted, and disseminated over the past century raises many questions about how data will be used in future endeavors. A thought-provoking and well-researched discussion that should appeal to fans of Sinan Aral’s The Hype Machine.
The intended audience appears to be computer engineers or IT professionals, not general readers. This book’s reach and technical jargon limit it from being an essential or recommended purchase.
This introduction to the hacker history and hackers’ incentives is a welcome addition for computers and technology collections. Will likely appeal to many types of readers.