false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725329m/317821.jpg 317821 2 The center does not hold. The rise of customizable media has mainstream thinkers, used to a near-monopoly on attention, running scared. Legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein makes the case for a more robust information diet from a slightly left of center point of view in <I>Republic.com</I>. Building on the ideas of the Technorealist movement, Sunstein focuses on the increasing volume of extremist voices as people choose to read or listen to only those points of view they already share. Though it seems that he occasionally overstates his case--it seems unlikely that we'll ever really be able to filter every unwanted or unexpected opinion--he does score some solid blows against the current, more or less laissez faire system. His prose is clear and accessible--exactly the kind of reasoned discourse he values and wants to preserve. His proposed program of government-sponsored and mandated public media spaces probably won't rouse many readers to wholehearted endorsement, but the suggestion that we have problems brewing ought to be enough to spur further thought. Since everyone from the American Nazi Party to the Zapatistas has found a stronger voice via the Internet, it's little wonder that we're starting to hear concerned prophets warning of a new Babel. Whether we can--or should--do anything beforehand is an open question; <I>Republic.com</I> makes a strong and pointed case against the status quo. <I>--Rob Lightner</I> 308614 2001 Republic.com total:21|5:3|4:11|3:5|2:2|1:0| 21 78 48 2 2 0 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 18 06:13:29 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 18 06:15:16 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 13 16:25:23 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 29 05:39:13 -0800 2009 http://www.subrationedei.com/2009/11/the...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 29 05:37:42 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 29 05:37:42 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 11 17:12:22 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 17:12:22 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 11 05:52:55 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 05:52:55 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Nov 08 18:43:18 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 18:43:18 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 18 08:06:38 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 08:06:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 11 13:39:57 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 13:39:59 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 06 21:08:59 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 21:08:59 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 19:39:32 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 19:39:32 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 15 19:21:48 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 13:20:07 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Sep 14 14:55:13 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 14:55:13 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Sep 13 16:11:31 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 16:11:31 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Aug 02 23:24:58 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 23:25:04 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Aug 02 22:38:49 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 20:06:44 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jun 30 08:15:52 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 08:15:52 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed May 27 22:51:55 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 22:51:55 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Fri Apr 17 10:07:29 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 10:07:29 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Apr 15 07:57:02 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 07:57:02 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Apr 14 11:27:22 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 11:27:22 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=317821