Automate thisChristopher Steiner

Automate this

by Christopher Steiner · first published 2012

7mentions
4recommended by
7HN commenters
2012–2021first – last mentioned

57% recommend43% neutral

The interaction of man and machine can make our lives easier. But what will the world look like when algorithms control our hospitals, our roads, our culture, and our national security? It used to be that to diagnose an illness, interpret legal documents, analyze foreign policy, or write a newspaper article you needed a human being with specific skills--and maybe an advanced degree or two. These days, high-level tasks are increasingly being handled by algorithms that can do precise work not only with speed but also with nuance. These "bots" started with human programming and logic, but now the

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What Hacker News says

  • portman · Dec 26, 2012 · Recommends

    …We Lie to Everyone---Especially Ourselves by Dan Ariely published June 5, 2012 The third Ariely book, and just as fun. Would be ranked #1 except it's essential the same formula as his prior two gems. Automate This: How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World by Christopher Steiner published August 30, 2012 Surprisingly good read from a first-time author (and YC alum). Expands on Andreessen's quip to cover trading, couter-terrorism,…

    on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗
  • okcs · Nov 24, 2015 · Recommends

    Automate This by Christopher Steiner. I'd also recommend Console Wars by Blake Harris.

    on “Ask HN: Favorite tech-related audiobook” ↗
  • Mrtierne · Oct 18, 2017 · Recommends

    The title should read "Robots Are Here..." Great read for anyone interested in a history of the Wall Street bots: "Automate This" by Christopher Steiner

    on “Robots Are Coming for These Wall Street Jobs” ↗
  • AGivant · Jan 1, 2021 · Recommends

    …most important of all things - wash your hands often! * Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37486540-dopesick * Automate This: How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World by Christopher Steiner - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542772-automate-this Excellent review on how automation impact all directions of our live (investments,…

    on “Ask HN: What is the best book you read in 2020?” ↗
  • therealdrag0 · Nov 26, 2014 · Mentions

    I think it's in the book "Automate This" [1] that there is a section about a guy who has spent a lot of time building AI to write classical music. Apparently people can't tell the difference, and only criticize it after they're told it's written…

    on “The strange world of computer-generated novels” ↗
  • patrickk · Oct 13, 2013 · Mentions

    There's a chapter in the book "Automate This"[1] (Chapter 7) that deals with research that will make you highly effective in communicating with other people. It focuses on the research of a man called Dr. Taibi Kahler[2], who broadly breaks people…

  • hooande · Dec 20, 2012 · Mentions

    Is this the study you had in mind? http://www.princeton.edu/~mjs3/salganik_dodds_watts06_full.p... I read about a similar experiment in the book "Automate This" by yc alum Christopher Steiner. They seeded a music website with unknown songs and it turned out that whatever was liked first benefited from the Matthew Effect. ie, people tend to like whatever is already…

    on “Engineering Pornography (2002)” ↗

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