The System, book review: How the internet works and who runs it
James Ball tells the story of the great co-operative experiment, now commercially captured, that is the internet.
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How to Survive a Robot Invasion, book review: Humans are the problem
Without careful safeguards, all the problems we complain about with biased algorithms and social media business models will be repeated with robots, only more so.
Hashtag Activism, book review: A sign of the times
This book explores how new movements for social change take shape on Twitter, facilitated by the humble hashtag.
Smoke & Mirrors, book review: How to identify and filter out technology hype
If we keep falling for hype, inventors and hypesters will keep spinning wild stories at us. Gemma Milne's accessible and instructive book looks at examples across a wide range of technologies.
Startup Myths and Models, book review: A quirky guide to Startup Land
Packed with anecdotes and experience, but also with rather pointless analogies, this by turns enlightening and irritating book promises to help you navigate the perilous world of startups.
Righting Software, book review: Building blocks for software architects
If your organisation doesn't have a successful system for software design and development, these 'tried and true' methods may dig you out of a hole.
Adventures of a Computational Explorer, book review: Wolfram's world, in 25 essays
This wide-ranging but technically dense book covers the life and work of Stephen Wolfram, founder and CEO of the company behind Mathematica, Wolfram Alpha, Wolfram Language and more.
Home Computers: 100 Icons that Defined a Digital Generation, book review
Pictures capturing the visual ethic of the home computer revolution are this glossy art book's greatest strength. For technical detail and a sense of the software experiences these 'icons' delivered, look elsewhere.
The Costs of Connection, book review: A wider view of surveillance capitalism
The rush to monetise and profit from data is comparable to the land grabs perpetrated by colonialists of the past, argue Nick Couldry and Ulises A. Mejias.
Speech Police, book review: How to regain a democratic paradise lost
In Speech Police, David Kaye, lawyer and UN special rapporteur on free opinion and expression, looks for a balance between the human right of free speech and the legitimate need to curb disinformation and abuse.
Nano Comes to Life, book review: Small steps towards a giant leap
Oxford academic Sonia Contera explores developments in nanotechnology that might finally deliver the long-held dream of much better cures and more personalised medicine.
Defending democracy in a post-truth world filled with AI, VR and deepfakes
Samuel Woolley's The Reality Game documents an online world awash with alternative facts, deepfakes and other digitally disseminated disinformation, and explores how to limit the damage in the future.
Holiday reading roundup: Five books to inform, educate and entertain
These 2019 titles explore smart homes, Big Tech, gender bias, extraterrestrial languages and science fiction.
Ghost Work and Behind the Screen, book reviews: Lifting the veil on the internet's secret employment sector
Many companies’ services are underpinned by ‘ghost’ workers with few employment rights. Two recent books explore their world.
Fire, Ice and Physics, book review: The facts behind the fantasy
Putting the science into science fiction and fantasy gets you an interesting, if somewhat worthy, book that leaves you with as many questions as answers.
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