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Ubiquitous computing--almost imperceptible, but everywhere around us--is rapidly becoming a reality. How will it change us? how can we shape its emergence?
Smart buildings, smart furniture, smart clothing... even smart bathtubs. networked street signs and self-describing soda cans. Gestural interfaces like those seen in Minority Report. The RFID tags now embedded in everything from credit cards to the family pet.
All of these are facets of the ubiquitous computing author Adam Greenfield calls "everyware." In a series of brief, thoughtful meditations, Greenfield explains how everyware is already reshaping our lives, transforming our understanding of the cities we live in, the communities we belong to--and the way we see ourselves.
What are people saying about the book?
"Adam Greenfield is intense, engaged, intelligent and caring. I pay attention to him. I counsel you to do the same." --HOWARD RHEINGOLD, AUTHOR, SMART MOBS: THE NEXT SOCIAL REVOLUTION
"A gracefully written, fascinating, and deeply wise book on one of the most powerful ideas of the digital age--and the obstacles we must overcome before we can make ubiquitous computing a reality."--STEVE SILBERMAN, EDITOR, WIRED MAGAZINE
"Adam is a visionary. he has true compassion and respect for ordinary users like me who are struggling to use and understand the new technology being thrust on us at overwhelming speed."--REBECCA MACKINNON, BERKMAN CENTER FOR INTERNET AND SOCIETY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Everyware is an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA.
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Contents: What is everyware?; How is everyware different from what we're used to?; What's driving the emergence of everyware?; What are the issues we need to be aware of?; Who gets to determine the shape of everyware?; When do we need to begin preparing for everyware?; How might we safeguard our prerogatives in an everyware world?; Conclusion; Index
The book is made up of 81 short "thesis", or general thoughts/musings by Greenfield on the subject of ubicomp, also referred to as "everyware". This isn't a technical "how to" book on connecting the different parts of a wireless network together. Rather, he delves into the social, ethical, and logistical issues (among others) about what it would be like to live in an always-connected, pervasive computing world. For example, what are the privacy issues surrounding a house that is designed to monitor an elderly person for health issues? Do you (or should you) have the ability to decide who gets notified in case of an emergency, or is that out of your hands? Can you opt out of the monitoring? And if something doesn't work, where is the point of failure? Hardware? Software? Interaction between the two? If you're in the mood to be contemplative and think about issues, the book will spur some interesting twists for you. The only problem I had with the book is that Greenfield has you reaching for your dictionary every couple of pages to look up some new word that you've never heard of before. The concepts and issues are great, but it was almost as if he wanted to make the book as intellectual as possible, and it seemed to change the focus from the ideas to the author's skill in writing and turning a phrase. On the other hand, you'll learn a lot of new words... :)
Good material, and worth reading. Just don't approach it from a "how to" angle, and you'll enjoy it a lot more...
Greenfield is not just able to capture a vision for a world ahead with ubiquitous computing, but to explain in a completely non-jargon, tangible, virtually poetic way.
I think the world really needed a book like this -- to establish a way of thinking about a new, invisible digital age that doesn't get lost amidst big-brother paranoia, or overly-detailed technical specs. Let's face it -- we don't know how it's all going to work together, how we'll get to a world of everware. But it's quite clear we will, and Greenfield spells out the promise and the issues with elegance and clarity.
I had bought it awhile back from Amazon, and it sat there in my orders list (I'd actually never preordered before), finally to arrive and exceed every possible expectation. It's really quite magical.
Too bad it's not hardcover, I'll beat this book to a pulp carrying it everywhere with me, tasting the delicious ideas little by little. I'll carry with me until at least half of the vision comes true.
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