The maniac
Johnny von Neumann was an enigma. As a young man, he stunned those around him with his monomaniacal pursuit of the unshakeable foundations of mathematics. But when his faith in this all-encompassing system crumbled, he began to put his prodigious intellect to use for those in power. As he designed unfathomable computer systems and aided the development of the atomic bomb, his work pushed increasingly into areas that were beyond human comprehension and control - and that threatened human destruction.
Stats for nerds
7recommend
11mentions
11people
2024–2026years
64% recommend36% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Recently I enjoyed very much The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut:
- Anyone interested in von Newmann should read The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
- I recently read 'Maniac' by Benjamin Labatut, which also tracks the life of Johnny von Neumann. It is a wonderful read - very eloquently put together, giving accounts of the man from the perspectives of several people in his life.
Not only does it capture the alien-like genius of the protagonist, but also described his particular emotional and social character in a way that I have not seen written elsewhere. Highly recommended.
- Seconding this. Maniac is a beautifully written book about von Neumann. It also led me to Benjamin Labatut's When We Cease to Understand the World, another great read.
- The Maniac, by Benjamin Labatut. It’s a fictionalised biography of John von Nuemann and the birth of artificial intelligence. Amazing , surreal and unique
- Mostly non fiction
The Vortex by carney and miklian Flying Blind by Peter Robison The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
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