Programming the Universe
by Seth Lloyd · first published 2006
50% recommend50% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A readable popular-science tour of quantum computing and information theory applied to the cosmos, offering a reframing of how to think about reality and a clear introduction to the subject for non-specialists.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2019–2022Three Roads to Quantum Gravity
Lee Smolin
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 32 recommend · 3 mention2 recommend · 32 recommend
2015–2022About time
Paul Davies
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2009–2022Hyperspace
Michio Kaku
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 64 recommend · 6 mention4 recommend · 64 recommend
2015–2025The First Three Minutes
Steven Weinberg
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 98 recommend · 9 mention8 recommend · 98 recommend
2008–2026Siddartha
Hermann Hesse
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 2015 recommend · 20 mention15 recommend · 2015 recommend
Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes On the Cosmos by Seth Lloyd. It made me think about reality in a very novel way, and the nature of what a tautology really is, and it was extremely readable considering…
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why” ↗…of stuff, I'd suggest reading Charles Seife's book entitled _Decoding the Universe_. It's about information theory and discusses quantum computing to a certain extent. I've also heard Seth Lloyd's book Programming the Universe is very good, but I have not read it.
on “Atom Split Into Two And Then Put Back Together Using Quantum Mechanics” ↗Programming the Universe by Seth Lloyd really helped me to understand this stuff. http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Universe-Quantum-Computer-...
on “'Unprecedented' discovery could propel quantum computers to reality” ↗…Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott[12] The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo[13] Three Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin[14] Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd[15] Higgs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott[16] [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Something-Deeply-Hidden-Emergence-Spa...…
on “Ask HN: Recommended Books on Physics?” ↗…"simulation" of natural quantum systems, though that begins to stretch the word "simulation." I'm not sure why you're so accusatory in this comment, but if you want to understand this better, I would recommend "Programming the Universe" by Seth Lloyd
on “Peter Shor's MIT Fall 2022 course lecture notes on quantum computing” ↗programming the universe, seth lloyd is very nice.
on “Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?” ↗…Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo Three Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd Higgs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott Analogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell Society of Mind…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗…universe can be modeled as the largest ever quantum computer; at some point, simulated universe and real quantum universe become a distinction without a difference. [1] Pretty sure it was Seth Lloyd's "Programming the Universe": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_the_Universe
on “A Universe Full of Planets” ↗> Programming the Universe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_the_Universe : > Lloyd also postulates that the Universe can be fully simulated using a quantum computer; however, in the absence of a theory of quantum gravity,…
on “Qubit: Quantum register: Qudits and qutrits” ↗Programming the Universe by Seth Lloyd (physics professor at MIT who likes to call himself a "quantum mechanic"). Here's a relevant paper by Lloyd titled "Ultimate physical limits to computation": http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9908043v3
on “The game of life emulated in the game of life” ↗Seth Lloyd, in "Programming the Universe", seems to argue the universe is a computer or is like a computer. The universe computes "its own dynamical evolution". "As the computation proceeds, reality unfolds."
on “The Universe Is Not a Computer” ↗https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_the_Universe : > Lloyd also postulates that the Universe can be fully simulated using a quantum computer; however, in the absence of a theory of quantum gravity, such a simulation is not yet possible. "Particles…
on “Doing small network scientific machine learning in Julia faster than PyTorch” ↗In his book Programming the Universe[0][1], quantum physicist Seth Lloyd calculates that if you had every atom in the universe computing for the age of the universe to generate strings of text randomly, it would not likely have written even…
on “There are 2¹⁰²⁴ things you can do with a kilobit” ↗…have. Oh, and as an addition to that, region locking availability of eBooks is extremely frustrating as a consumer, but I assume that this is something the publishers are also forcing on Amazon? I bought Programming the Universe yesterday via Amazon, it initially wasn't available from Australia, but as I'm moving to Tallinn in a couple of days I just changed my address on amazon a little ahead of time and it immediately became…
on “Amazon-Macmillan fight heats up: "Available everywhere except Amazon"” ↗…contender in the legion of theories of this sort that seek to explain the nature of our observable universe (as it appears to the human consciousness) I looked up the reviews of Amazon for the book, "Programming the Universe" and some reviews seems to suggest that the author largely treads on thin ice in several areas. For example: I've always admired the notion (first promulgated by Voltaire?) that the true measure of…
on “A Universe Full of Planets” ↗