After the Internet : Alien Intelligence

Rating:
Summary: James Martin should forecast, not write
Review: As Discover Magazine correctly pointed out (June 2001)"when James Martin makes a forecast, people listen". Unfortunately what they did not say is that Mr Martin cannot write, and if he intends to make money from writing, he should keep his day job. The book is filled with complete pages and paragraphs that are duplicated many times in many chapters. Mr Martin has a strong liking for the word "ubiquitous", which he uses at every opportunity (appropriately or not), and the phrase "winner take most", which he must want credit for coining. Mr Martin needs to hire 1.) an Editor, and 2.) a "ghost writer", or pledge not to write again.

Rating:
Summary: James Martin should forecast, not write
Review: As Discover Magazine correctly pointed out (June 2001)"when James Martin makes a forecast, people listen". Unfortunately what they did not say is that Mr Martin cannot write, and if he intends to make money from writing, he should keep his day job. The book is filled with complete pages and paragraphs that are duplicated many times in many chapters. Mr Martin has a strong liking for the word "ubiquitous", which he uses at every opportunity (appropriately or not), and the phrase "winner take most", which he must want credit for coining. Mr Martin needs to hire 1.) an Editor, and 2.) a "ghost writer", or pledge not to write again.

Rating:
Summary: Great credentials but no material
Review: Dr. Martin's credentials are certainly impressive, as were his some of his previous works, which I read. This book is at least an easy read, and Dr. Martin makes an excellent point that computer intelligence is different than human intelligence and should not be expected to emulate it.

Unfortunately, there is little else of substantive value after that. The book is pretty much a long, incredibly repetitious, and rambling journey. There are some mildly provacative high-tech examples, but it is mostly a rehash of what has been in the popular press and assertions about the differences between human and machine intelligence that are largely unsupported.

As a further distraction, the examples are mixed with tired and rehashed chronicles from the history of computing--ie., Gate's Microsoft story, Apple, and the decline of betamax. There are some interesting anecdotes that shed light on Bill Gate's personality, but unless one is a complete neophyte to high technology reading, I wouldn't recommend this.

For those looking for easy-to-read yet substantially more provactive and focused material, there is Daguid & Brown's "The Social Life of Information" or Dertouzos' "The Unfinished Revolution." These men have similarly impressive credentials and stick to the point.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I have to disagree with the previous poster's comments. Clearly he has no idea who Dr. James Martin is...so let me tell you.

Dr. James Martin, chairman emeritus and founder of Headstrong, has been called "the Guru of the Information Age," "The Father of CASE," and the brains behind Rapid Application Development (RAD). He received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his book entitled The Wired Society: A Challenge for Tomorrow, based on his predictions and progressive views about technology, published twenty years ago. Computerworld has ranked Dr. Martin the fourth most influential person in the computer industry.

Dr. Martin is widely acknowledged as a renowned authority on the social and commercial ramifications of computers and technology. He is well known on an international scale as a premier strategist on management and information technology, and has a remarkable track record of accurate predictions about future technology. He served as a member of the Software Scientific Advisory Board to the U.S. Department of Defense, and also holds a chair at Oxford: the James Martin Chair of Computing at Oxford University is concerned with advancing the frontiers of system development. Dr. Martin earned an M.A. and D.Litt. from Oxford, a D.Sc. from Salford in England, and honorary degrees from a number of institutions, including a D.Eng. from Hokkaido Technical University in Japan for his work on Information Engineering.

Dr. Martin's educational background, complemented by his solid business and technological experience, has led to a long-standing track record as one of the world's best-attended lecturers. He spends considerable time giving seminars and lectures to high-level executives looking to hear about the future of technology and its effects on their businesses and lives.

Finally, Dr. Martin is a prolific author, with over 100 textbooks in his name-more than any other living person. Many of his books, including Cybercorp, The Great Transition and The Wired Society have been best-selling IT and business publications.

This most recent book, "After the Internet: Alien Intelligence," discusses how in the future, the primary value of computers may well be to 'think' in ways that humans cannot. Martin asserts that software is coming into use that can automatically evolve, 'breed' solutions, or 'learn' valuable behavior of its own--at electronic speed. This self-perpetuating computer process is so complex that a human can neither follow the logic step-by-step nor come to the same results by other means. It is alien intelligence. The book is grounded in hard science and real-world examples, and provides a fascinating look at machine capabilities beyond our wildest imagination. Martin futher explains how it will change human thinking about computers, as well as about business as usual in everything from manufacturing to consumer marketing to medical research. He also shows how the rise of this new computer intelligence will strengthen the Internet, culminating in a global chain reaction with a powerful impact on business, economics, politics, and social connectivity.

In short, I'd have to say that he does know a little about technology and is an expert in alien intelligence!

Rating:
Summary: Like an infinite loop in a bug-ridden computer program
Review: It's a fascinating topic that I was very eager to learn about. So far, I've read that alien intelligence is different than human intelligence and will grow at "electronic speed" (whatever the hell that is). In addition, I've read that alien intelligence is different than human intelligence and will grow at "electronic speed"

I actually agree with this much, but after sixty pages, I feel like I've read ten pages six times over. I give it one star for the first sixty pages and a second star just in case he says something more than "alien intelligence is different from human intelligence and grows at electronic speed" during the final 200.


Rating:
Summary: Most Disappointing. Lacked excitement.
Review: No one doubts Dr. Martin's credentials. Those in 'the know' are fully aware of his contributions to the technological world at present. But this particular book of his, while trying to cross into the maintstream, Dr. Martin has failed to grab the serious readers' attention.

He has said nothing new in this book that has not already been written in the popular press recently. What one was expecting from Dr. Martin when buying this book was the new UNKNOWN frontier of 'alien' intelligence, and what challenges for humanity lay ahead. Unfortunely, this time Dr. Martin has shown that he is clearly behind the times and not at the top of his game.

The review from cindyb was most upsetting from those of us heartily aware of Dr. Martin's accomplishments in his field. It was an unnecessary laundry list & smells of personally fueled bias instead of honest & objective critique.

Rating:
Summary: Really Mr. Martin ! ! - this will not do
Review: One of the most important books ever written. Do yourself, and your future a favor. Buy it. Read it. The enthusiastic writing style makes it easy and enjoyable to read. Incredible insight. It all makes sense. If you want to know what the future is going to be like, read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating but appallingly sloppy
Review: Summary of the early parts: computers are going to be intelligent, but they will be intelligent in their own way, not like us. Now you can skip to chapter three.

That's kind of what this whole book is like: fascinating comments and revelations not necessarily addressed in an organized or clear way, as if the author wrote the book in a great hurry.

The gist is fascinating: computers are changing our world in extraordinary ways, and what they can do and how they do it will shape our future. The middle part of the book discusses the potential impacts, though as a computer geek I found the final part the most interesting, in which he discusses the nature of computer intelligence. This includes techniques such as genetic algorithms, neural networks (which work even though the programmer can't tell you how), complex adaptive systems, etc.

On the other hand, there are some appallingly sloppy moments that damaged my confidence in the book: cybernetics genius Norbert Wiener's name is consistently misspelled (remember, "i before e except after c"), there are several references to a mythical "penal" gland (I think he means pineal), and Martin relates the notion that draining water spirals in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres as if it were authoritative truth rather than an urban legend. But it's worth a quick read, and it is a quick read.

Rating:
Summary: Could be a great book
Review: This book would be great for some lite reading, if all the repetition was weeded out. This would reduce the book to about 50 pages. This book will inspire you, but you will have to do all the work yourself since there is no technical information, or URLs for where to find it.