Customer Reviews

Richard Thieme's Islands in the Clickstream: Reflections on Life in a Virtual World

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A set of secular sermons by a well known commentator on technology and its impact on society. The book reprints essays penned over the last ten years. The core theme seems to be the continuing rise of the Internet and how this can reshape even our perceptions of ourselves and of a new communal 'virtual' reality.

I would compare his essays to those of George Gilder. But whereas Gilder's writings tend to sound breathless and stuffed with a thicket of arcane and complex technology, Thieme's musings stroll along at a more leisurely pace. A pleasant countryside walk, instead of a dash on a freeway. Thieme talks to a general audience.

But for programmers, there is one specific point that I found spot on. He suggests that programmers who use only one language are not fully programming. It is very hard for them to see the limitations inherent in that language. 'When we learn a second language, we see other ways of framing reality. Then we can make choices.' So for example, if you know only C++, then you think multiple inheritance is logical and natural. But then you know not of Java, which is also Object Oriented, but forbids multiple inheritance, and yet has been very successful. Likewise, knowing only Java might not let you appreciate the templates of C++.

"Enjoy the journey. Be prepared for the detours. Always look back where you came from". These words, by my late father come to mind as I read Islands in the Clickstream.
Richard Thieme has earned his 'wings' in cyberspace.
He shares his intelligence - his brilliance, really - as he steers his starship through these diverse Islands.
A long time online reader, I am so glad he finally published Islands in the Clickstream as a book so his reflections can be shared with the world. J.L. Marais

I've been reading Richard's essays since he started writing them. At last--now a collection that is bound and can replace my 3-ring notebook of his wisdom. Reading Richard is like playing up in tennis: he makes you stretch to find a new place to land a winning idea. His prose calls to mind the best of fiction and non-fiction authors. His metaphors are powerful. And his insights are deep. If you want shallow writing--go elsewhere. You won't find it here.
Be prepared for truth. It's a rare commodity these days.

As a security professional and a man who cares about more than the material world, I've been waiting for this to be published for a long time. I've attended DefCon solely to hear Richard speak and have never been disappointed. His writing insightfully uncovers some of the most important contemporary issues regarding technology, politics and spirituality. In dark times, his writings are where I turn for solace and inspiration. Whether you are a techie or not, if you live in the 21st century, you need to read what this man has to say.

It took me a long time to digest this book, which is jam-packed with quoteable insights, new perspectives on familiar ideas, and inspiring thoughts. Reading this collection of essays, which were written as periodic email columns over a span of seven years, felt like trying to eat a rich, dense dessert in one sitting. This is a book that should be savored slowly--by everyone who has any connection to technology. It's an amazing work.

I can't think of any book that's quite like Islands in the Clickstream--it doesn't fit into any established categories. Syngress Press, the publishers, describe themselves as providing "Career Advancement Through Skill Enhancement," and say it should be shelved in "Computers/General." But what this book actually contains is a collection of secular sermons. They fill the niche of an idealized homily--a short talk that reconnects its listeners to a larger context for their daily lives, inspires them to be better people, and makes them think about deeper issues than the everyday grind--but without any religious context, and addressing technology specifically. Thieme says "...these are sermons...in the sense that sermons form and inform a community that chooses to gather to hear them." It's not too surprising, then, that Thieme tells us he was an Episcopalian priest for sixteen years.

These essays do have a few flaws I associate with a genre like sermons, ie basically ephemeral and not designed to be read en masse--sometimes there's a palpable stretch for the inevitable clever final sentence, and we get some repetition of favorite concepts and quotes like "sanity is contextual." There's also a hint of bombast, not exactly pretentiousness, but a weakness for over-stated metaphors and over-heated symbolism. Thieme's got a liberal hand with buzzwords: nexus, fractal, cyborg, panoptic, granular, convergence, paradigm, morphing, etc. I also think he's barking up the wrong tree in one or two essays where he talks about UFOs and remote sensing, but he's not credulous by any means.

These are minor quibbles. To give an idea of how much this book impressed me: I typically collect a quote or two from a book I read. A great book will yield four to six. I copied down about FIFTY quotes from Islands in the Clickstream--new ideas, brilliant encapsulations of thoughts that have vaguely crossed my mind, inspirational statements. Here's just a small sampling:

"The edge is the new center. The center of a web is wherever we are."

"When things are going well, accountability diminishes. Then when things don't go well, there's chaos." (written in 1997, with a prescient reference to the financial tech bubble)

"'Out of the box' thinking is just a name for climbing out of one box into a little bit bigger box."

"Good tools work regardless of why we say they work. Technical tools and spiritual tools alike."

"That's the problem with oracular truth: the opposite is nearly always just as true. Oracular truth is more like a mobius strip than a yes/no binary system."

If you're someone who's been involved with computers long enough that "hacker" doesn't sound like a dirty word, you'll feel like Thieme is speaking directly to you. If you ever wonder about the effect of technology on how we think and communicate, you'll find a lot of food for thought here. If you're professionally involved with the Internet in any way (as a techie or in business), you ought to read this book. If you're looking for inspiration to be a better person, without being expected to believe in a personal god, check this out.

I would love to hear Thieme speak. He seems like a truly amazing person. (...)

Review cross-posted from <a href="http://www.blogcritics.org">Blogcritics</a> and <a href="http://www.salticid.com/weblog/">my book blog</a>.

I've read the first few chapters while waiting in a restaurant for the plane from DefCon. Even got the signed copy of the book. All worth the while to read. Once I've started to read, I did not stop untill someone interrupted me to say it was time to catch the plane.

It was one of the books that helped me figure out what I even attended Defcon other to learn and network. It was to seek a critical theme of one of the chapters.

As a person who buys books for single chapters, this book opened up eyes and minds on the operations of the Internet and how it brings together ideas of the world.

Islands In The Clickstream: Reflections On Life In A Virtual World by technology expert and media commentator Richard Thieme is a collection of columns reflecting on daily life in a world that is increasingly digital. Organized by subject, and ranging from 1996 to 2004, these writings ponder such issues as digital spirituality, to the political implications of increasing interconnection, the transformations of doing business digitally, and much more. Sometimes offering strident warnings of the abuses to which technology can be put, sometimes giving wistful reflections on how the gifts of digital communication can be spread, Islands In The Clickstream is a versatile, involving, cutting-edge ponderance of our changing world.

I had an opportunity to obtain and read "Islands in the Clickstream" while at BlackHat 2005. I devoured the book in the airport and on the plane ride back to my home.

The thoughts and ideas that are conveyed in this book dissolved me to tears several times, both in the airport and on the plane, because those words mirrored exactly thoughts that have been bumping around in my own head for years and have sadly and strangely made me feel disconnected from my community. I now discover, through "Islands" I am not alone in these thoughts.

Richard's ability to create such strong imagery regarding technology and how it impacts the human tribe is remarkable. I admire him for his bravery in codifying his thoughts and sharing
them. "Islands in the Clickstream" will sit happily on the shelf next to those of two other amazing technical philosophists' - Buckminster Fuller and Doug Hoftstadter - and just like them, be taken down again and again to refresh, renew and rechallenge my thought processes.

This book could very well prove to be life-changing for the reader; it changed mine.

I am involved with the education of novices and experts in the computer field. Through Richard's collection of essays I have learned so much about the needs, fears, and motivations that students bring to the table. Richard Thieme has opened my eyes to much of the unspoken desires of techies, and for that I am grateful. Amazing insights. I'm proud to be part of the ever-changing world of technology.

If you are daring and willing to touch the truth, the old and the new truth that is looking for you to reach, touch and read. You are holding the right book about life, hacking, philosophy, and of course security! Richards's book will bring you the sense and the light you've been searching for to help you understand the security world better and deeper then ever.