Douglas Rushkoff has written a great book. Program or be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age. It covers a lot of ideas that society is struggling with. Things like, always being online. Yet this asynchronus communication seems to be pushing us harder, even though we have all the time in the world to reply. Or living in person, instead of people that are out an about yet always tweeting about it, sending real-time photos, or scanning Facebook for a more happing place than they’re in right now.

He also touches on identity, and how anonymity encourages mob like behavior. I admit that I use my own pen name, but I stand behind it, and I do take responsibility for what I say online. And of course he talks about programming at the end, and how people should take steps to understand the technology they use. Programming is the zenith of digital technology, and Rushkoff makes the point that you can program or become the program.

This is a short book coming in at 150 pages, but it gives a glimpse of the digital revolution and the biases built within it. It’s concise, and gives plenty of examples of the problems we’re facing. It’s a must read for anybody trying to understand the digital age.

- D

Currently Playing: The Secret World: Closed Beta

Towards the end of last month I picked up The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov. I’ve been looking for science-fiction to help me with my writing, and someone suggested that I pick up this series. I’ve never read it, and when I started I was blown away. It’s starts off with entries from the Encyclopedia Galactica. I never knew Douglas Adams was actually making reference to something that actually existed. And Asimov wrote all this between 1951-1953. It has a planet that’s one huge city, Trantor, sounds a lot like Coruscant from Star Wars to me, and it even has the planet Korell along with the Korellian people. Stuff George Lucas had to take from. It makes me wonder how many people borrowed from this universe.

I couldn’t put this down, and I’ve already finished the first book, Foundation, finishing it up this past weekend. The story takes place at a pretty good pace, covering the first 200 years of the Foundation. A Foundation that was formed after the fall of the Galactic Empire. Though the core seems still alive at the beginning of second book. The thing that’s kind of shocking is how this world has been written about time and time again. I even tried my hand at it with Across The Stars. What influenced that was clearly influenced by this. And I guess I can see how people would get sick of the same old place.

I think what Asimov has done is amazing. I love the story and just want to get back to it. I’ll be sad when it's over and I’m glad he took the time to write it.

- D

Currently Playing: D&D Online