book data
242 ratings,
3.49
average rating, 27 reviews
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published
August 17th 1999
by Pantheon
binding
Hardcover, 336 pages
isbn
0679408371
(isbn13: 9780679408376)
description
Never in the history of the human race have so many had so much to do in so little time. That, anyway, is the impression most of us have of civilized ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 397)
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avg 3.49
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in March, 2004
I just finished reading Faster: The Acceleration of Just About
Everything by James Gleick. (Ironically enough, not a quick read.) The basic thesis of the book is that our modern culture is obsessed with the notion of speed and the acceleration of everyday actions is a driving force in our technological and even political developments. Each chapter takes an aspect, object or idea and examines its development in context. Elevators, watches, cars, commercials, almost everything is touched on. H...more
Everything by James Gleick. (Ironically enough, not a quick read.) The basic thesis of the book is that our modern culture is obsessed with the notion of speed and the acceleration of everyday actions is a driving force in our technological and even political developments. Each chapter takes an aspect, object or idea and examines its development in context. Elevators, watches, cars, commercials, almost everything is touched on. H...more
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Read in October, 2002
An OK book. It's written for a somewhat pop audience and contains few revelations. However there is an interesting section towards the end where he discusses the limits of speed and uses the example of the disabled "close door" buttons on newer skyscraper elevators which exist only so that people can press them and believe that they are causing the doors to close faster when they stay open for the same time regardless.
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Read in March, 2009
This book is great. The acceleration of society/culture by way of technology is a subject that interests me greatly, maybe more than any other, so this book was right up my alley. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Faster is, despite its being almost a decade old, it's still entirely relevant. Aside from the lack of talk about iPods an iPhones, it doesn't seem dated at all. This is especially noteworthy considering the book's premise, which claims that a decade, these days, is an eternity.
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[Listened to audiobook] I can't imagine a book that better captures the frenetic pace of the world today. From elevators that move so quickly that they require a stop in a pressure equalizing lobby before making the rest of the trip to the 'real time' world of the Internet, Gleick once again explores the world around us in terms that are relatable and fascinating.
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Read in February, 2009
Gleick catalogs numerous ways in which western culture is driven by go, go, Go! Some meme are quite funny, and insightful. Others, upon self reflection, are sad. "So what," you might say after reading this book, just as I did. His conclusion, maybe lacking but I took away a few things. Every generation sees the symptoms of mania (rapid speech, racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, hypersexuality, euphoria, impulsiveness, grandiosity, and increased interest in goal-directed activit...more
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Read in January, 2009
Okay, this will sound weird, but I wanted the book to move along more quickly. :) I did like the points that he was making, especially the one about the increased instability in the stock market and the one about humans and our natural inclination toward speed.
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Read in November, 1999
This is the book where you begin to get a better appreciation of the link between technology, perception and psychology. Smart, well written and a provocative inquiry into the reality of speed and our addiction to it.
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Read in October, 2007
James Gleick puts our modern fast-paced world under the microscope and investigates efficiency, productivity, short-term memory, time vs. money, multi-tasking, and sound bites. He also breaks down how the "need for speed" has affected our vocabulary, work schedules, down-time, dining habits, sleep-debt and dozens of other aspects of life. The book itself is fast-paced and transitions seamlessly from topic to topic. He illustrates his findings with real-world anecdotes and pulls in exam...more
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Read in April, 2009
recommended to Hans by:
Martin Seligman in his book Authentic Happiness
Only read this book if you are interested in specifics of how our lives through technological changes & societal transformations have speed up (primarily from a Western perspective). Other than that this book does not provide much and I don't think it was written in an engaging way either.
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Read in January, 2009
The book was more a series of facts-- which admittedly spoke for themselves-- than I would have liked.
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Read in February, 2009
An exploration of how technology has accelerated our perception of time, mostly, it seems, for the worse. What's frightening is how much we have sped up in the ten years since the book was first published. The chapter "On Internet Time" is all email and faxes. Now of course email is too slow, we need instant messaging and texting. My favorite chapter was about music. Who has the time to listen to a symphony anymore? An opera? Who even listens to music anymore, in the foreground, attent...more
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04/03/08
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Read in June, 2002
I vaguely remember this being something of a disappointment, but I don’t know exactly why. Perhaps it was too glancing and episodic for my tastes--I had expected a book about the acceleration of modern life to be deeper? Or maybe I was just in a bad mood at the time I read it.
I’ve always remembered a little joke from this book: “There are certain diseases that only ‘Type A’ personalities acquire, and those diseases are transmitted via the ‘Door Close’ button on elevat...more
I’ve always remembered a little joke from this book: “There are certain diseases that only ‘Type A’ personalities acquire, and those diseases are transmitted via the ‘Door Close’ button on elevat...more
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It's been a while since I listened to this one, but listening to Simplexity and a recent 411 call have reminded me of it. As others have said, some of the information is now a little dated. Also, I wouldn't recommend it to those prone to anxiety; even just hearing about everything speeding up stressed me out a little. But, overall, I thought it was interesting, and certainly changed the way I feel about time, how I spend it, and 411 operators.
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Read in July, 2008
I like James Gleick, but this book seems to be a poor showing from him. He makes some interesting observations and connections, but doesn't really drive down into any depth -- most chapters include a few stats about how we spend our time, or how we seem busy, and Gleick presents some supposition about where the trends might lead, but that's about it. I would say it was worth my time, but I wish it was up to Gleick's usual standards.
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A little dated now, this is a great primer on what just happened in terms of the loss of our free time, family time, alone time, despite the rapid advances in technology and communication. Gleick is a great author, I highly recommend this book, "Chaos", and "Genius".
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Read in November, 2006
I had a hard time getting into this book and an even harder time finishing it. I found the basic premise (about how society is trying to do things faster and faster, how it started and how it will stop) interesting but didn't feel like this book fully expanded that idea.
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Comments on time and our obsession to save as much as possible so we have more for TV. A great follow-up read would be Gilbert's The Last American Man.
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This is a really cool book that talks about the way things have sped up in today's society. From the way airports are run to the outsourced and automated calling systems, and even they way we keep track of time itself.
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Read in February, 2008
Excellent insights into current social/cultural issues generated by technological advances. Gleick is an engaging writer. If you enjoyed his book, CHAOS, you'll enjoy FASTER.
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despite the ttl, it took longer than expected to fnsh this book. bit of a dry read at times, and overall moderately interesting. despite that, not a terrible buch.
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