In the heart of Los Angeles, the "smart" building nicknamed "the Grid" can talk to its occupants, forecast the weather, and tell if any inhabitant ...
read full description
reviews
May 21, 2011
Andy
rated it: 
Originally posted on: http://andyparkes.co.uk/blog/index.php/2...
I received at Christmas. I’d completely forgotten I’d added it to my Amazon wish list so it was a great surprise, especially when I discovered it’s out of print so I appreciated the effort taken to track it down.
The title of the book comes from a high tech building nicknamed “The Gridiron”. The book was originally published in 1995 and a lot of the technology described within would be still considered high t More...
I received at Christmas. I’d completely forgotten I’d added it to my Amazon wish list so it was a great surprise, especially when I discovered it’s out of print so I appreciated the effort taken to track it down.
The title of the book comes from a high tech building nicknamed “The Gridiron”. The book was originally published in 1995 and a lot of the technology described within would be still considered high t More...
Dec 17, 2010
Rob
rated it: 
This is a smart building thriller out of the Michael Crichton school. A page turner, and a pleasurable read - but maybe not for the right reasons.
I always enjoy reading out-of-date techno thrillers. Crichton's Disclosure for example, is hilarious for its cutting-edge discussions of 4x speed CD ROM drives.
The ultra-modern tower at the centre of Gridiron (also published as The Grid) features an enormous tree in its sky-high atrium, and much tech wizardry, all controlled by More...
I always enjoy reading out-of-date techno thrillers. Crichton's Disclosure for example, is hilarious for its cutting-edge discussions of 4x speed CD ROM drives.
The ultra-modern tower at the centre of Gridiron (also published as The Grid) features an enormous tree in its sky-high atrium, and much tech wizardry, all controlled by More...
Jul 31, 2011
Sebastian
rated it: 
Zwei Bücher in einem Einband mögen etwas unpraktisch und unhandlich sein, aber in diesem Fall hat sich die Anschaffung wirklich gelohnt. Die beiden Stories sind unglaublich faszinierend und gleichzeitig extrem erschreckend. So zeigt Philip Kerr in zwei ganz unterschiedlichen Geschichten einen einfachen Sachverhalt: Alle Technik der Welt schützt uns weder vor der Natur noch vor der Technik selbst. Wirklich lesenswert!
Jul 28, 2009
Caolan
rated it: 
I wouldn't say it was *good*, but it was entertaining. If you're a geek there is some quite amusingly outdated 'futuristic' technology, and some concepts that the author has got just plain wrong (I don't think he understands basic rope techniques either). A quick read, and a bit of fun... who doesn't like the idea of an intelligent building on a rampage?!
Mar 19, 2010
Frank
rated it:
Would you like an intelligent house that not took the dishes, cleaned all the rooms, takes out the garbage and get rid annoying people (for good)-
Who wouldn’t! What can you aspect from this novel : action,a bit of horror, moral and ethical dilemmas, devious scheming and a mad mad IA ----
Who wouldn’t! What can you aspect from this novel : action,a bit of horror, moral and ethical dilemmas, devious scheming and a mad mad IA ----
Feb 17, 2009
David
rated it: 
Ha ha, so bad! Absolutely none of this book is even remotely plausible. I think most monkeys know more about computers than Philip Kerr. That would be fine if the story was any good. Read the glowing reviews on the back cover for even bigger laughs!
Aug 25, 2009
A colleague mentioned this title to me -- seems metaphorical for my life. Only one copy is still available at the library and it is "checked out."
Sep 07, 2009
Joe
rated it:
Very Good; "Smart" building run by out of control computer locks a group in the building and starts killing them off as a game.
May 27, 2011
Tim
rated it:
i should have put it down. i knew i should have put it down. i did not put it down. i'm an idiot.
Jun 12, 2010
Barbara
rated it:
This is a gruesome tale of a "smart" building that goes beserk. The newly built building is maintained 100% by Abraham, a computer which learns as it experiences various things. The office building isn't ready for habitation yet and the designers and computer engineering team is caught in the building when people start dying under suspicious circumstances. The action really rachets up when the computer locks down the building and starts picking off the team members. A hi-tech night
More...
Jun 20, 2008
Tracy
rated it:
A "smart building" goes all Jurassic Park on its inhabitants.
This abridged audio version was probably quite enough of the book for me. With one exception (a reference to "an eye for an eye"), I can only imagine that the parts not included were mostly exposition.
Entertaining, interesting to imagine the possibility of how such a thing could happen. The building has very inventive ways of knocking off its inhabitants.
This abridged audio version was probably quite enough of the book for me. With one exception (a reference to "an eye for an eye"), I can only imagine that the parts not included were mostly exposition.
Entertaining, interesting to imagine the possibility of how such a thing could happen. The building has very inventive ways of knocking off its inhabitants.
Sep 10, 2011
Erin
rated it:
Borrowed this audiobook from Cracker Barrel (when I still used to patronize them, before I found out that it's a homophobic company). I think I might have heard the abridged version, but based on the reviews I see here, that's quite enough, I think.
****9/11/11 - Memory is an odd thing. According to BookCrossing I actually read a hard copy of this book in May 2004.
****9/11/11 - Memory is an odd thing. According to BookCrossing I actually read a hard copy of this book in May 2004.
Oct 10, 2007
Nacho
rated it:
Es un 'thriller' que transcurre en un edificio inteligente en el que se suceden muertes extrañas. Se lee de un tirón, pero no es un gran título. Cuando Kerr reproduce los razonamientos del ordenador del edificio aburre y, aunque no llega al ridículo, no se queda demasiado lejos.
Dec 16, 2009
Captain
rated it:
Theme would have been dated in 1975, let alone 1995. Same
old thinking computer takes over. Can't get even the most trivial details of software or hardware right. I was rooting for the computer to kill them all but it didn't.
old thinking computer takes over. Can't get even the most trivial details of software or hardware right. I was rooting for the computer to kill them all but it didn't.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 21, 2007
Maria
rated it:
libro menor en su obra pero muy adictivo: un edificio domótico se vuelve loco....me lo leí en un viaje Barcelona-Madrid en tren cuando no habia AVE...no mire por la ventanilla ni una vez.
Aug 07, 2008
Eric
rated it:
I couldn't get past the first chapter of this book. Typically I'm all over tech books, but I couldn't even get started with this one. Horrible.
Jan 01, 2011
Alexandra
rated it:
This book is a little weird, but I like it. I can't put a finger on WHY I like it, I just do.
Feb 04, 2012
Jan 31, 2012
Jan 28, 2012
