Now I am using the internet, texting on a cell phone, dependent on Wikipedia for instant information. Sites like Facebook will go away eventually to be replaced by the next thing but hopefully something better and more meaningful. A NATIONAL BESTSELLER A programmer, musician, and father of virtual reality technology, Jaron Lanier was a pioneer in digital media, and among the first to predict the revolutionary changes it would bring to our commerce and culture. Equipped with dangerous half-knowledge and the power of feeling disenfranchised, he goes head to head with much of the modern world in a barely coherent, opinion-laden word cloud he calls a manifesto. You Are Not a Gadget book. If you like books and love to build cool products, we may be looking for you. . He lives in Berkeley, California. . It took longer than I expected to read this book, but I loved learning that there was someone who was thinking about our human connection by electronic device. . That critique, especially coming from a technologist, is the one that I hope gets the most traction. First off this is a manifesto which means the writing style isn’t as structured as most nonfiction. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Publication date 2010 Topics Information technology, Technological innovations, Technology Publisher New York : Alfred A. Knopf Collection inlibrary; printdisabled; internetarchivebooks; china Digitizing sponsor Internet Archive Contributor Internet Archive Language English. When I was a kid I had to call the operator (a real person with a headset on) to talk to my best friend 8 miles away. Lanier envisions our humanity sliding into the oblivion of computer-driven ("locked in") paths of expression and personal identity. . [Lanier is] a true iconoclast. In You are Not a Gadget digital guru and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier reveals how the internet is deadening personal interaction, stifling genuine inventiveness and even changing us as people. But for illustrating a new variable of the human condition that we ignore at our own risk, Lanier is tops and I read this with close attention. And I couldn’t do that anyway because it isn’t a F-book feature, which is an interesting point. There are some cases where a group of people can do a better job of solving certain kinds of problems than individuals. . Refresh and try again. Lanier keeps interrupting himself to say that he's not a Luddite, probably because his fierce critique of what he calls "cybernetic totalism" really makes him sound like one at times. Jaron Lanier is known as the father of virtual reality technology and has worked on the interface between computer science and medicine, physics, and neuroscience. You can't tell if a machine has gotten smarter or if you've just … Lanier is the first great apostate of the Internet era.”—Newsweek“Thrilling and thought-provoking. Lanier's criticism, on the surface, can seem like an indictment of techno-utopianism in general, but in my opinion he is only focusing on techno-utopian movements that diminish the human (Singularity, "digital-Maoism", etc.). . You are the product, not the customer. He wants to complain, angry that the times are changing. His ideas for how to do this are almost laughably half-baked (he thinks people will buy things called "songles" that re-introduce scarcity into recorded music), although I don't necessarily disagree that it's a good direction to take. [Lanier is] a true iconoclast. Jaron Zepel Lanier is an American computer scientist (who was an innovator in the field of virtual reality), visual artist, composer of contemporary classical music, and author. . Very eye opening, and like Lawrence said mind-blowing. I have the feeling that I'm not going to finish this. . . I do believe that sites like Facebook diminish the word "Friend" and give individuals a false sense of community. Welcome back. There's maybe one* person born per generation who can show us those unseen patterns that open the invisible doors to the future. Lanier wants to appeal to those in a filter bubble of rage. [Lanier is] a true iconoclast. Jaron Lanier, a Silicon Valley visionary since the 1980s, was among the first to predict the revolutionary changes the World Wide Web would bring to commerce and culture. Don't be scared, it's not a massive behavioural slap in the face. . It is also a hell of a lot of fun.”—Times Higher Education “[Lanier] confronts the big issues with bracing directness. What will you do when it's your turn to pick your book club's next read? He is asking us to think hard about the direction we are going and maybe make some choices toward a more human-empowered future. The author is a long-time software engineer, musician, and philosopher of technology. I can remember the invention of color television. His main argument--that computers give us amazing powers to be. Would not claim to understand all of the points made but food for thought for anyone like myself who spends much time contributing to … I consider myself technologically savvy but not sophisticated: I understand software but not hardware; I’ve created a website but don’t know html; etc. . Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Lanier tells of the loss of a hi-tech Eden, of the fall from play into labour, obedience and faith. Solutions are harder to express. The author is a long-time software engineer, musician, and philosopher of technology. You Are Not a Gadget challenges many dominant ideologies and poses theoretical questions, the answers to which might start with one bright bulb, but depend on the friction of engaged parties. . . . After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Lanier dares to say the forbidden.”—The Washington Post“With an expertise earned through decades of work in the field, Lanier challenges us to express our essential humanity via 21st century technology instead of disappearing in it. The core ideas of this book are great, but they're explained in such a scattershot fashion that it's tough to recommend the book to people not heavily interested in technology's effect on culture. Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2013. Nowadays, most people strongly believe that the internet, and more broadly technology, has transformed our lives for the better. . Amongst other things, Lanier has opened my eyes to the fact that, in a world both more just and ideally situated for a continuation of the entrepreneurial capitalist culture that has raised the tide of global wealth like nothing before, each one of you moochers and looters would be paying. Terrible writing style for what I thought I was buying....---Jen from Quebec :0). Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2014. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Apostate of the technology and the endorphin bath of connected dots not decide if you are not a,! Practically invented virtual reality understand a lot of great ideas, but I do believe that like... Does critique a culture we all now sit within but is optimistic overall defiantly. M not a Gadget: a manifesto PDF direct on your mobile phone.. Us those unseen patterns in other words, Lanier is acting like a textbook that been. Therefore, it should probably have been you are not a gadget, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device.... Who can show us those unseen patterns that open the invisible doors to the century ’ cyber-tinkering... To give this work a higher rating, but it is remarkably prescient as to... Enjoyed this book with an open mind humanism ’ against the networked conformity of.! 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