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Description
How Smart Machines ThinkEverything you've always wanted to know about self driving cars, Netflix recommendations, IBM's Watson, and video game playing computer programs. The future is here: Self driving cars are on the streets, an algorithm gives you movie and TV recommendations, IBM's Watson triumphed on Jeopardy over puny human brains, computer programs can be trained to play Atari games. But how do all these things work? In this book, Sean Gerrish offers an engaging and
Everything you've always wanted to know about self-driving cars, Netflix recommendations, IBM's Watson, and video game-playing computer programs.The future is here: Self-driving cars are on the streets, an algorithm gives you movie and TV recommendations, IBM's Watson triumphed on Jeopardy over puny human brains, computer programs can be trained to play Atari games. But how do all these things work? In this book, Sean Gerrish offers an engaging and accessible overview of the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning that have made today's machines so smart.
Gerrish outlines some of the key ideas that enable intelligent machines to perceive and interact with the world. He describes the software architecture that allows self-driving cars to stay on the road and to navigate crowded urban environments; the million-dollar Netflix competition for a better recommendation engine (which had an unexpected ending); and how programmers trained computers to perform certain behaviors by offering them treats, as if they were training a dog. He explains how artificial neural networks enable computers to perceive the world--and to play Atari video games better than humans. He explains Watson's famous victory on Jeopardy, and he looks at how computers play games, describing AlphaGo and Deep Blue, which beat reigning world champions at the strategy games of Go and chess. Computers have not yet mastered everything, however; Gerrish outlines the difficulties in creating intelligent agents that can successfully play video games like StarCraft that have evaded solution--at least for now.
Gerrish weaves the stories behind these breakthroughs into the narrative, introducing readers to many of the researchers involved, and keeping technical details to a minimum. Science and technology buffs will find this book an essential guide to a future in which machines can outsmart people.
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Mit Press
Published: 10/22/2019
ISBN: 9780262537971
Pages: 312
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 8.80h x 6.00w x 0.90d
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4.7 ★★★★★
Based on 661 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Great
Size: 11 Holes
Worked better than expected
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Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2026
★★★★★ 2
In the trash after a single use
Size: 11 Holes
For context, I’m a seasoned woodworker and always evaluate tools with the price in mind. This seemed like a good deal and in fact when it arrived, it looked and felt like reasonable quality for the price. Unhappily, the first bookshelf I drilled was off from side to side by almost 3 mm which would make a really wobbly shelf situation. It took a while to figure out what was happening, but I finally realized the metal bushings that guide the drill bit are so soft that they cored out from contact with the bit even though I was cautious to not put the bit in under power but to get it in the bushing and aligned before drilling. Still, the bushings started angling immediately. So when you then use those angled bushings to set the pin for the next series, it’s off by a little bit. Then the next is off by a little more…. By the time I drilled holes up and down a 6’ high shelf, the bushings were out of square, the holes were 3 mm out of alignment, and the shelf sides were firewood. Back to the drawing board and this goes in the trash, I’m afraid.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Finally, A Great Trackball for Macs
After reading the other Amazon reviews, I thought I would respond to some of the issues other reviewers raise from a Mac user's perspective. I run a new PowerBook 15" with OS X 10.3.2.
Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't notice any directional/orientation problems--the cursor follows the ball movement very well, even before installing the included Logitech software. Perhaps the necessary drivers are now universally available, or perhaps the Mac version is just better. Also, the "finger layout" has not proven to be an issue for me--I can use any or all of my fingers to control the ball without any cursor-direction problems.
The wireless function has proven flawless on my Mac. The reciever is a couple feet away and actually off the desk (no line of sight) and works fine. It was essentially plug-and-play on the Mac--I didn't even have to push the 'Connect' buttons to establish a signal, it just worked.
The software is necessary, however, to re-assign new functions to the several buttons on this model. As a former PC user, I can't go without a right-click button (one of the reasons I bought an external device for my notebook at all). The Mac software is very easy to use, and one can re-program all of the buttons and the wheel if one so desires. You can set a button to automatically double- or triple-click, or select keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Command and W to close the current window). Very easy, and quite useful--I use buttons to close windows, quit programs, delete files, and still have a handy web-browsing 'Back' button.
The only possible drawback to the Mac software is that one cannot "train" the ball's orientation (from what I can gather from other reviews, this option is not available on PC either). This really only matters if you know you hold trackballs at a different angle than most people do.
Please note that the software I'm reviewing is for Mac OS X only; the program for those running OS 8.6-9.2 is a different piece of software, which is also included in the package.
Those are all the Mac-specific comments I can think of at this point; if you're a Mac-user you're probably used to things "just working," and this device is no exception.
I'll also comment on some of the more universal issues raised by other reviews:
Ergonomically, there is a period of adjustment--anyone moving from a conventional mouse to any trackball or from one trackball to another should expect that. It's never a bad idea to try one out in-store to see how they feel, especially since trackball models vary from one to another much more than mice do.
This is not, as some have termed it, a 'disadvantage'--all new things take some time to get used to. If you've never used a trackball, it's weird for a while; it's also ergonomically superior/healthier in the long term.
Also, I use trackballs for computer drafting/design, and find superior control to mice--finger-control is just more precise than either thumb-controlled trackballs or wrist/arm-controlled mice.
The optical ball-tracking technology requires almost no cleaning, and there are zero moving parts to clean. Just pop the ball out and blow any collected lint out of the socket if necessary--which very rarely is.
For any pointing device that's wireless, optical, and has this many buttons, this price is pretty decent--lower, I think, than my previous trackball that was wired and lacked the wheel.
As for Logitech's reputation/reliability, I have had good experiences. My first trackball had to be replaced during the warranty period, but its replacement has lasted the four years since--I only replaced it now because it wasn't Mac-compatible. Now Mac-users can rejoice with a high-performance trackball that works seamlessly in OS X.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2004
★★★★★ 5
A treasure that desperately needs a reboot.
I love this mouse. I greet it every morning and give it warm caresses as I drink my morning coffee. I catch myself staring longingly at it daydreaming of using it sitting on a beach sipping a drink with an umbrella. I call her Bridgette. Is she perfect? Probably not - otherwise they'd still be a lot more popular. Is she perfect for me? Yeah. She is.
So first the bad and then the good: This mouse is big. For folks with normal to big sized hands, that's a win in a world of tiny mice built for Hobbits. If you have the hand size of a large doll could you still manage it? Yes. It's not THAT big.
The surface finish is...temporary. Dynamic. Fluid. I think of it more as patina at this point. Most of the painted surfaces (except for the left click button) on mine are still the same color they were when I bought it. I seem to remember a "soft touch" satin coating on the black parts but that has worn off mine years ago. She still turns heads though.
Some people say that these mice have reliability issues. We've been together for a good 17 years and she's still going strong. There was a scare recently where her buttons stopped working but a careful dose of electrical contact cleaner in the switches and a few hours rest and she was right as rain. She's not bullet-proof but hopefully will be around another score or so before parting for good.
What I love about this mouse is the feel. It's just right. Trackball people are a finicky group and rarely do we find something that suits us to little complaint. The size of this mouse fits me perfectly. All the buttons are where they should be, I don't have to strain and move and fight to make stuff happen. There's enough flexibility in programming the buttons you can set it to do most tasks easily with one click. It's not so complex that it introduces unwanted drama in your life trying to figure out the minutiae of endless setup options.
The trackball is perfectly placed. It's far enough forward my fingertips don't have to hunt for it and just enough to the side that I don't have to twist my wrist to reach it. I can swipe easily from one side of the screen (or across screens) without a thought but still have enough control to be precise when needed. All without straining my wrist.
I like the action of mouse clicking left/forward/back with my thumb as it's more natural than the thumb-driven trackballs. I either suffer from twitchy thumb or it's just a bad design for precise movement. The right click button is naturally placed just to the underside of the trackball and feels effortless to click with my ring finger.
The scroll wheel is small but cushy and comfortable. There are soft indents to the scrolling so it doesn't get away from you. If you prefer the smooth scrolling feel the "cruise" buttons above and below get that done easily. The drag lock button can come in handy if you're constantly copying multiple files back and forth. I generally don't so it's easily remapped in the software.
Battery life is really good. I usually go several months on a set of cheap AA's. It has an auto sleep function instead of a power switch which is handy. The nice thing about AA batteries is that you can easily find them anywhere. I think that's one of the main reasons mine has lasted so long.
Dear Logitech or any other company that may stumble across this - please bring this model back with a reboot. People obviously loved it and they sell like hotcakes. I've seen used ones go for upwards of $400 now. Surely there's some profit in doing another run of these beauties!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2021
★★★★★ 5
Simply the best input device I've ever used
I've been a long time fan of trackballs - most especially and specifically those made by Logitech. About five years ago I started having pain in my wrists from the constant side-to-side motion of using a mouse. I picked up a Logitech Marble Mouse and loved it for years. It instantly helped by wrist issues and I didn't get so strained and hardly ever got soreness.
The only thing I didn't like was that there weren't enough buttons. I envied things like a scroll wheel found on regular mice. The thumb trackball was horrid in my thought (all that stress where your thumb meets the wrist; Ouch!) but had the extra buttons I longed for.
Then this one came along. Wow. I saw it in the store and I'll admit, I was a bit intimidated at first. Did I need a cordless? Could I get used to moving it with my hand in a slightly different position? And I know I wanted buttons, but woah, there's a LOT of buttons on it!
I played with it and daydreamed about it. I finally ended up getting it for my birthday in May 2003. It honestly did take me a few days to adjust to the change (even from one Logitech trackball to another), but now I can't imagine ever going back. The sheer convenience of being able to not only left-click/right-click, but scroll AND easily go Forward and Backward through webpages with a click of a button amazes me everytime. Trackballs already cut down the amount of round-about pointing you need to do by making it much smoother and easier because of less motion required, but this cuts it down way more then that.
Some thoughts from other reviews:
*Lefties -- I'm sorry, but it really is designed for a right-hander. Like most mice/trackballs on the market today, they aim for the majority. It's usable on short term for lefties (my boyfriend's a southpaw and he can maneuver it, but couldn't really use it every day, day-in/day-out). HOWEVER, a nice option is the Logitech Marble Mouse since it is neither left nor right hand specific.
* Cordless issues -- I've had ZERO interference with it and I have a USB Wacom tablet as well as digital camera hookups and other usb items in my usb hub. NEVER a problem. The manual recommends that if you have problems, move the receiver away from the monitor. Mine sits two or so feet away and works perfectly.
* Battery life -- WONDERFUL. Mine went for about five months or so on the original batteries it came with. And I am a hard-core user, driving my trackball way over ten hours a day. The program even warns you on-screen that your batteries are getting low. How cool is that? You don't have to wait until things die leaving you without a mouse, wondering what went wrong - it tells you!
* Weight of ball -- I have to say that one of the best aspects of the Logitech trackballs is that the ball spins VERY smoothly and easily. It's also not heavy. This sounds weird until you try one of the HORRID Kensington ones which has such a heavy ball that you literally get fatigued fingers from trying to push the darned thing around the screen. It's such a battle with inferior ones whereas, with the Logitech ones, it's easy. I can zoom around the screen as fast as I wish with the slightest touch of my fingertips (*note: the speed and such can also be edited if you like a slower cursor, but it still will have the lightweight Logitech is known for)
* Range of Use -- I agree with another user here - this thing has a range that's far more then you'd need. I sometimes use it on my lap and can stand up and control it from several feet away.
* Cleaning -- IMPORATANT. Every now and then, pop the ball out (by pushing from underneath) and clean the gunk which gets on the points the ball rests on. It will help keep your ball rolling smoothly.
In sum: ergonomic, comfortable, works great and a real Logitech winner. Well worth the cost.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2003