Social and ethical aspects Books

Book SynopsisA highly contentious, very readable and totally up-to-the-minute investigation of women’s natural relationship with modern technology, an association which, Plant argues, will trigger a new sexual revolution. Zeros and Ones is an intelligent, provocative and accessible investigation of the intersection between women, feminism, machines and in particular, information technology. Arguing that the computer is rewriting the old conceptions of man and his world, it suggests that the telecoms revolution is also a sexual revolution which undermines the fundamental assumptions crucial to patriarchal culture. Historical, contemporary and future developments in telecommunications and in IT are interwoven with the past, present and future of feminism, women and sexual difference, and a wealth of connections, parallels and affinities between machines and women are uncovered as a result. Challenging the belief that man was ever in control of either his own agency, the planet, or his machines, this book argues it is seriously undermined by the new scientific paradigms emergent from theories of chaos, complexity and connectionism, all of which suggest that the old distinctions between man, woman, nature and technology need to be radically reassessed.

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Book Synopsis*SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2024**LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2023* 'A parable for our times' FINANCIAL TIMES, Best Books of 2023'Gripping' THE TIMES, Best Technology Books of 2023 ______________________________________________________________________What if you could be identified by anyone with just a blurry photo? When Kashmir Hill stumbled upon Clearview AI in 2019, a facial recognition platform with an alleged 98.6% accuracy rate, the implications were terrifying.   But that was just the beginning.   Clearview AI would quickly rise to the top, sharing its app with billionaires, law enforcement and even Hollywood actors. In this gripping true story, Hill dives deep into its shadowy journey, and explores how facial recognition technology is already a part ofTrade Review'The dystopian future portrayed in some science-fiction movies is already upon us. Whether you like it or not, your face has already been scraped from the internet, stored in a giant database, and made available to law enforcement agencies, private corporations, and authoritarian governments to track and surveil you. Kashmir Hill’s fascinating book brings home the scary implications of this new reality' -- John Carreyrou, author of 'Bad Blood''I loved this. A dark and gripping story, meticulously researched and stylishly told' -- Jenny Kleeman, author of 'Sex Robots & Vegan Meat'‘A gripping account . . . [Hill] writes with great clarity about the dangers of facial recognition technology’ * New Statesman *'A haunting portrait of sci-fi darkness in the real world' * Kirkus *'A breezy, compelling dive into the alarming use of face matching and the enormous consequences for privacy and civil liberties . . . an engrossing cautionary tale' * Literary Review *‘Startling, if not terrifying . . . the author does a great job of explaining the ins and outs of facial recognition in the book . . . Be very, very careful, Hill says again and again. If we’re not, we might all face the reality of Beijing today' * Cybernews *'So gripping' -- Taylor Lorenz, author of 'Extremely Online', on Twitter‘I’m loving this book - you’ll laugh, you’ll recoil, you’ll learn about the sordid history of eugenics and where facial recognition tech fits into said history’ -- Brian Merchant, author of 'Blood in the Machine', on Twitter‘Sharply reported . . . The saga is colorful, and the characters come off as flamboyant villains; it’s a fun read. But the book’s most incisive contribution may be the ethical question it raises’ * Atlantic *‘A most timely contribution to a much needed debate about the implications for personal privacy’ * TLS *‘Gripping . . . illuminating. The scope and sophistication of the technology is striking. A walk down the street will not feel quite the same again’ * The Economist *‘Combining vivid reportage with a chilling overview of facial recognition technology’s capabilities, this unnerves’ * Publishers Weekly *‘In a gripping — and sometimes creepy — book Hill explores the repercussions of this new technology and finds out who is behind it' * The Times, '5 Best Technology Books of 2023' *'Kashmir Hill all but invented the tech dystopia beat, and no one is a more exuberant and enjoyable guide to the dark corners of our possible future than she is. Reaching deep into the past to paint a terrifying portrait of our future, Hill’s thorough, awe-inspiring reporting and compelling storytelling paint a fascinating tale of tech’s next chapter. This is the most fun you can have reading a real-life nightmare' -- Garrett Graff, author of 'The Only Plane in the Sky'‘In its focus on the ambiguous duality of technology, a parable for our times’ * Financial Times, 'Best Books of 2023 – Technology' *

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Book SynopsisThe ultimate guide to digital wellbeing and living your best life offline and on!Digital wellbeing is all about finding the balance between the digital world and the real world and making sure we use smartphones and other digital devices in a healthy way, while living fulfilling lives beyond the screen.This guide helps tweens and teens do exactly that, inspiring them to set their devices aside (sometimes anyway!) and start living in the here and now.Written by digital wellbeing expert Tanya Goodin, it's packed with positive prompts, thought-provoking science, and hands-on activities to encourage healthy habits around screen use including nostalgic crafts, retro tech scavenger hunts, and phone-free nature excursions, plus practical tips on how to deal with digital challenges like comparison culture, cyberbullying, trolling, and much more.This book is not about teenagers giving up their devices forever; it's about being more mindful of how they use them, so they can live their best lives on and off the screen.Teenagers will discover how to:Develop healthy habits, identify priorities, and set achievable goalsKnow their own screen limits and deal with digital distractionsStay safe and savvy on the internetFocus on the positive and productive uses of smartphones (no more doom-scrolling!)Combat comparison culture on social media and quieten their inner criticsNurture friendships and family relationships offline and onBuild resilience and self-confidence to live healthily and happily with their digital devices

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Book SynopsisA bold call to reexamine how our government operates - and sometimes fails to - from President Obama's former deputy chief technology officer and the founder of Code for America.

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Book SynopsisArtificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, yet it causes damage to society in ways that can’t be fixed. Instead of helping to address our current crises, AI causes divisions that limit people’s life chances, and even suggests fascistic solutions to social problems. This book provides an analysis of AI’s deep learning technology and its political effects and traces the ways that it resonates with contemporary political and social currents, from global austerity to the rise of the far right. Dan McQuillan calls for us to resist AI as we know it and restructure it by prioritising the common good over algorithmic optimisation. He sets out an anti-fascist approach to AI that replaces exclusions with caring, proposes people’s councils as a way to restructure AI through mutual aid and outlines new mechanisms that would adapt to changing times by supporting collective freedom. Academically rigorous, yet accessible to a socially engaged readership, this unique book will be of interest to all who wish to challenge the social logic of AI by reasserting the importance of the common good.Trade Review"Resisting AI is an important and necessary book... McQuillan has provided us with a powerful contribution." Computational ImpactsTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Operations of AI 2. Collateral Damage 3. AI Violence 4. Necropolitics 5. Post-machinic Learning 6. People’s Councils 7. Anti-fascist AI

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Book SynopsisIn this explosive memoir, a political consultant and technology whistleblower reveals the disturbing truth about the multi-billion-dollar data industry, revealing to the public how companies are getting richer using our personal information and exposing how Cambridge Analytica exploited weaknesses in privacy laws to help elect Donald Trump.When Brittany Kaiser joined Cambridge Analytica the UK-based political consulting firm funded by conservative billionaire and Donald Trump patron Robert Mercer she was an idealistic young professional working on her fourth degree in human rights law and international relations. A veteran of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, Kaiser's goal was to utilize data for humanitarian purposes, most notably to prevent genocide and human rights abuses. But her experience inside Cambridge Analytica opened her eyes to the tremendous risks that this unregulated industry poses to privacy and democracy.Targeted is Kaiser's eyewitness chronicle of the dramatic and distu

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Co-Winner of the Silver Medal in Business Technology, Axiom Business Book Awards""One of the Financial Times' Summer Books of 2019: Business""One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2019: Technology""12 must-read books for 2019 as recommended by Tech Crunch's Extra Crunch readers""One of Five Books' Best Economics Books of 2019""University of Chicago 2019 Recommended Reading""One of Handelsblatt's Best Technology Books of 2019""One of Época Negócios's Best Books of 2019""A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""A Project Syndicate Best Read in 2019""A Financial Times Best Book of the Year""Winner of the Richard A. Lester Prize for the Outstanding Book in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics, Industrial Relations Section of Princeton University""A superb guide to 21st-century automation and its disruptive effects."---John Harris, The Guardian"The Technology Trap may well ensnare doom-seekers’ attention with its ominous-sounding title. But it should ultimately hearten anyone who reads it." * The Economist *"Anybody interested in the economic impact of digital and AI, in particular on jobs, will want to read [The Technology Trap]."---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist"[Frey] takes a provocative, original long view on current concerns, examining the fallout from past technological advances . . . to mass production and artificial intelligence."---Andrew Hill, Financial Times, Summer Books of 2019"I have been lost in [The Technology Trap] for the last 10 days."---John Harris, The Guardian"Frey’s analysis is worth taking seriously because the Oxford economic historian and economist has researched his subject deeply and has co-authored one of the most widely cited studies on automation . . . . Frey’s story is well argued and — at times — deeply alarming about the stability of western democracies given he predicts the further concentration of wealth in a few hands and in even fewer locations"---John Thornhill, Financial Times"An excellent analysis of past industrial revolutions, the technologies that emerged within them, and the way societies adapted to those changes."---Adi Gaskell, Forbes"As [Frey] points out in his new book The Technology Trap, for all that the robots may make the world more local, they may have other painful side-effects, putting millions of people out of work and sparking an almighty backlash."---Ed Conway, The Times"The Technology Trap is the perfect book for higher ed people to read . . . . deeply researched and [convincingly] argued."---Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Education"If you're an optimist about the robotic future, you likely hear talk that we're all going to lose our jobs or suffer a big pay cut, and tell friends to relax — the new technology revolution is going to turn out like all the others since the dawn of the Industrial Age. But if history is your best hope, you should probably think again: [The Technology Trap has] a strong case."---Steve Levine, Axios"Anybody interested in the economic impact of digital and AI, in particular on jobs, will want to read Carl Frey’s new book."---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist"In his bracing new book The Technology Trap, Carl Frey extrapolates from the history of the industrial revolution to offer a vision of the future in which Amazon Go, AI assistants and autonomous vehicles are 'worker replacement' technologies."---Greg Williams, Wired"A fascinating history of technical change."---Chris Dillow, Stumbling and Mumbling"One of Frey’s most salient points is that our attitudes and actions toward technology can play a pivotal role in how it impacts us. A lot of stock has been put into Frey and Osborne’s prediction of 47 percent automation. But if Frey’s book gets even half the attention the paper got, it should serve to quell some of our fears around a bleak machine-dominated future."---Vanessa Bates Ramirez, Singularity Hub"Carl Benedikt Frey has written an important and timely book . . . . A great deal of effort, thought, and scholarship went into its writing, and it shows. There is much food for thought here and I can envision this assigned in upper division economics classes as well as some graduate courses."---Alexander Field, EH.net"Frey offers a refreshingly human-centered analysis of technological progress."---Oscar Schwartz, Stanford Social Innovation Review"It’s clear The Technology Trap has plenty to teach us, and should automatically be on the reading list of any serious policy maker or politician."---Ben Ramanauskas, Cap X"Frey explores automation and its consequences, taking the reader on a long sweep of UK and US industrial history that demonstrates the distinction between labour-enabling and labour-replacing technologies. . . As arguably the most comprehensive account of automation to date, this book deserves to be read widely"---Liam Kennedy, London School of Economics Review of Books"[The Technology Trap] offers a fascinating history of technology’s effects on employment from the Industrial Revolution to today and attempts to tackle how we might avoid a repeat of past social ills, as the Computer Revolution sweeps away a majority of human jobs."---Robert Elliott Smith, Medium"Narrator Richard Lyddon performs an almost impossible feat—making a very theoretical audiobook sound absorbable in a truly entertaining way . . . . Cheers to both Frey and Lyddon, a pairing that listeners may wish to hear again." * AudioFile Magazine *"An extremely useful history of the effect of technology on jobs and income inequality."---John Judis, The National Interest"[E]rudite and thoughtful, and the questions [The Technology Trap] raises are important and pertinent."---Joel Mokyr, Journal of Economic History"[Frey] investigates the short, medium, and long-term consequences of the Industrial Revolution on workers, finding that in fact the changes had extraordinarily negative consequences in the short term. His lessons from this pivotal moment in history can help technology leaders avoid the biggest risks today in how we design human/AI systems in the coming age of automation." * TechCrunch *"I highly recommend [The Technology Trap]."---Randal C. Picker"There is little reason to doubt the contemporary relevance of Frey’s analysis into the consequences of automation on the labour market, and the broader socio‐political implications of those technological changes which are highly anticipated to reshape our working lives and economic existence as we know it. The voluminous public commentary about technology, and public protests against the ramifications of technology change (such as taxi drivers decrying peer‐to‐peer ride‐sharing services which rely on smartphone apps), serve as sufficient warrant to pay attention to Frey’s contribution."---Mikayla Novak, Economic Record"Excellently written, full of examples and studies I hadn't previously encountered, and I learned a lot."---Tim Harford"[The Technology Trap] is a reminder that the future of work depends on policy choices. It is well worth reading."---Ravi Venkatesan, Book Review Literacy Trust"A . . . danger is that Luddite efforts to avoid the short-term costs associated with a new technology will end up denying access to its long-term benefits—something Carl Benedikt Frey, an Oxford academic, calls a 'technology trap'." * The Economist *"Excellent."---Masood Ahmed, CGD Policy Blog"Magisterial."---Chris Gibbons, Acumen"Frey’s observations and detailed historical analysis are useful for even those of us who cling to a more optimistic view of the long run."---Micheal Munger, Law & Liberty"[A] historical odyssey."---Jane Humphries and Benjamin Schneider, Project Syndicate"Frey provides a longue durée examination of the economic, social, and political interplay that drives technological change. Careful, erudite, elegantly written, and full of insight, the book sets the current overwrought debate about automation and AI on a firm contextualized footing."---Jayati Ghosh, Project Syndicate"Frey’s book is a history with a policy purpose . . . the book reveals an enormous scope of reading."---Kenneth Lipartito, American Historical Review"I was hugely impressed by this well-researched book, which provides a fascinating historical analysis of the interplay between government policy and technical change around the world. At the same time, it provides clues about how similar dynamics may shape the ongoing wave of automation, and what that might mean for wealth distribution within and among countries."---Sami Mahroum, Project Syndicate"Even when we learned enough about how the world works to change and manipulate it — to disrupt the status quo — stasis had its defenders. And it still does today. So many historical examples of this in the great 2019 book, The Technology Trap."---James Pethokoukis, AEI"The Technology Trap offers a rich account of the history of automation. . . . If anything, the corona-crisis has made this 2019 publication even more relevant. The lockdowns will likely accelerate automation in the workplace, and in the wake of the resulting economic decline and rising unemployment, questions around jobs and automation will become more politically fraught than they had been up to now."---Justin Nogarede, The Progressive Post"’The Technology Trap’ . . . made me look at the industrial revolution, invention, sleeping beauties, contexts and the forces that shape our societies differently. . . . Techies and economists love to point out that the textile machines the Luddites opposed in the 19th century brought greater prosperity to all — but it took three generations before the benefits kicked in, and there was a lot of pain and suffering in the meantime. And as Frey points out, history is made in the short term."---David Byrne, New York Times Book Review"A powerful historical synthesis on the question of the relationship between man and machine." * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe Ethics of Artificial Intelligence develops the theses that AI is an unprecedented divorce between agency and intelligence and, on this basis, that AI as a new form of agency can be harnessed ethically and unethically. Luciano Floridi argues in favour of a marriage between the Green of environmentalism and the Blue of our digital technologies.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Part One: Understanding AI 1: Past: the Emergence of AI 2: Present: AI as a New Form of Agency, Not Intelligence 3: Future: the Foreseeable Development of AI Part Two: Evaluating AI 4: A Unified Framework of Ethical Principles for AI 5: From Principles to Practices: the Risks of being Unethical 6: Soft Ethics and the Governance of AI 7: Mapping the Ethics of Algorithms 8: Bad Practices: the Misuse of AI for Social Evil 9: Good Practices: the Proper Use of AI for Social Good 10: How to Deliver a Good AI Society: Some Recommendations 11: The Gambit: AI Impact on Climate Change 12: AI and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 13: Conclusion: the Green and the Blue Bibliography

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Book SynopsisSince its introduction in 2009, Bitcoin has been widely promoted as a digital currency that will revolutionize everything from online commerce to the nation-state. Yet supporters of Bitcoin and its blockchain technology subscribe to a form of cyberlibertarianism that depends to a surprising extent on far-right political thought. The Politics of Bitcoin exposes how much of the economic and political thought on which this cryptocurrency is based emerges from ideas that travel the gamut, from Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises to Federal Reserve conspiracy theorists.Forerunners: Ideas First is a thought-in-process series of breakthrough digital publications. Written between fresh ideas and finished books, Forerunners draws on scholarly work initiated in notable blogs, social media, conference plenaries, journal articles, and the synergy of academic exchange. This is gray literature publishing: where intense thinking, change, and speculation take place in scholarship.Trade Review"Golumbia, in his small but important way, is helping wake us to the falsity of our perceived neutrality."—One Flew East"This book is a very readable and valuable monograph which combines sound historical research with insightful analysis. All concerned citizens should read this book, which is an essential resource for understanding the true stakes of current technological hyperbole."—Newsclick"Golumbia a le mérite de s’attaquer à des idées qui ne sont pas suffisamment remises en question dans les communautés de la cryptomonnaie et des technologies de chaînes concertées. J’en recommande fortement la lecture à quiconque s’interroge sur les impacts de ces technologies sur nos sociétés."—D’un bloc à l’autre

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Book SynopsisOur gadgets are getting smarter. Technology can log what we buy, customize what we consume and enable us to save and share every aspect of our existence. In the future, we''re told, it will even make public life - from how we''re governed to how we record crime - better. But can the digital age fix everything? Should it? By quantifying our behaviour, Evgeny Morozov argues, we are profoundly reshaping society - and risk losing the opacity and imperfection that make us human.Trade ReviewIf you've ever had the niggling feeling, as you spoon down your google, that there's no such thing as a free lunch, Morozov's book will tell you how you might end up paying for it -- Brian EnoA clear voice of reason and critical thinking in the middle of today's neomania -- Nassim Taleb, author of 'The Black Swan'

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Book SynopsisFreakonomics for our modern online lives from the world's leading cyberpsychologist and inspiration for CSI Cyber, Mary Aiken.Trade ReviewIf you have children, stop what you are doing and pick up a copy of The Cyber Effect, a fascinating book that explores how human behaviour changes online * THE TIMES *Really good... Our lives are changing and human ­behaviour is evolving because people act differently when they are interacting with technology, says the cyberpsychologist Mary Aiken. She explains why studying our online identities is fascinating - and frightening... * OBSERVER *Fact Not Fiction BOOK CHOICE * RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB *BEST SCIENCE PICK OF THE WEEK * NATURE *A Freakonomics for our online lives...With great clarity and insight, Aiken investigates the effect of technology on human behaviour * THE BOOKSELLER, Books to Watch *From online dating to Pokémon GO, our lives are merging with tech. It's the cyber-effect * LONDON EVENING STANDARD *Aiken is popularly known as the inspiration for the TV crime drama CSI: Cyber. In The Cyber Effect, she offers a fresh voice and a uniquely compelling perspective that draws from the murky, fascinating depths of her criminal case file - an expert on human behavior in the cyber-realm * WASHINGTON POST *Aiken really hits her stride in three central chapters covering the impact of digital technology on children and young people. Here she makes a powerful case for the view that our society has been criminally negligent in the way it puts children in the harm's way of digital technology * GUARDIAN *It is of some comfort to me to know that I am not alone in my Cassandra-like warnings about the outlaw Internet. "We cannot stand by passively and watch the cyber experiment play out," Aiken warns. "In human terms, to wait is to allow for the worst outcomes." I could not have said it better. * HUFFINGTON POST *Having worked with law enforcement groups from Interpol and Europol as well as the U.S. government, Aiken knows firsthand how today's digital tools can be exploited by criminals lurking in the Internet's Dark Net * NEWSWEEK *Obesity, aggression, developmental delays: what tablets and mobiles are doing to our children...Dr Aiken says children are being 'catapulted' into cyberspace before they are psychologically capable of making sense of it * TELEGRAPH *Aiken does a good job of pulling together the main charges against the internet . . . this book is fascinating . . . the result is a book that is extremely useful and well researched -- 28.06.2016 * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *

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Book SynopsisA history of information from its inception in the world to its transformation of culture. Drawing on the history of ideas, details of information technology, and boundaries of the human condition, this text explains the relationship between things and signs, and between reality and information.

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Book SynopsisA shocking look at the ways governments and organisations track and control us and the ways we can fight back.Trade Review"In "Data and Goliath" Bruce Schneier, a computer-security expert, does a fine job of laying out the problems caused by this compulsive collection of personal data...Some recent books on digital privacy have been written by journalists, with an emphasis on sugary narrative instead of original analysis. This one comes from a practitioner, and offers a deep but accessible look at surveillance in the post-Snowden, big-data era." -- The Economist"Bruce Schneier...grasps this revolution's true dimensions...Schneier paints a picture of the big-data revolution that is dark, but compelling; one in which the conveniences of our digitized world have devalued privacy." -- Nature"He [Schneier] is passionate about the subject—and he shows exactly why and how it matters. The combination of qualitative analysis and detailed examples is compelling and the conclusions are stark. Surveillance matters, and not just at a theoretical level. Schneier shows how it causes damage even when it's used "properly", and also offers examples of how it can be and is abused. And he is at his best when demolishing the case for mass surveillance from a security perspective: it's here that his expertise really kicks in. His understanding of encryption, cyberattacks and vulnerabilities, and his ability to explain them in a relatively accessible way, is impressive and admirable." -- Times Higher Education"...excellent new book…" -- The Observer"...important book..." -- New Internationalist

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Book SynopsisBusiness rules management system (BRMS) is a software tools that work alongside enterprise IT applications. It enables enterprises to automate decision-making processes typically consisting of separate business rules authoring and rules execution applications. This proposed title brings together the following key ideas in modern enterprise system development best practice. The need for service-oriented architecture (SOA). How the former depends on component-based development (CBD). Database-centred approaches to business rules (inc. GUIDES). Knowledge-based approaches to business rules. Using patterns to design and develop business rules management systems Ian Graham is an industry consultant with over 20 years. He is recognized internationally as an authority on business modelling, object-oriented software development methods and expert systems. He has a significant public presence, being associated with bothTable of ContentsForeword. Preface. 1 Aligning IT with Business. 1.1 Historical Background. 1.2 What are Business Rules? 1.3 What is Business Rules Management? 1.4 Why use a Business Rules Management System? 1.5 The Benefits. 1.6 Summary. 1.7 Bibliographical Notes. 2 Service Oriented Architecture and Software Components. 2.1 Service Oriented Architecture and Business Rules. 2.2 Service Implementation using Components. 2.3 Agents and Rules. 2.4 Service Oriented Architecture andWeb Services. 2.5 Adoption Strategies. 2.6 Summary. 2.7 Bibliographical Notes. 3 Approaches to Business Rules. 3.1 Database-centric Approaches. 3.2 GUIDE and the Business Rules Group. 3.3 Using UML and OCL to Express Rules. 3.4 Business Rules Management Systems and Expert Systems. 3.5 Other Developments. 3.6 Standards, Directions and Trends. 3.7 Summary. 3.8 Bibliographical Notes. 4 Business Rules Management Technology and Terminology. 4.1 Rules and Other Forms of Knowledge Representation. 4.2 Knowledge and Inference. 4.3 Inference in Business Rules Management Systems. 4.4 Data Mining and Rule Induction. 4.5 Techniques for Representing Rules. 4.6 Uncertainty Management. 4.7 Ontology and Epistemology: the Rˆole of Object Modelling in. Natural Language Processing. 4.8 Summary. 4.9 Bibliographical Notes. 5 Features of Business Rules Management Systems. 5.1 The Components and Technical Features of a BRMS. 5.2 BRMS Products. 5.3 A Simple Application. 5.4 Usability Issues. 5.5 Summary. 5.6 Bibliographical Notes. 6 Development Methods. 6.1 Knowledge Acquisition and Analysis. 6.2 System Development. 6.3 Halle’s Guidelines. 6.4 Rule Style Guidance. 6.5 Summary. 6.6 Bibliographical Notes. 7 A Pattern Language for BRMS Development. 7.1 What are Patterns? 7.2 Why a Pattern Language? 7.3 The RulePatterns Language – Part I. 7.4 The RulePatterns Language – Part II. 7.5 Related Patterns and Pattern Languages. APPENDICES. A The Business Rules Manifesto. B A Simple Method for Evaluating BRMS Products. References and Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisIn You are Not a Gadget digital guru and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier reveals how the internet is deadening personal interaction, stifling genuine inventiveness and even changing us as people. Something went wrong around the start of the twenty-first century. The crowd was wise. Social networks replaced individual creativity. There were more places to express ourselves than ever before... yet no one really had anything to say. Does this have to be our future? Showing us the way to a future where individuals mean more than machines, this is a searing manifesto against mass mediocrity, a creative call to arms - and an impassioned defence of the human. ''A provocative and sure-to-be-controversial book ... Lucid, powerful and persuasive''  The New York Times ''There is hardly a page that does not contain some fascinating provocation''   Guardian ''Short and frighteniTrade ReviewFabulous - I couldn't put it down and shouted out Yes! Yes! on many pages . . . This is a landmark book that will have people talking and arguing for years into the future. * Lee Smolin *Lucid, powerful and persuasive . . . Necessary reading for anyone interested in how the Web and the software we use every day are reshaping culture and the marketplace * Michiko Kakutani, New York Times *There is hardly a page that does not contain some fascinating provocation * Guardian *Mind-bending, exuberant, brilliant * Washington Post *A pioneer in the development of virtual reality and a Silicon Valley veteran, Mr. Lanier is a digital-world insider concerned with the effect that online collectivism and the current enshrinement of "the wisdom of the crowd" is having on artists, intellectual property rights and the larger social and cultural landscape. In taking on such issues, he's written an illuminating book that is as provocative as it is impassioned. -- Michiko Kakutani's Top 10 Books of the Year 2010 * New York Times *In the world of technologists, Jaron Lanier is that rare combination: a pioneer and a skeptic. A legendary computer scientist, he did crucial early work in the field of virtual reality (the phrase is his). But he now recoils at the way Web 2.0 and social media sell us short as human beings, both in our relationships and in our sense of who we are. In purposeful, reasoned steps, always informed by a profound understanding of how software really works, he lays out his vision of where it all went wrong and champions the power of the human brain in an age of ever smarter machines. -- Lev Grossman * Time Magazine Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2010 *

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Book SynopsisAn unflinching look at the aspiring city-builders of our smart, mobile, connected future.Trade Review"Townsend's interest in smart cities is more than merely technological: he offers an entertaining history of urban planning's visionaries and villains, the technological breakthroughs and the spectacular failures that brought us to this crossroads." -- New Scientist"Anthony Townsend's terrific book looks at the historic relationship of urban and industrial development to new technologies." -- Architecture Today"How tomorrow's open spaces evolve cannot be known but armed with this book, the reader will be bang up to date with who's who in the smart city boom, and what's happening where." -- Engineering & Technology"... fascinating stories of urban renewal and innovation from around the globe and packaged... into lessons that are neat and digestible." -- Slate

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Book SynopsisDigital Playgrounds explores the key developments, trends, debates, and controversies that have shaped children’s commercial digital play spaces over the past two decades. It argues that children’s online playgrounds, virtual worlds, and connected games are much more than mere sources of fun and diversion they serve as the sites of complex negotiations of power between children, parents, developers, politicians, and other actors with a stake in determining what, how, and where children’s play unfolds. Through an innovative, transdisciplinary framework combining science and technology studies, critical communication studies, and children’s cultural studies, Digital Playgrounds focuses on the contents and contexts of actual technological artefacts as a necessary entry point for understanding the meanings and politics of children’s digital play. The discussion draws on several research studies on a wide range of digital playgTrade Review"In framing the implications of her inquiry around questions of children’s rights, Grimes’ work models the attention that these topics warrant and highlights the urgent stakes of children’s online play. This book charts a history and a theoretical framework that establishes a new and higher bar for children’s media research. It is a foundational text in contemporary children’s media studies and will remain so for the foreseeable future." -- Meredith A. Bak, Rutgers University-Camden * Media Industries Journal *Table of ContentsIntroduction Digitizing Playgrounds and Technologizing Play What This Book Is About Why Looking Back Helps Us Move Forward Building a Children’s Technology Studies Framework Chapter Overview 1. The Importance of Digital Play Conflicting Views of Children’s Play Conflicting Views of Mediated Play Licensed Toys and Media Supersystems Digital Game Controversies and Dichotomies Dangerous Games and Risky Gamers Games for “Good” Girls Bad Game(r)s, Good Game(r)s Moving Forward Looking at “Stuff” and Structures Resituating Children’s Play Conclusion 2. Small Worlds and Walled Gardens A Brief History of Children’s Digital Playgrounds Online Games: Portals, Arcades, and Environments, 2003–2005 Neopets The Virtual World Boom, 2005–2008 Design Trends and Disparities Beyond the Computer Screen Web-Enabled Consoles Connected Games Go Mobile Toys-to-Life and Cross-Platform Games Conclusion 3. Commercializing Play(grounds) Revisiting Supersystems and Structures Texts and Contexts Affordances and Design Limitations Commercializing Gameplay The Velvet Rope Cross-Promotion and Branding Immersive Third-Party Advertising Brand Ambassadors When Stories, Designs, and Commercial Priorities Align Conclusion 4. From Rules of Play to Censorship The Primacy of Rules in Digital Games Design(ed) Rules Written Rules, Rulebooks, and Codes of Conduct Who Follows the Rules Anyway? Why Breaking Rules Is Important Negotiating Encoded Rules Children Bending, but Not Breaking, the Rules Ice Goths and BarbieBoys Flash Mobs and Copycats Playing in the Margins of Manoeuvre Conclusion 5. Safety First, Privacy Later Children’s Data and Privacy The COPPA Rule Revised Reframing Privacy Protections as Safety Mechanisms Privacy Policies “Safety” by Design Safety as a Key Selling Point Freedom of Expression as a Collateral Cost of Safety Secret Spaces and “Unsafe” Places Unsafe and Risky Play Conclusion 6. Playing as Making and Creating Playing and Making Digital Games Children’s Literacy, Agency, and Cultural Rights Terms of Service, Terms of Play Who Owns Children’s Content in Digital Playgrounds? New Creative Opportunities, Same Old Terms User Rights in Minecraft Fandom and Fair Use as Consumer Practice Conclusion 7. The Politics of Children’s Digital Play Where We Are, and How We Got Here The (Four) Problems with Digital Playgrounds Privacy, Secrets, and Selfhood Censorship and Freedom of Expression Ownership, Authorship, and Copyright Commercial Content and Control The Digital Playground as Public Sphere Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAfter a decade designing technologies meant to address education, health, and global poverty, award-winning computer scientist Kentaro Toyama came to a difficult conclusion: Even in an age of amazing technology, social progress depends on human changes that gadgets can't deliver.Computers in Bangalore are locked away in dusty cabinets because teachers don't know what to do with them. Mobile phone apps meant to spread hygiene practices in Africa fail to improve health. Executives in Silicon Valley evangelize novel technologies at work even as they send their children to Waldorf schools that ban electronics. And four decades of incredible innovation in America have done nothing to turn the tide of rising poverty and inequality. Why then do we keep hoping that technology will solve our greatest social ills?In this incisive book, Toyama cures us of the manic rhetoric of digital utopians and reinvigorates us with a deeply people-centric view of social change. Contrasting the outlandish claims of tech zealots with stories of people like Patrick Awuah, a Microsoft millionaire who left his engineering job to open Ghana's first liberal arts university, and Tara Sreenivasa, a graduate of a remarkable South Indian school that takes impoverished children into the high-tech offices of Goldman Sachs and Mercedes-Benz, Geek Heresy is a heartwarming reminder that it's human wisdom, not machines, that move our world forward.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2016 PROSE Award in Business, Finance & Management "It is notable...when a techie insider steps outside the tent to chastise his tribe at book length -- and has the gall to both criticize and dedicate the book to his former boss, Bill Gates. Kentaro Toyama, a computer scientist who once ran a lab for Microsoft Research, seems determined to burn his bridge to the technology world with Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology... The book takes a spike-studded tire iron to the efforts by technology entrepreneurs and their enablers to reimagine how we eat, learn, heal, govern and battle poverty."--Anand Giridharadas, New York Times "In this incisive book, Toyama cures us of the manic rhetoric of digital utopians and reinvigorates us with a deeply people-centric view of social change. ...Geek Heresy is a heartwarming reminder that it's human wisdom, not machines, that move our world forward." --National Geographic Online "Everyone working in any facet of education and educational nonprofits needs to read Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change From the Cult of Technology; put down whatever other books you're reading--you are reading, right?--and get a copy of this one." --Seliger & Associates "Toyama lays down eloquently his bone of contention that technology merely amplifies the human condition." --New Indian Express "Toyama's research reminds us that there are very few one-size-fits-all solutions. If technology is going to improve the lives of the world's poorest, it must be grounded in a deep understanding of human behavior and an appreciation for cultural differences." --Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation "Read this book! With engaging stories and penetrating insight, Toyama reveals that even the most powerful technologies can't cure our social ills, and he inspires us toward a more deeply human kind of progress."--Ben Mezrich, author of Accidental Billionaires "Controversial yet inspiring...Geek Heresy is a must read for anyone who is passionate about social change...Everyone from field staff and managers to researchers and funders will benefit from his unique perspective; geeks and non-geeks, alike. Finally, we have a book that can help temper our technology addiction with an approach guided by critical thought and practical application."--Global South Development Magazine

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Book SynopsisHow does a computer scientist understand infinity? What can probability theory teach us about free will? Can mathematical notions be used to enhance one's personal understanding of the Bible? This book contains six informal lectures by computer scientist Donald E. Knuth exploring the relationship between his vocation and his faith, revealing the unique perspective that his work with computing has lent to his understanding of God. Knuth's starting point is his 3:16 project, an application of mathematical "random sampling" to the books of the Bible. The first lectures tell the story of the project's conception and execution, exploring the complex dimensions of language translation, aesthetics, and theological history. Knuth also reveals the many insights that he has gained along the way from such interdisciplinary work. The theological musings culminate in a final lecture which tackles infinity, free will, and the other "big questions" that lie at the juncture of theology and computation. Each lecture ends with a question and answer exchange.

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Book SynopsisTechGnosis is a cult classic of media studies that straddles the line between academic discourse and popular culture; it appeals to both those secular and spiritual, to fans of cyberpunk and hacker literature and culture as much as new-thought adherents and spiritual seekers How does our fascination with technology intersect with the religious imagination? In TechGnosis—a cult classic now updated and reissued with a new afterword—Erik Davis argues that while the realms of the digital and the spiritual may seem worlds apart, esoteric and religious impulses have in fact always permeated (and sometimes inspired) technological communication. Davis uncovers startling connections between such seemingly disparate topics as electricity and alchemy; online roleplaying games and religious and occult practices; virtual reality and gnostic mythology; programming languages and Kabbalah. The final chapters address the apocalyptic dreams that haunt technology, providing vital historical context as well as new ways to think about a future defined by the mutant intermingling of mind and machine, nightmare and fantasy.

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Book SynopsisTerms and phrases such as the global village and the medium is the message are now part of the lexicon, and McLuhan''s theories continue to challenge our sensibilities and our assumptions about how and what we communicate.This reissue of Understanding Media marks the thirtieth anniversary (1964-1994) of Marshall McLuhan''s classic expose on the state of the then emerging phenomenon of mass media. Terms and phrases such as the global village and the medium is the message are now part of the lexicon, and McLuhan''s theories continue to challenge our sensibilities and our assumptions about how and what we communicate.There has been a notable resurgence of interest in McLuhan''s work in the last few years, fueled by the recent and continuing conjunctions between the cable companies and the regional phone companies, the appearance of magazines such as WiRed, and the development of new media models and information ecologies, many of which were spawned from MIT''s Media Lab. In effect, media now begs to be redefined. In a new introduction to this edition of Understanding Media, Harper''s editor Lewis Lapham reevaluates McLuhan''s work in the light of the technological as well as the political and social changes that have occurred in the last part of this century.

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Book SynopsisAn anthropological account of how rankings, statistics and numbers are reshaping the world we live inTrade Review'A new and compelling argument for why so many institutions continue to be spellbound by rankings and metrics - despite the cultural carnage they cause in schools, hospitals, universities, corporations and governmental agencies. How can we halt this 'death by audit' craze that has swept through modern society like a deadly virus? In this thought provoking book, the authors develop a radical agenda that will strike fear into number-loving technocrats around the world.' -- Peter Fleming, author of 'Dark Academia: How Universities Die''If you want to go and see a film, choose a university or find the best restaurant, you are likely to consult some sort of ranking ... In this timely work, Shore and Wright ask us to question this contemporary common sense and the market managerialism that lies behind it. Can we imagine a world without audit, one in which our choices are not counted, and trust does not rely on numbers?' -- Professor Martin Parker, University of Bristol Business School'The expansion of audits, indicators and rankings has become a pressing issue for governance and democracy. Cris Shore and Susan Wright build on decades of work to provide a powerful and definitive critical diagnosis of the effects of this audit culture on individuals, public organisations and society. Their book should be essential reading for scholars and policy makers.' -- Michael Power, Professor of Accounting, London School of Economics and Political Science'A visionary book. Two anthropologists piece together a global jigsaw: how for 25 years practices of accountability have been transforming almost every aspect of organisational and personal life. A brilliantly lucid, vigorously argued critique, clear-eyed about the structures that undermine us.' -- Marilyn Strathern, Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsList of Figures Abbreviations Acknowledgements Series Preface Preface 1. Introduction: Audit Culture and the New World (Dis)Order 2. Rankings as Populist Project: Governing by Numbers and Hollowing out Democracy 3. The Big Four Accountancy Firms and the Evolution of Contemporary Capitalism 4. Global Governance through Standards, Seduction and Soft Power 5. Metrics, Managerialism and Market Making: Unlocking Value in Healthcare 6. Reforming Higher Education: The Kafkaesque Pursuit of ‘World Class’ Status 7. The New Subjects of Audit: Performance Management and Quantified Selves 8. Conclusion: Repurposing Audit – Restoring Trust, Accountability and Democracy Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAn eye-opening look at the new computer revolution and the coming transformation of our economy, society, and culture.

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Book SynopsisHal Abelson is Class of 1922 Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at MIT, and an IEEE Fellow. He has helped drive innovative educational technology initiatives such MIT OpenCourseWare, co-founded Creative Commons and Public Knowledge, and was founding director of the Free Software Foundation. Ken Ledeen, Chairman/CEO of Nevo Technologies, is a serial entrepreneur who has served on the boards of numerous technology companies. Harry Lewis, former Dean of Harvard College and of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is Gordon McKay Research Professor of Computer Science at Harvard and Faculty Associate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. He is author of Excellence Without a Soul: Does Liberal Education Have a Future? and editor of Ideas that Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science. Wendy Seltzer is Counsel and Strategy Lead at the World Wide Web CTable of ContentsPreface xvii Chapter 1 Digital Explosion Why Is It Happening, and What Is at Stake? 1 The Explosion of Bits, and Everything Else 4 The Koans of Bits 7 Good and Ill, Promise and Peril 17 Endnotes 19 Chapter 2 Naked in the Sunlight Privacy Lost, Privacy Abandoned 21 1984 Is Here, and We Like It 21 Location, Location, Location 27 Big Brother, Abroad and in the United States 32 The Internet of Things 42 Endnotes 48 Chapter 3 Who Owns Your Privacy? The Commercialization of Personal Data 51 What Kind of Vegetable Are You? 51 Footprints and Fingerprints 57 Fair Information Practice Principles 64 Always On 70 Endnotes 71 Chapter 4 Gatekeepers Who's in Charge Here? 75 Who Controls the Flow of Bits? 75 The Open Internet? 76 Connecting the Dots: Designed for Sharing and Survival 79 The Internet Has No Gatekeepers? 85 Links Gatekeepers: Getting Connected 86 Search Gatekeepers: If You Can't Find It, Does It Exist? 94 Social Gatekeepers: Known by the Company You Keep 104 Endnotes 112 Chapter 5 Secret Bits How Codes Became Unbreakable 117 Going Dark 117 Historical Cryptography 122 Lessons for the Internet Age 131 Secrecy Changes Forever 135 Cryptography Unsettled 147 Endnotes 148 Chapter 6 Balance Toppled Who Owns the Bits? 153 Stealing Music 153 Automated Crimes, Automated Justice 155 The Peer-to-Peer Upheaval 160 No Commercial Skipping 167 Authorized Use Only 168 Forbidden Technology 172 Copyright Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance 177 The Limits of Property 183 Endnotes 187 Chapter 7 You Can't Say That on the Internet Guarding the Frontiers of Digital Expression 193 Child Sex Trafficking Goes Digital 193 Publisher or Distributor? 198 Protecting Good Samaritans—and a Few Bad Ones 205 Digital Protection, Digital Censorship, and Self-Censorship 215 What About Social Media? 219 Takedowns 221 Endnotes 222 Chapter 8 Bits in the Air Old Metaphors, New Technologies, and Free Speech 227 Censoring the Candidate 227 How Broadcasting Became Regulated 228 The Path to Spectrum Deregulation 241 The Most Beautiful Inventor in the World 245 What Does the Future Hold for Radio? 255 Endnotes 261 Chapter 9 The Next Frontier AI and the Bits World of the Future 265 Thrown Under a Jaywalking Bus 266 What's Intelligent About Artificial Intelligence? 267 Machine Learning: I'll Figure It Out 268 Algorithmic Decisions: I Thought Only People Could Do That 273 What's Next 277 Bits Lighting Up the World 282 A Few Bits in Conclusion 287 Endnotes 288 Index 293

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Book SynopsisDoes Silicon Valley deserve all the credit for digital creativity and social media? Joy Rankin questions this triumphalism by revisiting a pre-PC time when schools were not the last stop for mature consumer technologies but flourishing sites of innovative collaboration—when users taught computers and visionaries dreamed of networked access for all.Trade ReviewA powerful and densely detailed account of how digital culture in the 1960s and ’70s shaped our contemporary experiences of technology as a tool for social connection…As Rankin’s analysis shows, racism and misogyny played a part in molding digital culture from its inception. * The Nation *Compellingly recasts people’s computing as one of networked belonging, intimacy, and coterie. In doing so, Rankin restores a crucial forgotten 10-year period between mainframe and personal computing, chronicling a history of networked belonging and user culture well before Jobs and the Woz rolled out Apple I…Rankin’s book is interested in how students and their teachers worked at the margins to elaborate varying notions of computer citizenship…She deepens the account of computing in all its problems. -- Hannah Zeavin * Los Angeles Review of Books *Obviously inspired by Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, Joy Lisi Rankin’s book positions itself as a corrective to what she calls ‘Silicon Valley mythology.’ -- Marta Figlerowicz * Public Books *Highly recommended… Rankin’s study offers insight into some of the unsung pioneers of personal computing—namely, the teachers and students who were using computers to program poems, build games, exchange messages, and build online communities back in the 1960s to 1970s… A fascinating historical account of early experiments in online learning and edtech. -- Cait Etherington * ElearningInside News *Provides enough evidence to bury the Silicon Valley Myth…Rankin’s study is a major revision of our understanding of the history of computing as well as our assumptions about the relationship between the general public and technological development. The book is also a delight to read. -- Josh Specht * Australian Book Review *Digital computers were brought to us by their inventors, a story frequently told. The digital revolution, in contrast, was brought to us by computer users, and that story—as vividly narrated by Joy Rankin in A People’s History of Computing in the United States—deserves to be better known. -- George Dyson, author of Turing’s Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital UniverseA fascinating story of personal and social computing long before the advent of personal computers, the internet, and social media. A compelling challenge to the traditional male-dominated narrative of the importance of personal computers and ARPANET in laying the groundwork for today’s digital world. -- Maria Klawe, President of Harvey Mudd CollegeWe’re familiar with the story of an American computing culture created by great men—geniuses and mavericks. Very rarely have we heard about exceptional women who made significant contributions to hardware and software development. A People’s History of Computing in the United States subverts that old story and takes us into the homes, classrooms, and offices of ordinary Americans—girls and boys, women and men—who built an extraordinary, vibrant digital culture long before the arrival of the PC in the 1980s. The girls (and boys) who code today are the successors to the democratic computing culture that once thrived in this country. -- Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who CodeIf you’re interested in computing’s present, then this is one of the books you need to read about its past… Kudos to Joy Rankin on this timely, relevant new release. -- Marie Hicks, author of Programmed Inequality

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Book SynopsisA Financial Times 'Best Thing I Read This Year' LONGLISTED FOR THE FT & MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDGoogle. Amazon. Facebook. The modern world is defined by vast digital monopolies turning ever-larger profits. Those of us who consume the content that feeds them are farmed for the purposes of being sold ever more products and advertising. Those that create the content – the artists, writers and musicians – are finding they can no longer survive in this unforgiving economic landscape. But it didn’t have to be this way. In Move Fast and Break Things, Jonathan Taplin offers a succinct and powerful history of how online life began to be shaped around the values of the entrepreneurs like Peter Thiel and Larry Page who founded these all-powerful companies. Their unprecedented growth came at the heavy cost of tolerating piracy of books, music and film, while at the same time promoting opaque business practices and subordinating the privacy of individual users to create the surveillance marketing monoculture in which we now live.It is the story of a massive reallocation of revenue in which $50 billion a year has moved from the creators and owners of content to the monopoly platforms. With this reallocation of money comes a shift in power. Google, Facebook and Amazon now enjoy political power on par with Big Oil and Big Pharma, which in part explains how such a tremendous shift in revenues from creators to platforms could have been achieved and why it has gone unchallenged for so long.And if you think that’s got nothing to do with you, their next move is to come after your jobs. Move Fast and Break Things is a call to arms, to say that is enough is enough and to demand that we do everything in our power to create a different future.Trade ReviewTaplin wields his axe mercilessly...by the end of this book you will agree with Taplin that the tech firms are abusing their monopoly power to rip us off and debase our culture - breaking the world as he sees it...It is time for consumers to break back. This manifesto is a punchy start. * The Sunday Times *A bracing, unromantic account of how the internet was captured…Move Fast and Break Things is a timely and useful book * The Observer *Taplin is angry as hell about the immense size and power of the tech giants, and has a compelling pitch for why we should all be worried too * The Evening Standard *Comprehensive…Where Taplin excels is by putting all this into the context of the changing global economy * The Times *A new analysis of the dark side of the digital revolution...Taplin goes beyond familiar critiques * Financial Times *Taplin’s sense of outrage is palpable and his case is often compelling * The Guardian *A radical remedy * The Economist *A nuanced look at the downside of what is glibly tossed around as "disruption" by various cyber-messianic blowhards. Taplin is hunting big game; it is his contention that the giants of the cyberworld-from Google to Amazon-are threats to the fundamental foundations of democracy and that they also cement inequality into our systems in new and dangerous ways * Esquire *Jonathan Taplin's Move Fast and Break Things argues that the radical libertarian ideology and monopolistic greed of many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs helped to decimate the livelihoods of musicians and is now undermining the communal idealism of the early internet * Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review *Mr Taplin brings an informed perspective to his task * Wall Street Journal *Jonathan Taplin's new book could not be more timely. Twenty years after the initial euphoria of the Web, ten years after the invention of social media, it's time to stop breaking things and start thinking seriously about the new habitat we're creating. Move Fast and Break Things provides a blueprint for a future that humans can live in * Frank Rose, author of The Art of Immersion *Move Fast and Break Things goes on my bookshelf beside a few other indispensable signposts in the maze of life in the 21st Century--The Technological Society by Jacques Ellul, The Image by Daniel Boorstin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin, The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan, The Media Monopoly by Ben Bagdikian, Christ and the Media by Malcolm Muggeridge, and Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. I pray the deepest and highest prayer I can get to that this clarion warning is heeded. The survival of our species is at stake * T Bone Burnett, Oscar-Winning Songwriter, soundtrack and record producer *Jonathan Taplin's Move Fast and Break Things, a rock and roll memoir cum internet history cum artists' manifesto, provides a bracing antidote to corporate triumphalism - and a reminder that musicians and writers need a place at the tech table and, more to the point, a way to make a decent living * Jeffrey Toobin, author of American Heiress *A powerful argument for reducing inequality and revolutionizing how we use the Web for the benefit of the many rather than the few * Kirkus Review *Jonathan Taplin, more than anyone I know, can articulate the paralyzing complexities that have arisen from the intertwining of the tech and music industries. He counters the catastrophic implications for musicians with solutions and inspiration for a renaissance. He shows the way for artists to reclaim and reinvent subversion, rather than be in servitude to Big Tech. Every musician and every creator should read this book. * Rosanne Cash, Grammy-winning Singer and Songwriter *An absolute must-read for anyone who wants to gain a little savvy in the internet era * Newsweek *Insightful.... Taplin provides a keen, thorough look at the present and future of Americans' lives as influenced and manipulated by the technological behemoths on which they've come to depend. His work is certainly food for thought * Publishers Weekly *A breakthrough, must-read book… a tour de force—a compelling, story-driven work focusing on the handful of men who have shaped and essentially taken over the massive tech industry. Along the way, Taplin tells his own personal story with charm and insight. If you want to understand what has happened to our country and where tech will take us in the era of Trump, put aside some time to read this book. It will take your breath away * Alternet *Jonathan Taplin's excellent new book explains exactly how Google, Facebook and Amazon are undermining democratic institutions, accelerating the rise of oligarchy...and destroying both cultural and economic opportunities for millions of people. * The Chicago Tribune *

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Book Synopsis''Do I wish to keep up with the times? No. My wish simply is to live my life as fully as I can''The great American poet, novelist and environmental activist argues for a life lived slowly.Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

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Book SynopsisThe ‘smart city’ is often promoted as a technology-driven solution to complex urban issues. While commentators are increasingly critical of techno-optimistic narratives, the political imagination is dominated by claims that technical solutions can be uniformly applied to intractable problems. This book provides a much-needed alternative view, exploring how ‘home-grown’ digital disruption, driven and initiated by local actors, upends the mainstream corporate narrative. Drawing on original research conducted in a range of urban African settings, Odendaal shows how these initiatives can lead to meaningful change. This is a valuable resource for scholars working in the intersection of science and technology studies, urban and economic geography and sociology.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Fantasies, Hope and Compelling Narratives The Expansive Nature of Platforms Hacking Mobility Digital Food Dialogues Cyborg Activism Platform Practices and the Public Imagination Conclusion: On Understanding Situated Platform Urbanism

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Book SynopsisA New York Times bestselling author and tech columnist's counter-intuitive guide to staying relevant - and employable - in the machine age by becoming irreplaceably human.It's not a future scenario any more. We've been taught that to compete with automation and AI, we'll have to become more like the machines themselves, building up technical skills like coding. But, there's simply no way to keep up. What if all the advice is wrong? And what do we need to do instead to become futureproof?We tend to think of automation as a blue-collar phenomenon that will affect truck drivers, factory workers, and other people with repetitive manual jobs. But it's much, much broader than that. Lawyers are being automated out of existence. Last year, JPMorgan Chase built a piece of software called COIN, which uses machine learning to review complicated contracts and documents. It used to take the firm's lawyers more than 300,000 hours every year to review all of those documents. Now, it takes a few seconds, and requires just one human to run the program. Doctors are being automated out of existence, too. Last summer, a Chinese tech company built a deep learning algorithm that diagnosed brain cancer and other diseases faster and more accurately than a team of 15 top Chinese doctors.Kevin Roose has spent the past few years studying the question of how people, communities, and organisations adapt to periods of change, from the Industrial Revolution to the present. And the insight that is sweeping through Silicon Valley as we speak -- that in an age dominated by machines, it's human skills that really matter - is one of the more profound and counter-intuitive ideas he's discovered. It's the antidote to the doom-and-gloom worries many people feel when they think about AI and automation. And it's something everyone needs to hear.In nine accessible, prescriptive chapters, Roose distills what he has learned about how we will survive the future, that the way to become futureproof is to become incredibly, irreplaceably human.Trade ReviewA concise, insightful and sophisticated guide to maintaining humane values in an age of new machines -- The New York Times Book ReviewWhile we need to rewrite the rules of the twenty-first-century economy, Kevin's book is a great look at how people can do this on a personal level to always put humanity first -- Andrew YangLightly written and engaging * The Times *Kevin Roose provides a clear, compelling strategy for surviving the next wave of technology with our jobs - and souls - intact... Futureproof is the survival guide you need. * Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit *AI will be a far bigger game changer for the world than COVID-19. And unless we start thinking and planning for it far more seriously now, we will be in even greater peril. Futureproof is a brilliant book that explains what we need to do, all of us, right now * Anthony Seldon *Roose offers an upbeat, practical guide for dealing with "a world that is increasingly arranged by and for machines" . . . Helpful advice to quell workers' anxiety * Kirkus Reviews *PRAISE FOR YOUNG MONEY - If Kevin Roose's finely crafted Young Money does not scare you straight about the life of a young financial analyst on Wall Street, it can't be done. Roose's frolic through Wall Street's playpen is a must-read. * House of Cards; Money and Power *Despite all the press about Wall Street, the stories that don't usually get told are those of the recent college graduates who clamour for the chance to work 100 hour plus weeks at the big banks. Kevin Roose's new book, which follows a handful of analysts through the trials and tribulations of their early years on the Street, is a thoughtful exploration of their motivations and their experiences - and it's a great read. * The Smartest Guys in the Room and All the Devils are Here *A cautionary true-life tale, Young Money should be required reading for every college student who is contemplating a job on Wall Street. As for the rest of us, who remember Wall Street before 2008, Kevin Roose has provided a great window into how that world has changed-and how it hasn't. * The Predator's Ball *Highly entertaining and impressive ...Roose's captivating read is sure to appeal to readers young and old who are interested in the zeitgeist of Wall Street since the crash * Publisher's Weekly *[Young Money] offers a compelling glimpse of Wall Street in the post-2008 recession era...thought provoking, excellent book * Booklist *The young people who have flocked to Wall Street are often badly used, caught up in power struggles among middle management and little appreciated ... [Young Money] captures the daily indignities to which the junior capitalists are subjected * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisIt seems that artificial intelligence (AI) is always just five years away, but it never arrives. Recently, however, developments have made the practical utility of game theory a genuine reality. Will sport provide the petri dish in which AI will prove itself? What do domain specialists like managers and coaches want to know that they can't currently find out, and can AI provide the answer? What competitive advantages might AI provide for recruitment, performance and tactics, health and fitness, pedagogy, broadcasting, eSports, gambling and stadium design in the future? Written by leading experts in both sports management and AI, AI for Sports begins to answer these and many other questions on the future of AI for sports.Trade Review“Artificial Intelligence can drive your car, select your favourite music and outfox grandmasters at the chessboard, but it is also becoming a crucial tool in global sports. AI is now able to predict when athletes are most likely to suffer injuries and which areas of their body are most at risk of fatigue. We are at the beginning of the AI age in sports and the next decade is likely to see it become increasingly important to all athletes and teams. In AI for Sports, Brady, Tuyls, and Omidshafiei give readers a glimpse into the future and explain just why AI is not only here to stay, but how it will become central to the thinking of team owners, coaches and athletes.” -- Mark Ogden, ESPN Senior Football Writer"AI for Sports is the perfect book for the perfect moment; this time when sports are changing rapidly; and teams, executives and athletes are looking at the games that people play through new, fresh and important lenses. Brady, Tuyls, and Omidshafiei explore that new landscape in a unique way, examining the exploding corner of artificial intelligence through a sports-specific lens, but also, and this is important, looking ahead to potential pitfalls to a relatively new approach. For readers who enjoy learning about teams, their famous processes, and how building rosters and getting the most out of players are changing, they won't be disappointed." -- Greg Bishop, Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated“By providing unique and challenging problems to be solved, and supported by decades’ worth of high-dimensional data streams, the Sports sector can contribute immensely to the development of Artificial Intelligence. In AI for Sports, Brady, Tuyls, & Omidshafiei discuss many different angles and applications within sport which can be supported or improved by the use of AI. It is a truly valuable resource for sports enthusiasts to learn how sports will evolve with the advent of advanced AI, and also for those working in theoretical AI domains to understand the nature of real-world applications and challenges posed by the sports sector.” -- Varuna De-Silva, Senior Lecturer in Machine Intelligence, Loughborough University“Artificial Intelligence can drive your car, select your favourite music and outfox grandmasters at the chessboard, but it is also becoming a crucial tool in global sports. AI is now able to predict when athletes are most likely to suffer injuries and which areas of their body are most at risk of fatigue. We are at the beginning of the AI age in sports and the next decade is likely to see it become increasingly important to all athletes and teams. In AI for Sports, Brady, Tuyls, and Omidshafiei give readers a glimpse into the future and explain just why AI is not only here to stay, but how it will become central to the thinking of team owners, coaches and athletes.” -- Mark Ogden, ESPN Senior Football Writer"AI for Sports is the perfect book for the perfect moment; this time when sports are changing rapidly; and teams, executives and athletes are looking at the games that people play through new, fresh and important lenses. Brady, Tuyls, and Omidshafiei explore that new landscape in a unique way, examining the exploding corner of artificial intelligence through a sports-specific lens, but also, and this is important, looking ahead to potential pitfalls to a relatively new approach. For readers who enjoy learning about teams, their famous processes, and how building rosters and getting the most out of players are changing, they won't be disappointed." -- Greg Bishop, Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated“By providing unique and challenging problems to be solved, and supported by decades’ worth of high-dimensional data streams, the Sports sector can contribute immensely to the development of Artificial Intelligence. In AI for Sports, Brady, Tuyls, & Omidshafiei discuss many different angles and applications within sport which can be supported or improved by the use of AI. It is a truly valuable resource for sports enthusiasts to learn how sports will evolve with the advent of advanced AI, and also for those working in theoretical AI domains to understand the nature of real-world applications and challenges posed by the sports sector.” -- Varuna De-Silva, Senior Lecturer in Machine Intelligence, Loughborough UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments. About the Authors. Introduction. Part 1 How Did We Get to Where We Are? 1 Before Turing (pre-1950). 2 The Sports Analyst Cometh. 3 Sabermetrics, Moneyball and AI. Part 2 Where Are We Now? 4 Technology Closes the Gap on Theory. 5 The Sports Ecosystem. 6 The Performance. 7 AI in the Game. 8 AI around the Game. Part 3 Where Do We Go from Here? 9 A Future within the Game. 10 A Future around the Game. Conclusion. Index.

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Book SynopsisWhen Face Recognition Goes Wrong explores the myriad waysthat humans and machines make mistakes in facial recognition.Adopting a critical stance throughout, the book explores whyand how humans and machines make mistakes, covering topicsincluding racial and gender biases, neuropsychological disorders,and widespread algorithm problems. The book features personalanecdotes alongside real-world examples to showcase the oftenlife-changing consequences of facial recognition going wrong.These range from problems with everyday social interactionsthrough to eyewitness identification leading to miscarriages ofjustice and border control passport verification.Concluding with a look to the future of facial recognition, theauthor asks the world's leading experts what are the big questionsthat still need to be answered, and can we train humans andmachines to be super recognisers? This book is

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Book SynopsisSocial networking has grown into a staple of modern society, but its continued evolution is becoming increasingly detrimental to our lives. Shifts in communication and privacy are affecting us more than we realize or understand. Terms of Service crystalizes this current moment in technology and contemplates its implications: the identity-validating pleasures and perils of online visibility; our newly adopted view of daily life through the lens of what is share-worthy; and the surveillance state operated by social media platforms—Facebook, Google, Twitter, and others—to mine our personal data for advertising revenue, an invasion of our lives that is as pervasive as government spying.Jacob Silverman calls for social media users to take back ownership of their digital selves from the Silicon Valley corporations who claim to know what's best for them. Integrating politics, sociology, national security, pop culture, and technology, he reveals the

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Book SynopsisPresenting a ground-breaking view of technology trends and their impact on our society, Artificial Era contributes to the current debate about the consequences of technological innovations. Alongside different viewpoints and statistics on the use of robots worldwide, productivity, and job displacement, Gissel Velarde identifies the particular problem of the lack of diversity in AI communities - and how that can exacerbate representation issues in employment, civil rights, gender, and education if no actions are taken.A timely, inciteful book which will be required reading for scholars and professionals working with AI and automation, and leaders in business and government interested in better understanding it and its effects on business and society.Trade ReviewOriginal, informative and easy to read. A good guide for understanding the future and facing it * Carlota Perez, Author of Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages *Highly recommended. * Alexis Marechal Marin, Head of the Computer Systems Engineering Department, Universidad Privada Boliviana, La Paz, Bolivia *There are already numerous books on artificial intelligence and its social impact, but Gissel Velarde's book has two characteristics that make it valuable and different. The first is that it is based on some 300 references in its bibliography, which gives it a very remarkable scientific character. The second is that AI is presented from the point of view of a Bolivian woman, who has lived in several European countries, and with a multidisciplinary professional profile. * Emilia Gómez, AI and Music Researcher, emiliagomez.com *A very natural and human vision of this new artificial era. * Isabel Barbancho, Full Professor, Universidad de Málaga, Spain *From the very beginning, the book invites us to think, to reflect, to question; and it does it from the freedom that we have to positioning ourselves in some place of the world of knowledge and reasoning. Is it fiction? Is it reality?...I invite you to read this text without fear or prejudice, enjoy it from beginning to end not only to include it in the reading list of the year, but to reflect, decide and act. * Willy Castro Guzmán, University Professor and Researcher, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica *Dr. Velarde presents in this book a realistic perspective of the role technology, in particular artificial intelligence (AI), is playing and will play in our lives both at a personal level and at the society level. Instead of focusing only on the potential dilemmas of general artificial intelligence, she discusses important topics including the need for national and international strategies for AI development, as well as the consequences of developing biased AI models in a world with large inequalities (gender, racial, class, etc.). * Carlos Cancino-Chacón, Assistant Professor Institute of Computational Perception, Johannes Kepler University Linz *

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Book SynopsisComputers have dramatically altered life in the late twentieth century. Today we can draw on worldwide computer links, speeding up communications by radio, newspapers, and television. Ideas fly back and forth and circle the globe at the speed of electricity. And just around the corner lurks full-blown virtual reality, in which we will be able to immerse ourselves in a computer simulation not only of the actual physical world, but of any imagined world. As we begin to move in and out of a computer-generated world, Michael Heim asks, how will the way we perceive our world change? In The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality, Heim considers this and other philosophical issues of the Information Age. With an eye for the dark as well as the bright side of computer technology, he explores the logical and historical origins of our computer-generated world and speculates about the future direction of our computerized lives. He discusses such topics as the effect of word-processing on the English langTrade Reviewaccessible essays from the self-appointed philosopher of virtual reality * I-D *Heim's blend of Western logic, Eastern Mysticism and California grass may amount to a minor classic for PC-users--Zen and the art of Macintosh maintenance. These essays are full of good vibes. * Modern Review *

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Book SynopsisAccording to virtually every business writer, we are in the midst of a new information age, one that will revolutionize how workers work, how companies compete, perhaps even how thinkers think. And it is certainly true that Information Technology has become a giant industry. In America, more that 50% of all capital spending goes into IT, accounting for more than a third of the growth of the entire American economy in the last four years. Over the last decade, IT spending in the U.S. is estimated at 3 trillion dollars. And yet, by almost all accounts, IT hasn''t worked all that well. Why is it that so many of the companies that rave invested in these costly new technologies never saw the returns they had hoped for? And why do workers, even CEOs, find it so hard to adjust to new IT systems? In Information Ecology, Thomas Davenport proposes a revolutionary new way to look at information management, one that takes into account the total information environment within an organization. ArguiTrade Review"An important, must-read book about managers and their information needs."--F.Warren McFarlan, Albert H. Gordon Professor of Business Administration, Harvard University"Information Ecology defines mobilization for the future, a topic that is clearly thought provoking and one that we must all address if true information technology return on investment is to occur."--Ralph J. Szygenda, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Corporation'...a timely corrective to the technophile culture that has dominated the field of information to date...an informative book for those who want to manage information and not just IT to the best effect within both business and healthcare.' * Chris Atkinson, British Jnl of Healthcare Computing & Information Management, vol.15, Number 5 *A well argued , and well presented, case that needs to be read by all those wrestling with this critical subject. - Stuart MacDonald - Long Range Planning Vol 31 Oct 1988

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Book SynopsisIn this visionary look into the future, Freeman Dyson argues that technological changes fundamentally alter our ethical and social arrangements and that three rapidly advancing new technologies -- solar energy, genetic engineering, and worldwide communication -- together have the potential to create a more equal distribution of the world''s wealth.Dyson begins by rejecting the idea that scientific revolutions are primarily concept driven. He shows rather that new tools are more often the sparks that ignite scientific discovery. Such tool-driven revolutions have profound social consequences: the invention of the telescope turning the medieval view of the world upside down, the widespread use of household appliances in the 1950s replacing servants, to cite just two examples. In looking ahead, Dyson suggests that solar energy, genetics, and the Internet will have similarly transformative effects, with the potential to produce a more just and equitable society. Solar power could bring elecTrade ReviewFreeman Dyson, a legendary figure in the sciences, has given us a thoughtful and thought-provoking glimpse into the 21st century. The Sun, The Genome, and The Internet is a must-read for anyone who wants a sneak preview into the future. Only Dyson could weave together this rich tapestry, blending ethics, ideology, science, and technology into a coherent vision of the future. * Michio Kaku *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; EPILOGUE ; REFERENCES

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Book SynopsisComputers are already approving financial transactions, controlling electrical supplies, and driving trains. Soon, service robots will be taking care of the elderly in their homes, and military robots will have their own targeting and firing protocols. Colin Allen and Wendell Wallach argue that as robots take on more and more responsibility, they must be programmed with moral decision-making abilities, for our own safety. Taking a fast paced tour through the latest thinking about philosophical ethics and artificial intelligence, the authors argue that even if full moral agency for machines is a long way off, it is already necessary to start building a kind of functional morality, in which artificial moral agents have some basic ethical sensitivity. But the standard ethical theories don''t seem adequate, and more socially engaged and engaging robots will be needed. As the authors show, the quest to build machines that are capable of telling right from wrong has begun. Moral Machines is Trade ReviewWhen machines go it alone, accountability disappears - and with it the rule of law. Which is why philosophers Wendall Wallach and Colin Allen are asking how we can persuade robots to do the right thing. The result, in their seminal...book Moral Machines, makes clear just how far we have to go. * Stephen Cave, Financial Times *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Who Machine Morality? ; 2. Engineering Morality ; 3. Do We Want Computers Making Moral Decisions ; 4. Can (Ro)bots Really be Moral? ; 5. Philosophers, Engineers, and the Design of Artificial Moral Agents; ; 6. Top Down Morality ; 7. Bottom-Up and Developmental Approaches ; 8. Merging Top Down and Bottom Up ; 9. Beyond Vaporware? ; 10. Beyond Reason ; 11. A More Human-Like AMA ; 12. Beyond the Beyond: Managing Dangers, Rights, and Responsibilities ; Epilogue

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