Monthly Archives: May 2004
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One+AbstractReview: In Code
A Mathematical Journey: A Mathematical Adventure, By Sarah Flannery
An inspiring and encouraging book
This is an inspiring book, telling the story of a young woman’s introduction to, and enamourment with, of all things, mathematics. In an era where enthusiasm for the sciences is often seen as "uncool", it is delightfully encouraging to read the story of a family, and in particular the author herself, who understand both the value and the pleasure of such interests.
The book balances two quite separate elements. On the one hand there’s the story of how Sarah became interested in mathematics, did an interesting science project, and got a lot of attention when as a seventeen year old Irish girl she nearly invented a powerful new cryptographic system. On the other hand there’s a very clear introduction to the mathematics underlying modern cryptography, presented using a range of interesting examples, puzzles and clear explanations.
Review: Digital Fortress
By Dan Brown
Mr Brown should stick to what he's good at
It’s not often I give up on a fiction book part-way through, but I just couldn’t take any more of this.
If you’re going to write a thriller about cryptography, where the central characters are code makers and code breakers, then you have to have a passing understanding of the subject – Dan Brown clearly doesn’t.
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