Teaching someone to fish (review of Computers as Components: Principles of Embedded Computing System Design, 2nd ed. by Wayne Wolf; 2008) [Book reviews]

This is a review of Computers as Components: Principles of Embedded Computing System Design, by Wayne Wolf. Suitable for any introductory course in embedded systems design, the book can also serve in a more advanced capacity. The chapters have many worked examples, lists of questions that could serve as assignments and thought-out lab exercises, as well as a useful set of references for further reading and details on specific topics. In addition, a companion site online provides helpful supplemental material, such as PowerPoint slides for lecture preparation, errata, and labs.     

Uncertain Rule-Based Fuzzy Logic Systems: Introduction and New Directions (Mendel, J.M.; 2001) [book review]

The book comprises 14 chapters and three appendices. The chapters are organized onto four parts: Preliminaries, Type-1 Fuzzy Logic Systems, Type-2 Fuzzy sets, and Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Systems. The book proves to be a valuable resource for professionals seeking to work with fuzzy sets in general and type-2 fuzzy sets in particular.     

How to make your own processor architecture (review of Processor Design: System-on-Chip Computing for ASICs and FPGAs by Nurmi, J., Ed.; 2007) [Book reviews]

This is a review of Processor Design: System-on-Chip Computing for ASICs and FPGAs (edited by Jari Nurmi). Because processors are now embedded in SoCs and programmable devices, a system designer is not limited to chips available from major manufacturers. The theory is that a system built of specialized processors will be more efficient, and this book covers a wide range of such customized computer architectures. The book includes three main types of chapters. The first group consists of background information; the second focuses on stages of the processor design process; and the third includes examples of architecture types and experimental architectures, mostly from universities.     

Thinking about Technology (Talbott, S.; 2007) [Book review]

The columnist reviews Devices of the Soul by Steve Talbott (O'Reilly, 2007). Since 1995, Talbott has edited an online newsletter, NetFuture: Technology and Human Responsibility (http://www.netfuture.org). This book, which includes material first published in the newsletter, interweaves many themes that reinforce one basic message: Talbott believes that we are not analyzing and mitigating against the risks of technology. We are letting the repeated assurances of progress through technology lull us into self-forgetfulness.     

Clustering (Xu, R. and Wunsch II, D.C.; 2009) [Book review]

This book takes a reasoned approach to clustering. It compares and contrasts numerous algorithms at various points in the narrative. The book flows well from algorithm to algorithm and from application to application. Each chapter from 3 onward has an introduction, one or more sub-chapters on specific algorithms, a sub-chapter on applications, and a summary. The book would be an excellent reference.     

Robot Brains. Circuits and Systems for Conscious Machines (P. Haikonen; 2007) [Book review]

In the past few years, various attempts to define the problem of consciousness from engineering or computational perspective have emerged. This book explores the topic of what will make a robot conscious. It outlines an engineering approach that should lead toward cognitive and conscious machines. Some of the topics covered include: a vector representation of information as a substitute for nonnumerical information processing by brains; neuron models and associate neural networks; circuit assemblies; machine perception; motor control; machine cognition; machine emotions; natural language understanding; cognitive architecture; and machine consciousness. The book should be interesting to people working in computational intelligence and cognitive robots. Researchers in computational neuroscience, who usually focus on details, may also benefit from the integrative approach presented in this book. While the book introduces a number of interesting points of view, no breakthrough technologies are proposed and no software or hardware demonstration is provided.     

Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics (Fogel, G.B. et al; 2008) [Book review]

Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics is a valuable reference for researchers and educators alike, providing an excellent snapshot of current hot topics as well as a sampling of important emerging areas. With its curation of the data used by its authors it also serves as model for how collections of papers should be managed.     

Nearest-Neighbor Methods in Learning and Vision (Shakhnarovich, G. et al., Eds.; 2006) [Book review]

In this excellent book, the editors deal with the state-of-the-art, current best practices, and some innovative applications of nearest-neighbor methods in learning and vision. This volume brings together contributions of top-level researchers in theory of computation, machine learning, and computer vision with the goal of closing up the gaps between disciplines and current state-of-the-art methods for emerging applications. All the content is well-written, highly relevant, original, and timely. The audience for this book consists of researchers, scientists, engineers, professionals, and academics, working not only in this field, but also in any field that could benefit from these powerful methods. This book can be particularly useful to researchers working on the basis set expansion networks.     

Applications of Fuzzy Logic in Bioinformatics (Dong Xu et al.; 2008) [Book review]

This book is entirely focused on explaining how fuzzy concepts and approaches can be useful in bioinformatics. It is organized into seven chapters and two very useful appendices. Some of the topics covered include: the fundamental concepts of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic; specific examples of using fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic to address bioinformatics analysis and modeling of data; analysis of microarray data; and future applications and directions for fuzzy computational approaches in molecular biology. Appendix I explains the fundamental biological concepts that are relevant to the biological subjects covered in the book and Appendix II lists and describes a wide variety of free online resources related to molecular biology, bioinformatics, and fuzzy set theory.Researchers in bioinformatics and fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic will find this book to be an important resource for developing interdisciplinary research between the two fields. Educators can also use this book for a graduate course to both introduce the two fields and stimulate research ideas based on the currently active research topics presented.     

Neurodynamics of Cognition and Consciousness (Perlovsky, L.I. and Kozma, R., Eds.; 2007) [Book review]

This volume grew up from a series of lectures presented at the World Congress of Computational Intelligence in Vancouver, BC, Canada, in summer 2006. The book is divided into two parts. Part I is about ""Neurodynamics of Cognition and Consciousness," and contains reviews from major players of the field. The papers are carefully selected, and what makes the book particularly exciting is that the authors have partially overlapping, but still very original views. Part II, "Cognitive Computing for Sensory Perception," is somewhat more eclectic than Part I, but still gives excellent examples for the application of the general neurodynamic principles. The book, as a well-edited whole, offers a coherent perspective and many remarkable details. It is recommended to anyone who would like to learn more about the field of neurodynamics.     

Evolutionary Robotics: From Algorithms to Implementations (Wang, L. et al.; 2006) [Book Review]

This book concentrates on the application of soft computing - evolutionary algorithms, neural networks, and fuzzy logic - for intelligent sensing, learning, and robot navigation. It consists of nine chapters which cover such topics as: evolvable hardware in robots; autonomous robot navigation systems; intelligent sensor fusion and learning; task-oriented developmental learning; bipedal walking through reinforcement learning; and swing time generation for bipedal walking. The book is well written, readable, and is concise yet comprehensive. It is more suited as a convenient reference book for researchers and practicing professionals, rather than a classroom textbook. If worked examples and end-of-chapter problems were added, the book would easily serve as a text for a graduate course on Intelligent Walking Robots.     

Computational Auditory Scene Analysis: Principles, Algorithms, and Applications (Wang, D. and Brown, G.J., Eds.; 2006) [Book review]

This book focuses on computational auditory scene analysis (CASA), an interdisciplinary area derived from the field of auditory scene analysis (ASA). The book comprises chapters written by ten researchers in the field of auditory modeling, speech analysis and recognition, statistical signal processing, sound localization, reverberation processing, music processing, and networks of oscillatory or firing neurons. A very interesting feature of the book is the accompanying website http://www.casabook.org/, from which it is possible to download sound examples or Matlab software for some chapters. The book is geared to scientists and graduate students anxious to grasp this multidisciplinary area.