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Saturday 2 March 2013

Tech Books worth reading

By Nat Asher


Technology teaches us to forget the past. Last year's tech news seems like it has no use whatsoever. Thankfully, historians beg to differ, and they have begun to preserve the history of the tech industry as it becomes more and more important to the evolution of our lives and world.

On physical computing: "It is difficult today to realize how bold an innovation it was to introduce talk about paper tapes and patterns punched in them into discussions of the foundations of mathematics."-Max Newman. Long before computational systems-which is coming to mean all systems-long before such systems were virtual, Turing took the abstract, invisible conditions of mathematical logic and formalized it into the physical: first as text, then as mechanics, later as electrons.

Reluctant readers are often reluctant because they associate reading with schoolwork, studying, parental pressure, and other less-than-awesome activities. And as the leisure options for children continues to increase multi fold with portable video games and smart phone apps abounding, the number of kids reading for pleasure has been on a steady decline. Having fun, no matter the material, is the first step toward a life of book-loving. To get your reluctant reader to have more fun reading, try interactive books that place a premium on laughs and entertainment.

Everything beckons to us to perceive it. My appreciation of a contemporary text is an appreciation of the network: will this text link me to further texts which will, knowingly or unknowingly, connect me to other texts that will expand or heighten my appreciation, not of it or the other text, but holistically, will raise the network value of texts and experiences in general. And the texts want this too: they are longing for the network.

So, to everyone who's recently emailed me, and has not heard back yet, I'm sorry. I will get to your email, but it's going to take me some time to read them all and reply individually (which I feel everyone deserves even if the book does not appeal to me). I hate form emails and imagine that authors and publishers hate form rejections. Have you ever gotten this behind before? Is it just me, or is saying 'no' really hard to do?




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