Swarm Intelligence (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Artificial Intelligence)

Book Description

Traditional methods for creating intelligent computational systems have
privileged private "internal" cognitive and computational processes. In
contrast, Swarm Intelligence argues that human
intelligence derives from the interactions of individuals in a social world
and further, that this model of intelligence can be effectively applied to
artificially intelligent systems. The authors first present the foundations of
this new approach through an extensive review of the critical literature in
social psychology, cognitive science, and evolutionary computation. They
then show in detail how these theories and models apply to a new
computational intelligence methodologyparticle swarmswhich focuses
on adaptation as the key behavior of intelligent systems. Drilling down
still further, the authors describe the practical benefits of applying particle
swarm optimization to a range of engineering problems. Developed by
the authors, this algorithm is an extension of cellular automata and
provides a powerful optimization, learning, and problem solving method.

This important book presents valuable new insights by exploring the
boundaries shared by cognitive science, social psychology, artificial life,
artificial intelligence, and evolutionary computation and by applying these
insights to the solving of difficult engineering problems. Researchers and
graduate students in any of these disciplines will find the material
intriguing, provocative, and revealing as will the curious and savvy
computing professional.

* Places particle swarms within the larger context of intelligent
adaptive behavior and evolutionary computation.
* Describes recent results of experiments with the particle swarm
optimization (PSO) algorithm
* Includes a basic overview of statistics to ensure readers can
properly analyze the results of their own experiments using the
algorithm.
* Support software which can be downloaded from the publishers
website, includes a Java PSO applet, C and Visual Basic source
code.

Customer Reviews:

I should need a little bit more.......2006-08-17

I have read the book at a stretch. In my view, the thesis (human is social) is a very simple, wit, and sound one. Maybe it is a very profound concern to us, whose complete consequences have not yet been taken in a serious consideration. Foundations and arguments in favor, coming from social and computer sciences, are orderly and properly unfolded along the book. The associated web page is being a very valuable resource for me. In short, I have made acquaintance with a good, satisfying mate. There is only a but for me: It has not moved me (but that is my but, not its...)

Good, but could have been more concise........2004-09-13

Swarm intelligence is burdened with an awful lot of material that is not core to PSO. A great deal of the book consists of the philosophical ramblings of the authors, rather than technical treatment of the topic at hand. An even larger chunk of the book was devoted to what was essentially a survey of AI: neural nets, evolutionary programming, heuristics, etc. Much too much space was devoted to grounding the reader in AI before proceeding. I must admit, however, that, while I found it out of place, the 'AI primer' part of the book is one of the most useful and lucid I have seen; I just think that it should have been a separate book (and this one should have been much thinner). The material that is specific to PSO is a very small fraction of the book, but is thorough and accessible; there really are few alternatives if one is particularly interested in PSO. However, if you are just interested in emergent behavior, and its applications to AI, take a look at Ant Colony Optimization (Dorigo). It covers ACO, rather than PSO, but is more more readable, and provides a much better technical treatment of the topic, if you want to avoid the philosophy and primer.

Interesting Paradigm.......2004-09-09

It's an immersive and powerful piece of scientific metrics and theoretical paradigm presentation. It shows that life can be a much deeper form of existence. The book presents the complexities of PSO in its network relativity but can be created using simple algorithms. The basis comes from the behavioural science andsocial patterns of insects such as bees and ants. Their process of colonial interaction and food foraging can be applied as a strong mathematical structure to computational science, robotics, and network technology. At the same time, you can take the exact principles -- in its raw idea -- and apply it to economic structure and business dynamics. I love how this book harks back to the parable of the blind men trying to explain what an elephant is like.

Needs more details, but a good introduction........2004-07-26

The authors of this book state therein that "mind is not found in covert, private chambers hidden away inside the individual, but exists out in the open; it is a public phenomenon." This would be a very difficult claim to prove from a scientific standpoint, requiring an understanding of neuroscience, consciousness, and psychology that is not yet available. The author's intent though is more modest: they want to use this statement, which they encapsulate as "swarm intelligence", as a guide to finding successful optimization algorithms. They spend many pages discussing the foundations and background behind their approach, perhaps in too much detail given the usual pragmatism exhibited by many who study algorithms. Swarm intelligence is a relatively new paradigm in the field of optimization, but its justification should come from the results it gives in practical optimization problems, not in the broad philosophical language that predominates the first part of the book.

Particle swarm optimization is introduced in the book in both 'binary' and 'real-valued' form. The authors identify three principles behind the workings of particle swarms, namely the tendency to "evaluate"; the use of comparisons to others as a way of measuring individual status or progress; and the use of imitation. These three principles they say allow individuals to adapt to highly complex environments and solve very difficult problems. A binary decision model is used to introduce binary swarm algorithm, which is given in pseudocode, and is tested using a binary-coded version of the De Jong suite of test problems for optimization algorithms. A particle swarm model over the real numbers is then discussed, along with pseudocode, Both the binary and real models of particle swarms illustrate the fact that particle swarm optimization is a consequence of social interaction. The particles or "individuals" in the swarm learn from each other, and move to become more similar to their neighbors based on the knowledge obtained. Particle swarm optimization is dependent on the existence of social structure, the latter of which is determined by the formation of neighborhoods. These neighborhoods can have a different topology, determined solely by the numerical indices assigned to each individual.

The pseudocode given for particle swarm optimization illustrates well the basic workings of the algorithm in terms of the "local" and "global" viewpoint of the particles in the swarm. First the swarm is initialized and the performance of each particle is evaluated using its current position. The performance of each individual is then compared to its best performance so far, and the velocity for each particle changed according to a formula dependent on a system parameter. Each particle is then moved to a new position and the entire process repeated until convergence is attained. When a particle is very far from its best solution previously found, the change in velocity will be greater in order to return the particle toward its best solution. The system parameter will govern how much the particle trajectories oscillate, with smaller values of this parameter ensuring smoother trajectories. The authors give examples with graphs to illustrate this behavior and the influence of the system parameter.

Being aware that particle swarm optimization is typically viewed as a kind of evolutionary algorithm, the author address in some detail the reasons for this classification and its justification. Acknowledging that particle swarm algorithms have been influenced by evolutionary computation, they discuss some of the differences between the two approaches. In evolutionary algorithms individuals survive according to their fitness, whereas in particle swarms every individual will survive. In addition, in particle swarms, it is the velocities that are adjusted, whereas in evolutionary computing it is the positions that are state. The authors express this by saying that it is the "fate" rather than the "state" that is altered in particle swarm optimization.

The authors include an entire chapter on applications in the book, one of them being the use of particle swarms to evolve neural networks. Evolved neural networks have been shown to perform better in some cases than ones designed from scratch. After discussing some of the approaches to evolving neural networks, the authors point out, correctly, that hardly any of the studies in evolving neural networks are quantitative studies of how well they perform relative to other approaches Performance metrics are hardly ever given, which would allow interested parties to make objective and intelligent decisions on which approach is the most viable. The author's approach of using particle swarms to evolve neural networks also, interestingly, involves evolving the transfer functions of the neural networks, and they test their approach by using the Iris Data Set, a frequent benchmark for classification algorithms. Preliminary results indicate that their approach is a viable one and that it shows promise, but they admit that further experiments are needed in order to form valid conclusions.

So are the optimization algorithms based on swarm intelligence better than those that are based on, for example, on evolutionary algorithms? Are they better than those that are purely randomized algorithms? The authors are not shy about discussing how swarm intelligence optimization algorithms compare with other optimization algorithms, particularly randomized algorithms and the now famous "free-lunch" theorems of David Wolpert and William Macready. They discuss the free-lunch theorems via a very interesting example dealing with finding one's way out of a room. Using this example, they are convincing in their claim that even though no algorithm can be said to be better than any other when averaged over all cost functions, this averaging is done over processes or tasks that might be deemed absurd in the context of many problems of practical interest. Thus for "real" problems, one algorithm might indeed be "better" than another.

Mind is Social.......2003-02-01

My original motivation for reading Swarm Intelligence was a desire to learn about the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm -- in particular, to learn how to implement it in a Java program. To the credit of its authors, what I found in Swarm Intelligence was far more than that. The authors have taken on the rather daunting task of presenting a new paradigm -- a new way of thinking about mind and intelligence -- and they have succeeded.

PSO, itself, is deceptively simple. The heart of the algorithm can be written in a single line of code. Understanding the basis for its approach to intelligence isn't difficult, either. The authors begin their explanation using the old parable about the blind men and the elephant. You are most likely familiar with the story. In summary form, it is about a group of blind men standing around an elephant each declaring "what an elephant is like" based upon which part of the elephant they are touching -- and elephant is like: a wall (side); a tree trunk (leg); a hose (trunk); a fan (ear); and so on.

What is wrong with this story, the authors point out, is its implicit assumption that these blind men are also deaf. If not, as they each announced their impressions the individuals, as a group, would discover much more about what an elephant is. The significance here is easily missed. The capabilities of a group emerge from the individuals immersed in it. The group can do more (see more, discover more, experiment more) than the individuals from which it emerges and, by virtue of their immersion in it, the individuals benefit (and in turn, the group then benefits as it now emerges from these "benefited" individuals).

The authors view this emergent/immergent "cycle" as the driving force behind mind and intelligence. In contrast to the normal (phenomenological) view of mind as an internal, private "thing that thinks," the authors assert that mind is something requiring sociality. To put it bluntly (and the authors do), in the absence of social immersion there is no mind; mind is social. The majority of the book is focused on this: why it's true, how it's true and how it is implemented in the PSO algorithm.

It is easy to see how the book might have ended up a long philosophical argument. It isn't. Instead, the authors present a nicely written history of efforts to achieve "computational intelligence" (a much better phrase than the more familiar "artificial intelligence") including great summaries of evolutionary approaches, fuzzy logic, neural nets and artificial life. Along the way they point out recent advances in psychology and sociology. The net effect is that they don't need to argue their point. By the end of this part of the book the importance of sociality has become rather obvious. If you are interested in sociology, psychology, engineering and/or computer science you will enjoy this part of the book immensely, learn a lot and find a wealth of references to additional sources of information.

The second part of the book presents the PSO algorithm, compares its performance with other methodologies (in addition to being simpler to understand and implement, it's an order of magnitude faster when applied to certain problems -- training neural nets, for example), demonstrates how it is applied to some "real life" problems and discusses some implications of (and speculations about) the approach. As with the first part of the book, the presentation is clear, concise and informative. There is, though, indications here that the PSO approach is rather new (young). There isn't enough experience with PSO yet to give this part of the book the same feeling of depth one gets from the first part.

It's worth noting that the presentation (and description) of the PSO algorithm is done in mathematical terms. I would have much preferred a programming approach (using pseudo code) not because the math is too difficult (it's not) but because I haven't been "immersed in a mathematically minded social group" for many years. The almost exclusive use of Greek letters for symbols (variables) made reading difficult. Not only are they visually unfamiliar, I don't know their pronunciations (to illustrate the difficulty by way of analogy, consider the difference between reading "y equals b times x plus z" and "xgt equals kqj times yxf plus ktv"). I ended up rewriting the formulas in more familiar terms (using the text to figure out what the symbols represent when necessary) before I felt that I understood them.

Mentioning my problem with the math is not meant to criticize but to suggest that the book could have been made accessible to more people had it also contained a more readable (and retainable) form of the algorithm, perhaps in an appendix. A good analogy of the PSO approach (more detailed than the "blind men" story) would also have been helpful. The only real criticism I have of the book's content is a minor one. Being as it is focused on the social requirements for mind, it tends to overlook the degree of individuality required to make PSO work. The algorithm, itself, has variables which control the expression of individuality and without which it could not work (at least not well), but this flipside to the social nature of the algorithm is never discussed as such. PSO works well precisely because it maintains the rather chaotic balance between the effects of sociality and individuality. The book presents a rather one-sided view of this balance.

An aside for programmers: There is a companion site (of sorts) on the web for the book through which you can download Visual Basic and C source code of PSO implementations. There is also a Java applet which demonstrates PSO applied to a number of test functions but the source code for it is not available. There will also be an open source Java implementation as soon as I can make one available.

Average customer rating:

Interesting but not original

A long-winded disappointment

gripping

The Swarm by Frank Schatzing

Over 1000 pages, WHY?

The Swarm: A Novel
Frank Schatzing
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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NATURAL SELECTION

Ancestor

Earthcore

Raising The Past

The Terror: A Novel

ASIN: 0060813261
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Book Description

For more than two years, one book has taken over Germany's hardcover and paperback bestseller lists, reaching number one in Der Spiegel and setting off a frenzy in bookstores: The Swarm.

Whales begin sinking ships. Toxic, eyeless crabs poison Long Island's water supply. The North Sea shelf collapses, killing thousands in Europe. Around the world, countries are beginning to feel the effects of the ocean's revenge as the seas and their inhabi-tants begin a violent revolution against mankind. In this riveting novel, full of twists, turns, and cliffhangers, a team of scientists discovers a strange, intelligent life force called the Yrr that takes form in marine animals, using them to wreak havoc on humanity for our ecological abuses. Soon a struggle between good and evil is in full swing, with both human and suboceanic forces battling for control of the waters. At stake is the survival of the Earth's fragile ecology -- and ultimately, the survival of the human race itself.

The apocalyptic catastrophes of The Day After Tomorrow meet the watery menace of The Abyss in this gripping, scientifically realistic, and utterly imaginative thriller. With 1.5 million copies sold in Germany -- where it has been on the bestseller list without fail since its debut -- and the author's skillfully executed blend of compelling story, vivid characters, and eerie locales, Frank Schatzing's The Swarm will keep you in tense anticipation until the last suspenseful page is turned.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting but not original.......2007-09-26

The book had an interesting premise, but not too original. The author even cites some of the movies that he borrows from, namely, the Abyss and Contact. I probably would have rated it higher (maybe 4 stars) but the fact that this book was just shy of 900 pages and didn't really deliver annoyed me.

A long-winded disappointment.......2007-09-22

It all starts innocently enough: some missing fishermen, some whales acting strange, some strange worms found in the bottom of the ocean. Of course, things start getting serious, when these aquatic troubles spread around the globe and problems get bigger and bigger. Eventually the survival of the whole human race is threatened.

The premise of this book sounds quite exciting. The problem is, the author has spread all the excitement over 911 pages (at least in the Finnish edition), and there's at least 300 pages too much. He spends some time on his main characters, and I didn't care about a single one of them. There's endless lecturing and preaching. I'm sure a skilled script editor will make a really great movie of this book, but as it is now, there's so much dead weight it took some real effort to make it to the end.

I made it, though, and found the ending ultimately disappointing. I mean, was that why I went through the 900 pages? The book was interesting enough to keep me reading, but in the end, felt like a disappointment. If you can read Finnish, Risto Isomäki's Sarasvatin hiekkaa has a similar theme, but is much superior (at least three times better, with just one third of the pages!). (Review based on the Finnish translation.)

gripping.......2007-09-21

An exciting escape from the office and everything else you want to avoid for awhile...

The Swarm by Frank Schatzing.......2007-09-19

The Swarm is technically not a new book, but was originally published in 2004 in German by Frank Schatzing under the title of Der Schwarm, where it immediately climbed onto the bestseller lists and has stayed there ever since. In 2006 the book was translated and published in Britain and the United States; a paperback edition was released in May, and in August The Swarm will be released in mass market edition. In the style of Kim Stanley Robinson's trilogy starting with Forty Signs of Rain, and Michael Crichton when he was at his best some books ago, and The Day After Tomorrow, this is an eco-thriller set in today's world with a story that while fantastical is not completely out of the realm of possibility. The paperback edition is 900 pages long, but the more you read of it, the more you will want it never to end!

It is the present time, the world is pretty much the same place, George Bush is still in office, but there are some very strange things happening in the oceans of our planet. Fishing boats have begun disappearing off the coast of South America, no boats or bodies are ever found. Just off the coast of Vancouver humpback and orca whales that have been entertaining sights for tourists now choose to attack the boats: the humpbacks break them in two, while the orcas move in for the kill. In France, fresh lobsters that are being prepared for dinners at famous restaurants burst open and exude a gelatinous substance; soon people begin dying. Around the world ships of all shapes and sizes mysteriously begin disappearing, as do submarines and other submersibles, never to be heard from again. Eventually a catastrophic event happens that shocks the world: the methane ice supporting the North European continental shelf collapses causing a Tsunami that drowns the west coast of Europe from Norway to Spain, and floods the east coast of Britain from Scotland to London; many people are dead.

The world is in shock, not sure what is happening or what they are going to do. A crack team of scientists is convened in Canada at a secret location to come up with a solution to these catastrophes. They include characters who have already had their lives put at risk: Sigur Johanson, a marine scientist who barely escaped the Tsunami; Karen Weaver, a journalist who specializes in marine stories and was rescued from the Tsunami by Johanson; Leon Anawak, a marine biologist who barely survived the whale attack off Vancouver, as well as many others, involving all agencies of the United States government. They are working against the clock to find out what is going on and to come up with a way to stop this, whatever this is. Meanwhile the land invasion has begun, with millions upon millions of crabs storming the beaches of the east coast again carrying this mysterious jelly substance; people begin dying in the thousands as the water supply is contaminated. New York is doomed, Washington DC is next.

While The Swarm features a sizable cast, as these events take place all over the world, Schatzing keeps everyone clear and identifiable, while the reader is left with wondering who's going to make it and who isn't. With a depth of research that I haven't read since World War Z, the author takes the reader into the minds of many people around their world, seeing through their eyes and their culture, as they try to deal with these terrible events. It is a time to put differences aside, as everyone must work together to come up with a solution before it is too late. As far as the translation goes, Sally-Ann Spencer has done an incredible job of making the book run fluidly, to the point where I forget this book was originally published in German.

The Swarm is the perfect summer read to cool you down in the heat, but it also opens your mind to ideas and possibilities you never thought of, and with a movie adaptation due in a year or two, this will be the book you'll read and not be able to forget.

For more book reviews, and other writings, go to www.alexctelander.com

Over 1000 pages, WHY?.......2007-09-05

This is a good SciFi book. Makes you question the usual thoughts of alien life, but it is way too long. The book would have been way better if it was half the length. Author bogs the reader down in lengthly scientific explanations on everything from the oil industry to lengthy discussions on genetics and biology. Kinda "preachy" too. Good read IF you do not have anything to do for the next month...

The Swarm War (Star Wars: Dark Nest, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

Just Awful
It's no "Tatooine Ghost"
dark nest iii : the swarm war
great book only one complaint
A dramatic uniformity to the Star Wars listening experience

The Swarm War (Star Wars: Dark Nest, Book 3)
Troy Denning
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345463056
Release Date: 2005-12-27

Book Description

In the explosive conclusion to the Dark Nest trilogy, Luke Skywalker summons the heroes of the New Jedi Order from near and far, as the Star Wars galaxy teeters on the edge of eternal war. Yet even the combined powers of the formidable Jedi may not be enough to vanquish the deadly perils confronting them.

The Chiss-Killik border war is threatening to engulf the entire galaxy and raising the awful specter of Killiks sweeping across space to absorb all living creatures into a single hive mind. The only hope for peace lies with the Jedi–and only if they can not only end the bloodshed between two fierce enemies but also combat the insidious evil spread by the elusive Dark Nest and its unseen queen.

Leia’s newly acquired Jedi skills will be put to the ultimate test in the coming life-and-death battle. As for Luke, he will have to prove, in a lightning display of Force strength and swordplay, that he is– beyond a shadow of a doubt–the greatest Jedi Master in the galaxy.

Customer Reviews:

Just Awful.......2007-01-17

This series has to be the worst since The Jedi Academy Trilogy. Totally destroyed Jainas character. She is the Sword of the Jedi and Denning turns her into a punk joiner. Come on, wheres the continuity in that. Plus, a trilogy about bugs.Boring!!! Especially after something as ambitious as the NJO story arc. Lomi Plo and Raynar Thul should have stayed dead. hopefully LOTF will be better.

It's no "Tatooine Ghost".......2006-12-11

I may be a bit biased in this, but plotwise this entire series was about the same caliber as the notorious "Starship Troopers". Bug-stories are often like that and this one was no different. Further, the trio of Dark Jedi from the Myrkr mission during the Vong War were better kept dead as they had nothing interesting to offer to the SW EU. After a whole trilogy, I realized that they still don't =P. By the end of the first book, I had lost all sympathy for the main characters (the Kilik sympathetic band of Jedi) and cannot for the life of me figure out their motivations in light of their established personalities upto this point in the EU. In other words, Denning has written about well-established characters such as Jaina and Tahiri and even Jag Fel (who gets an insultingly short mention) as if they were fresh new characters that he can mold any way he wants to. I did NOT appreciate the meaningless and unnecessary loss of continuity in the characters because of this. Luckily, Aaron Allston rectifies this gross oversight in the first of the Legacy of the Force series where the characters "come back to normal" =P. Pity. I really like "Tatooine Ghost". Perhaps, Denning's next book will be more to his standards than this entire trilogy was :(

dark nest iii : the swarm war.......2006-08-11

the nests, still under the sway of the dark nest, continue to spread their influence throughout the galaxy, the jedi order continues to splinter and the chiss and alliance forces continue to push for war. the awesome foursome (luke, leia, mara and han) continue, against numerous adversaries, to push for a peaceful resolution, which it seems will only be acheived after much bloodshed.
this book is a fair conclusion to the 'dark nest' trilogy. the mysteries founded in the first installments are neatly explained, obstinate allies are forced to accept their differences and the jedi manage to stay a force to be reckoned with. yet all the jedi seem to have developed the arrogance of the young ones, with their decisions at times being nothing more but ridiculous. thankfully, that wonderful duo of jae and tarfang remain to add light when it is needed, and the galaxy is left in a comforting relative peace - but with just a hint of what may be in store for (especially) this 'new jedi order'.

great book only one complaint.......2006-08-06

since dark nest one lowie and tahiri were left out even in dark nest one they did not play key roles lowie was left in a cell the whoole book ,left out in the NJO series too, lowie was not mentioned much i seriously would like a book were there was a lowie luke team up because that would be so cool i am a true fan of lowie and chewie even though he died.

A dramatic uniformity to the Star Wars listening experience.......2006-04-14

Troy Denning's THE SWARM WAR: DARK NEST III receives Jonathan Davis' fine voice also, lending a satisfying, dramatic uniformity to the Star Wars listening experience overall. Here a border war threatens to engulf the galaxy, unless the Jedi can end bloodshed and combat the evil spread by the Dark Nest and its hidden queen. Leia's new Jedi skills will be the difference between life and death in this confrontation.

Fundamentals of Computational Swarm Intelligence

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Fundamentals of Computational Swarm Intelligence
Andries P. Engelbrecht
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0470091916

Book Description

Fundamentals of Computational Swarm Intelligence provides a comprehensive introduction to the new computational paradigm of Swarm Intelligence (SI), a field that emerged from biological research, and is now picking up momentum within the computational research community. Bio-inspired systems are becoming increasingly important research areas for computer scientists, engineers, economists, bioinformaticians, operational researchers, and many other disciplines. This book introduces the reader to the mathematical models of social insects collective behaviour, and shows how they can be used in solving optimization problems.

Focusing on the algorithmic implementation of models of swarm behavior, this book:

Examines how social network structures are used to exchange information among individuals, and how the aggregate behaviour of these individuals forms a powerful organism.
Introduces a compact summary of the formal theory of optimisation.
Outlines paradigms with relations to SI, including genetic algorithms, evolutionary programming, evolutionary strategies, cultural algorithms and co-evolution.
Looks at the choreographic movements of birds in a flock as a basis for the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) models, and provides an extensive treatment of different classes of PSO models.
Shows how the behaviour of ants can be used to implement Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithms to solve real-world problems including routing optimization, structure optimization, data mining and data clustering.
Considers different classes of optimization problems, including multi-objective optimization, dynamic environments, discrete and continuous search spaces, constrained optimization, and niching.

Includes an accompanying website containing Java classes and implementations of the different algorithms that can be used to test PSO and ACO algorithms: http://si.cs.up.ac.za

The interdisciplinary nature of this field will make Fundamentals of Computational Swarm Intelligence an essential resource for readers with diverse backgrounds. In addition, it will be an excellent reference for computer scientists, practitioners in business or industry and researchers involved in the analysis, design and simulation of multibody systems. Advanced undergraduates and graduate students in artificial intelligence, collective intelligence and engineering will also find this book an invaluable tool.

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Particle Swarm Optimization
Maurice Clerc
Manufacturer: ISTE Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fundamentals of Computational Swarm Intelligence

Swarm Intelligence (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Artificial Intelligence)

Ant Colony Optimization (Bradford Books)

Multi-Objective Optimization Using Evolutionary Algorithms

On Intelligence

ASIN: 1905209045

Book Description

Particles, information link, memory, and cooperation are discussed in this introduction to particle swarm optimization. Starting with a simple but efficient parametric version, this manual shows how to adapt the basic principles for an enhanced, fully adaptive version. All source programs are either included or available for free download.

Star Wars Dark Nest (Dark Swarm Trilogy 3 in 1, 1, 2, & 3)

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Star Wars Dark Nest (Dark Swarm Trilogy 3 in 1, 1, 2, & 3)

Manufacturer: Science Fiction Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0739463306

Product Description

This is all 3 volumes of the Dark Swarm Trilogy in one BCE Harback. Please note this is the only release of these titles in hardback, as the mass market release for all three title was done in PB only. Includes - The Joiner King, The Unseen Queen, and The Swarm War

Weekend Warriors: Men of the National Lacrosse League

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Interesting summaries of Lacrosse players
stories of professional lacrosse players
"Great Book about NLL Lacrosse"
Fascinating Book about Lacrosse Players
Great NLL Book for Fans

Weekend Warriors: Men of the National Lacrosse League
Jack McDermott
Manufacturer: New Chapter Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0942257383

Book Description

Focusing on the players rather than the game itself, this collection of biographies of the leading athletes in the National Lacrosse League offers fans a closer look at these famous weekend warriors. Playing for the love of the game, with much lower salaries than other professional athletes, these sports celebrities all have weekday jobs. Readers will be intrigued to see their favorite players in their other roles as teachers, athletic coaches, or executives. Along with profiles of major league lacrosse players and the special skills it takes to have two often intense jobs, inside information is given on the National Lacrosse League.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting summaries of Lacrosse players.......2007-07-18

This was a very professionally written account of the lives of 15 very diverse people who also happen to be professional lacrosse players. The book really makes you view these athletes as interested in their sport, valued members of their community, and very different from the multi-million dollar primma donnas who play other professional sports. I definitely recommend this book.

stories of professional lacrosse players.......2007-05-09

This book is filled with stories of professional lacrosse players. The players are atypical from other professional sports players, who are often filled with self-admiration and greed. Yet, they are not exactly everyday people either. The players do have full time jobs and families, but many of them are in noble fields such as teaching, law enforcement, the armed forces, fire fighting... Of course, it takes a noble character to be devoted to such an underpaid and under-appreciated sport. The players sacrifice their bodies, time, and some family commitments for the love of their sport. The writing is clever, and the author gives good insight about the players' individuality, achievements, reminiscences, and dedication.

"Great Book about NLL Lacrosse".......2007-04-14

After the Duke Lacrosse scandal, it was refreshing to see an upbeat well-written book about lacrosse. These players truly honor their sport, and make the casual observer want to learn more. The stories were interesting, and it was a good overview of the NLL, and the players who make the league work. I really enjoyed it, and hope to see more books like it.

Fascinating Book about Lacrosse Players.......2007-04-13

This book was interesting, insightful, and sometimes even funny when explaining the lives of 15 "ordinary" people who have jobs, wives, kids, and play professional lacrosse on the weekends. It makes you realize how different pro lacrosse is from other pro sports. (And I mean that in a good way.) The writing was clear and engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Great NLL Book for Fans.......2007-04-12

It was great to finally read a good book on professional lacrosse. The writing was interesting and insightful, and provided a good mix of lacrosse history combined with people who play the game. I would definitely recommend this book for the lacrosse fanatic, or even the casual observer. I enjoyed it!

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Metal Swarm (The Saga of Seven Suns)
Kevin J. Anderson
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0316021741

Book Description

In the aftermath of a devastating war, swarms of ancient black robots built by the lost insectoid Klikiss race continue their depredations on helpless worlds with stolen and heavily armed Earth battleships.Among the humans, the Hansa's brutal Chairman struggles to crush any resistance even as King Peter breaks away to form his own new Confederation among the colonies who have declared their independence.And meanwhile, the original, voracious Klikiss race, long thought to be extinct, has returned, intent on conquering their former worlds and willing to annihilate anyone in the way.Praise for the Saga of Seven Suns?"A soaring epic?a space opera to rival the best the field has ever seen." --- Science Fiction Chronicle"Kevin Anderson has created a fully independent and richly conceived venue for his personal brand of space opera, a venue that nonetheless raises fruitful resonances with Frank Herbert's classic Dune series."?Scifi.com

The Swarm (Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear, Book 8)

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The swarm
Star Wars Galaxy of fear The swarm
Star Wars Galaxy of fear The swarm
Galazy of Fear - The Swarm
Galazy of Fear - The Swarm

The Swarm (Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear, Book 8)
John Whitman
Manufacturer: Skylark
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0553486381
Release Date: 1998-01-12

Book Description

Uncle Hoole wants to study the S'krrr--a race of creatures that look like giant bugs. While Hoole works, Zak and Tash visit the S'krrr's huge garden--it's the most beautiful place they have ever seen. It's also full of very strange creatures. When a batlike shreev swoops down at Zak, he panics and accidentally kills it. Suddenly, the garden is overrun by big beetles. When Zak wakes up in the middle of the night covered with creepy crawly bugs, he's terrified. Did Zak upset the garden's delicate ecological balance by killing the shreev? Or is something far more sinister at work?

Customer Reviews:

The swarm.......2006-09-10

I like how the main characters in the galaxy of fear series are always interacting with other more famous characters from the starwars universe. This book is no different. In this story they encounter one of my Favorite charcters, Grand admiral thrawn. At this point in the story, he is going by the title of captin thrawn. I really got into this book. The way the author described the story, painted a picture in my mind so vivid. I had to stop and scracth my head and make sure there weren't any bugs crawling on me.

Star Wars Galaxy of fear The swarm.......2002-08-28

I think that this book would be about 2 kids that fight giant bugs. Yes,the book was what I Expected It to be. I still feel the same about this book. Nothing about this book has changed.
Thi9s book is about these kids who go to this planet called
''Sk'rrr'' and one of the kids accidently kills a bug. The main characters are:Zak,Tash,and Hoole.The setting is at the Sikadian
Garden. The Book was actually about 3 kids that go to a planet called''sk'rrr''and one of them kills a shreev and it upsets the swarm of bugs.This book is Fiction.The author is John Whitman.
I like this book because it has fighting in the book and it
has adventure striving in it. I would rate this book 4 stars. The
headline for this book is:The Sikadian Garden on Sk'rrr has many
beautiful plants and flowers.

By Thang Duong

Star Wars Galaxy of fear The swarm.......2002-08-28

Galazy of Fear - The Swarm.......2002-03-22

I usually steer clear of kid's books, but my sister had and I only read this book because it had Grand Admiral Thrawn in it. It wasn't bad, for a kid's book, pretty interesting in some parts. I felt Thrawn should have gotten a better role in the book. Other than that, it's pretty good.

Galazy of Fear - The Swarm.......2002-03-22

I only read this book because it had Grand Admiral Thrawn in it. It wasn't bad, for a kid's book, pretty interesting in some parts. I felt Thrawn should have gotten a better role in the book. Other than that, it's pretty good.

Swarm Creativity: Competitive Advantage through Collaborative Innovation Networks

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Advanced Reviewer Comments

Swarm Creativity: Competitive Advantage through Collaborative Innovation Networks
Peter A. Gloor
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0195304128

Book Description

Swarm Creativity introduces a powerful new concept-Collaborative Innovation Networks, or COINs. Its aim is to make the concept of COINs as ubiquitous among business managers as any methodology to enhance quality and competitive advantage. The difference though is that COINs are nothing like other methodologies. A COIN is a cyberteam of self-motivated people with a collective vision, enabled by technology to collaborate in achieving a common goal--n innovation-by sharing ideas, information, and work. It is no exaggeration to state that COINs are the most productive engines of innovation ever. COINs have been around for hundreds of years. Many of us have already been a part of one without knowing it. What makes COINs so relevant today, though is that the concept has reached its tipping point-thanks to the Internet and the World Wide Web. This book explores why COINS are so important to business success in the new century. It explains the traits that characterize COIN members and COIN behavior. It makes the case for why businesses ought to be rushing to uncover their COINs and nurture them, and provides tools for building organizations that are more creative, productive and efficient by applying principles of creative collaboration, knowledge sharing and social networking. Through real-life examples in several business sectors, the book shows how to leverage COINs to develop successful products in R and D, grow better customer relationships, establish better project management, and build higher-performing teams. In short, this book answers four key questions: Why are COINs better at innovation? What are the key elements of COINs? Who are the people that participate in COINs and how do they become members? And how does an organization transform itself into a Collaborative Innovation Network?

Customer Reviews:

Advanced Reviewer Comments.......2006-02-03

Disclosure: I am the VP Corporate Communications for iQuest. The author is president of our company. The following advance comments are reprinted from the dust jacket of Peter's book.

"Filled with real examples and practical suggestions, this thought-provoking book gives insightful guidance to anyone trying to harness the power of collaborative innovation unleashed by today's new communication technologies." --Thomas W. Malone, Director, MIT Center for Coordination Science, and Patrick J. McGovern Professor of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management

"This book illustrates that collaboration is key for successful companies. It shows how collaboration and innovation extends into all aspects of daily business life. Applying the principles outlined in this book will help companies to innovate by working together and learning from each other in social networks." --Dirk Havighorst, Senior Manager Procurement & Supply, DaimlerChrysler

"Swarm Creativity brings a totally fresh look at innovation and collaboration. This book is a must-read for anyone in a business who is faced with the need to constantly innovate in order to remain competitive. It helps organizations shape their strategies based on principles of social networks, ethics, and meritocracy. By becoming Collaborative Innovation Networks, organizations will increase performance and become more creative." --Kurt Wolf, Managing Director, UBS

"Peter Gloor offers a visionary guide into novel organizational forms and the opportunities they present for innovative companies. This is a wake-up call, challenging our most basic assumptions about management of organizations. His timing is perfect: loosen the hierarchy...harness democracy...think not of employees, but of partners. This is a book packed with insights and wisdom. Leadership would be well served to incorporate its lessons into the new networked business world of today." --Walter Etter, COO, Banca del Gottardo, Switzerland

"We live in the age of networks. We advise young people to build networks to advance their careers. We study organizations by assessing the networks that develop within and among them. We encourage firms with like technology to cluster geographically so their scientists can 'network'. And, of course, there is the Internet that has changed the world, scientifically, socially, and politically. Peter Gloor takes us through one of the most important of these developments: the creation of Collaborative Innovation Networks..." --Thomas J. Allen, Howard W. Johnson Professor of Management and Professor of Engineering Systems, MacVicar Faculty Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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