Task #13: Read a nonfiction book about technology.

[Book Riot]

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the thirteenth Read Harder task.

[Book Riot]

Some posts that might help:

http://bookriot.com/2014/11/12/45-fav...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovat...

http://www.inc.com/frederic-kerrest/5...

[Courtney]

How specific to technology does the book need to be? I'm considering reading "Salt: A World History", which may not fall under the traditional sense of technology. Thoughts?

[Carly]

I'm thinking maybe Alone Together.

[Chessa]

Would Mary Roach's Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void work for this? Because I've been meaning read Mary Roach.

[Sam]

I'm thinking of 'Magic And Loss: The Internet as Art' by Virginia Heffernan

[Rachel]

Would something like Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives count? I'm not sure it social media counts as technology on its own, but it definitely uses technology.

[Amanda]

Writing on the Wall: Social Media - The First 2,000 Years or Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better

Do y'all think these would count? They've both been on my TBR for a while. Both are mostly about social media. That counts right?

[Maryam]

Amanda wrote: "Writing on the Wall: Social Media - The First 2,000 Years or Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better

Do y'all think these would ..."

I think they would.I actually plan to read Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better for this challenge too.

[SibylM]

I'm thinking about either The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter or Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy.

[Melanie]

The History of Reading is on the list for this one. I guess because we move from clay tablets to electronic tablets?

[Macabre]

Would Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race count for this?

[Ellie]

I want to read weapons of math destruction. I sounds really interested and important.

[Leanne]

What do people think about Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World?

He has others that are more obvious but this one was on my TBR!

[Wallace]

I decided to take a little bit of liberty (or maybe not, since medicine is technology) and went with Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

[Theresa]

I was nervous about this prompt because my 1st thought was strictly computer technology which I'm pretty meh about. But now I'm thinking about The Gene: An Intimate History, by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I've heard really good things about it & I'm excited.

[Theresa]

Ok, The Gene may be more science than technology so I chose a backup to be safe - Failure is Not an Option by Gene Kranz who was a flight director in NASA's Mission Control.

[Bonnie G.]

I looked at The Gene as well but thought it was more science than tech. I am considering The Glass Cage but I would love other suggestions. other than tje 2 comics this is the category I am least interested in completing.

[[deleted user]]

Do you think Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made would be appropriate for this? I think it's very people-centred (rather than directly technical), but it seems to be about the technologies people are using to address the effects of climate change around the world.

[Chickadee]

Willow wrote: "Would Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race count for this?"

Another book on my to-read list! Hmmm

[Chickadee]

I think one of the lists posted at the top of this thread really helps answer questions on what to read if you're not into the internet/computer inventions.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovat...

After reading that list I've decided to go with either Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race or Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void as was mentioned by Willow and Chessa. :)

[Bonnie G.]

Anyone have thoughts about anti-technology books? I am thinking about The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter

[Krista]

Hmmm, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter looks intriguing to me. We started off as a family that played Minecraft together. Now we ARK together. Video games are definitely a part of our lives though so this might be a cool read.

[Erika]

I have a book by Charles Lindberg that's about aviation- would that count? I mean its more transportation I suppose than technology? I just spotted it on my shelf and was thinking it may work

[Stina]

I think I'm going to go with The Victorian Internet.

[Stina]

Erika wrote: "I have a book by Charles Lindberg that's about aviation- would that count? I mean its more transportation I suppose than technology? I just spotted it on my shelf and was thinking it may work"

Transportation doesn't get very far without technology. :-) That book sounds like a good choice to me.

[Colleen]

Chickadee wrote: "I think one of the lists posted at the top of this thread really helps answer questions on what to read if you're not into the internet/computer inventions.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovati..."

So we think Packing for Mars would fit into this category? I read Stiff and really liked her writing style. This category for me is also difficult-I am not a non-fiction hater, this just isn't my preferred topic.

[Chessa]

Colleen wrote: "So we think Packing for Mars would fit into this category? I read Stiff and really liked her writing style. This category for me is also difficult-I am not a non-fiction hater, this just isn't my preferred topic. "

I ended up clicking on the "technology" tag and Packing for Mars was on the list, not too far down the list.

[Rainey]

Melissa wrote: "Willow wrote: "Would Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race count for this?"

That would be my choic..."

I can't see why that one wouldn't fit.

[Jess]

I've been meaning to read Techno-Orientalism: Imagining Asia in Speculative Fiction, History, and Media ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...) for a while now. Certainly it's non-fiction, but I wonder if it counts as technology....

[Janet]

Book Riot wrote: "Some posts that might help:

http://bookriot.com/2014/11/12/45-fav...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innova..."

Book Riot wrote: "Some posts that might help:

http://bookriot.com/2014/11/12/45-fav...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innova..."

[Janet]

Courtney wrote: "How specific to technology does the book need to be? I'm considering reading "Salt: A World History", which may not fall under the traditional sense of technology. Thoughts?"

My 8th grade science students would say that technology is something that performs a needed task, makes life easier or more entertaining if the task is unneeded.

[Sheri]

Packing for Mars, Weapons of Math Destruction and Hidden Figures all sound good. Thanks, all.

[Tania]

I've found mine: Rise of Robots.

[Beth]

I'd like to read the new Elon Musk biography for this one: Elon Musk: Inventing the Future by Ashlee Vance. Would that one count?

[Brandyn]

Would "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" be too big of a stretch for this category?

[Victoria]

Great book I read as an ARC in 2016: Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy

(Now I see already mentioned, so I will just give it my highest recommendation- I rated it 5 stars.)

[Wallace]

Brandyn wrote: "Would "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" be too big of a stretch for this category?"

I don't think it's a stretch at all. Medicine is technology, after all.

Really this is a pretty wide category.

[Chris]

I think I'm going to try The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future for this one.

[[deleted user]]

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race is my choice. We don't read nearly enough about black female engineers and mathematicians

[Olivia]

Margaret wrote: "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race is my choice. We don't read nearly enough about black female ..."

I think this will be my pick too.

[Katie]

I think I'll read
The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts
for this one. There are a lot of other interesting titles already mentioned on here though.

[Melissa]

Hidden Figures is my pick as well, especially with the movie coming out soon!

[Melissa Wiebe]

Would The Wright Brothers qualify?

[Rebecca]

I'm thinking of reading Venus Green's Race on the Line: Gender, Labor, and Technology in the Bell System, 1880-1980 thought it is more labor history than tech history.

[Addie Dehart]

Does anyone have some good biotechnology/ genetic engineering suggestions? That area definitely interests me more than the non-living side of technology.

[Ashley]

I'm leaning towards Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World - any thoughts from the community? I'm really not a non-fiction reader but this book caught my eye and would love to fit it into the 2017 RH challenge!

[Leslie (updates on SG)]

Addie wrote: "Does anyone have some good biotechnology/ genetic engineering suggestions? That area definitely interests me more than the non-living side of technology."

I found this list: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology...

Another book that may fit is Natural Obsessions, which I am reading for a different category.

[Leslie (updates on SG)]

Wallace wrote: "I decided to take a little bit of liberty (or maybe not, since medicine is technology) and went with Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End"

This is a fabulous book and one that should be read, but it is more about the care of aging people (e.g., new innovations in nursing homes) than actual technology or medicine.

[Leslie (updates on SG)]

I would like to apply Science in Action, but if it is too "meta" for this category, I will apply The Victorian Internet instead.

One book I highly recommend that should qualify is Instant: The Story of Poloroid.