Pickover, Clifford A

Explores the history of artificial intelligence from Medieval robots to the present.

The book takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through the unpredictable and exciting universe of computers, games, puzzles, mazes, and computer art. Topics include: factual spiders, electronic kaleidoscopes, checker-playing robots, and games which model the migration of early humans from Africa to the rest of the world.

Presents pizza-related explanations of calculus concepts and formulas, covering such topics as derivatives, slopes, exponentials, logarithms, and multiple integrals.

Presents portraits of eccentric geniuses who have made contributions to science and philosophy, focusing on bizarre behavior, strange beliefs, and obsessive personalities.

An exploration of black holes conducted through a combination of an imaginary journey through the universe and scientific fact, including thought-provoking mysteries, puzzles, and problems on a variety of topics ranging from parallel universes to time travel. Includes computer graphics images, and codes for creating black holes on home computers.

A guide to the mysteries of the stars and what they mean for human existence, and focuses on stellar evolution, the universe's ultimate fate, and stars as a source of transcendence.

Lists the various techniques used by different cultures and religions to look into the future and evaluates the accuracy of some of the most astonishing prophecies made throughout history.