Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution in Economics and Technology [Hardcover]

George Gilder (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0671509691 | ISBN-13: 978-0671509699 | Publication Date: August 1989 | Edition: 1St Edition

The crystal ball of the next technological era. Leading scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs provide vivid accounts of the latest inventions, revealing how the new international balance of power really lies in information technology.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Gilder connects his fascination with the computer as a savior of the conservative ethic with his mystical economic theories (as in his Wealth and Poverty , LJ 3/1/81) in this densely written account of the "microcosm" of computer technology, where innovations are occurring in the design of smaller and smaller computer chips. The first sections are largely a history of entrepreneurial goings-on in Silicon Valley; Gilder spent much time with the players, and seems to understand this murky world. If only he could tell us : The prose is often turgid or acronym-laden and unintelligible. The economics come at the end, where Gilder prophesies, broadly, that when we finally get the billion-transistor chip, the world's problems and conflicts will evaporate. This is Gilder's old ideological tract, gussied up in silicon, with scalding indictments of anything that isn't "entrepreneurial," i.e., unregulated, and of the old thinking that caused all the problems in the first place.
- Mark L. Shelton, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 426 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (August 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671509691
• ISBN-13: 978-0671509699
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,310,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best "Analysis of Technological Thought" Yet, September 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution In Economics And Technology (Paperback)

Gilder is a rare combination of engineering acumen and campfire storyteller. His story of the birth of the modern computer industry is absolutely fascinating. Gilder, in his description of the "quantum paradox," is at his best, treading confidently in highly technical areas, but keeping the story concise and interesting. Recurring themes in this book stress the power of individual initiative and the helplessness of governments and industrial policies to advance the state of the art in computers. Now, eight years past its initial release, many of his predictions have come true. Some may find fault with his politics, but this book and its conclusions are a convincing argument of his reasoning. If you ever read a book about the history of high-tech, this should be the one.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to understand semiconductor industry? READ THIS BOOK, August 8, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution in Economics and Technology (Hardcover)

This book enabled me to understand the forces driving the semiconductor / computer industry. I have read it three times... the book is now a mess. I attacked it with a highlighter, wrote notes in the margins, talked it over with friends. Have given several copies away. Its that good. The notes and bibliography were even fun to read. Suggestion - Read Ray Kurzweils "Age of Spiritual Machines" after you read Microcosm.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Technology / Economics primer!, February 28, 2002

By 

Dan E. Ross "Dan Ross" (Frisco, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution In Economics And Technology (Paperback)

Like another reader said, read Ray Kurzweils "Age of Spiritual Machines" after you read Microcosm to get better insight into semiconductors. This book, along with Microchip Fabrication: A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processing, are what enabled me to understand the forces driving the semiconductor / computer industry. I was introduced to both books working as a junior semiconductor analyst coming out of grad school. Gilder's book on Telecosm is great for those looking to better understand how telecommunications will affect the world's economies moving forward.

First off, don't read this book hoping to get investment advice. That isn't Gilder's expertise. The guy is an economist folks. His rise to fame may have been during the telecom boom but he became well known during the Reagan era when he wrote a book on The Spirit of Enterprise and Wealth and Poverty, which discussed entrpreneurial ventures and how they were the key to creating wealth in this country. Reagan dragged this guy around the country folks because of his insights into the entrepreneurial spirit! Gilder sits on panels at conferences with such luminaries as Peter Drucker, Lester Thurow, Andy Grove and other intellectuals.

When you read this you will find out the following

1) There is a lot of technical jargon in it. Most should be able to learn what he is saying but it isn't like reading a trashy, romance novel. You have to think.
2) He is trying to convey the fundamental change that semiconductors will have on the economy and why. Having worked in telecom and being a closet economist with an MBA I can say this guy knows his stuff folks.
3) Semiconductors are the core technology in any electronic equipment and it is actually the most proprietary element in a design so it is worth learning more about them since they create a lot of wealth for investors.

The one thing that Gilder emphasizes in this book is the power of individual initiative. We are in the knowledge economy folks and microprocessors and PCs are enabling us to be more productive, begin new careers and experience a quality of life that very few predicted 40 years ago. The microchip and its implications are amazing. The power of the individual in the knowledge economy are causing governments to feel more helpless as they attempt to develop industrial policies and taxation.

Other books to read for futurists and aspiring managers/leaders are Peter Drucker's The Essential Drucker, Built on Trust (social organization) and The Worldly Philsophers by Robert Heilbroner (greatest economist highlights).

Now, eight years past its initial release, many of his predictions have come true. Some may find fault with his politics, but this book and its conclusions are a convincing argument of his reasoning. If you ever read a book about the history of high-tech, this should be the one.