We have met the Devil of Information Overload and his impish underlings, the computer virus, the busy signal, the dead link, and the PowerPoint presentation.
James GleickRead
You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. And in an analogous way, information is associated with disorder, which seems paradoxical. But when you think about it, a bit of information is a surprise. If you already knew what the message contained, there would be no new information in it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the relationship between entropy, information, and surprise, emphasizing that new information arises from disorder.
James Gleick's quote draws an intriguing parallel between entropy in thermodynamics, which is often associated with disorder in physical systems, and the concept of information. Just as increased entropy signifies a lack of order, new information is characterized by its element of surprise; when we encounter something previously unknown, we gain knowledge that challenges our understanding, thereby reflecting the inherent unpredictability of both physical and informational systems.
Themes
EntropyInformationDisorderSurpriseKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on thermodynamics, one might use this quote to illustrate the connection between physical concepts and information theory.
More from James Gleick
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Everything we care about lies somewhere in the middle, where pattern and randomness interlace.
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Every time a new technology comes along, we feel we're about to break through to a place where we will not be able to recover. The advent of broadcast radio confused people. It delighted people, of course, but it also changed the world.
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"Half genius and half buffoon," Freeman Dyson ... wrote. ... [Richard] Feynman struck him as uproariously American-unbuttoned and burning with physical energy. It took him a while to realize how obsessively his new friend was tunneling into the very bedrock of modern science.
James GleickRead
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