The missing guide to the Internet, cybersecurity & data science
Explore the inner workings of the Internet, learn to manipulate and extract knowledge from data, and discover how to do it securely using cryptography.
A high-level overview of networking, data science and computer security. Designed for readers who don’t care for academic formalities, it’s a fast and easy guide. It teaches the foundations programmers and knowledge workers need to maximize their effectiveness.
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Programming is all about manipulating data using computers. To become a great programmer, it’s very important to learn the concepts of how to interpret data, and how to extract meaningful knowledge from it. This book will teach you how to collect, process and aggregate data the same way the best data scientists do. It will also teach you the basics of machine learning: using data from the past to predict the future.
The Internet provides an amazing ability to link our planet and enable multiple participants to collaborate on the same data. It enabled the email, the web, online social networks, and so much more. The programmers behind such breakthroughs need to have a firm understanding of how the Internet works—and so do you. This book will demystify the magic and demonstrate how linked computers communicate in order to form the Internet.
Finally, manipulating lots of information through the Internet is powerful, but also dangerous. When the information is captured by hackers, terrible things can happen. Fortunately, hackers can’t defeat strong encryption if the right measures are taken. Hence, learning the basics of how encryption protects you and your data is fundamental. This book will give you a running start to the basics of ciphers, digital signatures, and security vulnerabilities.
Full Chapter Overview
⛓ 1. Connections
How computers are linked in order to share packets of data. How to use these links such that packets hop many links before reaching their destination. How these packets are addressed and routed by computers around the world, and how computer programs send data to each other using this system.
💬 2. Communication
How domain names work. What is UTC, and how computers around the globe use the Internet to agree on a “correct” time. How to access a computer from miles away over the Internet. How email works. How Web pages work, and why they are great for organizing information.
🔒 3. Security
How ciphers are used to keep encrypted information a secret. What public and private keys are. What a digital fingerprint and a digital signature are, and how these things are used. How hackers operate, and how we can keep computer systems well protected against them.
🔎 4. Analysis
How we can use computers to collect and organize data. How we can make sense out of heaps of data, and how we can use graphics to explore and understand data. How we can test hypotheses and use data to help proper decision-making.
🎓 5. Learning
How computers can run data through machine learning models in order to predict the future. How we can evaluate such predictions. What can be done to make these predictions more accurate.
🔥 Bonus: Patterns
What are regular expressions. How expert computer programmers can find and replace patterns in textual data brazenly fast. How to locate text when you only have an incomplete idea of what you’re looking for.
Inside the book
What will I learn?
Well, a lot of things. For example, here are a few things you’ll understand well after having read the book:
- Why computers need both MAC Addresses and IP addresses.
- What makes someone the true owner of an internet domain name.
- How two people can pick a secret number by sending public messages to each other.
- Why using averages can lead you to make big mistakes.
- Why huge amounts of data are sometimes needed for computer predictions.
Praise for the book
“Computer Science Unleashed is a beautiful, rich and fun experience for anyone who’s into technology and wants to understand the modern world a little better. The authors expertly present very complicated topics in a friendly manner. It is truly engaging to follow along examples and use-cases as you learn how the internet works, or how a hospital may collect and use data to better help its patients.
I strongly recommend it to anyone with no tech background to dive in and take a look at how computer science shapes our lives. And I also recommend it to folks that already work with data and technology for gaining broader insight and choosing areas to study further.”
Fabiano Cancela
Data analyst & co-founder at Rock Content“This book is perfect to really understand (among other things) how the Internet works. It’s incredibly accurate and yet very easy to grasp. Reading this book will make you a better developer.”
Franck Jeannin
CEO of ALGOSUP“This is an excellent book: a beautiful combination of deep and thoughtful content and superb writing, with clear and compelling examples. Both beginners and experts will enjoy this book and will benefit from it considerably.”
Michael Ullman, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience, Georgetown UniversityReasons to buy right now
⚡️ Regular Expressions are used everywhere
The bonus chapter teaches a superpower that programmers use to manipulate information. Knowing its basic principles will save you a tremendous amount of time when dealing with all sorts of IT tools.
🚨 Cybersecurity is more important than ever
As our financial records, medical history, and personal communications are more and more handled by computers in the cloud, information security is absolutely critical. Knowing how hackers operate will give you an edge in the quest to secure your data.
✊ The digital revolution has only just begun
The invention of computers rocked the lives of our parents and grandparents. Today, our lives are being completely transformed by the Internet and artificial intelligence. It’s valuable to know the working mechanisms of these incredible technologies as they enable a new act in the digital revolution.
💥 100-day money-back guarantee
We are confident that you’ll find value in this book, no matter who you are. However, no book can satisfy 100% of its readers. If for any reason you’re not happy with the book, you will get your money back. Just contact us within 100 days after your purchase.
About the Authors
Wladston Ferreira Filho
Wlad is a Brazilian computer scientist who loves to write. His previous book, Computer Science Distilled, was acclaimed by hundreds of readers around the world and was translated to five languages. Wlad is currently programming apps to bolster motivation in teams, and he maintains his writing practice in his spare time.
Raimondo Pictet
Moto is a Swiss mechanical engineer who specialized in aerodynamics and space technologies at EPFL and Caltech. He loves to teach classes, facilitate workshops and write compelling content. As an educator, he strives to reach the widest possible audience by focusing on the clarity and concision of his explanations.
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Questions?
🤬 What if I’m a not happy with the book?
Up to 30 days after your order, just send us an email and you’ll get a full refund, no questions asked. Try the book risk-free: we’re confident that you’ll find value in it.
📦 What is the purchase process?
Your payment is processed via Stripe or Paypal, and you get a download link via email instantly. If you buy the hardcover book, it’s shipped the next business day and you receive the package’s tracking code via email. Contact us if any problem arises.
📅 Is the book up to date?
The book covers fundamental principles of computer science which will always be relevant. And your purchase comes with free access to all future versions of the book.
🧐 I have another question
Don’t hesitate to contact us! If you prefer, you can write us an email at hi@code.energy.