Review: The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future by Kevin Kelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Why am I reading all these outdated books recently? 

Anyway, this book is (just?) 6 years old, but is already starting to show its age. 

For example, on page 104: "Propaganda is less effective in a world of screens, because while misinformation travels as fast as electrons, corrections do too." As we've seen, with recent elections in the US and Europe, but more importantly with the Rohingya, with Russia, and with China, this simply isn't true. 

Still, what I find most interesting is Kelly's long-term perspective, since he's been here longer than most in the tech world. So I think he's at his most interesting when he looks back, and makes comparisons or notes the progress since then. 

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Review: Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China's Countryside

Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China's Countryside by Xiaowei Wang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this would have made 2 excellent books. One could have been about tech in rural China, focusing on the different areas mentioned in the book (blockchain, AI, drones, online orders, etc.) while the other could be a very interesting travelogue, detailing the different scenes, people, experiences, etc. encountered by the author throughout China. As it stands, it had extremely interesting content, but felt rather disjointed. I confess I'm still not sure about the random recipes interspersed throughout. 

Having said that, this book should probably be required reading for anyone outside China who is interested in an update on what is going on tech-wise, especially outside of the big cities, and how tech is affecting everyday lives. 

I was looking for more examples of how blockchain technology was being used in rural China, especially after having seen a story about how it was being used in rural Taiwan, so I was a bit disappointed that it didn't have more on that, but the rest of the material was still quite fascinating. 

One story that stuck with me was about the author, when staying among the Dong (Kam) people, having tried a spicy paste they liked so much that they asked if they could buy it. This caused confusion, since the people in the village weren't used to this type of commerce and weren't prepared to sell to outside markets. In the end the boss put some of the paste in an empty Sprite bottle for them to carry. When asked how much it cost, the person thought about it, and replied, "Would RMB 10 be a fair price? Also, can you pay me on Wechat?". This really brought home the juxtaposition of rural life and modern technology for me.

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Review: Non sperate di liberarvi dei libri

Non sperate di liberarvi dei libri by Umberto Eco
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent collection of essays regarding books (and movies) by Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carriere. The Italian version seems to have been translated from French. Another reviewer said this is "perfect between-book fodder", and I agree wholeheartedly. 

I enjoyed the section that repeated the argument from Foucault's Pendulum re: all humans being either cretins, fools, morons or lunatics. Although his example for the fool wasn't Murat, but Chateaubriand, saying of Napoleon: "He won all his battles, but aside from this there was nothing that made him a good general". 

Some of my notes:

We always think the new technology is here to stay while the old (books) will die out. But you can simply pick up a book from 1498 and read what it says, depending on the font and the spelling mistakes. But if you have a cassette from 30 years ago, a VHS from 20 years ago, or even a DVD from 10 years ago, you probably can't play it without acquiring the right machinery. 

Reading certain books might not always be worth it, since then you have to have an opinion (and defend it). Someone who reads Shakespeare now will have a very different experience as compared to someone who read it right when it was published. 

Just as Cervantes likely influenced Kafka, so Kafka influences Cervantes, in that people today read one knowing of the other. 

Collecting books is basically "masturbatory" (sic). No one else will share your exact preferences. People might come to admire your art collection. Much less so your collection of books. This is why most collections are then donated once the owner dies. 

We book collectors don't have to worry about thieves. We are protected by their ignorance. 

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