Reviews (2)

Thought Provoking
This was an interesting book that did a good job of bringing up controversial and thought-provoking subjects relating to education and technology. Although Papert makes some good points about how technology could be better utilized in the classroom, he takes the extreme point of view that it could and should totally revolutionize the way that kids learn and that schools operate. Whether or not you as the reader agree with him or not, it is a good read for anyone interested in either education or technology that is sure to make you at least analyze your own points of view on both topics.

Anybody interested in education should read this.
A stimulating and challenging book.Easy to read and full of interesting anecdotes.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers & Technology    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Elementary    5. Experimental Methods    6. Impact of computing & IT on society    7. Schools    8. USA   

Reviews (1)

Expand Your Mind
This text is made up of several chapters, each chapter is a separate article that covers a lot of the issues not typically found in the IS curriculum. This text was used for an Information Policy course. I honestly felt that it was a good selection given the content for the course.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Computers - General Information    4. Government & Business    5. Information Management    6. Information Technology    7. Information science    8. Information society    9. Management Information Systems    10. Moral and ethical aspects    11. Social Aspects - Human-Computer Interaction    12. Social aspects    13. User Interfaces    14. Human-computer interaction    15. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Subjects:  1. Computers - Communications / Networking    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Medical    4. Mobile computing    5. Networking - General    6. Reference - General    7. Sports Medicine    8. Computers / Computer Engineering    9. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Subjects:  1. Banks & Banking    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Development - Business Development    6. Economics - General    7. Electronic funds transfers    8. Banking    9. Business & Economics / Economics / General    10. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Subjects:  1. Automatic data collection systems    2. Business & Economics    3. Business/Economics    4. Computers - Computer Security    5. Data protection    6. Industrial Technology    7. Industries - Computer Industry    8. Industries - Energy Industries    9. Industries - General    10. Nanotechnology    11. Security - General    12. Supervisory control systems    13. Technology & Industrial Arts    14. Business & Economics / Industries / Energy Industries    15. cybersecurity; SCADA systems   

Editorial Review

Paul and Sarah Edwards have kept abreast of changing directions in small business through a series of eight bestselling books that began with their pioneering Read more

Reviews (10)

Filled with hot air
I thought this book would actually talk about ways you can make money in cyberspace. What a let down. It seems all the book talks about is how great the internet is and its advantages. I already knew the benefits of the internet before I read this book. Stay away from this one.

Stands the test of (Internet) time
When this book came across the desk, we thought "oh gosh, another out of date, get rich quick, internet how-to primer". Wrong, wrong, wrong. Excellent cyberspace primer to making money on-line.
Don't let the title fool you... this book is not about the quick, get rich internet scams that proliferate around the web.This book is for the lay person who has a bricks and mortar business or who wants to start from scratch.The internet is not going away and it is possible, with hard work and this book as a guide, to make money using the internet as a tool.Buy this book and get out your highlighter... you'll find a great deal of information that you can put to use starting today! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business Enterprise    3. Business enterprises    4. Business/Economics    5. Case studies    6. Computer - Internet    7. Computer Bks - Internet    8. Computer Networks    9. Design    10. Electronic Commerce    11. General    12. Internet - General    13. Web sites    14. Business & Economics / General    15. Business & Management    16. Computer Communications & Networking    17. Internet    18. Ownership & organization of enterprises   

Editorial Review

Reimagining cities as nodes of an immense network of commercial and political transactions, sociologist Saskia Sassen has transformed Information Age geography. Read more

Reviews (1)

Outsourcing, in a broader context
With the ever decreasing fall in the cost of communication, both digital and analog, this book speculates that a new global phenomenon may be emerging. A few years ago, during the height of the dot com boom, others suggested that the Web might give rise to the disaggregation of cities or cultural hubs, because cheap communications might let creative individuals work from virtually anywhere with a fast bandwidth connection to the Internet.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Case studies    4. Computers and civilization    5. Development - Economic Development    6. Economics - General    7. Globalization    8. Information technology    9. Social Aspects - General    10. Sociology    11. Sociology - Urban    12. Urban economics    13. Geography    14. Impact of computing & IT on society    15. Social Science / Sociology / Urban    16. Urban communities   

Reviews (2)

Nearly completely worthless
This text must be one of the worst books on ethics I've ever seen. The authors start with a basic assumption that information technology changes ethical issues and never examine this fundamentally flawed belief. The essays are extreme and manage to make their own points sound rediculous even when they are reasonable.
Examines new moral issues
The transformation of society brought about by computers has brought with it new moral dilemmas, from the impact of computers on privacy and copyright issues to the involvement of computers in personal lives. Cyberethics offers the reader 26 essays examining these new moral issues and provide thoughtfully reasoned answers to ethical questions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied Ethics    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Computers And Society    6. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    7. General    8. Moral and ethical aspects    9. Social Aspects - General    10. Social aspects    11. Privacy & data protection   

Reviews (1)

There's lots more you can do with XP than meets the eye!
I'm no expert with computers or Windows XP, but after reading this book I feel like I'm getting there. The techniques described are truly fast and useful. I don't have much time for reading, so I go through one or two new techniques each morning. This has been time well spent, and has made me much more efficient on my PC. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer operating systems    3. Computers    4. Computers - Operating Systems    5. Microcomputer Operating Environments    6. Microsoft Windows (Computer fi    7. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    8. Microsoft Windows (Computer so    9. Microsoft Windows (Computer software)    10. Operating Systems - Windows    11. Operating systems (Computers)    12. Computers / Operating Systems / General    13. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Reviews (12)

some very good stuff here
I'm a librarian and I ordered this book for my library because the reviews made it sound interesting. When it arrived, I processed it, stuck it on the shelf with the other new books and then mostly forgot about it.
Great Topic
As noted by other reviews, the begining of the book is quite an eye opener. The examples are excellent, but the book lacks focus and deeper research into what is being done by parties to come up with a personal fab lab that as individuals we can, lets say, "print" our personalized whole shirts, coats, shoes and beyond and when. What I like most in the book is the idea of teaching students hands on. I hopeeducators and politicians take this seriously, since hands-on-see-the-result inspires kids to pursue science and technology. It is well worth the money and time to buy and read this book, althouhg it could be much better Maybe a second edition would do it.

Inspiring
I can agree in part with the other reviews saying that the book is unfocused and doesn't contain enough detail.Then again, if you're looking for a place to get you started in personal fabrication, this is an excellent beginning.His real life practicality and "hello world" applications are a great inspiration for anyone interested in the field. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Science    2. Computers - General Information    3. Computers And Society    4. Computers and civilization    5. Electronics - General    6. General    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Social Aspects    9. Social Aspects - General    10. Technological Forecasting    11. Technology    12. Technology & Industrial Arts    13. Applications of Computing    14. Computer aided manufacture (CAM)   

Subjects:  1. Computers - General Information    2. Computers and civilization    3. Information Technology    4. Media Studies    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Sociology - General    8. Performing Arts / Film / General    9. Theory of art   

Reviews (30)

Readable propoganda
I just finished this book, and I disagree with the previous commentor.The book is highly readable.But it is clearly propoganda.I agree with the raters that give it low stars.If you want to learn about this topic, this is probably your worst starting point if you have any interest in a fair overview.

An important book even if it is unreadable
I found reading Darknet like reading a novel by James Joyce - next to impossible.There is far to much jargon.The book reads like an extended blog.This book was clearly written for insiders - the people who are familiar with technology and working with it everyday.The problem is the issues raised in this book effect all of us.People who need to read and understand these issues will either misread it - as many of the reviewers here did, or fail to understand it.

Gives the people what they want to hear at artists' expense
This book makes me very very angry, and not in the way that the author wants.He clearly wants me to be angry at big media for keeping me from doing what I want with my content whenever and wherever I want to.He gives story after well told story of how the law stops people from doing clever and creative things like adding video to their Sunday sermons.But he completely ignores the artist.Without the artist, his big media has nothing to offer.Doing the things he advocates makes it impossible for the digital artist to earn a living in their primary medium.That is why the laws that he so wants to change are there in the first place.He wants you to forget that by telling one side of the story.I, as a digital artist struggling to make a living, cannot forget that side of things. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Digital Electronics    3. Digital media    4. General    5. Intellectual property    6. Interactive & Multimedia    7. Internet    8. Internet - General    9. Mass Communication Media And Society    10. Performing Arts    11. Performing Arts/Dance    12. Social Aspects - General    13. Social aspects    14. United States    15. Network security    16. Performing Arts / General   

Reviews (6)

Good book, Networking portions need technical reviewing
This is an excellent book overall.One of the core problems that I see with the book is it's take on networking.It has a tendency to give misleading descriptions of certain topics.The demonstration of making cat5 cable has one of the ugliest cables I've ever seen.
Good
Overall, not a bad book.
Documents a subculture
The amazing continuation of Moore's Law for cpus and memory and of Metcalfe's Law for bandwidth has reworked entire industries and led to phenomena like outsourcing. But within the developed countries, it has spawned a subculture of twitch computer gaming. It has elements of the video arcades, post-1979 Space Invaders. But those were usually single player games, or turn-based two player games.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer games    3. Games    4. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    5. Games/Puzzles    6. Local Area Networks (Lan)    7. Local area networks (Computer networks)    8. Parties    9. Video & Electronic - General    10. Computer Hardware & Operating Systems    11. Computer Software Packages    12. Computers / Entertainment & Games / General    13. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Editorial Review

Cyberspace is brimming with images of every type: news photos, medical illustrations, classic paintings, clip art, etc. They're available for everything from education to research to business use--if you can find them. Paula Bernstein does a wonderful job of describing how to track down the image you need, avoid dead ends and uncover the unsuspected goldmines. The resources in the appendices alone make this reference well worthwhile.And the sensible and comprehensible discussions of copyrights and image- viewing software are major pluses. If image research or use of online graphics is part of your life, this book is a must-have. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Bringing Down the Image
Until 1995 online bulletin boards were where to look for digital images. Now images are there for viewing and capturing from image-collecting artists, enthusiasts, government, libraries, museums, news magazines and organizations, stock photography agencies, and universities; and image-providing commercialized consumer services [especially for freely distributed, public domain, royalty-free], commercialized information professional database systems, graphics professional systems, and Internet FTP, Gopher, Usenet and web. It is important to capture any information available with the images about contacting rights holders, getting technical information or just retracing steps. Author Paula Berinstein also cautions that digitizing divides an image into units and gives each unit only one color and shape; that scanners are usually set for an average, but one-at-a-time scanning reproduces differently from the original too; and that software viewers should be capable of rotating images, printing sideways, and zooming out. Her book reads well with Adele Droblas Greenberg's DIGITAL IMAGES and Lois Swan Jones' ART INFORMATION AND THE INTERNET. With her concerns over copyright and ownership, it also leads into Mary Hutchings Reed's THE COPYRIGHT PRIMER FOR LIBRARIANS AND EDUCATORS and Charles C. Sharpe's PATENT, TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer graphics    5. Computer network resources    6. Digital Image Processing    7. Digital techniques    8. Images, Photographic    9. Information Storage & Retrieval    10. Internet - General    11. Networking - General    12. Photography    13. Computer Communications & Networking    14. Computer graphics software   

Features

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Reviews (18)

Markoff Fails - and Succeeds
The Sixties and computer history are two subjects near and dear to me, so I was excited to see a title focused on the connection between the two.Ultimately, however, John Markoff's "What the Dormouse Said" fails to effectively define such a connection, while at the same time delivering an interesting read with some new nuggets for aficionados on the two subjects.
Great history of personal computing!
This book does for personal computing what "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" did for the Manhattan project.It delves into the personalities, social climate and technological breakthroughs that added up to the personal computer industry as we know it.
Some Great Background Reading on the Development of Modern Personal Computing
The personal computer.Whether operated in standalone or networked fashion, nothing in the last two decades has changed our lives more.Whether you're at home surfing the Internet, editing a spreadsheet at work, or just wishing you had nice laptop like the guy next to you at Panera, you're affected by the personal computer.Computers have so strongly impacted our lives so quickly that we haven't had the chance to step back and understand the history behind them."What the Dormouse Said: How the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry" provides that history.And it attempts to go further.It tries to show how the technology, culture, and politics of the 1960s converged to create the personal computer revolution.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Computers And Society    3. Computers and civilization    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Economic Conditions    6. History    7. Industries - Computer Industry    8. Microcomputers    9. Nineteen sixties    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Social Aspects    12. Sociology    13. Technology    14. History / United States / 20th Century    15. Bargain   

Reviews (4)

intelligent and engaging
Finally, a book that provides compelling arguments about the effects of information technology on our society.With all of the recent technology hype,it is a refreshing change to see a book that offers a much more balanced point of view. An absolute must-read.

Emperor Has No Clothes
Computers and networks are only silicon, wires and plastic.What is important, since they are changing our lives is not the technology, but rather, the potential.This book has nothing to do with processors, Moore's Law and bus architecture, yet it has everything to do with what you get when you take those and build machines and connect them into a pervasive network. SImply brilliant
That some subliterate IT professional, below, found this book "frustrating" is the best possible endorsement! A book for thinking people who understand computers -- and not, it seems, for computer jocks who don't understand how to think. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - General Information    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Science    4. Computers    5. Computers - General Information    6. Computers And Society    7. Computers and civilization    8. Moral and ethical aspects    9. Professional Ethics    10. Social Aspects - General    11. Computers / General    12. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Subjects:  1. Communication, International    2. Computer Bks - General Information    3. Computer networks    4. Computers - General Information    5. Essays    6. Information Technology    7. Social Aspects    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Impact of computing & IT on society    11. Impact of science & technology on society    12. Political Science and International Relations    13. Social Science / Essays    14. Sociology, Social Studies   

Reviews (19)

A Wake up call to all Americans
Before 9-11 This Book might not be looked at the same way it is today. Black Ice :The Invisible Threat of Cyber Terrororism brings around many misconceptions why an attack on our most important infrastructure could be carried out by Terrorists and not an Impossibilty. While This Book deals mostly with What if Scenerios, It also makes you think of things you thought were impossible. Take for example the sophistication of Hacking and Breaking into Our most Vital Systems. Terrorists know you must have training at a very high level and will Train Them at Schools in the U.S. Itself. Sound Familiar?
It is not about the author
I have read this book and the reviews on Amazon.com.The author makes a good argument for enhanced cyber security in the USA.This is an issue that will be ignored by policy makers and the general public until an attack makes people pay attention to the realities of a computer controlled civilization.While other reviewers blast the writing style and hypothetical situations in the book it seems they have missed the point.It is not if a devastating cyber attack will occur, it is when.

Insightful Look at the State of Infrastructure Security
Dan Verton, journalist and author of The Hacker Diaries: Confessions of Teenage Hackers, has written a very enlightening book in Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism.
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Subjects:  1. Computer networks    2. Computers    3. Criminology    4. Cyberterrorism    5. Internet - Security    6. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    7. Political Terrorism    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Prevention    11. Security - General    12. Security measures    13. United States    14. Computers / Security    15. Internet    16. Network security    17. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    18. USA   

Reviews (2)

Classically cybertheory, Classically French
This book was recommended by a couple of artist/art critic friends who found it engrossing, but difficult to work through. (They do not have an extensive Internet/technology background, but eat French theory for breakfast.�j His fears are our hopes...
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Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. General    3. Media Studies    4. Philosophy    5. Space and time    6. Computer Communications & Networking    7. Impact of computing & IT on society    8. Impact of science & technology on society   

Editorial Review

Pierre Levy sees us as moving past an information economy into an economy based on human interactions; a social economy. While the idea may seem startling, given our current emphasis on all things monetary, his reasoning makes you stop and give careful thought to ideas you may not have considered before. As technology advances, Levy points out, it's capable of taking on more and more advanced tasks--first simple labor and now the processing of information. As these capabilities become easier and well within everyone's reach, their value declines.Read more

Reviews (6)

Naive utopian view of cyberspace
Two things I really didn't like about this book:(1) The agonizingly painful (to read) language of post-modernist thinkers.Terms like "deterritorialization" and "rhizomatic processes" infest the text to the point where you feel like you're reading some strange dialect of the English language.It's maddening.(2) The author presents a charming but hopelessly naive utopian view of an emerging social world, centered around the sharing of knowledge within cyberspace, that will usher in a marvelous new era of individually-centered democracy and freedom - the notion of "collective intelligence."One wonders if Levy has actually spent any time at all communing with the people who populate the chatrooms and message boards of cyberspace - "collective intelligence" indeed, more like "collective prejudice and stupidity."It is completely beyond me how others have found this book to be of any value whatsoever.

Profound, and enormous range
Sometimes Pierre Levy likes Michel Serres a little too much. Serres, a brilliantly original thinker, often explains that what he says and how he says it are inseparable, and is thereby in the best French philosophical tradition. Which works very well in his books, for the initiated, but Levy's probable attempt to emulate this in Collective Intelligence doesn't quite reach par, although at no point is he difficult to understand - the prose is just occasionally over-baked. Theology as the Origin and Goal of the Internet
If you want an interesting book, I'd recommend 'Collective Intelligence' by Pierre Levy.This book examines the social impact of Internet technology and proposes a set of ideals that should be used to guide a society using it. Levy tries to show how his set of ideals would obtain the most benefits from society from this technology. An interesting part of the book occurs when Levy compares the mode of live in an Internet society with that derived from Catholic ideals. He recounts mediaeval Catholic philosophy on the means by which God's insight creates the world. God exists by hid contemplation his own existence since he is the essence of all things and out of this contemplation springs angels which can contemplate their own existence but need other things to exist. There are 10 ranks of angels each created either by God's or the next higher angel rank's contemplation of themselves. The contemplation of the lowest rank of angels creates our world.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cybernetics    2. Information Technology    3. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    4. Popular Culture - General    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Social aspects    7. Anthropology    8. Cultural studies    9. Impact of computing & IT on society