Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating and both too optimistic at the same time.
Review: As an Information Science minor this book has been mentioned many times and I finally had a chance to read it. Even though it is noe 8 years old it still is very useful, his theory of the change from atoms to bits is revolutionary and with it he has named what has been going on: the move to a more and more digital world, whether we like it or not. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the new digital world.There is however one major flaw in this book, although he briefly mentions it in the epilogue. What are the broader societal complications? Nergroponte makes it look like our lives will be perfect and easier. I agree in part, but there are some things to be critical of. Many people in the media seem to be happy with what I would call customized news; you only get the news you want. But what do we want? Doesn't news we hadn't thought of before increase our knowlegde of the world as well? If we only want to read left or rightwing editorials, will we ever understand what the other side thinks? Won't we be molded into a certain way of thinking? There is a funny part about the digitial sister in law, a computer that knows what you like and can therefore tell you which movie you should see. What about moods? surprises? Won't digital machines tell us what to like this way? Read it however, even though you might not like it, it's a classic, if only because of its influence.
Rating: 
Summary: the future didn't come true.
Review: I have to say that this book could be very interesting if we were in 1995 or 1996. But from the modern perspective, this book is too simplified and optimistic. I can't deny that some anticipations in this book may come true in the future, but obviously, not now, in 2002.
Rating:
Summary: Kind of good for none techies
Review: I like this book but must take it with a grain of salt. It was joining the dot.com bubble so to speak although I had known of the author shortly before the 1990's. I like that my girl friend enjoying listening to the audio book verison. She isn't much of a cyberpsace person but she and I both found the story to be positive and slightly uplifting. Not very difficult to read too in the hard copy and it has an attractive cover.
Rating: 
Summary: Totally trivial and poorly written
Review: I read this book a few years ago - correction - I read it about half way through and got so disgusted by its triviality of content and terrible prose that I flung it back into my bookcase.
I largely agree with "A reader from Lakewood, CO United States" and can't comprehend why anyone could have a positive opinion about this book.
The book has some significance, be it a very negative one, viz. that its bad, cobbled together content, by, mind you, the man in charge of the MIT Media Lab, symbolizes the typical ignorance of many scientists regarding the historical, socio-cultural context in which new technology should be viewed.
I would recommend a crash course in Lewis Mumford's great ideas, as discussed in Technics and Civilization and the Myth of the Machine, to all students embarking on high-tech research and development.
Rating:
Summary: Relevant and interesting
Review: I've read this book about 3 years late! Yet its arguments are as exciting and relevant as they were 3 years ago. This book is NOT really about fancy visions of the future. Rather it is a hard hitting look at the suboptimal thinking and quick-fix utilization of todays technologies; instead of a truly revolutionary approach that is needed.
A simple example is the authors lucid example of a doctor from the 19th Century walking into todays hospitals and being whammed by the advances. But the same cannot be said for a teacher of the 19th century walking into todays classrooms... except for the syllabus. Similar examples abound in the fact that technologies of devices are changing only incrementally to accomodate the bandwidth revolution, but the change needed is a quantum leap, which we are not doing. The author does portray various visions of the future where the full effects of technology would be used, and is clear in pointing out that these are not idle impractical fantasies.
Quite a very good book, and for those looking for a far more cohesive futuristic book bordering on Sci-Fi, a book well worth reading is "Visions" by Michio Kaku.
Rating:
Summary: A cheerful, but uncritical, look at being wired...
Review: MIT Media Lab's darling, Nicholas Negroponte is _the_ pundit of the digital era. One of his most often quoted analogies, "atoms to bits", is explained in this well written look at the future. With verve and clear vision, Negroponte examines the effect of being wired, and (correctly) emphasizes content above all. He makes concise statements without techno-babble, and does some small debunking of current myths. The work is flawed by the one-sided, totally optimistic look at technology. It is almost as bad as Stoll's raving in _Silicon Snake Oil_, and the need for an unbiaised, critical opinion is clear. Regardless, _being digital_ is a great book to tell venture capitalists to read before they invest in your Internet capable weenie roaster
Rating:
Summary: diary of an egomaniac
Review: Negroponte is the man who created Wired Magazine and then had them put his face on the cover and give him made-up awards. It is hard to point to any important discovery coming from him or the MIT Media Lab, except perhaps the invention of hype.
Rating: 
Summary: Negroponte is DA boss!
Review: Or should I say "Negroponte rules!" For those who don't know who he is, we're talking about the man who has spearheaded the efforts to make out of MIT's Media Lab one of the state-of-the-art technology workshops of the world. What those guys are working there is what you and I might own or work with (as a gadget, for instance) in a few years, depending on your wlak of life. These guys are light-years ahead of us. And Negroponte is even ahead of them! If you were a follower of Negroponte's last-page articles in Wired magazine for several years, you might not find the book all that new, but even then, you will have to acknowledge that he has a unique and very intuitive way to explain digital technology to people who are not tech savvy. He reminds me at times of Nobel-prize winner Richard Feynman in that sense. Anyway... Think of this book, whether you are a techie or not, as a statement written five years ago about what's to come. Some of the things he refers to in the book have already occurred, which makes it even more exciting: it means that he's right, and those things that have yet to come will definitely be part of our lives sooner that we can maybe imagine. Buy it and you will devour it in a day, I predict!
Rating: 
Summary: Being Digital
Review: Reading the book Being Digital by Nicholas Negroponte was interesting in the aspect that the book is five years old in such a fast moving industry and the book is still relevant today. Five years in the computer world may be compared to forty years in other industries. Negroponte mentions the past (atoms) and how he feels computers will take society into the future (bits). The past is being the industrial revolution and the future being the information age. As the industrial revolution changed the direction of society, the information age will change society on the same kind of scale. Possibly someday everything will be automated, all you will have to do is talk to the computer, microwave, and toaster. Past, present, and future computer technologies were discussed throughout the book. Related markets of television with the advancements with High Definition Television (HDTV), and the video industry were discussed with possible idea of where that is going. The book was full with information but seemed to be very boring. I would find myself reading a page and thinking about something else, then having to re-read the page. The book basically analyzes where we have been with computer technology and where it could possibly go. I recommend this book to people who know nothing about the past, present, and future of the computer world and to people having trouble falling to sleep at night.
Rating:
Summary: Little value today and poorly written
Review: this book may be a few years old now...but...it still holds value for the time and bucks required to ingest this digest. negroponte is a personal hero...a person with a clue of what is coming...the nature of technology...and the mind of a culturally creative. i read this book when it came out...and just revisited it. it is a good read to give someone that might be a technophobe or in denial...it is accessible to the digitally challenged and provides a good carrot to dangle before their nose to encourage them to get engaged. in a digitized world you need to get onto the streaming media...those 0's and 1's that are shaping everything around us. if you are interested in negroponte's playground...you might add stewart brands book on The Media Lab as a trailer to this one...then you will want to go to MIT and play with the future for yourself
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