The Digital Village Book Shelf
The Digital Village Book Shelf
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What's
on the bookshelf?
A lot of interesting books come our way. This page is meant to bring attention to some of the books by guests that we've had on, as well as books by authors who have yet to grace our airwaves. The nature of this list is rather capricious and categories are loose. Books tend to be listed here a long time since they often concern themselves with the more timeless aspects of this immediate, digital culture which many of us seem to find ourselves in. Needless to say, a book's exclusion from this list in no way means that it is unworthy of your attention. Our goal is to expose you to some important ideas that you may have otherwise missed. |
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Culture & Technology
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| The author of Complexity
tells us of the nearly forgotten J.C.R. Licklider. A man who dreamed the
dream of a connected society where man and machine lived in symbiosis.
This is a man who made the Internet possible. |
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| The author of Hackers
takes a look at the important history of Public Key Encryption and the
idiosyncratic people who brought it forth, often through their sheer force
of will. |
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| Jon Katz' true story of two young men and their relationship to
(and expectations of) the digital technology available to them in their
small Idaho town. The book becomes a part of the story itself as the subjects
and the author learn the learn the power of our connected society in a
very personal way. |
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| The first Digital Epic of the new millennium. A tale of war, gold
and a hero UNIX expert, with just a bit of perl thrown in. Spanning half
a century and the history of computing, this novel captures the vital
nature of code. |
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| An in-depth exploration of humankind's obsession with the second-hand.
Just why do we need to to measure time in a fraction of a nanosecond?
Why is it we feel so pressed for time, even when evidence suggest we have
more free time than at any other point in history? I'd tell you, but I've
got to run. |
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| Just what is it like to be the hottest thing in the hottest valley
in the country? Michael Lewis uses Jim Clark, of Silicon Graphics, Netscape
and now Healtheon as a model to explore the new shift in American corporate
thinking. |
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| A very personal look at the definitive Japanese hi-tech company.
Find out how two men built one of the most important enterprises in history
out of little more than their determination. John Nathan had unprecedented
access to the top players at Sony and has provided an invaluable glimpse
at the personalities which have driven that company. |
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| The standard view of the success of Japan's electronics industry
is that it was a result of government sponsorship and efficiency rather
than innovation and risk taking. In fact a term like Japanese Entrepreneur
would be an oxymoron to many people. We Were Burning tells the stories
of those people in Japan (and other countries) who took the risks that
produced a revolution in electronics and personal communication. |
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| Many of us would first think that there is a clear divide between
technology, with it's logic and numbers, and mysticism with it's magical
visions and otherworldly pursuits. But whether it's cave paintings, printing
presses or e-meters, humans have long used technology to help realize
the transcendent self. With Techgnosis, Erik Davis explores this mind/spirit
connection. |
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| It begins with Bennahum's first glimpse of Pong when he was seven.
It continues with the story of his first computer, an Atari 800, and of
Mr. Moran, one of those magical teachers who knew enough to give his students
the responsibility they deserved. It's an intimate look at a time when
young people defined a revolution. |
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| A must-read for anybody interested in encryption and secure, private
communication. The book not only includes a brief history of modern cryptology,
with cogent explanations of popular protocols, it also includes the computer
source code for many of these encryption algorithms, allowing close examination
of these programs' strengths and weaknesses. Not for computer newcomers
nor the faint of heart, this book delivers the goods to those geeks who
really want to know how ciphering works. |
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| A comprehensive examination of high technology's influence on the
language of Discourse. |
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| An important biography of a man who was most influential in the
formation of the Great U.S. Military Industrial Complex during this century. |
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| With all the talk about the New Economy, one would think that all
the old rules were dead. Not so say Shapiro and Varian. Information Rules
sets out to show how the same old tried-and-true economic laws still apply
to today's new technology. |
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Design & Aesthetics
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| Celia Pearce's guide to all things interactive. It features
plenty of non-computer examples of effective interactive entertainment. |
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| Web Designer Lynda Weinman is joined by her webmonster brother
Bill with this new book about effective use of HTML 4. As with all of
Lynda's books, there is a strong focus on good design. |
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| An excellent book on Web design that take's into account such obvious
(yet often overlooked) things as the intended audience and the appropriate
use of technology. |
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| An update of the classic book that became Amazon.com's #1 bestseller.
Still one of the best on the subject. |
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