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Devices of the Soul: Battling for Our Selves in an Age of Machines by Talbott
US $10.24
ApproximatelyAU $14.92
Condition:
Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.
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eBay item number:403938092696
Item specifics
- Condition
- Book Title
- Devices of the Soul: Battling for Our Selves in an Age of Machine
- Publication Date
- 2007-06-05
- Pages
- 281
- ISBN
- 9780596526801
- Subject Area
- Computers
- Publication Name
- Devices of the Soul : Battling for Our Selves in an Age of Machines
- Publisher
- O'reilly Media, Incorporated
- Item Length
- 8.5 in
- Subject
- Social Aspects / General, General, Social Aspects / Human-Computer Interaction, Information Technology
- Publication Year
- 2007
- Type
- Textbook
- Format
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- Item Height
- 1.2 in
- Item Weight
- 16.5 Oz
- Item Width
- 5.5 in
- Number of Pages
- 287 Pages
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
O'reilly Media, Incorporated
ISBN-10
0596526806
ISBN-13
9780596526801
eBay Product ID (ePID)
56963381
Product Key Features
Number of Pages
287 Pages
Publication Name
Devices of the Soul : Battling for Our Selves in an Age of Machines
Language
English
Publication Year
2007
Subject
Social Aspects / General, General, Social Aspects / Human-Computer Interaction, Information Technology
Type
Textbook
Subject Area
Computers
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
1.2 in
Item Weight
16.5 Oz
Item Length
8.5 in
Item Width
5.5 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Scholarly & Professional
LCCN
2007-530633
Dewey Edition
22
Dewey Decimal
303.48/3
Synopsis
Self-forgetfulness is the reigning temptation of the technological era. This is why we so readily give our assent to the absurd proposition that a computer can add two plus two, despite the obvious fact that it can do nothing of the sort - not if we have in mind anything remotely resembling what we do when we add numbers. In the computer's case, ......, In this deeply thoughtful work, the author reviews humanity's technological dreams of improvement and destruction, finding both possibilities where others see only one or the other., "Self-forgetfulness is the reigning temptation of the technological era. This is why we so readily give our assent to the absurd proposition that a computer can add two plus two, despite the obvious fact that it can do nothing of the sort--not if we have in mind anything remotely resembling what we do when we add numbers. In the computer's case, the mechanics of addition involve no motivation, no consciousness of the task, no mobilization of the will, no metabolic activity, no imagination. And its performance brings neither the satisfaction of accomplishment nor the strengthening of practical skills and cognitive capacities."In this insightful book, author Steve Talbott, software programmer and technical writer turned researcher and editor for The Nature Institute, challenges us to step back and take an objective look at the technology driving our lives. At a time when 65 percent of American consumers spend more time with their PCs than they do with their significant others, according to a recent study, Talbott illustrates that we're forgetting one important thing--our Selves, the human spirit from which technology stems.Whether we're surrendering intimate details to yet another database, eschewing our physical communities for online social networks, or calculating our net worth, we freely give our power over to technology until, he says, "we arrive at a computer's-eye view of the entire world of industry, commerce, and society at large...an ever more closely woven web of programmed logic."Digital technology certainly makes us more efficient. But when efficiency is the only goal, we have no way to know whether we're going in the right or wrong direction. Businesses replace guiding vision with a spreadsheet's bottom line. Schoolteachers are replaced by the computer's dataflow. Indigenous peoples give up traditional skills for the dazzle and ease of new gadgets. Even the Pentagon's zeal to replace "boots on the ground" with technology has led to the mess in Iraq. And on it goes.The ultimate danger is that, in our willingness to adapt ourselves to technology, "we will descend to the level of the computational devices we have engineered--not merely imagining ever new and more sophisticated automatons, but reducing ourselves to automatons."To transform our situation, we need to see it in a new and unaccustomed light, and that's what Talbott provides by examining the deceiving virtues of technology--how we're killing education, socializing our machines, and mechanizing our society.Once you take this eye-opening journey, you will think more clearly about how you consume technology and how you allow it to consume you."Nothing is as rare or sorely needed in our tech-enchanted culture right now as intelligent criticism of technology, and Steve Talbott is exactly the critic we've been waiting for: trenchant, sophisticated, and completely original. Devices of the Soul is an urgent and important book."--Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World "Steve Talbott is a rare voice of clarity, humanity, and passion in a world enthralled by machines and calculation. His new book, Devices of the Soul, lays out a frightening and at the same time inspiring analysis of what computers and computer-like thinking are doing to us, our children, and the future of our planet. Talbott is no Luddite. He fully understands and appreciates the stunning power of technology for both good and evil. His cool and precise skewering of the fuzzy thinking and mindless enthusiasm of the technology true believers is tempered by his modesty, the elegance of his writing, and his abiding love for the world of nature and our capacity for communion with it. "--Edward Miller, Former editor, Harvard Education Letter"Those who care about the healthy and wholesome lives
LC Classification Number
T14.5.T35 2007
Item description from the seller
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- s***s (126)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseThis is an outstanding seller to deal with. Fair prices that are more than reasonable in this economy. The product is in better condition than described, a true value for my money. Packaged and shipped well shows seller has concern for the products he sells to arrive in excellent condition. The seller is friendly and communicates timely with his customers. I highly recommend this seller and would do business again anytime. Thank you!
- p***p (47)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseGreat seller! Item is what I ordered; good communication; shipped promptly; good value. NOTE TO SELLER: packaging was NOT appropriate for item; it was a flimsy, plastic envelope, with no stiff material to prevent creases. The book came with two deep creases that involved the *entire* item: one is a 1" triangle lower left side (bound edge); the other is a 7" triangle on upper right side (open edge).Beautiful Music for Two String Instruments, Bk 3: 2 Violins by Samuel Applebaum (#403989405345)
- n***a (3384)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseExcellent Seller, Fast Shipping, Great Communications, Packaged Well, Exactly As Described, And A Good Price. PERFECT. I Will Buy From This Seller Again. Thank You. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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