Bill Gates is among the top 10 richest tycoons in the world, according to Forbes Real-time. He stepped down as Microsoft CEO to focus on his legacy of fighting climate change with other philanthropy work. Despite being 66 years old, the tycoon still cherishes the power of reading books.
The tycoon insists that during the 2021 holiday festive season, people should put their focus mainly on science fiction books. He released a recommendation list in November on her blog page. He explained clearly two of the five books which were purely science fiction.
While he was still a young kid, he was obsessed with imaginary things. But for most of his life, he has focused on non-fiction things. Lately, he has found himself going back to his childhood position. He wrote, “let me drawn back to the kinds of books I would have loved as a kid.”
Gates’ Childhood books
When he was a teenager, he appreciated the books written by Robert Heinlein and Rice Burroughs. He had a late friend called Paul Allen whom they used to discuss those books after many times of reading. Another material that embraced him during that period was the “Foundation trilogy” produced by Isaac Asimov. Immediately after he founded Microsoft, the power of reading slowed down.
Bill Gates now wants people to focus on science fiction books that relate to technology. He continued, “They made me think about how people can use technology to respond to challenges.” The tycoon has spent more years in innovation and invention in technology. Their focus with other philanthropists like Zuckerberg is on climate change. Earlier this year, Bill Gates published a book entitled “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster.”
Apart from science fiction, the co-founder of Microsoft also recommended “cutting-edge science” books. In addition, there is one historic book that highlights the culture of individuals in society. Here is the whole list :
1. ‘Klara and the Sun’
Gates admits his love for the Nobel Prize-winner, Kazuo Ishiguro. His book focuses on a robot story that acted exactly like a human being. He gives hope to the power of artificial intelligence.
The story is about Klara, a solar-powered robot that stays in the United States with friends. The bot is termed as dystopian for future destruction. But Bill Gates said that AI-powered robots aren’t created for evil purposes. The book has referred to other bots and Klara as the best artificial friends that people will admire.
Many companies have invested in artificial intelligence, including Microsoft. While having an interview, with Reddit “Ask me anything”, the tycoon admitted that the superintelligence robots could threaten people’s lives. But we have a long way to achieve that.
Kazuo’s book brings a contradiction to that statement. Gate wrote, “This book made me think about what life super-intelligent robots might look like.” We just have to calm down and accept the power of technology. Let’s embrace anything that comes to see its effects without judging anyone.
2. Project Hail Mary’
This book has the same content as “The Martin” written by Andy Weir in 2011. “Project Hail Mary” explains about a human being who is caught in very tricky situations while in outer space. High school teachers dream and wake up while on spacecraft. He does not know how he commences the journey from the earth.
The book is direct and simple. There are fewer plots which makes one understand the book easily. The affected teacher applies the knowledge of physics, engineering, and science to secure his life. It’s full of fun when you read word by word. Many projects are engineered with great minds. You must stay focused and accurate to come up with an innovation in the tech and engineering world. Bill Gates continued, “It’s a fun read, and I finished the whole thing in one weekend.”
3. ‘A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence’
The PalmPilot digital assistant came into existence after Jeff Hawkins struggled to put his ideas into life. Jeff has spent many years studying the way one can combine neuroscience and machine learning to solve complex problems. “A thousand brains” is a non-fiction book that puts together many ideas to come up with a specific solution. It was published in March 2021.
Hawkins is the founder of Numenta, a machine learning company that started running in 2005. He brings out how people around the globe think about the issue of the nature of intelligence. Jeff narrows down the functioning of neurons in the brain. He goes ahead to describe how to develop models to bring artificial intelligence into life.
Recommended for computer science enthusiast
Gates wrote that “A new Theory of Intelligence” is for those individuals who have a background in computer science or a related field. It has more knowledge on how our mind is architecture to function. Millions of neurons are aligned in a way that they interact with each other to process information. The brain is the main central point that acts as the Central Processing Unit in a computer.
Scientists are learning neural networks and deep learning to come up with medical solutions. There is the invention of smart robots that can treat people. The invention is almost coming alive as the US has launched such a model. That is the real power of deep learning. But the fear is when the profession thinks about losing jobs.
There has been a long discussion on whether neural network models will replace people in their jobs. The answer is still floating because no one knows about the future. Jeff Hawkins still appreciates the power of invention around technology. His company has been able to launch a series of machine learning models which are used in various industries.
Anyone who admires going into the field of AI, machine learning, and deep learning is greatly encouraged to read the book. It will give you insightful knowledge about the inner foundation of those technologies. As always, the base of any topic can help you come up with a fresh technical mind. Bill Gates insists the era of technology is here to stay.
4. Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Jennifer Doudna won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. Gates tells people to read his biography to know the struggle of a scientist. In the book CRISPR gene editing, the writer explains how DNA is modified to treat certain kinds of diseases. The DNA from different people is put together to create something essential. The writer, Isaacson also wrote the biography of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
Bill Gates explains how “The code Breakers” is something more than we could call a biography. It brings out the discoveries and scientific careers of Doudna. It dwells inside the applications revolving around CRISPR gene-editing. Diseases such as sickle cell anemia. This part of science has been studied by fewer individuals and the biography can encourage people to take that direction. It’s a scientific breakthrough that started last decade. Therefore it’s a fresh field that looked impossible 20 years ago.
Many communities have embraced the power of CRISPR. There have been moral concerns from society about the research. And the book gives a perfect answer about the ethics surrounding it. “Isaacson does a good job highlighting the most important ethical questions around gene editing,”, Gate wrote in his blog post. It brings out the process where a human gene can be altered for the future generation.
As the affected person becomes healthy, the other person’s gene combines to create new human beings. All those genes can be transferred to young ones who will have slightly different DNAs.
5. ‘Hamnet’
This is where Gates brings his technology ideas into historical fiction. The great poet William Shakespeare decided to name his son Hamnet. Maggie O’Farrel. Another writer came up with a science fiction novel that describes their life as children.
The great son of the poet, Hamnet died at 11 in 1596. No one has ever revealed the cause of the child’s death. Other theories say the son died because of bubonic plague. Some years after his death, Maggie decided to put his pen down to write a story about “Hamnet”. He wrote about several things that were suspected to be the killer of his lovely son. The tragedy had left the poet with many sorrows.
For those that love Shakespeare, you could have bumped into his book along the way. Repeating ‘Hamnet’ during the festive season can give you ideas of life. It makes you realize how short life can be to some people you love. In the book, Magie also shares some parts of Shakespeare’s life. William was one of the greatest and most popular artists when it came to plays.
Gates said he got emotional reading the book. It drives you to another world and brings one back into his real senses.
Bill Gates has always advised people to embrace the reading culture. It makes your mind expand. You become wise and knowledgeable when you put books on your schedule.
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