Rating: 
Summary: Science Fiction
Review: The review says "Think of the food replicators in the imaginary future of Star Trek--with some basic chemical building blocks and simple rules, those machines can produce everything from Klingon delicacies to Earl Grey tea. If scientists can understand and apply the knowledge they gather from studying emergent systems, we may soon witness the development of artificial intelligence, nanotech, biological machines, and other creations heretofore confined to science fiction." -- What?? Like we are about to make food replicators because of the "deep understanding" that we now have of emergent systems??I agree with the other reviewer who says the book is characteristically weak. The cover is prettier than Hidden Order. But so what. There have to be better books on complexity than this for the average popular science reader.
Rating:
Summary: Science Fiction
Review: The review says "Think of the food replicators in the imaginary future of Star Trek--with some basic chemical building blocks and simple rules, those machines can produce everything from Klingon delicacies to Earl Grey tea. If scientists can understand and apply the knowledge they gather from studying emergent systems, we may soon witness the development of artificial intelligence, nanotech, biological machines, and other creations heretofore confined to science fiction." -- What?? Like we are about to make food replicators because of the "deep understanding" that we now have of emergent systems?? I agree with the other reviewer who says the book is characteristically weak. The cover is prettier than Hidden Order. But so what. There have to be better books on complexity than this for the average popular science reader.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most important books published for a long time
Review: This book clearly and concisely states ideas that are fundamental to the whole of scientific endevour. It puts into perspective the debate on thermodynamic chaotic phenomena as in Prigogine and shows where we should be looking for the arrow of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Above the General Interest and Disoganized
Review: While the intended audience is the general interest reader, this book will be a bit complicated for most people who are unfamilar with Turning Machines, i.e., stack machines, etc.
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