Reviews (4)

An interesting pot pourri of articles on an important topic
There is a wide variance between the 11 contributing authors. Excellent network theory
This is the best 'network theory' book I've read.The book is a collection, and the 'field work' is more enthusiastic than thought provoking.Binding together the fieldwork, at front and back, is the analysis of Arquilla and Ronfeldt.Though only 20% of the text, their comments make the reading exceptionally rewarding. Lacks Index But Excellent Collection
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Subjects:  1. Cyberterrorism    2. History    3. Information warfare    4. Military    5. Military - Nuclear Warfare    6. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Internet    9. Political activism    10. Science / General    11. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing    12. Violence in society    13. Warfare & Defence   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Computers - General Information    2. Digital divide    3. Government policy    4. Information Technology    5. Public Policy - General    6. Social Aspects - General    7. Social Science    8. Social aspects    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - General    11. United States    12. Communication Studies    13. Computers / Information Technology    14. Impact of computing & IT on society    15. Sociology, Social Studies    16. TECHNOLOGY_SOCIAL ASPECTS    17. USA   

Subjects:  1. Computer network resources    2. Computer programs    3. Counseling    4. General    5. Psychology    6. Psychotherapy    7. Psychotherapy - Counseling    8. Social Aspects    9. Applications of Computing    10. Counselling    11. Impact of science & technology on society    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Internet General    2. Computer crimes    3. Computers    4. Cyberterrorism    5. Economic aspects    6. Information superhighway    7. Internet - Security    8. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    9. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Internet    12. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Subjects:  1. Cellular telephone systems    2. Computers - General Information    3. Information Technology    4. Information society    5. Social Science    6. Social aspects    7. Sociology    8. Sociology - General    9. Telecommunications    10. Computers / Interactive Media    11. Cultural studies    12. Media studies   

Reviews (1)

enlightening
This theoretically-savvy but nonetheless highly readable book makes a provocative and vital intervention in the field of internet studies.In an engaging romp through topics as diverse as cyberporn, cyberpunk, wecams, globalization, race, TV commercials, TCP/IP, and Schreber's turn-of-the-century delusions, the author argues compellingly that our freedom depends on moving beyond rhetorics of the internet as democratic and/or dangerous. It's a sharp and often stunning analysis that lays bare the ideological stakes of such notions as user-friendliness, protecting children, and techno-Orientalism -- a must-read for anyone interested in media archaeology or cyber-politics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers - General Information    2. Fiber optics    3. History    4. Information Technology    5. Optical communications    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Social Aspects    8. Technology    9. Technology And Society    10. Technology and civilization    11. Cultural studies    12. Internet    13. Media studies    14. Technology / History   

Reviews (3)

Very good; not perfect
Quinn's textbook comes off "very good" in a crowded field of competitors.It is broad in its scope, and very up to date in the issues that it raises.
What are the Ethics of Slanted Writing in an Ethics Book?
This book is one of the two texts in FSU's COP 3502: "Introduction to Computer Science" course (a required course in their Computer Science degree).It's mostly a waste of time.The first two chapters are of some use because they provide a brief history of computers and a quick introduction to the ethical theories one can use to resolve ethical dilemmas. Unfortunately, chapters 3 through 6 (inclusive) are worthless.They consist of about 190 pages of figuring out why certain obviously wrong activities are wrong (things like sending spam, producing pornography, stealing intellectual property, violating privacy, stealing identities, producing viruses, etc.).The last three chapters might have some merit, though.They cover some of the more general ethical consideration of working in the computer science field.Unfortunately, I stopped reading when the author started bringing up false POLITICAL references.
It covers the IEEE, ACM recommendations for an ethics course
In 2001, a joint committee of the IEEE computer society and the Association for Computing Machinery recommended that every undergraduate computer science degree incorporate 40 hours in the social issues of computing. The report also contains a model syllabus for "CS280, Social and Professional Issues." This book is designed to cover all of the major topics in that outline, and that goal has been achieved. There is also enough additional material and chapter independence so that all adopters will have the flexibility to do it their own way.
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Subjects:  1. Business Ethics    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Electronic data processing    6. Moral and ethical aspects    7. Social Aspects    8. Social Aspects - General    9. Computers / Social Aspects / General    10. Computing and Information Technology    11. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Subjects:  1. Computers - General Information    2. General    3. Information Storage & Retrieval    4. Internet    5. Popular Culture - General    6. Psychological aspects    7. Psychology    8. Behavioural theory (Behaviourism)    9. Communication Studies    10. Human-computer interaction    11. Impact of computing & IT on society    12. Social, group or collective psychology   

Reviews (5)

I received Wedding Workout!!!
I ordered this book a week ago. But I received a book tiltiled Thought-provoking perspectives from IT cognoscenti
This is a collection of eighteen essays that came out of a 2001 ACM conference. The subjects centered around the future of computers in our lives, but some discussed robotics, bioscience, astrophysics and oceanography. Several focused on ubiquity or "ambient intelligence" as one author called it. Written by some leading minds in science, information technology and others, the essays discuss future challenges and possible scenarios in their respective fields. Highly Recommended!
The gates to the human genome have fallen, nano-technology is redefining life itself, and Moore's law continues to work its magic. But is there a dark side to the technology juggernaut? The answer provided by the contributors to this cutting-edge tome is a definite, "maybe." If technology cannot be made more human-centric - designed to respond to human wants and needs - its promise could indeed be thwarted. We from getAbstract strongly recommend this book to anyone whose work helps to hone technology's cutting edge, and for those who just hope to stay on the safe side of the blade. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business/Economics    2. Computers    3. Information Technology    4. Management - General    5. Management Information Systems    6. Nanotechnology    7. Social Aspects    8. Social Aspects - General    9. Technological Innovations    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Human-computer interaction    12. Impact of computing & IT on society    13. Impact of science & technology on society   

Reviews (1)

Interesting but to my mind very uneven
I found this to be a mildly interesting collection of papers but rather uneven in focus and range. Several papers tried to reach theoretical heights while others contented themselves by reporting on specific projects, e.g. Math Forum. The volume is quite 'a house divided' but there are cross currents.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer networks    2. Computers - Communications / Networking    3. Cyberspace    4. Electronic villages (Computer    5. Electronic villages (Computer networks)    6. Internet    7. Internet - General    8. Psychology    9. Social Aspects - General    10. Social Psychology    11. Social aspects    12. Learning    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Subjects:  1. Communication    2. Communication and technology    3. Computers - General Information    4. Information Technology    5. Internet - World Wide Web    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Social aspects    8. Technology    9. Telecommunications    10. Communication Studies    11. Cultural studies    12. Impact of computing & IT on society    13. Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication   

Subjects:  1. Computers and civilization    2. Cyberspace    3. General    4. Information Technology    5. Internet    6. Mass Media - General    7. Performing Arts    8. Performing Arts/Dance    9. Social aspects    10. Sociology    11. Computers / Social Aspects / General    12. Cultural studies    13. INTERNET_SOCIAL ASPECTS    14. Impact of science & technology on society   

Editorial Review

A computer in your shoe? Maybe so. Neil Gershenfeld, director of MIT's Media Lab, joins the ranks of techno-prognosticators with Read more

Reviews (19)

Admittedly incomplete and profound.
Gershenfeld admits that this book is incomplete.Unless you can be satisfied with an explanation of quantum physics that is a few sentences long, this book is definitely not the be-all and end-all.It might be worth your while just to skip this text and look into his other books "The Nature of Mathematical Modeling" and "The Physics of Information Technology" (I have yet to read these) if you are truly interested in this subject.
Personal-Fabrication releasing innovation and talent
Dr Gershenfeld,the director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Centre for Bits and Atoms believes the next digital revolution will be a personal-fabrication machine costing about $20k.The personal-fabrication machine is made possible through open software, wireless communication, and internet collaboration technology.
When DESIGNERS Start To Think
This isn't a book about "things" starting to think, or even computers starting to think.It's about different ways to integrate computing power into our lives so the distinction about "what is a computer" starts to blur.
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Subjects:  1. Artificial Intelligence - General    2. Artificial intelligence    3. Computers and civilization    4. Digital electronics    5. Experiments & Projects    6. General    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Social Aspects    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Science / General   

Reviews (3)

I think even my mother would like this book!
The first part of the book deals entirely with the authors plight of growing up in a very rough area of town and the struggles that he faces with on a day to day basis.Apart from the first 4 or 5 pages, which contained a fast moving account of what happens when a rogue Chief Technology Officer gets sacked, for the first 71 pages I was wondering whether a differnet book had been slipped inside the jacket of hacker cracker as there was no mention of computers at all. The story was still pretty interesting though.Eventually he gets round to his first experience with computers and his encounters with hacking and the addictiveness of it all.Eventually the story ends up with a moving account of being at the site of the twin towers on 9/11 and a very touching part about a strange whistling noise (which I won't explain as it is a bit of a spoiler).An easy read and not really the usual hacker biography type book. I think this is partly due to the fact that the author is assuming his readers are not technical as some of the explanations (IRC for example) are very basic and some are almost "media stereotypical assumptions" of what really goes on.
Intercity computer whiz-kid(pretty good book)
Ejovi Nuwere is from Bedford Stuyvesant a neighborhood in brooklyn he comes from somewhat of a brokenhome doesnot really know his father and has a mother who does just about anything in the world for her children but she is a drug addict and has Aids he lives with his grandmother uncle and brother and numerous others that hang out at his grandmothers apartment were something is always going on. American Dream Story
This is an amazing story of a young man who goes from nothing to something, using technology. After reading this I was inspired to do something with my life!Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Business    5. Computer Books: General    6. Computer Data Security    7. Computer hackers    8. Computer security    9. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    10. General    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Security - General    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

Less sensationalistic than its title suggests, Read more

Reviews (25)

YET ANOTHER BOMB
A few years back, Ed was so hard up for cash that he wrote a book called "Time Bomb 2000!" in which he predicted the end of civilization. This silly prophecy only served to expose Yourdon for the fly-by-night, fast-talking, hourly-rate, con artist that he is. In other words, Ed completely undermined his reputation with every CIO in the industry. Byte Wars -- Another Yourdon Beatup.
I paid ... for this worthless beatup. There is little new Wait for a better book
Ed Yourdon's most well-known recent work is probably TimeBomb 2000, a book that inspired so much unwarranted fear that one terrified couple on his Internet forum attempted to give away their newborn grandchild to complete strangers in hopes that it would survive the terrible Y2K rollover. Indeed, Yourdon himself was quoted as saying that the likelihood that the various Y2K "trigger dates" would pass without incident was equal to that of pigs learning to fly.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Science    3. Computer networks    4. Computer security    5. Computers    6. Computers - General Information    7. Information Technology    8. Management    9. Management Information Systems    10. Security measures    11. United States    12. Computers / Programming Languages / XML    13. Data in computer systems    14. Social & Legal Aspects of Computing   

Reviews (69)

dated and ridiculous
Granted, this book is 12 years old, so it's going to be outdated.But many of Stoll's predictions and insights about the internet simply never came to pass.For instance, he claims that "few aspects of daily life require computers... they're irrelevant to cooking, driving, visiting, negotiating, eating, hiking, dancing, speaking, and gossiping."Not true.I've gotten countless wonderful recipes online, I wouldn't think of planning a trip without consulting an online map site, and I've learned more about different hiking trails via conservation websites than I would have ever come across in books or magazines.I understand that computers are not an absolute necessity.But I don't know what I would do without quick, easy, and inexpensive access to the information available on the internet these days.And that's saying nothing of e-commerce, which has revolutionized the trade of goods in this country over the last decade or so.Sorry, Cliff, but you were way off on this one.

How to use the 'Internet' wisely
I owe my knowledge of this book to my good friend Yaakov Fogelman who recommends it highly.
Human beings need physical feedback.
Human beings need physical feedback. The visual processing neurons occupy a significant portion of the brain mass.A computer requires the individual to provide Self-Feedback. For example, if a person wins a chess game against the computer, he must self-congratulate himself on his cleverness, perceptiveness, and resourcefulness rather than receive a smile from his son and a warm touch congradulating him on his victory. Humans need the visual feedback that comes from interacting with other people. The interaction creates a sense of connectedness, an understanding of the other person, visual cues on mood, and feedback that the other person is relating and understanding. Internet communication is semantic, devoid of emotion, and heuristic.Eventually, AI will begin affective communicating with humans replacing the need for another human to be on the other-side. The net affect is isolation from the human race. The starvation of culture, customs, beliefs, and experience will rob humanity of purpose and meaning. Humans need friendship, a sense of group, sharing of ideas and beliefs, and warmth. Two parents can spend their evening watching their children playing and enjoying the interaction of their children.A parent can enjoy the closeness of sharing experiences with a daughter, after she has participated in a school play.A parent can enjoy the gratification in watching a children perform a part in the school choir.
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Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computer Bks - Internet    3. Computers and civilization    4. General    5. Information technology    6. Internet (Computer network)    7. Internet - General    8. Networking - General    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Computers / Information Technology    11. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Reviews (1)

The Gulf Between
Mr. van Dijk is one of the world's leading authorities on the digital divide - the phenomenon that may or may not be leaving people behind as society becomes computerized and connected. Here van Dijk rewardingly adds to our understanding of the many possible nuances of the digital divide, which goes far beyond physical access to computers. Despite the pronouncements of politicians and idealists who believe that everyone around the world will be zooming down the information superhighway as soon as they get a connection, van Dijk proves that things are not so simple. In fact, the divide might be closing if one only looks at the physical aspects, but the divide is actually deepening for those who are still unable (or unwilling) to get on board. This is due to many unappreciated social, cultural, political, economic, and motivational factors faced by those who might even have physical access, and van Dijk tackles all of these with great insight and complexity. This book is held back by a repetitive writing style in which van Dijk keeps introducing what he's going to talk about later, then almost before you know it he's summarizing his findings. But van Dijk redeems the book by closing with specific policy recommendations for different areas of the globe, even if they are a little wishful politically. [~doomsdayer520~] ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Communication    2. Computers - General Information    3. Equality    4. Information Technology    5. Information society    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Impact of science & technology on society    9. Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication   

Subjects:  1. Computer Science    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Information Management    5. Office Automation    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Business & Economics / Information Management    8. General Theory of Computing    9. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Reviews (3)

easy to use client
Gardner describes the basic idea behind BitTorrent. How someone downloading runs a BitTorrent client that can in turn upload portions of a file to another client. This is the distinguishing characteristic of the network, as realised by Bram Cohen.
Complete Users Manual With Additional Information
Napster was a program/company/concept that excited millions of people before it blew up because of violating copyright laws. Other organizations such as KaZaA came in to do the same thing but were careful to not violate the copyright laws that got Napster. The critical thing was that Napster facilitated illegal copying by providing users with technical support. Huh? you might well be saying, but this comes from Chapter 6 on Understanding BitTorrent and the Law.
Distributing content in the digital world...
BitTorrent is one of those file-sharing technologies that I've heard about but never really understood.To remedy that, I got a review copy of BitTorrent For Dummies by Susannah Gardner and Kris Krug.I now understand why this is such a better architecture than others...