Fifteen years ago, computers were still used mainly for simple tasks such as processing insurance claims and cutting payroll checks, but now they are being used to fly airplanes, pilot boats, and control nuclear power plants. Wiener argues that software failures occur all the time, and sometimes, they're a source of disaster.
Lauren Ruth Wiener was born in New York City in the summer of 1953. "Riding the Cyclone" is the story of her first eighteen years.
From 1971-75 she attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology, she taught English as a second language in Japan, then earned a master's in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. She then returned to Portland, Oregon, where she taught English to foreign students, took care of reptiles, then freelanced as a technical writer for over 20 years.
This varied career afforded her the chance to see a great many strange corners of the computer software and hardware industries. "Digital Woes" was the result of her wish to communicate technology's weaknesses and vulnerabilities to people who were about to sign up for a lot of risks they didn't fully appreciate. (Blackberry users caught out, victims of identity theft or software viruses or WikiLeaks... you know who you are.)
Coming next: an updated version of "Digital Woes" and a memoir that picks up a few years after "Riding the Cyclone" ends. For more details, please visit www.ridingthecyclone.com.
