This is going to be a rather short review of a book called Tomorrow's People, by Susan Greenfield.
Let me start with some history: I got this book at the request of a gentleman named Robin Williams, (not THAT Robin Williams) who is the host of a science show on Australian radio. A few months back he visited Microsoft and I was one of several people he interviewed for his program. It was fun, we had a great conversation, and it continued after the recording stopped. It was then that he asked me to read the book, and send him my thoughts (which I also have not done yet).
Ms. Greenfield is a noted and respected science author, with a strong concentration in describing the workings of the human brain. Tomorrow's People is her attempt to talk about several ways in which technology is changing the way we think, act and socialize, and the profound changes that will occur because of that. The book is brokenup into chapters about various aspects, which tend to read like twenty-page run-on sentences that never come up for air. But the biggest problem I have with the book is that Ms. Greenfield has either read too many bad science fiction stories, or is getting some very poor material from colleagues, because she continuously makes matter-of-fact pronouncements about technologies (particularly computer technologies) that will be commonplace in 10 years, many of which are not even being considered in research labs today. Perhaps some of them may come true, but she has truly stretched her credibility on this one.
She also does herself no favors with the flip side: she discusses the implications, both positive and negative, of each of these changes, without any consideration for social pressure to constrain them. Even today, with everything from RFID tags to nuclear warheads, there is active debate on proper and improper usage that plays out both in legislative bodies as well as inthe court of public opinion. To ignore the feedback cycle (and Ms. Greenfield does, consistently) brings us to the worng conclusions about which, if any, of the technoloiges that she discusses is likely to ever reach critical mass enough to have a profound impact.
Now, I realize that I need to add some examples. Unfortunately, as I write this, my copy of the book is 4000 miles away. I ask your pateince, for when I return home I shall amend this review with sufficient examples of Ms. Greendfield's absurdities to prove my point.
But alas, that is why I stopped reading the book; after about 3 chapters, it all became so absurd that I simply couldn't continue reading it. Now you may disagree with me, and you are welcome (at your own risk) to pick up a copy yourself. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you do. The book is not published int he US, but I found it readily available on http://amazon.co.uk
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