Authors: Mike Cooley.
Paperback, 134 pages
Publisher: South End Press
Publication Date: 1999-07-01


Reviews :

    Cooley urges us to take another look at "progress", to strip away the technological jargon, and to penetrate the ideological haze that clouds our view....

Authors: David Shenk.
Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: HarperOne
Publication Date: 1997-05-07
Edition: 1st

Reviews :

    Cyberpundit And Media Scholar David Shenk Launches A Trenchant And Informed Critique Of The Impact Of Data Smog Information Overload On Individual Well-Being And Our Society As A Whole. Picking Up Where Silicon Snake Oil And The Gutenberg Elegies Left Off, Shenk Skillfully Explodes The Rosy Myths Of The Technological Revolution, Points The Way Toward A Saner And More Meaningful Future, And Offers The Most Convincing And Thorough Rebuttal Yet Of The Overhyping Of The Information Age.

More Praise For Data Smog:

"Over The Past 150 Years, Humanity Solved The Problem Of Information Scarcity. In Solving It, We Created The Problem Of Information Glut, Incoherence And Meaninglessness. David Shenk'S Brilliant Book Names The Problem, Describes It, Explains It And God Bless Him Offers Us Help In Coping With It."

- Neil Postman, Author, Technopoly And Amusing Ourselves To Death

"This Could Be The Silent Spring For The Digital Age. Data Smog Shows The Very Real Threats That We Now Face. We Ignore Them At Our Peril."

- Simson Garfinkel, Columnist, Hotwired

"Data Smog Is Quite Wonderful...A Smart Warning By A Savvy Aficionado Of Cyber-Culture To Be Wary Of Too Much Of A Good Thing."

- Orville Schell, Dean, Graduate School Of Journalism, University Of California At Berkeley

"This Book Breaks New Ground. Here You Will Find A Public Ethic For An Era Of Too-Much Information, Delivered In A Succinct And Heroically Civil Style That Puts To Shame An Entire Shelf Of Books On The Coming Media Environment. Shenk Is A Citizen Writing For Other Beleaguered Citizens...Data Smog Is Really A Book About Democracy And What It Will Take To Keep That Troubled Idea Alive And Breathing In Years Ahead."

- Jay Rosen, Director, Project On Public Life And The Press, New York University

"This Book Is An Oxygen Mask. Take It Along When You Need To Breathe. This Careful, Informed And Passionate Argument Should Take The Stuffing Right Out Of The Cheerleaders Of The (Indiscriminate) Information Age."

- Andrei Codrescu, Commentator, National Public Radio

"Data Smog Offers A Rare Combination Of Extensive Research, Clear Thinking, Lucid Writing And Valuable Advice. It'S A Must For Anybody Feeling Overwhelmed But Underserved By Today'S Information Sources."

- Edward Tenner, Author, Why Things Bite Back...

    It is said that information wants to be free, but most days on the net, don't you feel that all it wants to do is be in your face every last minute? Did you ever feel yourself go "tilt" when a search engine retrieves 30,000 possible hits to your query? Or downloads 50 pieces of new e-mail? Perhaps some relief will come when you know the Laws of Data Smog that frame this book, among them: Silicon circuits evolve much more quickly than human genes; Equifax is watching; Beware of stories that dissolve all complexity; Too many experts spoil the clarity. David Shenk is certainly going to stir controversy with his conclusions, especially that government should get involved in reducing the information glut....

Authors: Julie Dobrow.
Hardcover, 232 pages
Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum
Publication Date: 1990-05-01
Edition: 1

Authors: Christopher Dewdney.
Paperback, 284 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Publication Date: 1998-02
Edition: 1st

Authors: Stephen H. Schneider.
Hardcover, 174 pages
Publisher: Harpercollins
Publication Date: 1997-01
Edition: 1st

Reviews :

    Explores the science of global change and the current state of the planet, citing the consequences for environmental irresponsibility and providing a framework for considering global change issues....

    Stephen H. Schneider is a big player in the study of global warming. As a climatologist at Stanford and as author and editor of several books on the greenhouse effect, including the Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather and Global Warming, his insights into the impact of industrial emissions on climate change influence policy makers and environmental activists alike. In Laboratory Earth, Schneider has digested the complex and quantitative details of global warming into an accessible overview of the scientific situation that never slides into simplification. The details of global warming can at times seem overwhelming, but Schneider's slim volume admirably attempts to tell this story with the sense of importance and immediacy he clearly believes it deserves....

Authors: Gretchen Bender.
Paperback, 376 pages
Publisher: New Press
Publication Date: 1998-09


Reviews :

    Discussions in Contemporary Culture is an award-winning series copublished with the Dia Center for the Arts in New York City. These volumes offer rich and timely discourses on a broad range of cultural issues and critical theory. The collection covers topics from urban planning to popular culture and literature, and continually attracts a wide and dedicated readership....

Authors: Alan Porter. William H. Read.
Hardcover, 296 pages
Publisher: Ablex Publishing
Publication Date: 1998-03-13

Authors: Humphrey Jennings.
Hardcover, 376 pages
Publisher: Free Pr
Publication Date: 1985-11

Authors: Otto Mayr.
Paperback, 288 pages
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication Date: 1989-08-01

Authors: Srinath Srinivasa.
Paperback, 184 pages
Publisher: Sage Pubns
Publication Date: 2006-11-14


Reviews :

    We live in an era of unparalleled access to information and communication technologies. The Internet and other information tools like the television are becoming ever more central to our lives we chat, blog, e-mail, and e-shop, leaving behind our footprints in this version of public space. In addition, we are constantly bombarded with different kinds of information that seek to mold our thinking in subtle ways. The reader of this book will discover that social information networks possess qualities that are counter-intuitive. Social information networks form what are called frictionless, nonlinear systems. The behavior of such systems can be extremely complex, making it hard to predict, let alone control. Despite this, there are some common features displayed by such systems, especially the power law distribution. A power law distribution of societal influence, for example, would depict a society where a small percentage of society would wield enormous clout, while the larger part would have very little or no influence. Such a society would be highly polarized, with no room for the middle ground. The Power Law of Information investigates properties of frictionless, non-linear systems, and the unconventional thought processes needed to comprehend them. It also shows how information affects us in a variety of ways: be it human rationality, the spread of ideas in society, or global monetary systems. Drawing upon current research, author Srinath Srinivasa offers directions on how to model the new world taking shape and possibly to also steer it in the right direction. This book will be of particular interest to students of ICT, and managers and business leaders, especially in the area of information management....