[dba-Tech] An interesting read

There is a book out the computer visionary Jason Lanier on his view of how
the standardization of the web has caused a 'Hive think' mentality. I do
believe that it is quite the contrary but some of his opinions have merit or
are well thought out.

The book is called "You are not a Gadget: A Manifesto" by Jaron Lanier.
Below is one person's review of the book:

<review>
Jaron Lanier, a Silicon Valley visionary since the 1980s, was among the
first to predict the revolutionary changes the World Wide Web would bring to
commerce and culture. Now, in his first book, written more than two decades
after the web was created, Lanier offers this provocative and cautionary
look at the way it is transforming our lives for better and for worse.

The current design and function of the web have become so familiar that it
is easy to forget that they grew out of programming decisions made decades
ago. The web's first designers made crucial choices (such as making one's
presence anonymous) that have had enormous-and often
unintended-consequences. What's more, these designs quickly became "locked
in," a permanent part of the web's very structure. 

Lanier discusses the technical and cultural problems that can grow out of
poorly considered digital design and warns that our financial markets and
sites like Wikipedia, Facebook, and Twitter are elevating the "wisdom" of
mobs and computer algorithms over the intelligence and judgment of
individuals. 

Lanier also shows:
How 1960s antigovernment paranoia influenced the design of the online world
and enabled trolling and trivialization in online discourse
How file sharing is killing the artistic middle class;
How a belief in a technological "rapture" motivates some of the most
influential technologists
Why a new humanistic technology is necessary.

Controversial and fascinating, You Are Not a Gadget is a deeply felt defense
of the individual from an author uniquely qualified to comment on the way
technology interacts with our culture. 
</review>

This is a good read.

Jim