Post: #1

Can anyone recommend books that describe the effects that new inventions and technology have had on the human experience? I'm looking for something similar to The Shallows (effects of internet) or Amusing Ourselves To Death (effects of television), but on other inventions like the clock or printing press.

I'm interested in this topic because one way to understand the effects of today's technology on humans is to look on effects of past technology.

Post: #2

By far the best exploration of this subject I have ever seen was a BBC TV series called Connections.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections..._series%29The presenter , a historian of science, does a great job of explaining how one invention led to another, then to another, then to another, in very surprising and complex ways. Has lots of demonstrations and reenactments-I found it riveting. Its available on video and a book based on the series was published later.

Post: #3

Great. Found the book version on Amazon: http://roo.sh/kb

Post: #4

It may not be specific/detailed to the level you're looking for, but "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond is a big-picture tour-de-force examining how geography, people, society, and technologies have inter-related over millennia. The book's been criticised for being too one-theory-explains-all, but the broad framework it gives for connecting context, culture, and technology is useful to keep in mind when reading books of narrower focus.

Post: #5

(09-25-2012 05:33 PM)Roosh Wrote:  Can anyone recommend books that describe the effects that new inventions and technology have had on the human experience? I'm looking for something similar to The Shallows (effects of internet) or Amusing Ourselves To Death (effects of television), but on other inventions like the clock or printing press.

I'm interested in this topic because one way to understand the effects of today's technology on humans is to look on effects of past technology.

Clive Ponting's World History ignores a lot of what most historians consider to be history and focuses more on how people were swept up in economic and technological changes. It sounds like what you are looking for. I'm still blown away at how he describes agriculture - at first a discovery that led to a short term age of plenty only to eventually transform nations into dictatorial monarchies.

http://www.amazon.com/World-History-New-...0712665722

Post: #6

Although it isn't quite what you are looking for, I would highly recommend checking out The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil. Absolutely mind blowing stuff. He hypothesizes on how advancements in technology will effect us in the future, as well as the inevitable merger between man and machine. I think there may be a video version of it (kind of like a mini-series) kicking around on google videos too.

Post: #7

there is one book proposing a basic theory of evolution. the book applies this theory to biological, social, cultural, industrial systems and explains their evolution process (and by-products like inventions), like seeing corporations as super-organisms which are competing for resources (money, HUMAN RESOURCES, energy) and why they have an edge over other super-organsims (states,nations), because they are location independent.
pretty enlightening, seems only logical that everything can be reduced to a few principles.
the book is not available in english unfortunately.

Post: #8

Innovator's Dilemma is about disruptive technologies and how they change market dynamics. It's very business oriented, but an interesting read nonetheless.

http://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma...062060244/

Post: #9

Post: #10

(09-25-2012 10:35 PM)kaon Wrote:  It may not be specific/detailed to the level you're looking for, but "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond is a big-picture tour-de-force examining how geography, people, society, and technologies have inter-related over millennia. The book's been criticised for being too one-theory-explains-all, but the broad framework it gives for connecting context, culture, and technology is useful to keep in mind when reading books of narrower focus.

Same book I was going to recommend. Good read.

Post: #11

I'm halfway on this one: http://www.informationdiet.com/

Works on the concept of 'information obesity', which I'm not able to summarize yet, but take a look.

Pretty insightful so far. And very brief.