 "All About the Journey" | 2008-08-13 |
| - Reviewed By trurlthe_constructor |
This is the second book I've read on my own, self study of cryptography. But I remember from the book, "Secrets and Lies" by Bruce Schneier that new cryptography systems occur often. It is not possible to foresee all attacks that would break the security. That said, even though Ms. Flannery's encryption method had a vulnerability it still is interesting enough to learn from. That is why I wish she would have described the thinking process behind the math of her main algorithm. Sure the appendix has all the math (Which I still need to go through.), but if she would have described the encryption algorithm as she did her journey learning cryptography, the book would be phenomenal.
Again, the book is great and I give it 5 stars. She explains complex math in a way that is both interesting and understandable. And even though I wanted more explanation about the main algorithm, at least all the math (including Mathematica code) is in the appendix. I guess this was done because the book's main focus is supposed to be the story. But don't let that deter you, this is a math book too. And while it is fundamental math topics, the math is not watered down. It is presented in a way in which you can understand and learn from it.
I highly recommend this book. It shows with some hard work and a basic math understanding, you can still contribute and discover things. I have been working with logarithmic spirals trying to find a use for them in cryptography. I had worked at it hard and realized after all the work I still don't have a proven solution. But reading this book by Ms. Flannery, you see that it is more about the journey. |
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| "Heartfelt, Warm & Delightful Book to read" | 2008-06-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: ABQEFIX4OLL9X |
Miss Flannery book is great. I remember the interesting puzzles littered through the book. Otherwise an inspiring story which doesn't abstract away achievement by attributing it to the authors intelligence.
I found it a delightful read. I would strongly recommend that you buy a copy to gift to your 15 year old kid/niece/nephew.... |
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| "Heartfelt, Warm Delightful Book to read" | 2008-06-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: ABQEFIX4OLL9X |
| Miss Flannery book is great. I remember the interesting puzzles littered through the book. Otherwise an inspiring story which doesn't abstract away achievement by attributing it to the authors intelligence.br /br /I found it a delightful read. I would strongly recommend that you buy a copy to gift to your 15 year old kid/niece/nephew.... |
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| "Refreshing approach to Number Theory" | 2007-06-24 |
| - Reviewed By raymond_tbl |
| everybody knows that number theory is notoriously abstract and at times, completely unfathomnable to the layman's mind and at worst the realm of the pure intellect. But Sarah and her dad has done a excellent job in breaking that notion! |
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| "Stimulate someone's curiosity" | 2007-01-08 |
| - Reviewed By the_celebrated_mr_k |
| If you know any youngster who's interested in math, do them a favor and buy them this book. Heck, even if they don't care about math, buy them this book anyway. I don't see how anyone who doesn't have a brick between their ears can fail to be inspired by the curiosity and enthusiasm of this down-to-earth young lady. |
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| "Ridiculously Pleasing...A Definite Read!" | 2006-12-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: A335GIAYPXIXBX |
In Code is written by Sarah Flannery (who won Ireland's Young Scientist of the Year Award at the age of 16). Part biography, it discusses this young woman's remarkable journey to mathematical celebrity, beginning from her solving logic brainteasers from a very young age. Cultivated and influenced in large part by her mathematician father, Sarah attempts to develop a new algorithm that encrypts/decodes more quickly than RSA, the standard public key algorithm.
This book provides a detailed discussing of cryptography and mathematics and includes various technical questions/references that stumped me. As another reviewer wrote, "she digs deeply into number theory." Nevertheless, her fluid and engaging writing made up for these hurdles.
All in all, a definite read! |
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| "Good introduction to cryptology and an interesting story" | 2006-07-06 |
| - Reviewed By proctork |
"In Code" provides a readable and thorough overview of cryptology in the context of Sarah Flannery's experience in this field of science. The book provides both good coverage of the mathematics underlying encryption technologies used today and a compelling and interesting story of a bright young individual making her way through an exciting field of science.
I recommend this book as a good introduction to the field of cryptology with an overlay of an enjoyable character-driven storyline. |
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| "great story, great adventure" | 2005-09-21 |
| - Reviewed By lavon |
| A very interesting account of a young person's algorithim for encoding information. The math is in the appendix for those who want ot understand the method she devised. |
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| "In many ways, Sarah is just another teenage girl." | 2005-02-24 |
| - Reviewed By 71603522 |
As the father of three children about to iterate into their teen years, I often cringe when I see what they view as inspiration from the media. Sometimes, I really have to press them to read books and challenge their minds. One thing that we have done for years is have what we call questions after supper is done. I ask them questions about many different things, although we concentrate on geography, history and mathematics. The mathematics questions are generally in the form of a puzzle and we have covered basic proof techniques such as the pigeonhole principle. On several occasions, they have explained the solutions to mathematics problems by citing and explaining the pigeonhole principle.
Therefore, I was overjoyed when I read this book about Sarah Flannery, who won Ireland's Young Scientist of the Year in 1999. She won it for her work in cryptography for use over the Internet and she credits much of her success to all of the puzzles that she was given to solve by her parents. Sarah is obviously a bright girl, but what is most impressive about the book is how ordinary she claims to be. Outside of her mathematical success, Sarah is very much a regular girl with normal interests. There is no hint of her being forced into mathematics and she wears a Teflon coat concerning any label equivalent to nerd.
The book is also very well written, I was fascinated by her story, even sneaking in a few pages during a session at a math conference. It is a story about success, which just happens to be in mathematics. While basic knowledge of congruences is necessary to understand everything, you will enjoy this book even if you have never heard of a congruence. Sarah's story is an inspiration to all people, it keeps your interest and you cannot help but wish her great success in her life, whatever she ultimately decides to do.
Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission. |
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| "Delightful!" | 2004-08-18 |
| - Reviewed By kmccants |
This book was such a delight to read! I'll admit, I am fascinated by mathematics, so it was right up my alley. But mathematics aside, it was still a refreshing read of stories of Sarah's youth and her family, and an entertaining account of her preparation and performance in competitions. I loved reading of how her father inspired her family to love mathematics through brain teasing puzzles and how she was enticed to want to learn more and more about the mathematics behind cryptography. She includes several puzzles that she enjoyed growing up, and those were very fun to figure out.
There are a couple chapters that are heavy on mathematics, but someone who does not enjoy this subject could easily skip over them and still enjoy the rest of the book without feeling as they are behind and in the dark. In this mathematical section she does a great job of "teaching" the concepts in a way that keeps the readers attention and curiosity peaked. I wish in my math classes I would have had a teacher with the same type of style rather than the dull non-exciting teaching that seems to be more typical!
She also gives some great history behind cryptography and the work that lead up to our cryptographic systems today. I learned quite a bit in that area.
I do recommend the book, especially if you have any type of interest in math or cyptography. It is not the dull dry read you might be used to in other math books. It is an honest account and journey told by a sincere and bright young lady. I've already passed my copy along to someone else to enjoy. |
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