Tag Archives: digital world

Locked In (and Unlocked)

Posted on March 12, 2019 by smellincoffee

Lock Inand Unlocked, a bonus novellapub. 2014 John Sclazi336 pagesRead by Wil Wheaton It looks, from the outside, like a simple case. There’s a body with a knife in it, recently planted. There’s a man in the room who was … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

How the Internet Happened

Posted on January 16, 2019 by smellincoffee

How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone© 2018 Brian McCullough400 pages Who’s ready for a little nostalgia? Brian McCullough, host of the Internet History podcast,  here turns his research and many interviews in a compact history of how … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Invisible Man and Everybody Lies

Posted on January 13, 2019 by smellincoffee

This week I’ve finished two books of interest, the first being a classics club entry (Invisible Man), and the other a book on big data and statistics.  Everybody Lies  played true to its title, opening with ways that analysis of … Continue reading →

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LikeWar

Posted on January 9, 2019 by smellincoffee

LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media© 2018 P.W. Singer & Emerson T. Brooking412 pages The digital world is not simply one in which people can tweet restaurant reviews from the very table at which they’re ignoring their dinner date.  It … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Pirate Cinema

Posted on August 16, 2018 by smellincoffee

Pirate Cinema© 2012 Cory Doctorow384 pages All Cecil B. DeVille wanted to do was make movies. He didn’t mean to ruin his family’s lives or start a revolution. In the not-too-distant future,  consumer electronics have concealed chips which monitor and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Art of Invisibility

Posted on June 28, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Art of Invisibility: The World’s Most Famous Hacker Teaches You How to Be Safe in the Age of Big Brother and Big Data© 2017 Kevin Mitnick320 pages So, you want to be invisible online? Great. All you’ll need is three … Continue reading →

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Daemon

Posted on June 21, 2018 by smellincoffee

 Daemon© 2006 Daniel Suarez444 pages SO YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION YES NO When a incomparable programming genius known for his immersive games and uncanny AI dies, his greatest creation awakes.  A sophisticated program running in the background begins … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Ready Player One

Posted on June 6, 2018 by smellincoffee

Ready Player One© 2011 Ernest Cline354 pagesAudible presentation read by Wil Wheaton,runtime 15 hr 46 min Who knew that School House Rock could save the world?  When an eccentric genius dies and leaves a will laden with eighties pop culture … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

How Microsoft’s Mogul Reinvented an Industry

Posted on June 1, 2018 by smellincoffee

Gates: How Microsoft’s Mogul Reinvented an Industry-and Made Himself the Richest Man in America © 1994 Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews 560 pages   I recently watched Pirates of Silicon Valley, a questionably-acted movie based on the rise of  Bill … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Inevitable

Posted on March 21, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future© 2016 Kevin Kelly336 pages No one can say where exactly a ball thrown in the air will land,  but at least on Earth it’s a certainty that a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments