| Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness After the Digital Explosion Contributor(s): Abelson, Hal (Author), Ledeen, Ken (Author), Lewis, Harry (Author) |
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ISBN: 0137135599 ISBN-13: 9780137135592 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional OUR PRICE: $30.59 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: June 2008 * Not available - Not in print at this time * |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Computers | Information Technology - Computers | Social Aspects |
| Dewey: 303.483 |
| LCCN: 2008005910 |
| Physical Information: 1.01" H x 6.32" W x 9.07" (1.33 lbs) 366 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Wherever you go...whatever you say, write, photograph, or buy...whatever prescriptions you take, or ATM withdrawals you make...you are generating information. That information can be captured, digitized, retrieved, and copied -anywhere on Earth, instantly. Sophisticated computers can increasingly uncover meaning in those digital traces-understanding, anticipating, and influencingyou as never before. Is this utopia? Or the dawning of a "1984/Brave New World" horror world? Whatever you call it, it's happening. What kind of world are we creating? What will it be like to live there? "Blown to Bits" offers powerful and controversial answers to these questions-and give you the knowledge you need to help shape your own digital future, "not" let others do it for you. Building on their pioneering joint MIT/Harvard course, the authors reveal how the digital revolution is changing "everything," in ways that are stunning even the most informed experts. You'll discover ten paradoxical truths about digital data-and learn how those truths are overturning centuries-old assumptions about privacy, identity, and personal control. You'll view the indelible digital footprints you're making when you search Google...send emails and text messages...write Microsoft Word documents...download MP3s...make cellphone calls...post blog entries...pay highway tolls...use your supermarket discount card. And you'll see how others "could" be following those footprints, in ways you never thought about, and might not like. Writing in plain English, the authors illuminate the myriad implications of the digital revolution, answering the questions you've wondered about-or "ought" to wonder about. "Who owns all that data aboutyou? What do they owe you? How private is your medical information? Is it possible to send a truly secure message? Who can you trust for accurate information when traditional media is replaced by thousands of unfiltered Internet sources?" Along the way, they reveal the decisions governments and corporations are making "right now" that will shape your future...and show how to have your say in those decisions. Because you have an "enormous" stake in the outcome. "We all do," How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Your World More Profoundly Than You Ever Imagined - Who's watching you, what do they know about you, and what will they do with that knowledge? - Is it time to say goodbye "forever" to privacy and personal identity? - What kind of world are we creating-and what will it be like to live there? informit.com/ph www.bitsbook.com Preface Chapter 1: Digital Explosion: Why Is It Happening, and What Is at Stake? Chapter 2: Ghosts in the Machine: Secrets and Surprises of Electronic Documents Chapter 3: Needles in the Haystack: Google and Other Brokers in the Bits Bazaar Chapter 4: Secret Bits: How Codes Became Unbreakable Chapter 5: Naked in the Sunlight: Privacy Lost, Privacy Abandoned Chapter 6: Balance Toppled: Who Owns the Bits? Chapter 7: You Can't Say That on the Internet: Guarding the Frontiers of Digital Expression Chapter 8: Bits in the Air: Old Metaphors, New Technologies, and Free Speech Conclusion Notes |