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Close to the Machine (25th Anniversary Edition): Technophilia and Its Discontents by Ellen Ullman
x0pherl's review against another edition
1.0
This book is pretty well reviewed, but I just didn't connect with it at all. I'm sort of curious how it ended up on my reading list: maybe NPR, maybe a recommendation?
The book sort of jumps about between details of her programming career, her privileged upbringing, and her attempts at a love life. Occasionally it mingles them uncomfortably: "We give ourselves over to the sheer fun of the technical, to the nearly sexual pleasure of the clicking thought-stream." Um, no.
At her best, she nails the tech types perfectly:
But for me, the book fell flat, and I can't begin to imagine what the subtitle has to do with the book.
The book sort of jumps about between details of her programming career, her privileged upbringing, and her attempts at a love life. Occasionally it mingles them uncomfortably: "We give ourselves over to the sheer fun of the technical, to the nearly sexual pleasure of the clicking thought-stream." Um, no.
At her best, she nails the tech types perfectly:
She arrived with an entourage of eight, a group she had described on the telephone as “Internet heavy-hitters from Palo Alto.” They were all in their early thirties. The men had excellent briefcases, wore beautiful suits, and each breast pocket bulged ever so slightly with what was later revealed to be a tiny, exquisite cellular phone. One young man was so blonde, so pale-eyed, so perfectly white, he seemed to have stepped out of a propaganda film for National Socialism. Next to him was a woman with blond frosted hair, chunky real-gold bracelets, red nails, and a short skirt, whom I took for a marketing type; she turned out to be in charge of “physical network configuration.” This group strutted in with all the fresh-faced drive of technocapitalism, took their seats beneath the AIDS prevention posters (“Warriors wear shields with men and women!” “I take this condom everywhere I bring my penis!”), and began their sales presentation.
But for me, the book fell flat, and I can't begin to imagine what the subtitle has to do with the book.
sofiarodriguez's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
thisisstephenbetts's review against another edition
Interesting snapshot of software engineering 20 years ago, just before the internet became big. Plus ça change and all that — libertarian devs into crypto currencies have been a thing for a while, apparently.
horfhorfhorf's review against another edition
4.0
I love, love, LOVED this book. Ullman so perfectly encapsulated my feelings on much of technology... 20 years after publication and to a tech-savvy-non-programmer. A must-read for my fellow technophiles-turned-discontents.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
5.0
Ellen Ullman started work as a professional programmer in the 70s and she writes about her life as a software engineer in field. This was not what I was expecting and it was much better for it! It is a memoir of a very specific point in time, and from such a fascinating point of view. Her memoir has an astonishing description of the mindsets of programming and getting close to the machine. But it also comes out of that space to explore the personal and the impact of what was a swirling swoosh of activity and money (and even end users at some points).
The heady pace of learning languages and running projects on sheer willpower and belief that you can figure it out in time sounded exhausting just reading about it. Ullman manages to paint a picture of what is intoxicating about such lifestyles though, so that as non-participants you can just about get a glimpse of this different world. I've started to read more about the technological debt that is accumulating and there seems to be quite a bit of that originating from these days. And this was written in 1997! I'm so glad I've now heard of Ellen Ullman and I intend to read more. (I'm sorry I was expecting this to be a very straightforward history account...it was so much better.)
The heady pace of learning languages and running projects on sheer willpower and belief that you can figure it out in time sounded exhausting just reading about it. Ullman manages to paint a picture of what is intoxicating about such lifestyles though, so that as non-participants you can just about get a glimpse of this different world. I've started to read more about the technological debt that is accumulating and there seems to be quite a bit of that originating from these days. And this was written in 1997! I'm so glad I've now heard of Ellen Ullman and I intend to read more. (I'm sorry I was expecting this to be a very straightforward history account...it was so much better.)
kathrinpassig's review against another edition
4.0
Es war interessant, mal ein Buch aus der Softwarebranche zu lesen, das anders erzählt ist als die meisten, die ich bisher kannte. Viele schöne Beobachtungen drin. Insgesamt war es mir ein bisschen zu "diese Entwicklungen sind besorgniserregend, wo bleibt denn da der Mensch", aber noch gut erträglich.
joerourke's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
been a while since i read. but follows a software developer in SF in the earlier days. an interesting look into the life of these early oil tycoons, especially for a woman. feels like journalism in parts.