Reviews (14)

An eye-opener?
Comments on this book are that the figures are visualizing whatever the author's wish.
Too much information
This book contains an immense amount of information, however it is presented in such a way that it is not condusive to knowledge.I chose this book off a list expecting a psycological analysis of people who use the Internet.I was more than wrong.This book is 500 pages of survey data, with the numbers manipulated in such a way that they back up the authors' opinions.I came out feeling tricked and stuffed with numbers.

An Attempt to Distill Order from Chaos
The main focus of this book is to examine the body of data currently available on the Internet, and determine the effects of this new medium. While my fellow reviewers have covered the general thrust of the book, I might note a few factors that make this book especially interesting.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Science    2. Computers    3. Computers And Society    4. Digital divide    5. General    6. Information Technology    7. Internet    8. Internet - General    9. Social Aspects    10. Sociology    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Telecommunication    13. Telecommunication (Engineering)    14. Telecommunications    15. United States    16. Computers / Information Theory    17. Impact of computing & IT on society    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Computer networks    2. Data Transmission Systems - General    3. Defense measures    4. Electronic data processing    5. International Relations - General    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    10. Security measures    11. Telecommunication    12. United States    13. Political Science / International Relations   

Editorial Review

Cliche alert: just as railroads influenced settlement patterns and economics of the 19th century, and automobiles influenced settlement, commerce, and recreation in the 20th century, computer networks will influence how we live, work, and move (and how and even whether we move) in the 21st century. Read more

Reviews (11)

Repetitive rambling
I found Mitchell's topic very interesting and approached the books with a lot of enthusiasm.However, in the end I found Mitchell's description disappointing.While he does note a few concrete changes he expects to come about in the urban landscape (e.g. buildings being less clearly distinguished in terms of the kinds of activities they contain, and perhaps a shift in the importance of the urban center as digital connectivity diminishes the emphasis on physical location) that were good starting points for a consideration of architecture in the digital age, the bulk of this book was characterized by repetitive speculation about the changes associated with the digital age (accounts that may have made more of an impact on his readers in 1995 when the book was first published, but today seem rather obvious or exagerated and tiresome to read) without really relating them to architecture in an insightful way.Mitchell's vague and speculative language distracted me from the few interesting points that he did make. Interesting topic, but Mitchell's treatment of it was not particularly satisfying.
Space and place in cyberspace
These are more a series of musings than a solid essay on the internet and architecture.It is definitely interesting, and it brings up many points that are currently being addressed or have been brought up in the years since the books publication.If it has a central theme, it is the question of how to construct space so as to accommodate the internet and technology. illustrative introduction to the bitsphere, telecom urbanism
W.J. Mitchell writes a picturesque collection of future scenes reflecting the impact of the digital telecommunications revolution in "City of Bits: Space, Place, and the Infobahn". The book is an intellectual gallery of exhibits arranged among seven chapters, each consisting of a variety of short scenes of plausible architecture and urbanism. I am giving this work four stars for its eloquent writing style, historical research, and some ideas that are slightly rehashed or have a short-range perspective that provide only a limited look at the issues associated with the network technologies. I think that few books, however, could come close to the clarity and coverage of ideas in such a limited number of pages for the general reader. (I should qualify that I am reading this 1996-published book in 2002. Maybe if I read this book in 1996, I would have a very different perspective.)Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Criticism    4. General    5. Networking - General    6. Sociology    7. Architecture / General    8. City & town planning - architectural aspects    9. Cultural studies    10. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Reviews (1)

Good idea - more of this needed
This book is covering all the aspects of the economic and social aspects of e-Commerce. It is well thought through. I enjoyed the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Advertising & Promotion    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Economics - Macroeconomics    6. Electronic Commerce    7. Industries - Retailing    8. Information Technology    9. South Africa    10. Business & Management    11. Impact of science & technology on society    12. Internet    13. Sales & marketing   

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Internet General    2. Computers    3. Electronic commerce    4. General    5. Information Management    6. Information Technology    7. Information society    8. Management Information Systems    9. Social aspects    10. Sociology    11. Business & Management    12. Business information systems    13. Cultural studies    14. Industry & Industrial Studies    15. Internet   

Subjects:  1. Computer Architecture    2. Computer Architecture - General    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - PCs    7. Microcomputers    8. Reading materials    9. Spanish language    10. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    11. Computers / General    12. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Subjects:  1. 21st century    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Information warfare    5. Internet - General    6. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    7. Military Science    8. Military art and science    9. Political Freedom & Security - General    10. Political Science    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Computer Communications & Networking    13. International relations    14. Ordnance, weapons technology    15. Peace studies    16. Political Science / Political Freedom & Security / General    17. War & defence operations   

Reviews (2)

An artists' journey from traditional to digital painting
James Faure Walker's PAINTING THE DIGITAL RIVER is also a top pick for art libraries, coming from an artist's viewpoint and exploring James walker's personal journey from traditional to digital painting. Walker learned to paint with the computer only after overcoming software problems and misunderstandings: he's now both an artist and a computer enthusiast and here provides both a memoir of his transition to the digital realm and back and a survey of tools, models, and designs. His outstanding coverage will appeal to both artists and computer users who would blend art with digital processing.

A look at digital art as compared to traditional art
Painting the Digital River takes a view of art by comparing digital art and classic art. Author James Faure Walker makes many points as he gives value to both art forms, discarding neither as less legitimate than the other. Himself an artist, Walker knows that many artists are confused as to what it means to be an artist and expert at what they do. He says that artists must know about painting, its past and its present, and possess some knowledge of the digital form.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Art And Society    2. Art and technology    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - Design    5. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    6. Computer art    7. Computers    8. Computers - Desktop Publishing    9. Fine Arts    10. General    11. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    12. Image processing: graphics (static images)    13. The Arts: General Issues   

Subjects:  1. Computers - General Information    2. Computers and civilization    3. Design - General    4. Digital divide    5. Education    6. Information technology    7. Multicultural Education    8. Social Aspects - General    9. Social aspects    10. Social movements    11. Cultural studies    12. Education / Multicultural Education    13. Social history   

Reviews (5)

a worthy update
Has it already been twenty years since the first edition of this book came out?! When it did so, it was soon regarded as a classic. The intervening years have done nothing to diminish that assessment. Turkle has updated it to form this second edition.
A little bit of an open door.
A classic in the field of human/computer interaction, it suffers a bit from its age (although I was delighted to read about the way children interacted with Merlin and Simon, given that I was a child who had interacted with both of the above). Children are so much more saturated with computers and computer technology than when the book was written, that I wonder how the observations will have changed. A classic - every researcher should have read!
I'm a fan of Turkle, so I just loved it. It's just one of the first deep books written about human-computer interaction. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers    2. Computers And Society    3. Electronic data processing    4. Psychological aspects    5. Questions & Answers    6. Reference    7. Science/Mathematics   

Reviews (1)

Great for kids to use on their own!
This is a really nicely laid out book. I've used other guides to the internet for kids before, but this was the first that was really made for the child to use instead of for the parent to then go and help the child. My kids really love getting out there own their own. With the guidlines thebook tells them about stuff like talking to stangers and giving out namesand address, I don't have to worry about them at all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Web sites    2. Computers & Technology    3. Directories    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Elementary    7. Internet (Computer network)    8. Juvenile literature    9. Parent Participation    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    11. Web sites   

Reviews (2)

Great Book, so useful!
I can't say enough about how great this book has been for my child. He and I have a wonderful time on the internet together, without wasting so much time that searching for good, educational websites takes.

Perfect for my kids... really great
It listed great sites for young kids and for me to get resources for the kids. There a bazillion web sites and these are the 'cherry' picks. Saved me days and days of wasted time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Web sites    2. Computers & Technology    3. Directories    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Elementary    7. Internet (Computer network)    8. Juvenile literature    9. Parent Participation    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    11. Web sites   

Reviews (37)

really bad sociology
My understanding is that this book is an accessible summary of the ideas Catsells presents in his three volume magnum opus, the Information Age (which starts with the Network Society). If this is so, I am definitely not missing much by not having read the trilogy. This is a really bad piece of sociology, characterized by a technologically deterministic analysis. Why did I give it two stars instead of one then? Well, it does have some OK parts. Catsell's analysis of the origins of the internet is an interesting bit of the sociology of technology and what saves the book from pure technological determinism. He also presents some convincing data (gathered by other people) that use of the internet for socializing does not suck people into an on-line world, alienating them from the world of face-to-face interaction; this happens in the case of a few troubled people, but most people use the internet to enhance their already existing off-line relationships. The rest of the book basically argues that the network format of the internet is reshaping the rest of society in its image, with everything from big business to governments to social movements adopting a network form in response to the rise of this new technology. This is, frankly, ludicrous reductionism. It doesn't even stand up to a simple test of chronology--a lot of the developments that Castells argues are driven by the internet predate the explosion of ist usage in the mid-1990s. As Castells himself admits, businesses were already taking on more of a network form before the internet appeared big time on the scene, and social movement scholars have shown the same is true of transnational social movements. On top of this, Castells shows an effusive enthusiasm for all things networked, whether they be transnational corporations or the transnational social movements that oppose these same corporations. I'm really at a loss to understand how one can enthuse about both of these opposed phenomena. Castells does see some of the problems with the new network society--loss of job security and the digital divide, for instance--but he tends to downplay these. And his solution to these problems tends to come down to more of the same--more internet access, more network social organization. Talk about a narrow vision.

Average
I would recommend the Internet Galaxy to a person who is conducting or going to conduct a research about the Internet because the author provides tons of information in depth which could be a good background for that person. This could be a huge source of reference as well. Some chapter is interesting such as the Culture of the Internet that let us know more about the characteristic of network society (some context you can just skip it). Some chapter is up to date and it may refer to the current issue such as Digital Divide or is the Internet the end of privacy? You may find an answer here. Some chapter is too redundant and not necessary to know for some students. For someone who is really interested in what theInternet impacts us, this book could raise some points for you to further think or question about. However, if you just want to know superficially what the Internet is or what it is used nowadays I suggest to find another easy-reading Internet dummy book.

A bunch of common sense
After reading through Internet Galaxy by Manuel Castells all I got out of it was some fancy lingo.There are so many new tech terms in this book that it was hard to understand at times.I am sure that this is great research and it is a well written book, but I got very little out of it.For the most part it was common sense and repetitive.If I were looking for something to put me to sleep or new nothing about the internet I would read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Networks    3. Computer Science    4. Computers    5. Computers - General Information    6. Computers And Society    7. E-Commerce - Internet Marketing    8. Economic aspects    9. Information Technology    10. Information society    11. Internet    12. Internet - General    13. Social Aspects - General    14. Social aspects    15. Business & Management    16. Business | E-Business    17. Computers / Internet / General    18. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Editorial Review

Not long after William Gibson hit the charts with his cyberpunk fiction, especially the groundbreaking (or Web-busting) Read more

Reviews (1)

Is the Persona a defense or a culprit?
This book is essential to understand the concept of persona in cybersociety. It is based on many articles that take examples of exchanges among people on one chat or in one forum, and how these exchanges can be effective as for changing the points of view of the cybernauts, to elaborate a common interest among the participants of the site who may have come together haphazardly or out of mere chance. It also shows how arguments can be effective on others and even push some negative topics into some straits, such as racist points of view that are confronted to arguments the standard racist paticipants have little chance to get across in real society, due to the ghettoisation of ideological groups. This book also shows how one gets onto the Internet, into these forums and chats by deciding on what personae they want to have, persona that may have little to do with the real selves of the persons behind : a male becomes a female, etc. This leads to a serious discussion of crime in such an environment. A crime is the result of the non-respect of a rule set by the webmasters of the site. But it cannot be dealt with as if it were the same � crime � in society. Hence a sexual crime in such an environment has little to do with the same sexual crime in society because it is a virtual crime, a crime that has no reality, no real direct consequences. Anyone can anyway protect themselves against such � agressions � by the personae they choose (some kind of shield that keeps the anonymity of the individuals), and by always being able to log-off, get out of the site. So what is a proper punishment for such � virtual crimes � ? The question is at least extremely complex and such crimes cannot be dealt with by normal courts. So what procedures and what � courts � can exist on the Internet. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Communication    2. Computer networks    3. Computers - General Information    4. Cyberspace    5. Information Technology    6. Internet    7. Social Science    8. Social aspects    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - General    11. Telematics    12. Anthropology    13. Communication Studies    14. Cultural studies    15. Impact of computing & IT on society    16. Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication    17. Virtual reality   

Reviews (10)

Infostructure in geopardy?
This is a book is on, the most unexpected subjects: Information anarchy in utopia, Information anarchy in dystopia and Information utopia?
Are The Libraries Safe Anymore For Decent Folks?
Anarchy is a governing system that eschews authority.Oligarchy governs from, through, and for authorities.These ideologies feed off each other dialectically; they are rapidly remaking our global information ecosystem: the increasing speed and amount of information and the basic paradox of the digital world onto the real world.
Anarchy for thee, not for me.
While many academics do tend to "fog" their arguments I think this book by Professor Siva Vaidhyanathan of New York University is a fresh, provocative, and extremely readable discourse on the nature of freedom and control in a world awash with technology that is often over-hyped and under-analyzed.Prof. Vaidhyanathan is a fresh voice analyzing the extremely important issue of, in his words, the "availability and accessibility of the substance of expression and thus the possibility of public discussion and creativity" (185). As a veteran of the culture wars spawned by punk rock's initial social (and later in a watered-down form) commercial success, I have seen the reliance on empty sloganeering and naive calls for anarchy from punks who couldn't organize taking out the trash if they had all week.Prof. Vaidhyanathan rejects simplistic calls for decentralization and anarchy, and instead provides a rich and nuanced historical context for why we should return to what he calls "Civic Republicanism," a return to the idea of public trust and mutual dependency that many Americans have lost sight of in the rather simplistic way most debates have been framed in the battle over public control of information. One of the virtues of Prof. Vaidhyanathan's book is that he does not provide any easy answer or EFF manifestos, just a reliance on the basic responsibility of human beings to engage in meaningful dialogue about the Faustian bargains involved in new technologies.And in an age that promises unparalleled control and unparalleled, resistance, a call for a meaningful and participatory dialogue is a breath of fresh air. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anarchism    2. Computer Books: Web Publishing    3. Computers    4. Cybernetics    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. Information Technology    7. Information society    8. Internet    9. Internet - World Wide Web    10. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    11. Political aspects    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Social aspects    14. Computer Communications & Networking    15. Impact of computing & IT on society    16. Library, archive & information management    17. Music    18. Technology    19. Current Events   

Editorial Review

The computer revolution brought with it new methods of getting work done--just look at today's news for reports of hard-driven, highly-motivated young software and online commerce developers who sacrifice evenings and weekends to meet impossible deadlines. Tracy Kidder got a preview of this world in the late 1970s when he observed the engineers of Data General design and build a new 32-bit minicomputer in just one year. His thoughtful, prescient book, Read more

Reviews (47)

The Machine Must Start
At the dawn of a disingenuous New Age in which dystopia is cool and atheists are morons Tracy Kidder equipts free thinkers with a book that, like Borg nanotech, insinuates itself into their brains and stays there, semi-
A true journalistic classic. Buy it and Read it!
`The Soul of a New Machine' is a landmark journalistic book-length essay by then `Atlantic Monthly' writer, Tracy Kidder exploring the development of a new computer in those pre-microcomputer days of 1978. I am delighted to find this book issued as a `classic', as I have read it many times and have been meaning to do a review of it for some time. I cannot think of a better occasion than with the release of this new edition.
Surprised and pleased
I'd never heard of 'Soul' or Tracy Kidder or Tom West until my class with University of Phoenix.Something compelled me to purchase it and read it and I was very happy about it.It was a relatively fast read, technically informative but not too much so...and that's what I wanted.I wish there were more historical accounts of extraordinary things that have more diverse people in them.It was never mentioned but I'm pretty positive there wasn't a black person among that whole group.Black people are not 'let in' to those kinds of circle...special and extraordinary things; given an opportunity to stretch, given a chance to grow into something.Black people have to have 'credentials and experience' before a special project is even offered to us.I couldn't help but know - instinctively - that there were none.Good story though. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - General Information    2. Computer Engineering    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Data General Corporation    6. Design and construction    7. Digital Computer Design    8. Electronic digital computers    9. General    10. History    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Supercomputers    13. Computer architecture & logic design    14. Current Events / General    15. General Theory of Computing    16. Impact of computing & IT on society    17. Mainframes & minicomputers   

Reviews (2)

In praise of paper?
There are copious amounts of research on how people interact with computers or machines. However, there is very little research on all the hidden features of paper. "The Myth of the Paperless Office" brings attention to how office workers actually organize their information needs. In many ways, it's probably a pioneering work in computer usability, even though it doesn't specifically deal with computers, but rather anthropological research on the use of paper in organisations. What the UK media say
New Scientist, 10 November, 2001 Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Office Automation    6. Office Equipment & Supplies    7. Organizational Behavior    8. Computers / Information Theory    9. Organizational theory & behaviour    10. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Editorial Review

On January 15, 1990, the AT&T long-distance phone network crashed. Although it was eventually ruled an accident, the event was a wake-up call to telephone companies and law enforcement agencies everywhere, exposing the fragility of the systems that we all heavily depend on. The feds decided that the time had come to crack down on the handful of computer hackers they had been monitoring for several years in connection with the phone companies. The term "hacker" is about to become a household word, and not in the sense of "great programming."Read more

Reviews (76)

Still fun to read 10 years later...
At 225 pages you can breeze through it rather quickly, enjoying afascinating look at young people with the commitment, energy and intelligence it took to hack and learn new systems. It was a time when the phone company was deregulated but Ma Bell's offspring still held quite a lot of power and were irresistible to phone phreaks and hackers. If you don't expect too much you'll enjoy a look into the hacker sub-culture. They were explorers and not criminals. I attended several conferences with these guys in later years and can report that their pursuit of knowledge is still fascinating. Social engineering is still the best hack for me. Plik!

Good book on hackers sub-culture
Actually this is a great book about the hacker sub-culture, indeed one of the bests I have ever read. This book describes very well the whole story and social aspects of New York City hackers but fails when dealing with technical aspects or lacks it. I can afirm it's a good book for people who are intersted to know how poor guys in Queens, NY, rised from nothing to create one of the most notorious hacker gang ever and to improve knowledge about the late 80's and early 90's american hacker scene.

Journalistic view of one event
This is not a book about hackers; it's a book about some specific hackers who happen to come after much of the action was concluded. Even more than that, it's a book biased toward New York which contains every implied slander of Texas that one can meld into a narrative about hackers. I like the description of MOD, and thought the authors did an excellent job of building up the character of these kids, but find that for the size of this book, it missed an absolute raft of important knowledge. Why do people hack? What, besides damaged egos, makes it thrilling to have forbidden knowledge? How could our society be so incompetent as to leave these giant security holes everywhere? And finally: what was the global hacking culture like, outside of the spacy little land of New York City? The boys from LOD are treated as props and their contributions ignored, which is infuriating to someone who is familiar with the goings-on in the computer underground at that time. Also, technical writing is not difficult, and while this book tries to stay non-technical, I have to ask "why?" There are interesting details which are overlooked and could have been conveyed in English. These authors do a credible job of buildup, but then hype a few incidents into some metaphor for cyberspace, and consequently halve the strength of their book. I would recommend this to people who cannot simply pick up a copy of "2600" magazine or "Phrack" and figure it out for themselves, but not to anyone who cares about the heart, soul or brains of hacker culture. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer crimes    2. Computer hackers    3. Computer security    4. General    5. New York    6. New York (State)    7. Sociology - General    8. True Crime / Espionage    9. Computer fraud & hacking    10. Technology / General   

Reviews (7)

not a good reference manual..or book on computer security
In a course, this book was used as teaching material in a class for computer security.The read, reminded me of speaking software to a hardware engineer.Since the hardware engineer is coming from another level, the experience was like talking DOWN to the reader.The author seemed to want to "impress" us with his "knowledge".Luckily, we were fortunate to have an instructor that could translate for the class.Had to use other manuals to replace what the author, may have tried to relay.

La la la la
Unless you are already an expert at security and are looking for a strictly abstract approach, save your money!! Ramachandran's ramblings go on forever, with little imparted to the reader. The best comparison I can come up with for the experience of reading this book is that it's the same as trying to learn a foreign language from a mime. If Ramachandran spent less time trying to impress us with a bibliography that goes on for pages [I don't really CARE if he has read every security book in the world, if he can't distill this information down and pass it on the text is worthless] and more time on organizing his book [for heaven's sake, is a decent index at the back too much to ask?] then it may be usable, as it is, the only thing to do with it is level a table.

Layered approach to multi-level security
This is one of the most pragmatic, thorough books on security architectures I've read. The approach the author takes represents best practices in a number of disciplines, including architecture, software engineering, and infrastructure management.This holistic view of security architecture is not provided in total in any of the hundreds of security books I've read.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer security    3. Computers    4. Computers - Communications / Networking    5. Networking - General    6. Security    7. Computer architecture & logic design    8. Computers / Networking / General    9. Data security & data encryption    10. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Reviews (2)

how to resist business ideology
In this book, Liu makes a persuasive argument that knowledge workers can resist the dominant postcapitalist business ideology from the inside by developing an "ethos of the unknown." The argument is dense, both philosophically and historically, but the book provides one of the best summaries available of the development of knowledge work and its relation to "cool."
Disorganized insight
Full of striking observations but ultimately too disorganized and inconclusive to do justice to the question of the place of humanistic knowledge in a culture of knowledge that is "cool," technical, and purposive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers - General Information    2. Education, Higher    3. General    4. Humanities    5. Information Technology    6. Information society    7. Knowledge workers    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Social aspects    11. Cultural studies    12. Social Science / General