Through his pioneering work in science, technology and language design, Stephen Wolfram has developed his own signature way of thinking about an impressive range of subjects. In this lively book of essays, Wolfram takes the reader along on some of his most surprising and engaging intellectual adventures.

From science consulting for a Hollywood movie, solving problems of AI ethics, hunting for the source of an unusual polyhedron, communicating with extraterrestrials, to finding the fundamental theory of physics and exploring the digits of pi, Adventures of a Computational Explorer captures the infectious energy and curiosity of one of the great pioneers of the computational world.

Stephen Wolfram has had a unique trajectory in science, technology and business. Widely known for his discoveries in basic science and his groundbreaking 2002 book A New Kind of Science, he has spent three decades building what is now the Wolfram Language: the knowledge-based computer language that powers Mathematica and Wolfram|Alpha and has contributed to countless inventions and discoveries, as well as to the education of several generations of students.

Wolfram was born in London and educated at Eton, Oxford and Caltech, earning his PhD in physics in 1979 at the age of 20. After a brief but distinguished academic career, he founded Wolfram Research in 1987 and as CEO has built it into one of the world’s most respected and innovative software companies, whose products are relied on by millions of people around the world.