From von Neumann to Ada- the origins of Computer Science

Last week I stumbled upon a blog entry written by Steve Yegge, a former software developer at Amazon.com who now works for Google, titled Math Every Day. In it, he discusses how reading a book called John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing made him realise how important Maths is, especially to programmers, and how a lack of practical Maths knowledge hindered his expertise as one. So he embarked on a program to learn (or rather, re-learn) a bit of Maths everyday for one year.

In his lengthy post, he also details some of John von Neumann's spectacular achievements. Originally a mathematician, von Neumann co-created Game Theory, was a key member of the Manhattan Project that created the first atom bomb, contributed to the field of quantum mechanics, created the field of cellular automata and oh yes, invented the modern computer (in fact, most computers in use today are designed according to an architecture that bears his name). With a resume like that, it's no wonder that John von Neumann is considered one of the greatest geniuses of the 20th century.

Fascinated by the story of this man, I did a bit of googling and found the online text of Tools for Thought, a history of modern computing that focuses on some of the key figures in the field. The book's written by Howard Reingold- who also wrote the critically-acclaimed book Smart Mobs, about the impact that pervasive computing will have on society. The blog associated with the book is one of the best on the Internet.

I read the first chapter of Tools for Thought, which tells the story of Charles Babbage, who invented the world's first working digital computer- the steam-driven Difference Engine, and Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the infamous Romantic poet Lord Byron (author of, amongst other works, Don Juan) and one of the world's first programmers.

Having read that much, I wanted to read more about all these visionaries who stood at the brink of the Age of Information in which we now live. So the next day at the NUS Library, I searched for books on the history of computing and found two rather interesting ones. The first, The Bride of Science: Romance, Reason, and Byron's Daughter, was a biography of Ada Lovelace, which I'm currently reading.

Far from a dry text, the book starts off by detailing the tumultuous romance between Ada's mother- the supremely logical, rational and scientifically-minded Annabella Milbanke- and George Byron- poet, lover, celebrity, a man who would come to symbolize the Romantic movement evermore and become the model for the now-stereotypical Romantic hero.

The book presents Ada as thus being borne of a union between the increasingly-incompatible philosophies of Scientific Rationalism and Romanticism. She would inherit both the wild passions and cold logic of her father and mother, respectively. Set in the backdrop of the emerging industrial Victorian age, her story is one that would quite possibly be considered too outlandish for a work of fiction, and so is yet more remarkable for being true.

The other book I borrowed is Prisoner's Dilemma by William Poundstone. The book is partly a biography of John von Neumann and partly a history of game theory, that branch of mathematics that he helped create. I haven't read it yet, but it comes highly recommended and looks pretty cool.

I personally find that learning about the history of a field- Computing, in this case- and the personalities who helped shape it is far more interesting than simply learning theory without being able to ground it in any kind of context. Pretty much the same goes for Physics, which can seem awfully abstruse to the casual observer but has always been one of the most exciting branches of science, populated as it is by a set of individuals as eccentric as they are brilliant.