- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (2 Oct 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0300154100
- ISBN-13: 978-0300154108
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 14 x 1.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 731,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Best Technology Writing 2009
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Product Description
Review
'[An] absorbing round up of the best technology writing.'
-- Bookseller, 7th August 2009
`Chock full of great characters, ideas and passions.'
--Amanda Gefter, New Scientist, 31st October 2009
-- Bookseller, 7th August 2009
`Chock full of great characters, ideas and passions.'
--Amanda Gefter, New Scientist, 31st October 2009
Product Description
In his Introduction to this beautifully curated collection of essays, Steven Johnson heralds the arrival of a new generation of technology writing. Whether it is Nicholas Carr worrying that Google is making us stupid, Dana Goodyear chronicling the rise of the cellphone novel, Andrew Sullivan explaining the rewards of blogging, Dalton Conley lamenting the sprawling nature of work in the information age, or Clay Shirky marveling at the 'cognitive surplus' unleashed by the decline of the TV sitcom, this new generation does not waste time speculating about the future. Its attitude seems to be: who needs the future? The present is interesting enough on its own. Packed with sparkling essays culled from print and online publications, 'The Best of Technology Writing 2009' announces a fresh brand of technology journalism, deeply immersed in the fascinating complexity of digital life. 'The ubiquity of the digital lifestyle has forced us to write and think about technology in a different way,' says Steven Johnson.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a theoretical physicist with an insatiable taste for all things technological. My home is filled with all sorts of gadgets, I am subscribed to several technology magazines, checking up on several tech websites and blogs is part of my morning routine, and I regularly write reviews of technology books and gadgets on Amazon and a couple other websites. I am also a bookworm and love reading and writing. With all this in mind a book that purports to be a collection of the best technology writing would seem like an ideal reading material for me. Unfortunately, this turned out not to be the case and this collection of essays is one of the more disappointing books that I've had the displeasure of reading in recent months. It turns out that most of the articles (with a few notable exceptions) in this collection deal with technology as a background for some other social, political, or artistic development. Rhapsodizing at length about blogging (which, by the way, is already considered passé) is no different than talking about sitcoms in the early days of television. An article about a "green" Danish island is actually very explicit about this point. The writer clearly says: "And that is the real lesson from Samso. What has happened here is a social not a technological revolution." Apparently, the editor of this collection didn't get that lesson. The collection overall seems much more concerned with making the "technology" writing palatable to the general technophobic audience than it is trying to appeal to people who are actually interested in technology. If that really is the case, then I think that the editor is underestimating the technological sophistication of today's general reading public.
To be fair, there are a few essays in this collection that I found genuinely interesting and informative. I particularly liked "Secret Geek A-Team Hacks Back, Defends Worldwide Web." It is a shocking revelation about a serious flow of in the web's architecture and how a major worldwide disaster had been barely averted. This is a real example of what good technology writing ought to be like - it presents an interesting technology that is not familiar to the general public and does so in an informative and engaging manner.
One of the articles in this collection was taken from The Onion, the satirical newspaper that takes an amusing spin on current news and trends. Unfortunately, even here the editor of this collection gets things wrong. The said Onion article was taken from The Onion Presents The Finest Reporting On Literature, Media, And Other Dying Art Forms and not from The Onion Presents Americas Finest Tech News, a much more appropriate source. You know you have completely missed your topic when The Onion has a more informative and accurate take on it.
To be fair, there are a few essays in this collection that I found genuinely interesting and informative. I particularly liked "Secret Geek A-Team Hacks Back, Defends Worldwide Web." It is a shocking revelation about a serious flow of in the web's architecture and how a major worldwide disaster had been barely averted. This is a real example of what good technology writing ought to be like - it presents an interesting technology that is not familiar to the general public and does so in an informative and engaging manner.
One of the articles in this collection was taken from The Onion, the satirical newspaper that takes an amusing spin on current news and trends. Unfortunately, even here the editor of this collection gets things wrong. The said Onion article was taken from The Onion Presents The Finest Reporting On Literature, Media, And Other Dying Art Forms and not from The Onion Presents Americas Finest Tech News, a much more appropriate source. You know you have completely missed your topic when The Onion has a more informative and accurate take on it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Only Marginally Related to Technology
26 Jan 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a theoretical physicist with an insatiable taste for all things technological. My home is filled with all sorts of gadgets, I am subscribed to several technology magazines, checking up on several tech websites and blogs is part of my morning routine, and I regularly write reviews of technology books and gadgets on Amazon and a couple other websites. I am also a bookworm and love reading and writing. With all this in mind a book that purports to be a collection of the best technology writing would seem like an ideal reading material for me. Unfortunately, this turned out not to be the case and this collection of essays is one of the more disappointing books that I've had the displeasure of reading in recent months. It turns out that most of the articles (with a few notable exceptions) in this collection deal with technology as a background for some other social, political, or artistic development. Rhapsodizing at length about blogging (which, by the way, is already considered passé) is no different than talking about sitcoms in the early days of television. An article about a "green" Danish island is actually very explicit about this point. The writer clearly says: "And that is the real lesson from Samso. What has happened here is a social not a technological revolution." Apparently, the editor of this collection didn't get that lesson. The collection overall seems much more concerned with making the "technology" writing palatable to the general technophobic audience than it is trying to appeal to people who are actually interested in technology. If that really is the case, then I think that the editor is underestimating the technological sophistication of today's general reading public.
To be fair, there are a few essays in this collection that I found genuinely interesting and informative. I particularly liked "Secret Geek A-Team Hacks Back, Defends Worldwide Web." It is a shocking revelation about a serious flow of in the web's architecture and how a major worldwide disaster had been barely averted. This is a real example of what good technology writing ought to be like - it presents an interesting technology that is not familiar to the general public and does so in an informative and engaging manner.
One of the articles in this collection was taken from The Onion, the satirical newspaper that takes an amusing spin on current news and trends. Unfortunately, even here the editor of this collection gets things wrong. The said Onion article was taken from The Onion Presents The Finest Reporting On Literature, Media, And Other Dying Art Forms and not from The Onion Presents Americas Finest Tech News, a much more appropriate source. You know you have completely missed your topic when The Onion has a more informative and accurate take on it.
To be fair, there are a few essays in this collection that I found genuinely interesting and informative. I particularly liked "Secret Geek A-Team Hacks Back, Defends Worldwide Web." It is a shocking revelation about a serious flow of in the web's architecture and how a major worldwide disaster had been barely averted. This is a real example of what good technology writing ought to be like - it presents an interesting technology that is not familiar to the general public and does so in an informative and engaging manner.
One of the articles in this collection was taken from The Onion, the satirical newspaper that takes an amusing spin on current news and trends. Unfortunately, even here the editor of this collection gets things wrong. The said Onion article was taken from The Onion Presents The Finest Reporting On Literature, Media, And Other Dying Art Forms and not from The Onion Presents Americas Finest Tech News, a much more appropriate source. You know you have completely missed your topic when The Onion has a more informative and accurate take on it.
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