June 2001 89

N E W B O O K S

C omputers Ltd.: What They ReallyCan’t Do, David Harel. Computers

have undoubtedly changed how we exe-cute our personal and professional busi-nesses. Harel focuses on computers’negative side—their underexposed lim-itations—despite available hardware,software, or resources.

Using analogies, graphs, and exam-ples to probe computers’ weaknesses,the author describes inputs and outputsand proposes problems. He discussesalgorithms; finite, tiling, and dominosnake problems; the Church-Turing the-sis; time and space memory; parallelism;quantum computing; cryptography; andalgorithmic intelligence.

Finally, Harel details scenarios of telephone conversations between ahuman and a futuristic phone-answer-ing machine, exemplifying program-ming situations that require intelligentresponses.

Oxford University Press, Oxford,U.K.; http://www.oup.com; ISBN 0-19-850555-8; 221 pp.; $25.00.

FILTERS FOR IMAGE ENHANCEMENT

N onlinear Image Processing, Sanjit K.Mitra and Giovanni L. Sicuranza,

eds. The editors analyze the image for-mation and optical imaging systemsthat are emerging as research topics insignal and image processing. Sophisti-cated algorithms are essential for effec-tive image processing. A nonlinearimage-processing approach offers edge-preserving smoothing and enhance-ment, noise filtering, image segmenta-tion, and feature extraction.

The essays in this book analyze filterfamilies, including homomorphic, non-linear mean, morphological, order sta-tistics, polynomial, and fuzzy filters.Nonlinear operators modeled in terms

of nonlinear partial differential equationsare also addressed.

The contributors describe imageanalyses, statistical properties and equa-tions, selection probability, finite-samplebreakdown point, breakdown probabil-ity, output distributional influence func-tion, optimization examples, and filterapplication to image enhancement andprocessing. Tables and graphs supportthe text, as do illustrations that reflectimpulse noise cleaning, image sharpen-ing, and streak removal from corruptimages.

Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.;http://www.academicpress.com; ISBN 0-12-500451-6; 455 pp.; $89.95.

TECHNOLOGICAL EL NIÑO

N etPolicy.Com: Public Agenda for aDigital World, Leslie David Simon.

As the digital revolution shapes our soci-ety, and public policy guides this meta-morphosis, Simon examines the Inter-net’s policy issues and their globalimpact. Regarding the Net’s governmentcontrol and private-sector leadershipstruggle, the author encourages support

for free expression, open markets, andprivate initiative. He addresses core con-cerns such as digital democracy and eco-nomics, infrastructure regulation, legalframeworks, and research and nationalinterest.

Woodrow Wilson Center Press, Wash-ington, D.C.; http://www.wilsoncenter.org; ISBN 1-930365-03-9; 442 pp.;$22.95.

DARWINIAN SOFTWAREDEVELOPMENT

I llustrating Evolutionary Computationwith Mathematica, Christian Jacob.

The author explores the application ofnatural evolution to software develop-ment processes. He asserts that if an arti-ficially intelligent system could learn, itwouldn’t be necessary to program it forevery eventuality. The system couldadapt to a changing environment muchas biological systems do.

Jacob explains evolutionary computa-tion in terms of genetic algorithms andprogramming strategies. To apply evolu-tionary principles to computer program-ming, he uses Evolvica, a genetic pro-gramming system. His Mathematicanotebooks include animations, movies,and graphics.

Researchers use evolutionary adapta-tion principles to selectively modify prob-lem-solving strategies and to encode andadapt them as computer programs forartificially intelligent systems.

Jacob affirms that we can appreciatenature’s creative achievements in com-puter models of biological processes, theevolution of design, and the behavior ofliving organisms. Thus, nature inspiresthe development of novel concepts andtools for understanding and exploringthe evolutionary process.

Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, SanFrancisco; http://www.mkp.com; ISBN1-55860-637-8; 578 pp.; $69.95.

What ComputersCan’t Do

Editor: Michael J. Lutz, Rochester Institute ofTechnology, Rochester, NY; mjl@cs.rit.edu.Send press releases and new books toStephanie Kawada, 10662 Los Vaqueros Circle, Los Alamitos, CA 90720; fax +1 714821 4010; newbooks@computer.org.