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| Blown to Bits | 
| Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
Category: EBooks
List Price: $20.99
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $11.00 (52%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  (7 reviews)
Sales Rank: 5638
Format: Kindle Book
Language: English (Published)
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.4833
ASIN: B001BFL9H6
Publication Date: June 2, 2008
Release Date: June 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
This is the eBook version of the printed book. If the print book includes a CD-ROM, this content is not included within the eBook version. Wherever you go?whatever you say, write, photograph, or buy?whatever prescriptions you take, or ATM withdrawals you make?you are generating information. That information can be captured, digitized, retrieved, and copied ?anywhere on Earth, instantly. Sophisticated computers can increasingly uncover meaning in those digital traces?understanding, anticipating, and influencingyou as never before. Is this utopia? Or the dawning of a 1984/Brave New World horror world? Whatever you call it, it?s happening. What kind of world are we creating? What will it be like to live there? Blown to Bits offers powerful and controversial answers to these questions?and give you the knowledge you need to help shape your own digital future, not let others do it for you. Building on their pioneering joint MIT/Harvard course, the authors reveal how the digital revolution is changing everything, in ways that are stunning even the most informed experts. You?ll discover ten paradoxical truths about digital data?and learn how those truths are overturning centuries-old assumptions about privacy, identity, and personal control. You?ll view the indelible digital footprints you?re making when you search Google?send emails and text messages?write Microsoft Word documents?download MP3s?make cellphone calls?post blog entries?pay highway tolls?use your supermarket discount card. And you?ll see how others could be following those footprints, in ways you never thought about, and might not like. Writing in plain English, the authors illuminate the myriad implications of the digital revolution, answering the questions you?ve wondered about?or ought to wonder about. Who owns all that data about you? What do they owe you? How private is your medical information? Is it possible to send a truly secure message? Who can you trust for accurate information when traditional media is replaced by thousands of unfiltered Internet sources? Along the way, they reveal the decisions governments and corporations are making right now that will shape your future?and show how to have your say in those decisions. Because you have an enormous stake in the outcome. We all do. How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Your World More Profoundly Than You Ever Imagined Who?s watching you, what do they know about you, and what will they do with that knowledge? Is it time to say goodbye forever to privacy and personal identity? What kind of world are we creating?and what will it be like to live there? informit.com/ph www.bitsbook.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Blown to Bits October 9, 2008
Big brother is watching. The world that George Orwell predicted in his book 1984 is here. What's more, we love it.
The digital age has changed our lives. So much is now at our disposable, instantly. Need to contact someone who is out of their office, just phone their cell phone. Want the latest news or gossip about your favorite movie star, just surf the internet. Looking for a great deal on your next new car, do a little research on the net. Nothing could be more simply.
On a day to day basis most of us only think about the convenience factor. Yes, we all are irritated by spam and once in a while we might do a virus or spyware scan in an attempt to make sure that our information stays safe. What we don't tend to realize is that our personal information is already out there: every angry blog entry you ever wrote, information about what sites you visit, medical history, credit rating information. The list is endless.
Blown to Bits educates us about what bits of our life is available for public view. The reality is that we can't completely erase our personal digital footprint. However, there are a few things we can do to protect ourselves to some extent.
 The premise for the book is excellent, the execution is poor October 8, 2008
I have tried hard, but about a 3rd of the way in I have put this down. I find the prose and style very hard to read. It uses what should be interesting and illustrative stories that leave you with more unanswered questions than answered ones. In between the text is complex and hard to read. I heard the authors at a talk about the book and found them equally difficult to follow; their style and delivery did not keep my attention. I wanted to like this book, the subject is very interesting and something we should all have a much better understanding of in our online world, but it needs someone else to craft and polish the text.
 An intriguing analysis of how our lives have changed in the digital age September 3, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Few people would deny that the world has changed significantly since the explosion of the Internet. Hal Abelson, Ken Ledeen, and Harry Lewis have written an intriguing analysis of many of the issues that have erupted due to the ubiquity of digital data, not only on the Internet but elsewhere. Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness After the Digital Explosion, published by Addison-Wesley, digs into many of the ramifications of making so much information available to the world at large. As I read through the book, I was alternately fascinated and horrified at what information is available, and how it is being used and abused.
While the subject matter is primarily about a technology that many people may still not comprehend, the book is written at a level permitting most people to understand how it affects them. There is sufficient tutorial information on how the Internet functions to allow all to follow the reasoning. For those more web-savvy, there are many references to web sites illustrating the authors' points. The reader is encouraged to check them out as you go. While there is a natural flow from one chapter to the next, each one is sufficiently encapsulated so that you can read chapters in any order you like.
Blown to Bits is a fascinating read which will get you thinking about how technology is changing our lives, for better and for worse. Each chapter will alternatively interest you and leave you appalled (and perhaps a little frightened). You will be given the insight to protect yourself a little better, and it provides background for intelligent discussions about the legalities that impact our use of technology.
Fascinating July 11, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is perfect for people who want to understand more about information technology and don't want to read something long or technical to learn it. The authors do a superb job taking the reader through how major technologies function (computers, the internet, cell phones, etc.), how they are shaping our lives, and what impacts they have on our laws and society. Amazing stories are woven throughout it, making it readable and fun for techies and non-techies alike. At the end of the book, you'll have a new understanding of the things we take for granted - and what possibilities and threats they pose. You'll also be light years ahead of most other people - who themselves will need to come up to speed in the coming years. A great read!
a must read July 1, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is one of those books that will change the way you look at the world, or at least, your computer (which, as you'll learn, might be a lot more of the world than you think!) In a very readable prose, the authors explain how the world is fundamentally different now that so much information -- so many bits -- is being generated, monitored, and stored about nearly everything we do. The book covers not just how the internet actually works but also weaves together many applicable examples from the worlds of commerce, entertainment, government, and law.
It is one of those books that will cause you to share what you just read with whomever happens to be in the room, as it is filled with many gee-whiz moments. A great read.
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