Book details of 'The Invisible Future: The Seamless Integration Of Technology Into Everyday Life'

Title	The Invisible Future: The Seamless Integration Of Technology Into Everyday Life
Author(s)	Peter J. Denning
ISBN	0071382240
Language	English
Published	October 2001
Publisher	McGraw-Hill Trade

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The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'The Invisible Future: The Seamless Integration Of Technology Into Everyday Life':

Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
This book, like "Beyond Calculation" (see reviews) before it, resulted from the quadrennial ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) "state of the art and science" conference. As noted of that prior work, predicting the future is difficult. If, however, you are going to take on the task you might as well do it boldly: timidity is almost a guarantee of failure. The authors represented in "The Invisible Future" seem to be less audacious than the earlier crew. The subject of the conference behind this book seemed to imply an evaluation of how information technology was pervading other fields, and where IT might develop beyond the confines of computer science and engineering. The first paper presents wandering thoughts on science and the pace of discovery. The second notes the importance of computing to science. Wishful thinking about useful technology for oceanography (and probably the inspiration for the movie "Day After Tomorrow") is in a third. A fourth examines analogues of information technology in biology, but still concentrates more on what we can't do than what we can. Rodney Brooks does investigate where robotics probably will go (and likely where it won't, as well) in his essay, and so comes closer to the intent of the work. Douglas Hofstadter provides an extensive commentary on computer composition of music, but only with a limited subset of the research going on. A seventh paper reviews the importance of computing and communications to the marketing and distribution of the electrical power infrastructure. Alan Kay tells us that the computer revolution hasn't happened yet, but mostly because his Dynabook idea isn't prevalent. Brown and Duguid dispute the assertion that new technologies (particularly those with a possibility for self-reproduction such as biotech, nanotech, and robotics) could be dangerous. The tenth paper notes that the user interface has stagnated over the past twenty years, while another suggests that information systems need to become more human-centred. Ray Kurzweil reiterates the point from his "The Age of Spiritual Machines" (see reviews) that artificial intelligence and robotics will surpass human capabilities by the year 2030, and at that point we will be able to scan ourselves into the nets and tag along for the ride. Possibly the less said about Bob Metcalfe's paper, the better. Vint Cerf retails the standard predictions about ubiquitous computing. A fifteenth papers does much the same with more details. Bruce Sterling takes the ideas further, albeit in limited directions. Another paper suggests that playing video games has raised a generation out of touch with their bodies, and therefore out of touch with their psyches as well. Denning finishes off by addressing the increasingly important question of whether the various fields of information technology can be called professions, and what the necessary characteristics of those professions would be. There are a number of interesting and important topics raised in this collection of essays, but a larger quantity of questions that are not covered. Overall, this book is less significant than those preceding it. copyright Robert M. Slade, 2004
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Book description:

Today's leading visionaries discuss the future of information technology How will E-commerce and E-consumers interact in 2020? What will the relationship between man and machine, man and information, and information and machine mean for future generations? The Invisible Future assembles an elite group of 17 business and academic leaders to answer these and many other fascinating, strategically critical questions. The original essays they provide are as provocative and as powerful as the topics they discuss. This wide-ranging collection offers tactical insights into the future of technology and computing. Essential reading for executives engaged in strategic planning, and anyone interested in the future of technology, The Invisible Future includes never-before published essays by: Rodney Brooks John Seely Brown Rita Colwell Michael Dertouzos Alan Kay Ray Kurzweil Bob Metcalfe And more