Beyond Calculation: The Next Fifty Years of Computing

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Summary: Beyond calculation: The next fifty years of computing
Review: In the first fifty years of computing, the machine was center stage as we looked at ways the computer could resemble the human mind. In the next fifty years a shift of focus will occur to view the human element first in the design of computers. What will this shift bring into play? Representative authors foresee the onset of 'ubiquitous computing,' 'calm technology,' and a new field of 'interaction design.' The relationship between the individual and the institution will change dramatically, with most institutions ceasing to exist as we currently know them today. We will see profound change in the way we learn and innovate. Moreover, computers will become part of our individual identities. "We will have become the technology we have created." But, will 'smart machines' be able to advise us on how to improve our lives? Is computing helping us to advance our own humanness? Read on.

Rating:
Summary: Beyond calculation: The next fifty years of computing
Review: In the first fifty years of computing, the machine was center stage as we looked at ways the computer could resemble the human mind. In the next fifty years a shift of focus will occur to view the human element first in the design of computers. What will this shift bring into play? Representative authors foresee the onset of 'ubiquitous computing,' 'calm technology,' and a new field of 'interaction design.' The relationship between the individual and the institution will change dramatically, with most institutions ceasing to exist as we currently know them today. We will see profound change in the way we learn and innovate. Moreover, computers will become part of our individual identities. "We will have become the technology we have created." But, will 'smart machines' be able to advise us on how to improve our lives? Is computing helping us to advance our own humanness? Read on.

Rating:
Summary: We will publish its Chinese translation version in 1998
Review: This book gets you thinking about some of the possibilities of computing. I personally found the style too dry, which accounts for my low score. If the essays were all written in Sherry Turkle's style (one of the contributors), I would have rated the book higher. But the ideas are *GREAT*, and to have all these peoples ideas in one book is wonderful

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Summary: The future history of computing looks great.
Review: This book is a compendium of opinions on where computing is going based on where it has been. Dijkstra takes another jab at all the people who discount his ideas on provable programs and he sounds rather bitter. Bob Evans give an insider's view of IBM and the mistakes that it made. As with any collection from many authors, there will be some things you like and some you don't. I found it to be a very fast read. Grove's "Only the Paranoid Survive" is a more entertaining look at the recent history of computing. "In the Company of Giants" has more value-added ego if you like that sort of thing (I don't)

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Summary: An interesting, but not very exciting read.
Review: This books serves as a collection of essays from various experts in the field of computing. These essays speculate on the future of computing over the next fifty years. While the material was quite interesting; most of the essays were quite dry. A couple of the essays seemed like a chore to read.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting, but not very exciting read.
Review: This books serves as a collection of essays from various experts in the field of computing. These essays speculate on the future of computing over the next fifty years. While the material was quite interesting; most of the essays were quite dry. A couple of the essays seemed like a chore to read.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible Horrible Horrible
Review: This is a horrible book and terribly boring! The whole time you are reading this book, you end up wondering what these people were smoking as they were writing these essays. It seems that most of them were under the influence of hallucinogenics when they wrote these essays. In my case, I had to read this book in an introductory graduate information science course, and had no choice but to read it. My advice, do not bother unless you have to.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible Horrible Horrible
Review: This is a horrible book and terribly boring! The whole time you are reading this book, you end up wondering what these people were smoking as they were writing these essays. It seems that most of them were under the influence of hallucinogenics when they wrote these essays. In my case, I had to read this book in an introductory graduate information science course, and had no choice but to read it. My advice, do not bother unless you have to.