Featured in Five is a monthly section where we pose five questions to a Computing Reviews featured reviewer. Here are the responses from our September featured reviewer, Jon Millen.
Q) What is the most important thing that's happened in computing in the past 10 years?
A) The developments that made the biggest splash in the past ten years were based on inventions made more than ten years ago. The most recent is Bitcoin, as well as other blockchain-based cryptocurrencies. Quantum computing is starting to look practical, but it originated around 1980. The success of AlphaGo in beating a master at Go was an application of deep learning, which was bolstered by back-propagation algorithms from around 1986.
Q) If you weren't working in the computer science field, what would you be doing instead?
A) Probably designing video games.
Q) By the end of your career, where do you think computer science will have taken us? What are you working on that might contribute toward that?
A) Computer science has always been about elegant algorithms, invented by creative researchers. You never know what exciting innovation is coming next.
Q) Who is your favorite historical figure? Why?
A) Albert Einstein. Isn’t he everybody’s favorite?
Q) What is your favorite type of music?
A) Blues, boogie-woogie, folk rock, classical Spanish guitar.
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Click here to read one of Jon’s reviews.