Clifford Pickover's Dreaming The Future gathers accounts of a range of peoples who have had experiences reading fortunes and foretelling events. From contrasts between different methods of prediction and their underlying theories to evaluations of prophecies made through the pages, this is a more organized, contrasting study than most.

Clifford Pickover takes us on a thrilling journey through time to learn how people have utilized a wide variety of divination methods to catch glimpses of the future. DREAMING THE FUTURE succeeds on many levels; it contains one of the most complete assortments of divination methods ever brought together in one book, it describes fascinating accounts of how divination and prophets have changed history, and it provides the reader with many useful do-it-yourself guides to try divination techniques at home.

DREAMING THE FUTURE is an entertaining and educational read whether you are actively involved with divination methods, are simply interested to know more about them and how they've been used, or are downright skeptical that such things could have any accuracy whatsoever. Pickover frequently refers to himself as being a skeptic throughout this book, yet he does not fall victim to scientism -- the belief that scientific hypotheses are immutable "laws", rather than ever-changing theories. Pickover requests that people first rule out the ways we can be tricked, to avoid blindly accepting assertions of paranormal or mystical experience.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the wide variety of oracles involving animal behavior, dowsing, candle flames, numerology, automatic writing, cheese shapes, tea leaves, crystals, breathing over a vase of water, sounds and movements of the wind, sand, geomancy, feng shui, fortune cookies, and random remarks overheard in crowds. I finished reading this book feeling inspired to try out new kinds of divination methods that weren't even mentioned, because I regained the sense that we can receive spiritual information from all of our senses in every situation, everywhere, all the time.

Once again Clifford Pickover has proved his genius. He presents us with a monumental catalog of methods of divination. The genius is that, although we know that Pickover is a scientist with an international reputation as a science writer, he presents his catalog without a hint of judgment. You can find in this work step-by-step instructions for telling the future by observing spiders (step 1 - find an inhabited spider hole), reading tarot cards, or cracking coconut shells.

In keeping with the author's interest in fractals, he describes Fractomancy, a computer-graphics method of divination. "Fractomancy is based on the generation of fractal geometric patterns and interpreting the structures for divinatory methods." He also tells us that we can derive new inventions by cutting up patents and recombining the paragraphs at random. Are we to believe that this is how he has generated his portfolio of United States patents? No matter. The book is a source of endless fascination.

Finally, in an appendix we find a list of predictions by prophets of dates for the end of the world. I was pleased to see that if we get through 2001, we are safe until 2012.

*The book is a collection of fascinating, thought-provoking essays on
various topics which are not necessarily all concerned with infinite
topics. Some may be discussions of really big numbers or
mathematical constructs, but these may or may not necessarily involve
infinity.

*If you absolutely cannot stand math stuff, this is not your book.
Otherwise, it has a range of math from very simple to really
advanced. I just brushed over the very advanced math stuff that I
either did not understand or had long ago forgotten, but I didn't
really feel like I missed anything.

*There are a slew of amazing visually complex and striking graphical
representations of various advanced functions, etc. All are well
worth exploring, even if they do not directly involve infinite
concepts. The book is loaded with such graphics, a real visual feast.

*The math is rather advanced in some sections but is quite elementary
in others. Best of all, a generous collection of computer programs
is included which can be used to explore almost every chapter.

*There are a few "mystery" type things, but mostly it is just very
exotic, seldom-explored areas of number theories and other areas of
mathematics.

*The chapter on Vampire numbers is really cool, I thought. I have
seen them mentioned in posts here from time to time, now I understand
what they are and why they are so interesting

*The chapter on recursion has loads of really cool pattern-type stuff
that you can easily explore with a PC. A great topic.

*The chapter near the back of the book on random numbers and random
number generators is great background for some anyone interested in quantum theory. I had never seen the RNG cloud graphics before, what a
unique and ideal way to show the effectiveness of an RNG.

As expected, this is a great book, I heartily recommend it for all.

A perpetual idea machine, Clifford Pickover is one of the most creative, original thinkers in the world today. In most cases using only simple ideas, he follows paths that in many cases must be constructed immediately before traversal. In this, his latest installment in that trek of exploration, he is again at his best.
Each subject starts with a simple premise and the author follows it through to a basic conclusion. Many of the topics involve computer programs, and source code is provided. The programs are in several languages, including C, Pascal, BASIC and Rexx. However, most programs are quite short and represent basic algorithms, so it is not difficult to understand a program even if you are not familiar with the language.
Some of the topics include:

- 10^33, the largest power of 10 that can be represented as the product of two numbers that contain no zero digits.
- A debate as to whether there should be a national computing initiative to compute the first trillion digits of Pi.
- Fractal milkshakes, or creating a collection of fractal "bubbles."

Truly fuN with a capital N for number, this is another of the author's superb creations. A math book that is entertaining, and not just to people who find it so by nature or profession.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

Having trouble understanding the concept of "infinity"? Know the word but don't have a deep understanding of what it really is? This book is for you! The author can take such a hard-to-grasp concept like infinity and make it accessible to everyone. With a good sprinkling of computer programs for those with access to one, Pickover provides the reader with the ability to experiment with the ideas presented.

In this book, Dr. Pickover takes us on a scientific and historical tour of the development of our understanding of the workings of stars (of which our sun is the nearest example). In the usual Pickover manner, the author does not let us rest with a light-hearted thesis on nuclear physics. He leads us to the conclusion that neither stars nor our universe could be without the fortuitous existence of an excited state of the carbon-12 nucleus. Is this because the excited state of carbon-12 was designed so or has our universe evolved from a cosmology of universes in such a way that the excited state is a necessity? The reader is left to ponder the question. For more speculations about God see Dr. Pickover's next tome, "The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience", also available on this web site.

The stars of heaven - where would we be without them? Actually nowhere; we as humans would not exist without them. As carbon based lifeforms we owe our very existence to the stars since they are the source of this carbon, and what a close call it is that this carbon is formed at all. Were the number 7.6549 (the resonant energy state of carbon in MeV) just a few percent different, the stars would not produce this carbon, and the rich biochemistry that make us human would not be possible. So, if you ever wondered where you came from, Pickover has the answer in these glorious pages. A journey to the stars would be wonderful, but the journey of the stars to us is even more wonderful. Pickover tells the amazing story of where we came from for those who wonder at that amazing question.

Dennis W. Gordon

If there is ever a time more than any other that we need astronomy, it is now. Because astronomy -- from backyard stargazing on up -- reminds us there's much beyond terror looming over our heads. And, now more than ever, we need writers up to the task of convincing us of this. Not just competent writers, mind you; from these you'll get the venerable, well-annotated but otherwise dehydrated boilerplate itemizing the hits and misses of Astronomy 101's usual suspects: ancient Greeks, Moorish scholars, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Lowell (for comic relief) and finally some pro-forma paeans to Einstein, Hubble, Hawking and (with an asterisk) Sagan.Now, while all this is fairly serviceable stuff, it conveys nothing of what we layfolk dearly want from science: our own personal place in it. We want to connect -- to log on to eternity. And that's where Clifford Pickover steps in. His new book, The Stars of Heaven, ostensibly concentrates on stellar astronomy -- the lives and deaths of stars. But anyone who has ever read his previous books will expect -- and receive -- far more. Pickover's expansive field of view reveals the nature and mysteries of stars in their broadest, deepest possible context -- from the edge of the observable universe and beyond to the restless shadows of human consciousness. Astrophysics, cosmology, philosophy, religion, art -- all of these seamlessly enrich Pickover's answer to our seemingly simple "wish upon a star." But don't get me wrong here; The Stars of Heaven is no ponderous block of academic marble. Pickover delivers the goods like a friend, happy you've asked him to stop over for a chat about some of his favorite ideas. He's an avid sci-fi fan, and he delights in actively engaging his readers, so in this book (as in various others of his) he creates for us a space adventure all his own, complete with wacky characters, funny asides and lightspeed plot-twists but all to make his main points memorable -- and meaningful. Sometimes, to crystallize a point, Pickover includes a simple equation or two, but these are painless and few; in fact, they serve as handy landmarks should you wish to backtrack and refresh. But always this is a personal journey for the author -- a chance to reveal why he delights in heavenly mysteries, scientific and otherwise. You'll especially get a sense of this in the "non-fiction" section of each chapter, where he distills and develops themes introduced in the sci-fi segment. And this may be the most valuable element of the whole book: a glimpse into not only the mysteries of science but also the scientist -- why he does what he does, how his discoveries and unanswered questions square with his own aspirations and beliefs -- and why he'd like to share all this with you. Indeed, this is what we need, now more than ever, if we are to live beyond fear of the unknown.

Lobotomy Club is a wonderful sci fi novel that will attempt to entertain you and push your notions of reality all at the same time. The subtle blending of truth with fiction will leave you contemplating how much of what you have read is true, and how much is part of the wonderful environment you have been drawn into. One of the greatest parts of this book is its strong use of allusion which displays Pickover's adeptness with more subtle humor.
This is a wonderful read for most levels. You can take it at face value for a wonderful ride through a bizzare sci-fi adventure, or you can delve deeper and be rewarded with various little treasures for your efforts.

In The Lobotomy Club, a "cerebral Mobius strip" (brain rewiring) lets people have strange visions. This book has something for people with different tastes, from UFOs to insectile aliens to prodromic dreams, to reality shifts. The lead woman has an artificial arm that is quite versatile, as you'll soon find out. I'm trying to determine which member of the Lobotomy Club intrigues me most -- probably it's the woman who always wears sushi jewelry.

To appreciate the Neoreality book series, I found that I had to open myself up to the strange sensations I felt while reading them. Go with the flow. Enjoy the oddness. Don't bother reading these books if you just want a standard novel. But if you enjoy fun and strange concepts, these are certainly a delight.

I have finished The Lobotomy Club and Liquid Earth, two of the four books in Pickover's Neoreality series. I can't say which book I like better. The Lobotomy Club was cool. In this book, people perform brain surgery on themselves to allow them to see religious visions and a "truer" or "higher" reality. As they explore a world filled with monstrous Biblical visions, Adam, Sayori, and their friends encounter a vast conspiracy and hellish dangers. Like Liquid Earth, this book had a fast pace and is filled with quirky, serious, and funny tidbits. One of my favorite scenes occurred in Sayori's high-tech apartment in which Adam meets the other members of the Lobotomy Club. They all have special talents, and many seem to be named after items you'd find on a sushi menu! Other favorite scenes involve a large insectile creature that stalks throughout much of the book.

As with Liquid Earth, Pickover's books make you question reality. The books in the series also make you wonder about religion and how we might open our minds so that we can reason beyond the limits of our brain. Pickover has a way of getting inside your head and scrambling it. Quirky, mind-expanding, emotional, creative, fun. (People who like The Lobotomy Club will also like Pickover's Liquid Earth, Heinlein's Job and Number of the Beast, Greg Egan's Diaspora, Philip K Dick's Ubik, and Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.)

If you've gotten bored of hunting the wumpus, check out The Loom of God. It covers vast mathematical areas, many of which make excellent computer programs. One intriguing concept presented was that of "sociable numbers." That is, numbers A, B, C, D, E (or more) for which the factors of A add up to B, the factors of B add up to C, and so one, until the factors of E add up to A. As you might imagine, the search for sociable numbers requires either VERY powerful computers, or VERY innovative algorithms... none of which are discussed in the book. It does however, provide an excellent introduction this and many other mathematical topics.

Entertaining bored programmers is not, of course, the primary focus of the book, but it alone makes the book worth buying.

The author has done a wonderful job in taking math and making it interesting. By weaving non-fiction and fiction into one coherent story, Pickover has been able to take math and give it a life of its own. Certainly a good addition to any mathematicians library, but an even better addition to everybody's library because everybody can understand it!

"Clifford A. Pickover leads readers on a dazzling, lushly illustrated tour of the intersection of number and the numinous." - Publisher's Weekly, April 1997

This is certainly the best book I have ever seen on computer science and all its applications in math, science, and just about everything!

Clifford A. Pickover starts with a few chapters on the Top 10 Scientists and what would happen if an IBM computer was placed in the year 1900. He then goes on to talk about the applications of computer science on almost every science, with a few pages on every subject. His book is 63 chapters long - among them: "The World of Chaos," "Twisted Mirror Worlds," "The Moire Effect: Practical and Pictorial Patterns," and "Visualization of the Gleichniszahlen-Reihe Monster."

The book is well-organized into 10 Parts, and each chapter within itself contains an introduction, description, and even exercises for the reader. Overall, the book is fun to flip through, and on lonely Tuesday evenings, it's great just to open the book to a random page and read.

With all of the glowing reviews already linked to, there's not much more for me to add beyond, "Wow!" One of my friends turned me on to this book and loaned me his copy, and I'm really glad he did. This is a book for every computer scientist who wants to enhance his/her creativity. Every page is packed with ideas for using the computer to visualize the world of mathematics, and lovingly illustrated with great pictures to show you that each equation is not just a dry, boring, thing, but a gateway into a new (2-, 3-, or N-dimensional!) universe. This isn't a book to teach programming, so you'll have to go elsewhere for that, but if you already have a basic understanding of your favorite programming language, and know how to draw graphics to the screen, this book will provide many, many ideas, for that critical point when you stop and wonder, "what can I do next?" Highly recommended!

One could burn a great deal of thesaurus time searching for the right superlatives to describe this book. The third element in a series that will hopefully never end, it is an exciting combination of computer science, philosophy, and playfulness. Dr. Pickover can rightfully be labeled the "philosopher king" of the computer world.
As was the case in previous books, the primary focus is on the computer generation of images, but in this work the author skips down other avenues of mental exploration. Computer generated mazes, fractal music, fractal ant farms (think about whether the ants or the farms or both are what is fractal), caging fleas in Hyperspace, virtual reality, and strange chess problems are just some of the items that are discussed. Short pieces describing strange forms of art creation appear at regular intervals.
The only place where this reviewer thinks that the book stumbles is in the short science fiction story. However, it is conceded that this may be an instance of personal prejudice. This reviewer is a longtime reader of the genre, with an emphasis on the so-called big three of Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein. It may be unfair to compare anyone to those three.
The level of difficulty resembles a sine curve. Some passages require a good deal of knowledge in the area of math/computers, while others can be understood by anyone. All topics are well referenced, so anyone who wishes to explore further will have no trouble doing so. Questions designed to initiate further thought occur at the end of each essay.
Whatever your background and interests, you will find something of value in this book and both of the two previous ones, "Computers, Pattern, Chaos, and Beauty" and "Computers and the Imagination." To paraphrase an old advertising slogan, "no one can read just one."

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

Pickover presents numerous brief chapters providing excursions into computer art, mathematics, physics, and whatever other topic happens to be tangentially related to anything he cares about. In the hands of a less astute person Mazes for the Mind would be meaningless drivel. But Pickover is like a wonderful uncle you see a few times a year for holidays; he is full of fascinating tales to share. Anyone who is interested in how math shows up in odd places, and who has some familiarity with relatively advanced topics like chaos theory, number theory, topology, etc. should find plenty to occupy their minds in this work. Though some of the sections are too brief, the quick tours through each topic are generally enjoyable.

I'm most interested to see what other Pickover works are available.

Once again, Clifford Pickover has taken tough concepts in physics, mathematics and philosophy and made them available and enjoyable to all. This time with Time: A Traveler's Guide.

As in previous works, Pickover places the reader into the story. The reader along with his companions perform many experiments and mental excercises. The actions of the characters and the experiments themselves are then explained in sections called "The Science Behind the Science Fiction". This makes the book enjoyable for anyone interested in time and time travel. And of course, Pickover includes computer algorithms at the end of the book for us computer junkies!

An excellent book for anyone wishing to travel through time!

I am completely sure that every kind of reader will get pleasure from this book; furthermore, I guarantee that any reader will recover his/her lost faith in time travel. If you saw "Contact" (the movie), or you often read science-fiction novels or even if you just want to enjoy a good and productive reading, you are strongly advised to buy and read this excellent and fascinating book. "Time: A Traveler's Guide" was written in the same clear, precise and funny way as "Black Holes: A Traveler's Guide" was done in its opportunity. The book now featured by Dr. Pickover will let you discover the "science behind the science-fiction" about the main topic by means of a science-fiction story plenty of funny dialogs, diagrams, formulas and graphics that make the information, and the book in general, a delight to read. You will NOT need vast knowledge in physics or mathematics to understand the ideas, and furthermore, to realize that time travel is possible. The book also offers a great deal of information about the special and the general theory of relativity besides spacetime physics. I also recommend Pickover's book about Black Holes as an excellent complement because that book is one of the best text in this topic and you will see that black holes could serve (in a far but possible future) to travel through time. Sincerely, buy the book and you will see that every page you read becomes a piece of your renovated faith in a dream as beautiful as paradoxical, TIME TRAVEL!

Once again, Clifford Pickover has taken tough concepts in physics, mathematics and philosophy and made them tangible to the common reader. This time, he guides the reader through a plethora of mind stretching ideas dealing with time and time travel.

Like other books by Cliff, Time: a Traveler's Guide is written in such a way that anyone with an interest in time and time travel (from one who considers him or herself weak in physics to one who may have a PhD in a science) will enjoy this book. And of course, the computer experiments at the back of the book especially appeal to us computer junkies!

A must read for anyone considering traveling through time!

"Liquid Earth" reads like one of Pickover's on-line experiments in
collaborative writing. It is like the Internet, itself -- a
stream of collective consciousness. The book also depicts
something like a human reaction to information overload, living on
Moore's Law accelerating cultural curve. Living in a Fracturing
Reality is like experiencing landmark buildings crashing to the
ground for no good reason. The book is in fact poignantly
topical. It inspires reflection.

Like drinking a Big Gulp too fast, this book will give you brain freeze -- but in a good way! It begins with a strange encounter and never looks back. Cliff Pickover weaves an interesting story centered on shifting reality (Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?) caused by a growing space-time rupture. Bring along a cat, a heroine, and robot, and you have quite a crew.

Like Pickover's non-fiction books, there is plenty of science and other stuff to learn here, only this time wrapped up in an often hilarious, very entertaining sci-fi story. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading other stories in the Neoreality Series...

This book has some of the most hilarious scenes I've ever encountered in a book, and it's worth reading even just for its fight / escape scenes and its extraordinary climax. It will appeal to a vast audience, from lovers of science fiction and fantasy to futurists and serious philosophers, not to mention aficionados of fine literature and even Biblical scholars. As well as entertaining us, the author gives us serious pause to reflect on our station in life and history. In a move that would make Salvador Dali proud, Clifford Pickover lends flavor to a larger movement which he characterizes as his "Neoreality Series", introducing a scale for measuring unlikely events, referred to as "The Hawking Reality Scale" with deciReal units to "measure the intensity of reality fragmentation". With a tip of the hat to the older movement in Italian cinema, Pickover's use of the word Neoreality may very well come to be the catchword for our own age in cinema too, describing equally well such films as "eXistenZ," "Fight Club," "Being John Malkovich," and "The Matrix". Take this fantastic journey with charming girl prodigy Mink, her adorable robot kitten Carrington and the joketelling poet android Mr. Plex as they traverse through forests, jungles, ancient ruins and a small New England town, seeking refuge from extraordinary villainous creatures such as "Cheetah Killers" and Gharials in their quest to discover reality-shattering chronoplasmids. Written by the great science popularizer, math puzzler and world expert on fractals, Clifford Pickover's colorful book will appeal to older and and younger readers alike. It will make old people feel young and young people feel old! If you have enjoyed C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Von Baum and Daniel Pinkwater, you will also enjoy Liquid Earth; equally so if you have enjoyed Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and William Gibson.

This book is all about the science of aliens. Which means, how would they look like, how would they act, how will they reproduce, how will they communicate with us and so on.
I enjoyed the book mainly because I learned a lot of stuff. I learned about the tons of weird creatures we have right here on earth - alien-like creatures. I enjoyed reading about space-travel possibilities, about weird planets, and weird possible alien life-forms.
All in all, this book is about using science and imagination to think about how possible aliens would be like.

This is not a book for UFO fanatics in no way. It's rather a scientific book about the possibilities.
When, again, the single most important thing I learned from it is about the BILLIONS of species we have right here on earth that are VERY alien.

The book is interesting most of the time, only a few boring sections; And it would have been much more enjoyable if the many sketches/drawings would have been better.

All in all, I can recommend it for those who like to speculate, learn and think..

I just finished reading The Science of Aliens. It is a fascinating read for those interested in exobiology and such things. Cliff has obviously done his research and spent a considerable amount of time pondering the issues related to the
topic. This is not just a collection of speculations on what aliens might be like. For each supposition, you get real life examples of creatures right here on Earth who exhibit some of these very same characteristics and behaviors. And, since a picture is worth a thousand words, Cliff has included a number of artists' renderings, which are extremely helpful in picturing the descriptions. To anyone who is considering this title, I highly recommend it!

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. The author seems to know what he is talking about, though some things in it are a bit fantastic. All in all it was a good book. I hope to hear more on this subject though from other authors in the near future.