Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Cyberculture Editor, Julian Dibbell FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * Just off the Presses: Proceed with caution, learning from young digerati, fiercely analyzing Web sites * What's Hot? Cyberculture bestsellers at press time * Recommended Reading: "The Age of Spiritual Machines" * Almost Published: Books that are selling before they've even been printed * Featured Reviews: "Holding on to Reality" * Amazon.com Presents the Best of the Century JUST OFF THE PRESSES ******************** "The End of Patience: Cautionary Notes on the Information Revolution" by David Shenk http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0253336341/entertainmentsit From David Shenk, the author of "Data Smog," a thoughtful warning about the cultural and political dangers of information overload, comes this collection of magazine and radio commentaries on subjects ranging from the ethics of genetic engineering to the dark side of Microsoft's talking-Barney plushie. Necessarily a bit of a grab bag, "The End of Patience" nonetheless maintains a steadily intelligent focus on its central theme--the coarsening of life in a world where information technology both overwhelms us and feeds us fantasies of total control. "Playing the Future: What We Can Learn from Digital Kids" by Douglas Rushkoff http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573227641/entertainmentsit Published in hardcover three years ago, this ringingly optimistic take on '90s youth culture launched Rushkoff's memorable notion of "screenagers"--the kids who grew up playing computer games and parsing reruns, who therefore know more about the shape of the future than we grownups can even guess at. The book also shored up Rushkoff's reputation as an unblinking apologist for all things cyber and pop. And though he's gotten a lot less cheerful in his latest release ("Coercion," a dark look at the persuasive techniques of modern marketing), this paperback reissue proves his old enthusiasm still has a contagious sort of charm. "Fierce.com: The Exclusive Book for Web Elitists" by Tor Hyams and David Scharff (with Matt Hyams) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568581351/entertainmentsit Fierce.com isn't just a Web site, it's a state of mind. Well, three minds: Tor Hyams's, his cousin David Scharff's, and his brother Matt's. Since 1996, Tor and David have been writing weekly reviews of other people's Web sites, filtered through their own personal obsessions, fantasies, and more than slightly cracked sense of humor. Matt has contributed regular flights of side-splittingly funny weirdo parody. And the best of their efforts are gathered here, proof in black and white that they've created a Web institution, poised somewhere between actual usefulness and the pointless brilliance of great literature. WHAT'S HOT? *********** At the top of this month's Cyberculture bestseller list are an analysis of digital kid culture, an exploration of information overload, and a study of the origins of the Internet. "Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation" by Don Tapscott http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0070633614/entertainmentsit With the help of about 300 members of the Net Generation, or N-Gen, Don Tapscott explores what the Internet and other digital interactive technology is doing to and for our children in "Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation." Despite fears that new technology is making kids more antisocial and less intellectual, Tapscott shows that kids are using it to play, build relationships, and explore their world. And while the digital world has dangers, it also holds greater opportunities. "Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut" by David Shenk http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062515519/entertainmentsit Are you amazed at the reams of information new technologies have made available to you? A little overwhelmed by all the data you have to wade through to find what you're looking for? "Data Smog" author David Shenk knows how you feel. Shenk was infatuated with information technology--until he realized that he was being bombarded with too much information, so much that it was destroying his quality of life. He feels that we're moving toward an information- infested society of people with weakened vision, sore backs, and "culturally induced ADD" (Attention Deficit Disorder). "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet" by Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684832674/entertainmentsit Considering that the history of the Internet is perhaps better documented internally than within any other technological construct, it is remarkable how shadowy its origins have been to most people, including die-hard Net-denizens. At last, in "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet," Hafner and Lyon have written a well-researched story of the origins of the Internet. It's substantiated by extensive interviews with the Internet's creators, who delve into many interesting details, such as the controversy surrounding the adoption of our now beloved "@" sign as the separator of user names and machine addresses. Essential reading for anyone interested in the past--and the future--of the Net specifically and telecommunications generally. Explore our top 50 computer titles, updated weekly: Computers & Internet RECOMMENDED READING: "THE AGE OF SPIRITUAL MACHINES" **************************************************** "The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence" by Ray Kurzweil http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670882178/entertainmentsit How much do we humans enjoy our current status as the most intelligent beings on earth? Enough to try to stop our own inventions from surpassing us in smarts? If so, we'd better pull the plug right now, because if Ray Kurzweil is right, we've only got until about 2020 before computers outpace the human brain in computational power. Kurzweil, artificial intelligence expert and author of "The Age of Intelligent Machines," shows that technological evolution moves at an exponential pace. Further, he asserts, in a sort of swirling postulate, time speeds up as order increases, and vice versa. ALMOST PUBLISHED ***************** Cyberculture guides that have garnered the most pre-orders from Amazon.com customers--before they've even been published. "NetSlaves" by Bill Lessard and Steve Baldwin Publication date: October 1999 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071352430/entertainmentsit If you've worked in new media, chances are you've been burned. Maybe you're a freelancer owed thousands of dollars by a giant corporation. Or maybe you're someone who bet his or her career on a content project that went sour. Maybe you gave up a stable career to join the "Web pioneers" who were going to transform publishing, and you wound up in a dead-end HTML coding job instead. Or maybe you're just somebody who has worked for years helping a Web-based company get up and running, only to get a pink slip for your trouble now that success is around the corner. If you fit any of these descriptions, or dozens more, you are a "Net Slave." "Getting the Message: A History of Communications" by Laszlo Solymar Publication date: November 1999 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0198503334/entertainmentsit "Getting the Message: A History of Communication" is a strange book. Is it a gift for someone's coffee table, a textbook, or serious history? Laszlo Solymar's quirky commentary mixes colorful character studies with social criticism and technical explanation with personal prejudice. This book sets out to be technical, polemical, historical, analytical, and readable. With the exception of a few longueurs, the author, through his breadth of reference and determination to be accessible, has succeeded. FEATURED REVIEWS: "HOLDING ON TO REALITY" ***************************************** "Holding on to Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium by Albert Borgmann http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226066258/entertainmentsit Drawing on the history of technology, semiotics, and symbolic logic, Borgmann examines the nature and structure of information, looking into such arcane matters as the grammar of Boolean algebra, the design of computer graphics, and the layout of computer keyboards to question how information is conveyed--often, he remarks, badly. ("Technological information seems uniquely robust and resonant," he notes. "But closer inspection shows that its vigor and reach are threatened by fragility and noise.") Borgmann's disquisitions on symbol and reality, and the tension between them, make for fascinating reading. AMAZON.COM PRESENTS THE BEST OF THE CENTURY ******************************************* As the century comes to a close, Amazon.com takes a look at the landmarks in books, music, and video of the past 100 years. Selected by our editors, our lists take you decade by decade from the turn of the century all the way to the end of the millennium. But don't just take our word for it; cast your vote for the best book, video, and CD in our best-of-the-millennium poll for your chance to win our customers' 300 favorite music, book, and video titles. Books of the century ****** Give the Perfect Gift -- Get the Perfect Gift Does Aunt Ida send polka CDs when you'd prefer pop? Create an Amazon.com Wish List and save everyone the agony of the unwanted gift. Wish list
Clueless as to what to get your Kentucky cousin for Christmas? Send him an e-card and tell him to set up an Amazon.com Wish List so you can easily find and send him his heart's desire. Wish card ****** You'll find more great books, articles, excerpts, and interviews in Amazon.com's Computers & Internet section at Computers & Internet
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