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This Will Change Everything
"What game-changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live to see?"
This is the question John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, posed to more than 100 of the world's most influential minds. Exhilarating, visionary, sometimes frightening, but always fascinating, their responses provide an eye-opening road map of our near future.
This is the question John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, posed to more than 100 of the world's most influential minds. Exhilarating, visionary, sometimes frightening, but always fascinating, their responses provide an eye-opening road map of our near future.
Paperback, 390 pages
Published
December 22nd 2009
by HarperCollins e-books
(first published 2009)
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This particular book contains a bunch of artists and scientists doing a lot of lofty predicting. Not that I'm against high altitude thinking I guess I more concerned with the practical things. When will dinner be ready is what I'm hearing most not when will AI make it possible to solve the world's problems. Some things can be done but I wonder if some things should be done. Who exactly is going to carry out the practical aspects of advanced technology? Who are the boots on the ground?
I bought this book thinking it would be a series of ten to twenty essays, each focusing on one particular product or concept and how its contribution to society will be magnified by future technological advancements. I was right about most of that guess - I was wrong about the number of authors. Not ten or twenty, but one hundred and twenty five scholars lend their voice to this compilation, each expounding on one or many changes they believe will happen in the coming decades that will, as the t...more
An orange, puffed cheese flavored product.
“Nobody ever voted for printing. Nobody ever voted for electricity. Nobody ever voted for radio, the telephone, the automobile, the airplane, television. Nobody ever voted for penicillin, antibiotics, the Pill. Nobody ever voted for space travel, massively parallel computing, nuclear power, the personal computer, the Internet, email, cell phones, the Web, Google, cloning, sequencing the entire human genome.”
That from the preface; would that the volume...more
(Accidentally left on an airplane, had to buy a new copy, took a bit longer to finish...)
Good stuff. Whereas Brockman's "Science At The Edge" had maybe a dozen or two longer, more in-depth essays, this work was a tapas menu of 1-5 page essays, all bite-sized, on what various Edge members thought would change everything. It was certainly slanted to what scientific/technological breakthrough would do that, but some writers found some more esoteric/creative ideas to introduce. There were several us...more
Good stuff. Whereas Brockman's "Science At The Edge" had maybe a dozen or two longer, more in-depth essays, this work was a tapas menu of 1-5 page essays, all bite-sized, on what various Edge members thought would change everything. It was certainly slanted to what scientific/technological breakthrough would do that, but some writers found some more esoteric/creative ideas to introduce. There were several us...more
This is a book that I would recommend without hesitation. Imagine the opportunity in 1641 to ask Galileo--what in your opinion would change everything. Or in 1687 to ask Newton what will change everything? This book poses the question to a range of recognized contemporary individuals--what in your mind will change everything. The book is quite accessible because the posts contained here are submitted with a mind to brevity. And while the editing seems to sequence articles to their subject matter...more
I would not recommend reading this book in a week. The numerous brief essays are much more suited for a "one-per-day" approach, giving the reader (at least this one) time to appreciate the material presented.
I enjoyed many of the essays and the broad range of topics covered. Overall, I came away with a feeling that they were too frequent and too brief. However, I will be digging deeper into the works of several authors.
In the end, I would recommend this collection and have specific plans to so....more
I enjoyed many of the essays and the broad range of topics covered. Overall, I came away with a feeling that they were too frequent and too brief. However, I will be digging deeper into the works of several authors.
In the end, I would recommend this collection and have specific plans to so....more
Sep 27, 2010
Carrie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
back-burner-partially-through,
human-behavior
So... I checked this out of the library and only had time to get through a few of the essays. What seemed to be said in more than one (and an idea I've been coming across in different places) is that we as humans are going to have to change our way of thinking about humanity. Given that cloning, gene manipulation, and part-human/part-animal and part-human/part-machine combos are happening now, we should probably start loosening up on our definition of humanity and expand our ethics to include an...more
As I started reading this book, first few contributing writers and pieces were focused on "evolution" which abruptly and adamantly disagree with this philosophy of humanity.
I skimmed through the book until I came to a section "talents" on page 160-161. There were a few interesting pieces but not what I bargained to read or accidentally picked up this copy at my local library.
I skimmed through the book until I came to a section "talents" on page 160-161. There were a few interesting pieces but not what I bargained to read or accidentally picked up this copy at my local library.
Here is a very interesting book, the collection of short essays by the prominent scientists, who contemplate the future of humanity. At the end the some of the possible scenarios for the future made me really depressed. There are so many ways that we can destroy ourselves, the planet, the climate, our biology that the optimistic outcomes are pale in comparison. Regardless the pessimism, the book is full of amazing ideas and opens wide horizons into the possible futures
It's a fascinating collection of short essays on the future of humanity, grouped by what people think will be the next invention which will change our future irrevocably. Despite the dim projections of some of its writers, there is also a lot of hope bundled up in one book. It was an interesting read to be sure.
There are over 100 essays in this book and many of them are very similar. The editor could have easily whittled that number down to the 40-50 most original predictions.
Want to learn about cutting-edge science and what it might yield in the future? This is the place to start. These writers bring science to life for any reader.
If you read the chapter on so-called post-rational economics, you will know all you need to about what a turd this book is.
I'm still somewhere in the first quarter and I'm not going to return to this book.
Each time, I picked it up I read an essay or two, but somehow, I can't make myself read more of them. When buying, I've expected something more coherent, not a collection of short essays. But they're probably not even essays. Each "chapter" is only a few pages long, so they are very shallow and usually there's nothing to think about, no interesting arguments to support it, many of them does not try to view the prob...more
Each time, I picked it up I read an essay or two, but somehow, I can't make myself read more of them. When buying, I've expected something more coherent, not a collection of short essays. But they're probably not even essays. Each "chapter" is only a few pages long, so they are very shallow and usually there's nothing to think about, no interesting arguments to support it, many of them does not try to view the prob...more
Love the series, am not particularly impressed with the book.
Enjoyable "convenient" read.
It's set up in a series of some short, some a little longer essay-type readings; making it easy for busy people like myself who may only have 5-10 minutes to sit down and read something thoughtful, but quick.
Some essays are worth reading, discussing, and thinking about; others, although well-written, seem like the ideas were simply thrown together, making your mind leap to some pretty out-there ideas.
I recommend it for busy people who still want to indulge in a lit...more
It's set up in a series of some short, some a little longer essay-type readings; making it easy for busy people like myself who may only have 5-10 minutes to sit down and read something thoughtful, but quick.
Some essays are worth reading, discussing, and thinking about; others, although well-written, seem like the ideas were simply thrown together, making your mind leap to some pretty out-there ideas.
I recommend it for busy people who still want to indulge in a lit...more
Good views from a variety of thinkers. There is a reference to a website www.edge.org that has more of a collection of questions that are answered by lots of smart people and other books like this one.
a good sampling of ideas out there. Average entry length of a bout 2-3 pg, good intro to an idea but limited in details. Recommended for "ideas" junkie or writers looking for ideas.
Having read the book, the third biggest predictions of what will change the word are computers, genetics, and aliens. I was particularly disappointed in several of the contributions that were a sentence long, I'm looking at you, Gerald Holton. All in all, an interesting book that's worth skimming over, seeing as how many of the contributions are repetitive.
Very helpful ( now have to read ten more books however ... )
Yeh ok DNA we get it.
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With a broad career spanning the fields of art, science, books, software and the Internet. In 1960 he established the bases for "intermedia kinetic environments" in art, theatre and commerce, while consulting for clients such as General Electric, Columbia Pictures, The Pentagon, The White House... In 1973 he formed his own literary and software agency. He is founder of the Edge Foundation and edit...more
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12. August, 22:37 Uhr