Slaves of the Machine: The Quickening of Computer Technology

Gregory Rawlins has a gift for explaining complex things in ways that not only make them crystal clear but also delightfully funny. He can explain, for example, the challenges of computer programming in terms of trying to get a "Napoleonic army of idiots" to invade Russia. And in just such a way he evolves a picture of what future computers might mean to society by taking the reader point by point through cyberhistory, science, and mechanics. Are we truly in danger of becoming subservient to our machines? Maybe, says Rawlins. This is no alarmist book, nor even an anti-computer book. It's an extremely sensible look at past and present reality with an equally sensible willingness to stay alert for future surprises.