Esther Dyson Overdrive 2: The Dumbening

TorgoX on 2004-06-05T09:58:38

Dear Log,

This is my Amazon review of Esther Dyson's horrible horrible book:

An old Subgenius adage goes "You'll pay to hear what you already know!" So Dyson apparently decided she could write the /best/ book ever by writing things /everyone/ knows. "Email will change business communication'? Oh my God, Esther, thanks for the news flash! What's next for Release 4.0? A timely pensée on how one day we will all own VCRs (that stands for "video-cassette recorder"!), and how this will change everything, /everything/?

How about this wild futuristic scenario: in the future, you (YOU!) will be able to make a book by just buying a microcassette recorder and some blank tape, taking it home and taping your unorganized frappucino-addled ramblings. You'll mail the tapes to a typing service, and have them send the MSWord documents /right/ to the printers. What about editors? In the future, everything is fast, no time for editing! Have the publisher bankroll the printing of a few hundred thousand, and wham! "Just-in-time" publishing! The question is, just in time for what?


LOL :)

hfb on 2004-06-05T20:41:04

Please tell me you didn't buy that book or else I'll start thinking you also bought Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom which would mean we need to check you into the mental ward stat! :)

Re:LOL :)

TorgoX on 2004-06-06T00:07:42

I do admit to buying Version whatever.whatever -- but it was remaindered, so it cost me like $2. I still felt cheated. I used to kill bugs. That made me feel better.