Why Things Bite Back : Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences

Rating:
Summary: Interesting stories, but what can we learn from it?
Review: This could more aptly be titled "Lots of Ways in Which Technological Improvements have Unexpected Consequences." There's really not much about the "why," just lots and lots of anecdotes: improved car safety leads people to drive faster, computer automation takes as much time to learn as it saves, improved transportation leads to the plague of exotic species taking over in new locations, and so on. It's a fascinating litany, with the sections on computer productivity and reduced biodiversity being of particular interest, but it wasn't clear to me how much we could learn from it other than to be more careful.