A collection of Dewdny's "Computer Recreations" columns which originally appeared in "Scientific American." "The Magic Machine" invites eager neophyte hackers armed with cheap PCs to explore such things as chaos, computer viruses, fractal worlds, artificial landscapes, infinity and paradox. The 28 programs described here are presented in pseudocode algorithms which can be converted into the reader's favorite programming language. Whether you just want to make a wiggly worm or an entire colony of protozoa competing for diminishing resources, "The Magic Machine" will show you how to do it in a way that will turn a light bulb on in your brain.
(Mark Frauenfelder)
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Magic Machine: A Handbook of Computer Sorcery
A.K. Dewdny
W.H. Freeman and Company
41 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
1990, 357 pgs., pb, $15.95
graphic: Buzz (TV Series)
Here is the TEXT POPUP for The Magic Machine: A Handbook of Computer Sorcery:
The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete, and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards - and even then I have my doubts."
- Eugene H. Spafford
