Reviews (2)

Beware the stochastic dominance
Most of the chapters are pretty good for learning how useful internetresearch is going to be to you and discovering effective techniques to use,but if you're not up on decision theory, skip Mike's own.It is so arcaneas to be impenetrable unless this is your field. A new area that shines through
The web is a wonderful vehicle for communication and interaction. Psychology seems to finally starts to find its own path in the Internet area. This book covers this yet unchartered territory in a clear andcomprehensive way and opens up new possibilities that one can't afford toignore. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Assessment, Testing & Measurement    2. Computers And Society    3. Data processing    4. Internet - General    5. Internet in experimental psych    6. Internet in experimental psychology    7. Mental Health    8. Methodology    9. Psychological Research    10. Psychology    11. Research    12. Research & Methodology    13. Social Psychology    14. Internet    15. Psychological testing & measurement    16. Psychology & Psychiatry / Statistics   

Reviews (1)

Where art, philosophy, and the new wave combine.
Neal Leach et al., ed., Digital Tectonics (Wiley, 2004)
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Subjects:  1. Architectural design    2. Architecture    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computer simulation    5. Computer-aided design    6. Design & Drafting    7. General    8. Materials    9. Architecture / General    10. History of engineering & technology    11. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Art and technology    4. Criticism    5. Fine Arts    6. Human-Computer Interaction    7. Special Subjects In Art    8. Virtual reality    9. Art / Fine Arts    10. Cultural studies    11. Electronic & video art    12. Impact of computing & IT on society    13. Theory of art   

Reviews (1)

A Must Read Book For Anyone New to the Field of WBT
Being new to the area of WBT, I found this book to be extremely helpful in providing tips, tools and considerations for the development, and management of web-based training (WBT).I believe the authors present a very realistic view of WBT.They do not present it as a panacea for all training needs and acknowledge the tricky balance between effectively utilizing technology and paying attention to fundamental learning theory.In addition to providing valuable information to help guide the development and management of WBT, the authors incorporate effective and interactive training methods throughout the book including case study examples, interviews with people currently involved in WBT, exercises and various scenarios that together make the book extremely interesting, engaging and easy to read.I believe the book is a "must read" book for anyone new to the field of WBT. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Society for Training    2. American Society for Training and Development    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Computer Books: Web Programming    5. General    6. Internet in education    7. World Wide Web    8. Business & Economics / General   

Reviews (1)

Not just another Security Exam book!
I have been working on several Security certifications including CompTIA, Cisco and Microsoft, now I have found a new player in the game and finding this training guide has open a whole new world to me.Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Data Security    5. Computer security    6. Computers    7. Computers - Computer Security    8. Electronic data processing per    9. Electronic data processing personnel    10. Examinations    11. Security - General    12. Study guides    13. Tests    14. Computers / Technical Skills    15. Data security & data encryption    16. Network security    17. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Reviews (7)

Phreaks and Pr0phessors
This is a cultural and political study of hackers as researched by an academic, and as a former academic myself, I can tell you a bit about how this process works. A professor takes a subject of general interest and beats it senseless by applying intellectual theory, and constructs the study for other professors who are more concerned with accepted research methods, rather than knowledgeable general readers who might have an interest in learning more about the subject. Here, Douglas Thomas uncovers a number of fascinating aspects of hacker culture. These include the recent increase in political activism by hackers, their contradictory stances on secrecy and freedom of information, the back-and-forth influence of cyberpunk and science fiction (with some interesting connections to authors William Gibson and Bruce Sterling), and especially how popular views on the criminality of hackers is really an outgrowth of society's latent fears of technological domination.
balanced, thought-provoking, and clear (really!)
While people in previous reviews have complained that a) the prose is dense, and b) it's out of date, I can say as an academic who has waded through most of the academic literature on hackers and hacker culture that Thomas's prose, although indeed academic, is in contrast cystal clear. As well, his take on hackers is, in my opinion, more thorough and balanced than almost any other account I've seen. Hacker History, for the Unenlightened
As others have mentioned in their reviews, this book was written by a highly academic author.Thus, the content is geared towards a college educated audience, or at least bright highschool students.As a computer engineering student, I found this book to be intruiging.Several hacking related movies were analyzed, and although slightly dated, these examples further the understanding of hacking history.The anecdotes are often amusing, and the main points of each section are deeply supported with sources and logical reasoning.Thomas's overlying message is that the media cruelly slants the image of the benevolent hacker into one of a violent evil genius.I'd recommend this book to anyone above average computer user level, or those who have an interest in learning about computer history, and hackers in general. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Crime    3. Computer Programming    4. Computer hackers    5. Computers    6. Computers - General Information    7. Internet - Security    8. Moral and ethical aspects    9. Programming - General    10. Security - General    11. Social Aspects - General    12. Computer fraud & hacking   

Editorial Review

Forget the common cold for a moment. Instead, consider the rise of "false data syndrome," a deceptive method of identification derived from numbers rather than more recognizable human traits. Simson Garfinkel couples this idea with concepts like "data shadow" and "datasphere" in Read more

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Reviews (35)

Not Completely Original, But Quite Useful
I have been reading books about privacy, notably from Australia where they first got worried about this, and am an admirer of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) based in Washington, D.C. so I can say with confidence that this book is not completely original, but I can also say that it is quite useful.The single best and most original book in this area that I am aware of with my own limitations, is Jeffrey Rothfeder's 1992 classic, "PRIVACY FOR SALE: How Computerization Has Made Everyone's Private Life and Open Secret" (Simon & Schuster).
how Much IS Big Brother Watching?
This is an older book, but one that I specifically requested after reading books like Myth of Homeland Security by Marcus Ranum and Beyond Fear by Bruce Schneier. While those books related directly to homeland or national security in the wake of the 9/11 attack this book predates the attack but describes an Orwellian society where Big Brother monitors everything and privacy is a facade.
Good, but lacks other side of the story...
Good book, especially for someone living on the other side of the world... From European point of view, such privacy violations are something unbelievable. Garfinkel's book simply shows us the hazards of modern technology, and convinces us that our European privacy protecting laws are a good thing, despite sometimes being used to cover bribery or theft.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computer security    3. Computers    4. Information Technology    5. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    6. Privacy, Right of    7. Security - General    8. Social Aspects    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. United States    11. Computers / Internet / Security    12. Computers/Security - General    13. Computers/Social Aspects - General    14. Impact of computing & IT on society    15. Internet    16. Political Science/Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    17. Privacy & data protection    18. Technology / Social Aspects    19. privacy   

Editorial Review

Steven Johnson turns the tables on the way we consider our computer interfaces. While many discussions focus on how interfaces help us work by adapting to our ways of thinking and our real-world metaphors, Johnson jumps from there to look at how our thinking and world view are altered by our computer interfaces.Read more

Reviews (43)

Doctoral Student. Gonzaga University, Spokane WA.
Before I continue with a review I would like to explain what "Interface" means in terms of the title of the book: Is the interaction between the user and the computer through soft wares and programs, in order to have a communication technology goal and meaning. This "interface serves as a kind of translator, mediating between the two parties, making one sensible to the other."(P: 14) The relationship between the computer and the human is made by meaning and expression rather than physical force.
Doctoral Student. Gonzaga University, Spokane WA.
Before I continue with a review I would like to explain what

Good first chapter, little ensuing worth
The premise of the book set out in the first chapter was fascinating. Interfaces shape our perceptions, just as Marshall McLuhan proclaimed in "The Medium is the Message."Read more

Subjects:  1. Communication    2. Communication and culture    3. Computer Science    4. Computers    5. Computers And Society    6. General    7. Information society    8. Information technology    9. Social Aspects    10. Sociology    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Visual Communication (General)    13. Anthropology    14. Impact of computing & IT on society    15. Impact of science & technology on society   

Editorial Review

An engrossing and complex exploration of the effects oftelecommunications technologies on gender relations and identity. Goes far beyond the usual obvious assertions and cliches. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Love, violence, sex, humor and philosophy in one small book.
For technology lovers and technophobes, and even for those who don't think about the man/machine relationship at all, Stone's book offers intimate accounts of how humanity is dealing with the computer age. Some are anecdotes, some are discussions of theory, and there is a corporate history of Atari that had me on the edge of my seat (really). War of Desire and Technology is a quick and fun read that gives you much to think about

a book about breaking rules and trespassing borders
Allucquere Rosanne Stone is one of the most fascinating writers in this moment. Her book, "The War of Desire and Technology" explores a changing world, in transicion between science and mythology. As Orwell and Huxley warned about, our world is fastening its pace around the axe time and place. Machines and tools are executing the utopias, making dreams and nightmares come true. Stone�s book is a challenging book, with questions and a few answers, a book for seekers and poets. The encounter between feelings and facts is described by Stone as a meeting between two worlds in permanent fight, two pictures painted by blind painters, who has never seen any colours. The War of Desire and Technology is a book about nomads and cyborgs, lonely hackers and autists, leftovers from the time before the beginning, when the earth was new and the ages were newborn. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers And Society    2. Computers and civilization    3. Gender Studies    4. General    5. Information technology    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Sociology - General    9. Virtual reality    10. Communication Studies    11. Impact of computing & IT on society    12. Social Science / Gender Studies   

Subjects:  1. Computers - General Information    2. Information Technology    3. Information society    4. Mass Media    5. Social Science    6. Social aspects    7. Sociology    8. Sociology - General    9. Impact of computing & IT on society    10. Social Science / Sociology / General   

Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computers and family    3. Internet    4. Internet - General    5. Reference    6. Social Aspects - General    7. Social Science    8. Social aspects    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - Marriage & Family    11. Computers / Information Theory    12. Family & relationships    13. Impact of computing & IT on society    14. Media studies   

Reviews (6)

read "Alan Turing: The Enigma"by Andrew Hodges instead
If your interest is in Alan Turing, and you are only just becoming familiar with him, you would probably be better served reading what many regard as not only an excellent biography of Alan Turing, but an excellent piece of biographical writing in and of itself, Andrews Hodges' ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA.The current copy on the American Amazon site is an expanded and pricey edition, so you may want to go to the the United Kingdom Amazon site to get the slimmer, earlier edition, which not only costs less, but was also the basis for the award-winning play BREAKING THE CODE.After you've read Hodges' work, and wish to read more about Turing and his work and theories from other perspectives, then you may want to avail yourself on some of these other texts.

I wish other reviewers would take a step back
As a dual computer science and English major, I find it refreshing when I stumble upon a computer science book that surveys the field from a more literary and philosophical perspective. (Galloway's "Protocol" is another example of such a work that I've encountered recently.)
Sad ending to a great genius
This book gives a clear and accessible account of the life and the mathematical achievements of Alan Turing and his contributions to the development of cryptanalysis and the modern computer. Turing apparently committed suicide in the early 1950's because the British authorities were hounding him about his homosexuality. He was a man ahead of his time in one too many ways! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Artificial intelligence    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Computers And Society    8. Gay men    9. General    10. Great Britain    11. History    12. History & Philosophy    13. Legal status, laws, etc.    14. Mathematicians    15. Scientists - General    16. Science / General   

Reviews (1)

Comprehensive, in-depth, detailed directions on how to implement ITIL. Great educational resource!

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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Reference - General    5. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Editorial Review

Are Furbies avatars of future pets? Mark Pesce, Chair of USC'sInteractive Media Program and creator of VRML, thinks that technologicaldevelopment and recreational activity inform each other and are converging intoa strange, new immersive environment. Read more

Reviews (10)

Furby, hypertext, nanotechnology, and other ideas
The author was space crazy as a child.He imagined a future among the stars.Children are accompanied by toys.This has been happening for seven thousand years.Toys now represent the science of materials and digital communication.Our relationship to information in the world is changing.
Out-of-date and Trivial
I purchased and read this book with the hopes of learning about the cutting edge of technology and how it's affecting us culturally. This book may have weakly accomplished that lesson when it was first published, but its (necessary?) reference to techno-ephemera of the late 90's strikes a dull, anachronistic chord for a reader not three years after its date of publishing. BECOME A CHILD AGAIN AND DISCOVER YOU
"The Playful World" is a fascinating tome by author Mark Pesce, one of the foremost practical techno wizards of our time. The creator of VRML (virtual reality mark-up language) Pesce's visions are creating a new immersive society and info-mediaries for today and tomorrow. Pesce helps you learn how to pretend again-- how to make believe and use those skills to build new bridges to the future whether you're involved in tech or whether you just want to understand the next generation of anything -- people, places and things. Pesce tackles tough topics and adds an amusing presentation to help you understand such concepts as distributed intelligence, engineered structures and yes, toys. Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Games    2. General    3. Multimedia    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Social Aspects    6. Social Aspects - Human-Computer Interaction    7. Technological forecasting    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Technology (Specific Aspects)    11. Virtual reality    12. Impact of computing & IT on society    13. Technology / General   

Subjects:  1. Aids & Devices    2. Computers & Technology    3. Computers and literacy    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Illiteracy And Literacy Education    7. Literacy    8. Philosophy & Social Aspects    9. Social aspects    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    11. Technological literacy    12. United States    13. Impact of science & technology on society    14. Rhetoric    15. USA   

Reviews (12)

A very well documented book...
...and you don't really have to be a geek to read this one. As a matter of fact, this book is also a very entertaining one, even if you're not a programmer or a computer scientist.
I hope that there is a 3.1 version
Having just read the book this summer (2004), much of the content that predicts the future points to current day reality.This only goes to show that both the visions of the future are never what is hoped for, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Rehashed newspaper articles
No new revelations here. This story has been told in earlier books, and with more ground breaking impact. This is a case of the publisher hoping to capitalize on a big business story, but too late !! See earlier books on the Microsoft antitrust case, such as The Microsoft File. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antitrust    2. Antitrust Law    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Computer Industry    7. Computer Industry (Economic Aspects)    8. Computer software industry    9. Corporate & Business History - General    10. General    11. Law and legislation    12. Microsoft Corporation    13. Monopolies    14. Trials, litigation, etc    15. United States    16. Business & Economics / General    17. Business competition    18. Information technology industries    19. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Reviews (1)

Textbook of Magnitude that Tries to Deliver
This book is far superior than many other books on similar topics, and the authors walk the line well between being academic and practical.The thrust of the book is toward an understanding of what criminologists call "emerging crime," and it delivers a well researched baseline of information synthesized with what is known or speculated about emerging trends.The end result is a product suitable for adoption in the academic marketplace, and would even make for fascinating reading by laypersons. Overall, the book is congruent with the scholarly and curricular purposes of higher education, and one shares the sense of urgency that comes across at times, but one also relishes the moments, evident in the writing, when careful and meticulous reflection is done.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Crime    2. Computer crimes    3. Computer hackers    4. Criminology    5. Cyberterrorism    6. General    7. Investigation    8. Political Terrorism    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. True Crime / Espionage    12. United States    13. Crime & criminology    14. Social Science / Criminology   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Case studies    5. Economic aspects    6. Economics - Comparative    7. Economics - General    8. Industrial productivity    9. International - Economics    10. Technological innovations    11. Business & Economics / Economics / General    12. Economics    13. Finance    14. Industry & Industrial Studies    15. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Reviews (1)

Modern Communication and Information Technology
It gives me great pleasure to submit the first critique for "Writing Space." Mr. Bolter is the only author I have discovered in my four years of study I actually enjoy reading. Mr. Bolter succinctly verbalizes the importance of understanding new media and finding a resolution to the gap we are realizing between the print mediums and new technologies. Mr. Bolter's writing provides the bridge for this gap. "Writing Space" forms a concise basis for anyone who is interested in the issue of reconciliation between the old and the new forms of media. This text is the begining in the understanding of the history of print and the advances of media to the modern age and computer use. I have read some very incomprehensible text on the subject but Mr. Bolter has created works that are a pleasure to read and easy to assimilate. He illuminates these subjects for everyone. Mr. Bolter provides a validation that the general public, the scholar and the instructor can begin to realize in unifying the concepts in communication and information technology studies. Mr. Bolter's works should be the reference of choice. This should be the first text you choose! This is a stand alone text or could be combined with his other texts as an entire semester of study. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Computer Books: Word Processing    4. Computers    5.