Too Soon to Tell: Essays for the End of the Computer Revolution

Copyright © 2009 IEEE Computer Society

Too Soon to Tell: Essays for the End of the Computer Revolution

Author(s): David Alan Grier

Published Online: 19 JUN 2008

Print ISBN: 9780470080351

Online ISBN: 9780470422403

DOI: 10.1002/9780470422403

About this Book

Product Information

About The Product

Based on author David A. Grier's column "In Our Time," which runs monthly in Computer magazine, Too Soon To Tell presents a collection of essays skillfully written about the computer age, an era that began February 1946. Examining ideas that are both contemporary and timeless, these chronological essays examine the revolutionary nature of the computer, the relation between machines and human institutions, and the connections between fathers and sons to provide general readers with a picture of a specific technology that attempted to rebuild human institutions in its own image.

Table of contents

    1. You have free access to this content
      Frontmatter (pages i–xiv)

  2. Part One: Section I: The Computer Era (1946 – 1973)

    1. You have free access to this content
      Part Introduction (page 1)

    2. Out of Position (pages 3–5)

    3. Seymour Cray's Cat (pages 7–9)

    4. Songs of Comfort and Joy (pages 11–15)

    5. Life on the Frontier (pages 17–19)

    6. Museum Pieces (pages 21–22)

    7. The Curve of Innovation (pages 23–27)

    8. Public Image (pages 29–30)

    9. The Enduring Myth of Hardware (pages 31–35)

    10. Choosing Our Way (pages 37–38)

    11. Friend of the Band (pages 39–42)

    12. Family Portrait (pages 43–45)

  3. Part Two: Section II: The Age of Information (1974 – 1987)

    1. You have free access to this content
      Part Introduction (page 47)

    2. Coming of Age (pages 49–53)

    3. Riding with Bohannon (pages 55–56)

    4. The Language of Bad Love (pages 57–62)

    5. Common Knowledge (pages 63–64)

    6. Conflict-Free Memories (pages 65–69)

    7. On the Right Side of the Road (pages 71–75)

    8. Fork in the Path (pages 77–81)

    9. The Best Deal in Town (pages 83–87)

    10. Crossing the Divide (pages 89–93)

    11. Auditions (pages 95–98)

    12. Annie and the Boys (pages 99–105)

    13. Mergers and Divestitures (pages 107–110)

    14. Old Bottles (pages 111–114)

  4. Part Three: Section III: The Days of Cyberspace (1986 – 2007)

    1. You have free access to this content
      Part Introduction (page 115)

    2. Alley Life (pages 117–121)

    3. On the Camino Real (pages 123–127)

    4. Dirty Electricity (pages 129–133)

    5. Because We Were Different (pages 135–139)

    6. A Winter of Hope and A Spring of Despair (pages 141–145)

    7. Coming into the Country (pages 147–149)

    8. Outposts (pages 151–155)

    9. The Captured Imagination (pages 157–160)

    10. Shutdown (pages 161–165)

    11. Force of Nature (pages 167–171)

    12. Ever Onward! Thanks for Asking! (pages 173–176)

    13. Emailing from Armenia (pages 177–181)

    14. The Boundaries of Time (pages 183–187)

    15. Counting Beans (pages 189–193)

    16. The Eyes of the World (pages 195–198)

    17. The Lay of the Land (pages 199–202)

    18. Circle of Light (pages 203–204)

    19. Beyond the Horizon (pages 205–208)

    1. You have free access to this content
      Epilogue: Indicator Lamps (pages 209–212)

    1. You have free access to this content
      Disclaimers, References and Notes (pages 213–233)

    1. You have free access to this content
      Index (pages 235–238)

SEARCH