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Blown to Bits | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
Category: EBooks
List Price: $20.99
Buy New: $12.59
You Save: $8.40 (40%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 6668
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.4833
ASIN: B001BFL9H6
Publication Date: June 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
This is the eBook version of the printed book. If the print book includes a CD-ROM, this content is not included within the eBook version. Wherever you go-whatever you say, write, photograph, or buy...whatever prescriptions you take, or ATM withdrawals you make...you are generating information. That information can be captured, digitized, retrieved, and copied -anywhere on Earth, instantly. Sophisticated computers can increasingly uncover meaning in those digital traces-understanding, anticipating, and influencingyou as never before. Is this utopia? Or the dawning of a 1984/Brave New World horror world? Whatever you call it, it's happening. What kind of world are we creating? What will it be like to live there? Blown to Bits offers powerful and controversial answers to these questions-and give you the knowledge you need to help shape your own digital future, not let others do it for you. Building on their pioneering joint MIT/Harvard course, the authors reveal how the digital revolution is changing everything, in ways that are stunning even the most informed experts. You'll discover ten paradoxical truths about digital data-and learn how those truths are overturning centuries-old assumptions about privacy, identity, and personal control. You-ll view the indelible digital footprints you-re making when you search Google-send emails and text messages-write Microsoft Word documents-download MP3s...make cellphone calls...post blog entries-pay highway tolls-use your supermarket discount card. And you-ll see how others could be following those footprints, in ways you never thought about, and might not like. Writing in plain English, the authors illuminate the myriad implications of the digital revolution, answering the questions you've wondered about-or ought to wonder about. Who owns all that data about you? What do they owe you? How private is your medical information? Is it possible to send a truly secure message? Who can you trust for accurate information when traditional media is replaced by thousands of unfiltered Internet sources? Along the way, they reveal the decisions governments and corporations are making right now that will shape your future-and show how to have your say in those decisions. Because you have an enormous stake in the outcome. We all do. How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Your World More Profoundly Than You Ever Imagined - Who's watching you, what do they know about you, and what will they do with that knowledge? - Is it time to say goodbye forever to privacy and personal identity? - What kind of world are we creating-and what will it be like to live there? informit.com/ph www.bitsbook.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Excellent December 12, 2008
This is an excellent and highly accessible tour of the challenges and exposure we face living in a digital world.
Subtitle should be: "When stuck in Cyberflatland ..." December 11, 2008
This is an important book to read because of the perspective it provides. "Blown to BITS" clearly describes a future of information systems and their users when they get trapped in Cyberflatland. Just like the now well known book Flatland, the people and systems of Cyberflatland are challenged to even imagine the extra dimensions.
The authors are very accomplished and I happen to know and respect them and their work. I gave the book a 5 star rating because it provides a context for imagining the extra dimensions that it would take, and that actually exist, to escape Cyberflatland.
The Computer Science community and the associated industrial base has the capacity to break out of Cyberflatland and enable an alternative future.
 My bits are gone and I want them back! November 15, 2008
The authors of Blow to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness After the Digital Explosion cover both new and old technologies and how they relate to todays cultural and political climates. Driving home the history of most of the technologies we can't live without and their tumultuous relationship with the legislative and judicial branches of the American government.
Breakdown of the chapters:
Chapter 1: Digital Explosion: Why Is It Happening, and What Is at Stake? 1
Chapter 2: Naked in the Sunlight: Privacy Lost, Privacy Abandoned 19
Chapter 3: Ghosts in the Machine: Secrets and Surprises of Electronic Documents 73
Chapter 4: Needles in the Haystack: Google and Other Brokers in the Bits Bazaar 109
Chapter 5: Secret Bits: How Codes Became Unbreakable 161
Chapter 6: Balance Toppled: Who Owns the Bits? 195
Chapter 7: You Can't Say That on the Internet: Guarding the Frontiers of Digital Expression 229
Chapter 8: Bits in the Air: Old Metaphors, New Technologies, and Free Speech 259
Conclusion: After the Explosion 295
All the chapters were well written, informative and flow well together. I felt the authors did a great job breaking down the technical concepts behind the technologies well enough to get the required background (technical but not too technical) and then move into the political discussions of those technologies. The real value of the book was the "Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness" portion of the discussions. They discuss how has the world changed now that we are moving away from paper and everything is in bits. Who owns those bits, what is the government and industry allowed to do with those bits and what about privacy in our lives now that very detailed profiles of people can be generated from those bits (especially since we gave that information away for a few cents off at the register or for some "free service")?
There are plenty of books that discuss the 1's and 0's of the concepts but few I have read that talk about the privacy, governmental or cultural issues that arise from those technologies. Like one of the other reviewers mentioned, plenty of "geez whiz" moments along with plenty of other "I cant believe they did that" moments as well. A great read.
Confusing title but great content November 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book touches on how digital technology has affected our lives- and continues to affect our lives at an exponential speed.
The "life, liberty and happiness" section of the title is somewhat confusing because it covers huge, disturbing issues such as privacy, intellectual property, and shifting industries. That said, it is presented in a manner that makes it an extremely easy read compared to the gravity of its content. Certainly anyone with even a remote interest in how our lives are changing due to technology will find this book interesting. After reading it, you may find yourself thinking in bits.
Blown to Bits October 9, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Big brother is watching. The world that George Orwell predicted in his book 1984 is here. What's more, we love it.
The digital age has changed our lives. So much is now at our disposable, instantly. Need to contact someone who is out of their office, just phone their cell phone. Want the latest news or gossip about your favorite movie star, just surf the internet. Looking for a great deal on your next new car, do a little research on the net. Nothing could be more simply.
On a day to day basis most of us only think about the convenience factor. Yes, we all are irritated by spam and once in a while we might do a virus or spyware scan in an attempt to make sure that our information stays safe. What we don't tend to realize is that our personal information is already out there: every angry blog entry you ever wrote, information about what sites you visit, medical history, credit rating information. The list is endless.
Blown to Bits educates us about what bits of our life is available for public view. The reality is that we can't completely erase our personal digital footprint. However, there are a few things we can do to protect ourselves to some extent.
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