
Decoding Reality
The Universe as Quantum Information
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Narrated by:
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Jay Russell
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By:
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Vlatko Vedral
About this listen
For a physicist, all the world is information. The universe and its workings are the ebb and flow of information. We are all transient patterns of information, passing on the recipe for our basic forms to future generations using a four-letter digital code called DNA.
In this engaging and mind-stretching account, Vlatko Vedral considers some of the deepest questions about the universe and considers the implications of interpreting it in terms of information. He explains the nature of information, the idea of entropy, and the roots of this thinking in thermodynamics.
He also describes the bizarre effects of quantum behaviour - effects such as "entanglement", which Einstein called "spooky action at a distance", and explores cutting-edge work on harnessing quantum effects in hyperfast quantum computers, and how recent evidence suggests that the weirdness of the quantum world, once thought limited to the tiniest scales, may reach into the macro world.
Vedral finishes by considering the answer to the ultimate question: where did all of the information in the universe come from? The answers he considers are exhilarating, drawing upon the work of distinguished physicist John Wheeler. The ideas challenge our concept of the nature of particles, of time, of determinism, and of reality itself.
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Excellent on all counts.
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Magical HomeRun!
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Vedral's simplistic approach did have it's advantages. And, not matter how simple or complex the approach, Vedral's concepts are among my favorites of any scientist. Vedral provides extremely accessible introductions to Shannon's information theory, Botlzmann's entropy, Maxwell's Demon, the holographic principle, quantum computing (which was particularly excellent and simplified for the interested reader), and more.
Above all, Vedral helps the reader see the universe in an entirely different way, as pure information. Unlike other authors who get caught up in philosophical arguments that frustrate a great number of readers, Vedral's perspective is always quite solid and easy to follow. For this reason alone, anyone interested in information theory should make this a must read.
As an aside, Michael Brooks provided a vary short summary of Vedral's work and information theory in general in his book At the Edge of Uncertainty. It is an even more condensed summary than Vedral's book. But, it is worth reading if you have an interest in the field.
written for the every day person
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Free-ranging, creative, connecting many dots
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Excellent Content but Poor Delivery
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Valuable
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Great book worth listening twice
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Thesis unmet; however, worth listening to.
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Highly underrated
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Excellent Listen
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