Future Hype: The Myths of Technology Change (Paperback)

~ Bob Seidensticker (Author) "THE GAME OF CHESS DATES back to India fourteen hundred years ago..." (more)
Key Phrases: tame problems, technology hierarchy, wicked problem, United States, Industrial Revolution, New York Times (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must-read for those who think the Internet changes everything." -- Bob Frankston, VisiCalc developer and computer industry pioneer

Product Description

Conventional wisdom says that technology change is exponential, giving us an ever-growing number of exciting new products. According to this view, we live in an unprecedented golden age of technological expansion. Not so, according to Future Hype. Author Bob Seidensticker, who has an intimate understanding of technology on professional, theoretical, and academic levels, asserts that today's achievements are not unprecedented. He explodes nine major myths of technology, including "Change is exponential," "Products are adopted faster," and "The Internet changes everything," and he argues that we can't control technology change unless we know how it changes. Examining the history of tech hype, Seidensticker uncovers the inaccuracies and misinterpretations that characterize the popular view of technology, explaining how and why this view has been created, and showing how technology change actually works. He concludes with "hype vaccine," specific strategies to become a shrewder technology adopter.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (March 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576753700
• ISBN-13: 978-1576753705
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #752,412 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathe easy, April 10, 2006

By	KR (WA, USA) - See all my reviews

For those of you who have been worried that despite your best efforts (or because of them) technology is leaving you in the dust, Future Hype is a breath of fresh air. Seidensticker maintains that the pace of technology change today is not any faster than it has been for centuries. Packed with enough historical details to merit its own version of Trivial Pursuit, Future Hype challenges some of the cherished myths of technology change, seeking to replace them with a clear-eyed look at the reality of high tech in the world today, and giving us all a guilt-free chance to get off the treadmill.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful analysis for the layperson, April 9, 2006

By	D. G. "D. G." (WA, USA) - See all my reviews

Given all the hyperbolic rhetoric surrounding technology its nice to see a more measured approach to the question that also offers some much needed historical perspective. Seidensticker has a great way of stringing together his examples into a coherent narrative that helps to illustrate his incisive analysis. Definitely worth the time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Escape the madness!, September 7, 2006

By	Byron C. Justice "Lone Tree" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

As an audio specialist these last 30 years, I've seen my share of technology hype. Even though history is littered from horizon to horizon with inflated expectations, broken promises, unfounded predictions, and a few outright lies, I'm always amazed at how easily people are goaded into throwing down their credit card for the latest tech toys. Of course, this book reaffirms that which I already know--technology for its own sake may be cool, but has no other benefits. I was predisposed to enjoy this book, and I wasn't disappointed. The guy who should read this book is the same guy who replaced his Beta tape library with LaserDiscs.

Seidensticker writes in a very anecdotal style. The layout is clean and inviting to the eyes. It is extremely well organized and edited. What makes FUTURE HYPE so much fun is all of the neat little quotes and factoids, some of which are pretty humorous when read in our modern context. An appendix lists sources for material on the subject worth looking into.

Reading this book gives one the long view, and puts current trends in their proper perspective. I sure wish our government and our school district would read it, because what scares me is that we are being forced to buy into technology that actually lowers productivity or has costs disproportionate to its benefits. For instance, our switch to HDTV has been LEGISLATED, because it didn't win over the marketplace overnight as some hoped it would. School students are REQUIRED to use computers to do assignments which can be done faster with a book, pen, and paper. FUTURE HYPE advocates adopting technologies according to their benefit.

Protect yourself. Read this book before the hype seduces you!

Byron C. Justice, author of "Violent Night"