The Evolution of Wired Life (From the Alphabet to the Soul-Catcher Chip -- How Information Technologies Change Our World) - 9780471357599

Thoughtful and erudite... Intelligent and readable...Will appeal to people who enjoyed Longitude by Dava Sobel or Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh. -The San Diego Union Tribune

""Most engaging.""-The Boston Globe

""An optimistic and reassuring assertion that no matter what wonders we invent, human beings . . . remain infinitely more complex and interesting.""-The Economist

A lively, informative examination of the computer revolution-and why the top-performing information-processing device is still the human brain

If we believe the forecasts of many computer enthusiasts, a wave of amazing devices will soon fundamentally change our lives, and the ""thinking machine"" is just around the corner. In this authoritative and entertaining book, critically acclaimed author Charles Jonscher presents the other side of the argument: while communication developments have changed society, they also have their limits. He shows us that in order to understand the true transformative powers of the new technologies, we must know about the long history of their development-and why no calculating machine can match the creative power of the human mind. Rich in insights from literature, philosophy, and history, The Evolution of Wired Life offers a fascinating look at the development of the digital era, from the invention of the first alphabetic language to the printing press to the World Wide Web.