Pretty good introduction to the conceptual side of machine learning, for someone who knows a bit of programming and a bit of statistics. Skimmed over some of the beginning parts and some of the later parts went over my head. Fair warning: this will not teach you how to actually write scripts/programs, but it did inspire some improvements to my own (rudimentary) work.

My main criticism is that the author can trend towards the naïve (or idealistic? or complacent? or?) in the ending chapter about the risks of machine learning applications. (Most, if not all, techies lack moral compasses and it would be better to recognize that up front. Also, automated/self-driving personal cars are inherently violent. Sorry.)