Time to read
In our digital world where data and technologies are booming, it has never been more important to learn every day !!!
And the good news is that several studies has shown that our brain has more information storage capacity than we will ever be able to fill.
Even if is seems a buzz concept, it is amazing the quantity of information that we can learn just by committing to spent 20 mn or more everyday.
I love reading books and, for several years now, I have found audiobooks very convenient as you can bring them literally everywhere. A long trip, a commute, a business travel…
With this long period of social distancing, my favorite routine is to listen to audiobooks while hiking in the beautiful landscape of California. To walk stimulate the brain and the peace of the surrounding helps focus on the information.
Out of the several books of the last weeks, I would like to share 5 of them that I have found refreshing as they approach buzz concepts in a deep and very enriching way
Life 3.0
The first one is an amazing and clever overview of the subject of AI written by Max Tegmark
It gives a large approach of the subject and explore both technologies and scenarios of the future of AI. His mathematical background is present along all the chapters and his knowledge and energy makes his book a real pleasure to read
Max Tegmark is also the founder of “Future of Life Institute” that promotes beneficial AI.
https://www.audible.com/pd/Life-30-Audiobook/B0742K1G4Q
Big Data : How Data Analytics is Transforming the World
The second one is a practical but passionate approach of the science of Big Data processing.
Tim Chartier explain through examples and simple words the reality of data science and the questions that needs to be in the mind of anybody that wants to starts the journey of data analysis.
This book is part of the rich collection “The Great Courses” promoted by Audible
The Deep Learning Revolution
If you are passionate with evolution of neuronal network from the concept to the massive use of deep learning, this book is a very good lecture
Terrence Sejnowski visit the different events and research that have develop this new branch of science in the last year.
With many examples and reference to other’s work, this book give a good picture of the current status of our knowledge and all the open questions that are still to be solved
https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Deep-Learning-Revolution-Audiobook/1977341101
Leading with Cultural Intelligence
As the digital transformation starts with humans, this book will bring you a first level of understanding of cultural difference and how you should take those differences into account in the daily interaction
From my own experience, coming from an European culture, the cultural intelligence is, from my point of view, a mandatory knowledge if you want to be able to efficiently communicate and interact in multi-countries projects, especially with forced distant relations created by the COVID
https://www.audible.com/pd/Leading-with-Cultural-Intelligence-Second-Editon-Audiobook/B0167KTAVQ
The science of Information
This last book, also part of “The Great Courses” collection was a surprise for me
Benjamin Schumacher visit the history of the science of information. : Language, cryptography, error correction, genetic, signal ..
All concepts are explained in pedagogic way with many examples.
It brought me back years ago at college where those notions were part of my training program.
But, after years in the technical community, it was really refreshing to come back to basic and look again at those concepts.
As a side note, I strongly advice to have a tablet to look at the supporting graphics, as, some chapters explain some mathematical formulas that are sometime difficult to follow without a visual aid.