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reenum's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
grdelbene's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
chrisburlingame's review
5.0
Can a book be a dystopian novel even though it's nonfiction and covers the recent past until today?
scottonreads's review
4.0
It's not often that a book is captivating, informative, terrifying, and infuriating. The Hank Show by McKenzie Funk hit all those notes for me. Big thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for gifting me with this ARC to read and review. The Hank Show is out NOW!
It is the story both of a man but also of technology, security, and surveillance as we know it. Hank Asher is someone I have never heard of. Considering the current state of technology and how it has been both used and weaponized, it is truly WILD to learn about Hank's history and how we got here.
I'm not gonna lie - there was a lot about this that was really hard to stomach. While technology has given us a lot, the lack of oversight has also led to a tremendous amount of errors and injustices. But there is also tremendous power in knowledging and understanding these systems
Highly recommend this one!
Will post on goodreads, retail sites and my bookstagram @scottonreads
It is the story both of a man but also of technology, security, and surveillance as we know it. Hank Asher is someone I have never heard of. Considering the current state of technology and how it has been both used and weaponized, it is truly WILD to learn about Hank's history and how we got here.
I'm not gonna lie - there was a lot about this that was really hard to stomach. While technology has given us a lot, the lack of oversight has also led to a tremendous amount of errors and injustices. But there is also tremendous power in knowledging and understanding these systems
Highly recommend this one!
Will post on goodreads, retail sites and my bookstagram @scottonreads
campychick001's review
informative
slow-paced
3.0
** Thanks to @stmartinspress for sending me this book to review **
In today's modern world, technology has had a huge positive impact on our lives. As technology evolves, privacy has become a growing concern for the average person. One man is largely responsible for changing how data is collected, stored, shared, and used. Hank Asher is the larger than life personality and genius responsible for how companies and organizations (such as the government, military, law enforcement, social media, insurance, and financial institutions) use your personal data. From his first job as a painter to his drug smuggling days to becoming an expert and innovator in data fusion, this book takes you on a wild journey of technological progress and the serious implications it has privacy and the functioning world.
This was a highly informative yet very technical discussion of data fusion and how evolving technology impacts our privacy. The third act of this book was the most "civilian" friendly, however, if you are into this subject matter this book will pique your interest. There were several topics addressed in this story that really surprised and shocked me including: data mining and voter fraud, predictive policing, social media and advertisements, COVID contact tracing, and the evolution of computer processing. At times it is hard to believe this book is nonfiction and is eerily reminiscent of Orwell's "big brother" - which is referenced quite often. Although there is a lot of very dense information and heavy on the jargon, this book is very insightful for the average person to understand how your personal information is used unknowingly in all aspects of your life; and most surprising of all is that these practices are legal.
The author included an extensive list of sources for the entire book if you want to do a deeper dive on certain topics discussed.
In today's modern world, technology has had a huge positive impact on our lives. As technology evolves, privacy has become a growing concern for the average person. One man is largely responsible for changing how data is collected, stored, shared, and used. Hank Asher is the larger than life personality and genius responsible for how companies and organizations (such as the government, military, law enforcement, social media, insurance, and financial institutions) use your personal data. From his first job as a painter to his drug smuggling days to becoming an expert and innovator in data fusion, this book takes you on a wild journey of technological progress and the serious implications it has privacy and the functioning world.
This was a highly informative yet very technical discussion of data fusion and how evolving technology impacts our privacy. The third act of this book was the most "civilian" friendly, however, if you are into this subject matter this book will pique your interest. There were several topics addressed in this story that really surprised and shocked me including: data mining and voter fraud, predictive policing, social media and advertisements, COVID contact tracing, and the evolution of computer processing. At times it is hard to believe this book is nonfiction and is eerily reminiscent of Orwell's "big brother" - which is referenced quite often. Although there is a lot of very dense information and heavy on the jargon, this book is very insightful for the average person to understand how your personal information is used unknowingly in all aspects of your life; and most surprising of all is that these practices are legal.
The author included an extensive list of sources for the entire book if you want to do a deeper dive on certain topics discussed.
donasbooks's review
5.0
Full review on my blog!
Thank you to the author McKenzie Funk, publishers St. Martins Press and SMPI, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of THE HANK SHOW.
I never thought I'd find myself saying this about a biography, but this story is gripping. Hank Asher is essentially the godfather of data consolidation and integration. His research and computer coding efforts are ultimately responsible for contemporary credit reporting, law enforcement databases, terrorism watch lists, marketing email and phone lists, and so much more. If you think this sounds a bit like a movie, well so did Asher; he named one of his most invasive projects "The Matrix."
...
It may be nonfiction, but it reads like a thriller, and it blew my mind!
Rating:
Thank you to the author McKenzie Funk, publishers St. Martins Press and SMPI, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of THE HANK SHOW.
I never thought I'd find myself saying this about a biography, but this story is gripping. Hank Asher is essentially the godfather of data consolidation and integration. His research and computer coding efforts are ultimately responsible for contemporary credit reporting, law enforcement databases, terrorism watch lists, marketing email and phone lists, and so much more. If you think this sounds a bit like a movie, well so did Asher; he named one of his most invasive projects "The Matrix."
...
It may be nonfiction, but it reads like a thriller, and it blew my mind!
Rating:
andrewrminion's review
dark
informative
fast-paced
3.5
The author did a pretty good job of keeping the many names straight, but there were still a lot to keep track of. Personally I would have liked a bit more in-depth technical detail but that would probably make it less appealing to a wide audience.