izz_y0507's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
1.5
Hella slow. Many points were repeated too often. Many points were disproved by other points so nothing was really true. But the last chapter kinda ate.
tgwilliams's review
5.0
Informative and extremely relevant. Carr details the many ways that automation, and technology in general, affects us and our society. He is not anti-technology, but rather a technology critic. Should be required reading alongside The Shallows. (Both changed the way I look at digital technology in a profound ways.)
josiahdegraaf's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating book that looks at many different areas where fields have been automated with technology and there have been unexpected negative consequences. At times it felt a bit eclectic and in a negative way, as he switched from one topic to another without much transition, but it also helped to show that an overreliance on technology has ill effects in many, if not all fields, and not merely a couple. My main takeaway: technology is not the panacea to man's problems, and the rush to automate everything, while good at the outset, often has hidden dangers.
Some noteworthy points:
The importance of the embodiment of our thinking, and the fact that we are not minds alone, but minds and bodies together.
When we assume that humans are weaker than technology, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
It's possible to create human-centered technology, and not just tech-centered technology
Once good tech was viewed as a means to an better end; now it's just viewed as an end
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Very Good)
Some noteworthy points:
The importance of the embodiment of our thinking, and the fact that we are not minds alone, but minds and bodies together.
When we assume that humans are weaker than technology, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
It's possible to create human-centered technology, and not just tech-centered technology
Once good tech was viewed as a means to an better end; now it's just viewed as an end
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Very Good)
nlgn's review
2.0
Readable, and some interesting points, particularly with respect to the multitude of "small" ways that our experience of the world is diminished by automation. However, ignoring the massive advanced in safety that have come about as a result of automating eg planes, cars, etc, is a pretty massive lacunae.
in2reading's review against another edition
4.0
Thoughtful book that acknowledges the benefits of technology but is also a cautionary tale on the pitfalls of our increasing dependence on navigating our lives with screens. Backed up with plenty of scientific study but very readable.
leda's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Although repetitive at times, Carr makes some interest points about automation and how it affects us.
While machines like computers and smart phones make us more efficient and - hypothetically more productive, it comes with a cost. They diminish the extraordinary abilities that make us humans.
While machines like computers and smart phones make us more efficient and - hypothetically more productive, it comes with a cost. They diminish the extraordinary abilities that make us humans.
omad's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating look at automation, from factories in the industrial age through to the moral conundrums of self driving cars and fully autonomous warfare.
Also includes interesting discussion on the economic impacts of robots and computer systems replacing factory and information workers, how it's next to impossible to build a 100% reliable automation system, and the dangers of hidden complexity and taking humans out of the loop in systems such as aeroplane autopilots.
Some of the most interesting topics for me were the discussions of 'flow' and fulfilment from doing work with a tangible connection to reality, and questioning how much we lose out if it's taken away.
Also includes interesting discussion on the economic impacts of robots and computer systems replacing factory and information workers, how it's next to impossible to build a 100% reliable automation system, and the dangers of hidden complexity and taking humans out of the loop in systems such as aeroplane autopilots.
Some of the most interesting topics for me were the discussions of 'flow' and fulfilment from doing work with a tangible connection to reality, and questioning how much we lose out if it's taken away.