Review: FutureHype: The Myths Of Technology

Author: Bob Seidensticker

ISBN: 1576753700

In an age where there is considerable hype about the wonders of modern technology, Bob Seidensticker prods us to take a step back and put everything into a more realistic perspective or as he most aptly states, we should vaccinate ourselves against hype.

Seidensticker's principal theme in FutureHype: The Myths Of Technology Change is that the pace of technological change does not increase exponentially. According to Seidensticker, although we may be living in an era of fast change, this does not imply that we are the only ones to have experienced this phenomenon. In earlier times people had their own examples of fast change and to discover if our times are really unique, it is necessary that today's social change be compared to that of the past. In fact, as Seidensticker warns us, "the popular perception of modern technology is inflated and out of step with reality."

Divided into two parts, the book first illustrates how we fall into the trap of incorrectly and myopically seeing technology. Seidensticker underlines his contentions with several concrete examples that are elaborated upon throughout this first section.

As an example, we are reminded that a technology might be innovative, but the product that we build from that technology does not necessarily have to be revolutionary, particularly if our predictions are off the mark. It is to be remembered that predictions are often more of a picture of the present rather than the future and there is often a danger of careless extrapolation.

The Internet may be able to provide us with a great deal of information, however, will this lead us to being better informed. Probably not, as the downside is that much of the information is unreliable and pure garbage!

One of the hypes we are all bombarded with daily is that we should blindly trust modern technology and put all of our eggs in one basket. This is all great until the basket breaks, as we become increasingly dependent on software that sometimes is filled with bugs or where we have fragile and brittle technology. No doubt, all of this has created much of the insecurity we feel today in our modern world.

The second part of the book takes a look at the constancy of change in a broad spectrum of areas-popular culture, health and safety, fear and anxiety, personal technologies, and business. We are provided with an excellent survey of the history of technology that is illustrated with stories from thousands of years of human advance proving to us that technological change is not unique to our day.

FutureHype: The Myths Of Technology Change immerses readers with a challenging study wherein technology is to be considered neither good, nor bad nor neutral. As Seidensticker states: "a technology isn't inherently good or bad, but it will have an impact." It is the impact that is important, as it will have a good side and a bad side.

Bob Seidensticker has spent twenty-five years in the technology industry and he holds thirteen software patents. His broad experience is quite in evidence with his insightful and compelling study, as he alerts his readers to the dangers of technology infatuation. He also cautions us that we should never lose sight of the myths that surround technology and the unexpected ways it evolves and affects our lives, while at the same time examining its downsides. As he concludes his book, he leaves us with a very important warning, "don't be bullied into buying a particular technology because a vendor, an advertisement, or your nephew you tells you to." Ask yourself if the product is right for you?

Norm Goldman is editor of the book reviewing and author interviewing site http://www.bookpleasures.com/ and the travel site http://www.sketchandtravel.com/

Bookpleasures is a global Internet book reviewing and author interviewing village. Reviewers come from all over the globe and review all genre. There are over 6500 sites that link to Bookpleasures and many of the reviews are listed within the first 3 pages of the Google Search Engine.

Norm also offers his own personalized express review service where you can have a quick review within 15 business days from the receipt of your book. To learn more about this service go to bookpleasures.com

Norm is ranked among the top 1000 Amazon reviewers and he contributes his reviews to several other Internet sites.

In addition, Norm and his artist wife Lily meld words with art focusing on romantic and wedding destinations, inns, and other hospitality properties. You can read Norm's travel articles and view Lily's art work that is always for sale at sketchandtravel.com

View the original article here

People Verses Technology

With the recent upsurge of technology, many companies are employing these technologies in many of their operations including sales, record keeping and as far as customer service. Advertising and publicity are now done more effectively than ever, reaching more customers. Another big area that has also evolved with technology is customer service.

Organizations are now employing sophisticated methods to get feedback from customers and give the appropriate response. Some organizations have however gone too far in their bid to employ these sophistications in delivering customer service to their clients. Customer service is now run entirely by automated systems instead of human beings.

Google has reportedly been running most of its services by automated systems. Automated systems provide help to customers; disseminate information to customers and almost everything. Google Health is being run by an automated system, but offers no live help for the system. It means that sick people using this facility only get to interact with a piece of software and not a human.

The fundamental flaw here is that, software is designed to accept a predictable input and produce a predictable output. Human behavior is however unpredictable. If for instance, the health system is designed to prescribe malaria drugs for a patient reporting with a headache and fever. What happens if a patient walks in with a headache but no fever? Provisions could be made for such cases, but there will always be an element of unpredictability at play. A customer service system that suggests solutions may be ineffective when the user encounters a new problem that was not factored in the design of the system.

In any information system that will be used by people, it is very crucial to offer human help to customers, though it may come at a higher cost. Google must be able to offer human help for its facilities as humans are in a better position to handle unpredictable situations than software and hardware.

View the original article here

Computer Books - Update Yourself With The Latest In Information Technology

Some people are not even aware of what are computers and how are they useful to us. They can benefit a lot by reading computer books. Computer knowledge has become necessary these days to succeed in any area of specialisation. Every job requires that the candidate should have computer knowledge. We have become so dependent on these machines that our work would stop if we do not have access to them. The books which impart knowledge on the basics of computers help us a lot to know about the technical terms associated with them.

Computer training books are essential in the field of computer learning. These manuals are classified based on various subjects of computers. One can satisfy his desires of getting expertise in this area by reading these educational books.

Now a days, computers have become an important subject for children in schools. By reading these books, children can learn about the various applications which are most commonly used like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc. These educational books teach us a lot about the latest applications and technologies.

Can you imagine the world without computers? Well, its quite difficult to imagine so. In today's modern world, these powerful machines have become necessary for every job. There are computer training schools opened in every corner of the world. This education helps us to learn the various technologies that can facilitate our work. You need to have a practical knowledge and hands-on computer experience and skills. They have become an important tool for business as well as homes.

If you wish to acquire promotion in your job, you are required to keep yourself updated by having sound knowledge of computers. One needs to be computer savvy to succeed in his life. You can easily elevate yourself by obtaining knowledge of the technological advancements and by reading the educational computer books. They can help you in all spheres of life. The easy to understand computer books give you all the information about computer devices so that you can prosper in your area of expertise.

The best place to search for these books is online stores. Here you will get all the popular authors' books. You can even read reviews given by different users and then make your decision. Research carefully and take your time. Not only you will get discounted priced books but also get free gifts and offers.

Know more about audio books [http://www.rupizcompare.co.uk/books-and-magazines/book-category.aspx?bookCategory=audiocd] and buy books [http://www.rupizcompare.co.uk/books-and-magazines/] at cheap price.

View the original article here

A Look at Artificial Intelligence and Technology - Book Review

It is fairly obvious that computers and artificial intelligence will run our world tomorrow, as we program these machines today. Interestingly enough, not long from now these AI machines will be programming themselves. How did we come so far so fast you ask? Well, maybe you need to do a little research for yourself.

If this topic interests you, then boy do I have a great book for you to read. It is a book that I own personally, and one I read a long time ago, but it still holds validity today, and many of the predictions of that past period, which is only two decades ago, although it seems like eons; the book is:

"The Connection Machine," by W. Danny Hillis, MIT Press, MA, 1989, (208 pp), ISBN: 978-026258-0977.

This book is an extension of a highly controversial and ahead of its time MIT thesis by the same author. This book is not for the non-intellectual, and he gets pretty thick into the details and philosophy of parallel computing. This book was written well before massive Internet use, just as the computer technology in Silicon Valley was really taking off. Indeed, this is one of those books which was the prime mover of the time.

This is why I have it in my library, and why I recommend it to anyone who is into artificial intelligence, computer hardware, future software, or where we are go from here; why you ask - because if the past is any indication of the future, things are getting get pretty interesting in the next decade. In fact, I hope you will please consider this, and educate yourself a little in the past, so you can understand how far we've come, how fast we've come, and where we go from here. Think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes in technology.

View the original article here

Books and Technology

With our rapid evolution in the world of technology, one should never be surprised at new and unique outlets for expression. Not only does the internet make new art forms available to us, but it also opens up the options to become collaborative and get involved.

Nowadays, writers have the option to instantly send their books to editors and peers over the internet. This leads to quicker turnover rate, and allows the writer to receive feedback almost instantaneously. While many believe that the rise of internet technology signifies bad news for novel authors and editors, others believe that it is the perfect too to write and publish more efficiently.

If you're an author, you'll know how difficult it is to get your books published. If getting published isn't difficult enough, it's almost equally as difficult to get other people to take the time out of their day to read your material. The internet allows of quicker access to your reading material, and gives you the option to spread your work throughout a myriad of sources.

With the use of television, social networking sites, and video games constantly being on the rise, we are running into the risk that books are slowly becoming phased out. Why should we spend six hours reading a book when we can relax and get the entire story in a two hour movie? Well, there are many reasons why reading material is essential to human growth and development.

First, books allow us to use our imagination in a way that television and movies cannot. While reading a novel, we can contemplate on issues such as character development and emotion. Regardless of how many people read the same novel, the protagonist will always be viewed slightly differently in the minds of each individual reader. Furthermore, reading often acts as a type of therapy for many people. Most readers tend to find something in a character with which they identify, and through that connection, the reader and writer are able to take a journey together. Essentially, the writer cannot exist without the reader, and vice versa.

Because American children are reading less and less, due to the influx of media and television sources, they are becoming increasingly illiterate. While we cannot force children to read, we must encourage them as much as possible to choose books over movies at a young age. Watching the screen turns people into consumers, whereas reading turns people into the creators. Many studies show that encouraging reading at a young age greatly improves one's learning and attention skills later in life.

Learning to effectively read and write also help to improve one's overall attention span. If you are successful and well-trained in literacy skills, you are sure to go a long way. Many people don't realize how important writing skills are to succeed in life, but if you are searching for a top notch career, chances are that you will have to be a decent writer. It's as simple as this: Reading books greatly helps to improve your overall writing skills.

Site developed to make easier be a writer, with a possibility to be a contributor on other people books or get contribution in your own. Collaborative Books, with no owner.

View the original article here