Reviews

World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines, and the Internet by Michael Chorost

meredith_peruzzi's review

4.0

This author is a friend of mine, but I can honestly say I love this book. I've wanted a world wide mind since 1999, when I realized my new long commute to work would be much improved by being able to communicate with my chat room friends as I drove. (As Mike points out, this would actually be quite dangerous, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.) But what seemed like a neat way to pass the time is actually far more complex than that, with implications as far reaching as law enforcement, disability rights, and beyond. Mike explores not only what the world wide mind can do for us, but also what it will do TO us. It would be interesting to see what future historians make of these ideas - whether they're right on target, or way off the mark!