I wrapped up Where Wizards Stay Up Late. It was a very tough read, but I felt I got a lot out of it. Having a background in computer networking helped. If I didn't, I might have given up, even though the two writers were careful to give analogies (such as digital information "packaged" in a TCP/IP cargo container and sent off to wherever.) Some of these analogies I remember from school. I would have liked to see a sample of the source code, and even though it probably wouldn't have told me anything because I'm not a coder, it would have made me understand the complexity. The way coding was presented was as a kind of magic (deliberately, going by the book's title?)
Though I did wind up feeling edified at the end, I have to say I didn't exactly look forward to reading it each day. I could only digest it a half hour at a time, because it was so dense. I had the feeling the authors were squeezing in every little thing they researched and didn't want to waste a bit. Which is great if you're writing a historical monograph that will be of use to later researchers, but this was intended for a mainstream non-fic reading audience. I felt it would have worked better if it were narrower in focus, like concentrating on the MIT/Boston crowd, or the Pentagon/ARPA one, or the UCLA one. I found it hard to keep all the managers, programmers, and debuggers straight. There were a lot of acronyms as well, not only the protocols but also names of businesses and college campuses. This also made the reading best in small doses.
The book ended in 1994 and was published in 1996, a time when the Internet was shiny and new, so new that mass-market services like AOL and Compuserve weren't even mentioned. Neither were newsgroups, chats, or BBS forums. I'm guessed all that was outside the scope. What struck me was how basic precepts for wired culture were set out way back when, in the late 1960s and early 70s, for open communication, flaming (remember that?) and open source code. A few times in the internet's history things could have become a lot different. For example, at one point AT&T might have purchased the proprietary code and technology. Or it might never have been commercialized, which happened in 1991. It could have remained something only found on collage campuses.
Digesting all this, and in light with current developments in politics and culture, I can't help feeling the genie has gotten out of its bottle and is on a rampage no one can control, or even if it should be controlled.
Next up: Hermetech, by Storm Constantine.
1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. Hermetech, by Storm Constantine
2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. The One Gold Slave, by Christian Kennedy (A giveaway from the author)
DONE **
3. Setting sail: A book taking place mostly or all on water. City of Fortune, by Roger Crowley (a history of Venice)
DONE *****
4. I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon (about the creation of the Internet) DONE ** 1/2
5. My hometown: A book by a local author. Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
8. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). Undead Worlds, A Reanimated Writers Anthology (Zombie stories)
24. War is hell: A book about war, on the lines or the homefront, fiction or nonfiction. A Delicate Truth, by John Le Carr
34. Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
29. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. Twilight, by Stephanie Myers
DONE (no stars)
38. Coming to a theater near you: A book made into a major motion picture. Albert Nobbs, by George Moore
DONE *****
48. The butler might have done it: A mystery. Antiques Swap, by Barbara Allen
DONE ***
49. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. The Worm Ouroboros, by E. R. Eddison. That's as High Fantasy as it gets.
DONE *****
