Book Review: The Cuckoo's Egg

The Cuckoo's Egg Tracking: a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Cliff Stoll

In 1986, Cliff Stoll's boss asked him to investigate a $0.75 accounting error for the use of their lab's computer. He quickly discovered that a hacker had penetrated their computer system and was attempting to do the same to the Milnet computers it was connected to. The situation quickly cascaded into a multi-national search for a malicious hacker-spy involving multiple "three letter" government agencies. At the center of it all was Cliff, an astronomer turned system administrator turned digital sleuth. In The Cuckoo's Egg, Cliff provides a detailed account of his adventure and eventual success.

I really enjoyed The Cuckoo's Egg. Although I was vaguely aware of the story, I only recently learned of the book. I was immediately hooked and struggled to put it down.

The Cuckoo's Egg provides a detailed description of 1980's computing, a subject for which I have an irrational fondness. It's a great reminder of how innocent a time that was and how far technology has come.

Timeless, though, were Cliff's creativity and persistence. I wish more people today put as much effort into solving problems, even apparently small ones. Cliff's story remains an inspiration.

Cliffs political retrospection added an unexpected dimension to the story. His initial mental model of government agents was comic book-esque. During the pursuit, he gradually realized that they were just normal people with similar values. Cliff's willingness to alter his political views was also encouraging.

PDF versions of the book are available online. The book was also summarized in the NOVA episode The KGB, The Computer, and Me albeit without much of the detail that made the story interesting.

If you like computer history, cyber-security, and mystery stories then you will likely enjoy The Cuckoo's Egg.

Book Review: Fermat's Enigma

Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh

In 1637, Pierre de Fermat, a renown amateur-but-genius mathematician, was reading Diophantus's Arithmetica and wrote the following margin note:

I have discovered a truly marvelous proof that it is impossible to separate a cube into two cubes, or a fourth power into two fourth powers, or in general, any power higher than the second into two like powers. This margin is too narrow to contain it.

In other words, although there are many three integer solutions to Pythagoras's Theorem,

X^2+Y^2=Z^2

There are no three integer solutions for higher powers,

 X^3+Y^3=Z^3
 X^4+Y^4=Z^4
....

Unfortunately, no written record of Fermat's proof has ever been found. Worse, Fermat had a reputation for pranking his fellow mathematicians by claiming to have secretly solved impossible problems. For 350 years, it was uncertain if a proof ever existed. But that didn't stop a lot of people from trying, including some of the best mathematicians in history.

In this book, Simon Singh provides a thorough account of the many efforts to prove Fermat's Last Theorem. Particular attention is given to Andrew Wiles's successful solution in 1994, the result of a seven year solitary effort that shocked the mathematics world.

The book is structured very well. Singh expertly interweaves the history and mathematics behind Fermat's conjecture in an easy to understand and engaging manner. Singh describes the complicated mathematics involved just enough to appreciate Wiles's solution without going into too much detail. The narrative flows evenly and holds the reader's attention well.

Wiles's story is incredible. He was first fascinated by Fermat's Last Theorem as an adolescent. After earning a PhD in mathematics, Wiles found himself uniquely positioned to pursue a proof. He made the bold decision to both work in secret and devote all of his time to developing a proof. For seven years, Wiles worked night and day in isolation until he finally succeeded. After a fatal flaw was found during peer review, he spent an additional year fixing the proof. Wiles's focus, dedication, and determination are truly inspiring.

Fermat's Last Theorem is great book if your into math, history, and solitary geniuses overcoming the odds.