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The Invisible Future: The Seamless Integration of Technology Into Everyday Life

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As co-editor of NewsScan Daily, the Internet publication focused on the social aspects of information technology, I consider "The Invisible Future" a "Must-Read" because it offers so many thought-provoking essays for people interested in computers, in the future, or the future of computers. Peter Denning has brilliantly edited the book to focus on what 's really important about computers -- both now and in the future, both as they are and as they really ought to be (and will be).

This is a collection of eighteen essays that came out of a 2001 ACM conference. The subjects centered around the future of computers in our lives, but some discussed robotics, bioscience, astrophysics and oceanography. Several focused on ubiquity or "ambient intelligence" as one author called it. Written by some leading minds in science, information technology and others, the essays discuss future challenges and possible scenarios in their respective fields.

While a few of the papers leaned to the pretentious or the superficial in their commentary, overall I found the essays to be informative and well written. The learned cast of writers included the likes of Michael Dertouzos (Director of the MIT Computer Science Lab), Alan Kay (a founder of Xerox PARC), Bob Metcalfe (co-inventor of Ethernet, WYSIWYG interface), John Seely Brown (Chief Scientist of Xerox), Rodney Brooks (Director of the AI Lab at MIT), Vint Cerf and Ray Kurzweil,. Most papers had a good list of references for further reading.

The gates to the human genome have fallen, nano-technology is redefining life itself, and Moore's law continues to work its magic. But is there a dark side to the technology juggernaut? The answer provided by the contributors to this cutting-edge tome is a definite, "maybe." If technology cannot be made more human-centric - designed to respond to human wants and needs - its promise could indeed be thwarted. We from getAbstract strongly recommend this book to anyone whose work helps to hone technology's cutting edge, and for those who just hope to stay on the safe side of the blade.

If you are looking for some sound clues about the future being shaped by information technology, this book is for you. It's informative and insightful about what's coming down the information highway. It's also a good read, even for those of us who are not technocrats, but want to know how technology will affect our lives in the coming years.