Scan barcode
dogtrax's review against another edition
4.0
Such an interesting book -- trying to make us wary of the "cloud" idea and the "hive mind" idea, and being very successful at that argument so far, too. I like the approach of people, first.
themorsecode's review against another edition
3.0
Some interesting observations here, don't agree with it all (especially his rant about modern music, and his seemingly almost complete ignorance of electronic music) but he's on to a couple of things in terms of how culture is not catching up with technology. Have to admit much of this, especially near the end went way over my head and the short sections aren't my ideal way to read but an interesting book nonetheless.
seeker42's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A superbly insightful treatise on how the human-digital interface impacts individuals and society, from a philosophical perspective. The author employs a scholarly and technical articulation that will make this a challenging read, but highly rewards the careful reader for the effort.
rick2's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting. Jaron is a great communicator and a brilliant guy.
I struggled a bit with the level of abstraction the book uses to explain and predict concepts. It’s a necessary evil if you don’t want to get bogged down with technical details. But at times it felt like rounding the corners of concepts changed the concept itself.
Still, for a book written about technology in 2010, it’s incredibly impressive how much is still directly relevant in 2021.
I struggled a bit with the level of abstraction the book uses to explain and predict concepts. It’s a necessary evil if you don’t want to get bogged down with technical details. But at times it felt like rounding the corners of concepts changed the concept itself.
Still, for a book written about technology in 2010, it’s incredibly impressive how much is still directly relevant in 2021.
ntombizakhona's review against another edition
5.0
A Good Manifesto Against Automation and the Blind Worship of Machines and Algorithms.
You should read this book if you've been thinking about a "Social Media Detox."
It might inspire you to fall in love with humanity or real life again, especially now in the 2020s.
You should read this book if you've been thinking about a "Social Media Detox."
It might inspire you to fall in love with humanity or real life again, especially now in the 2020s.
mkesten's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes this book is a little hard to read if you've never heard of words like "neotony" or "juvenilia" or "Cephalopods." That's ok. I like to learn new words. And I like Lanier's brand of humanism. It's a refreshing antidote to Silicon Valley snuff.
danielmbensen's review against another edition
3.0
It was a real education listening to You are Not a Gadget and Prattchett's Going Postal at the same time. The author of the first could have been a character in the second. Lanier talks an awful lot about cephalopods, but he does pinpoint problems with the way we use computers and how to potentially solve them. I appreciate his philosophy that nothing computers do is meaningful until a human interacts with it. My biggest criticism of the book (aside from the part about cuttlefish) is its lack of coherence. It's more like a series of blog articles, which I think that undermines Lanier's point.