Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web

Rather unique combination of deep insight, new angles awash, solid theory, all the sources, splendid language, passion and humour. What else can you ask for?

If John Perry Barlow is the Internet's prophet and Sherry Turkle is its anthropologist, by writing "Small Pieces, Loosely Joined," David Weinberger has become its first cosmologist, its Stephen Hawking.In this slender, very readable and sometimes laugh-out-loud book, Weinberger examines the meaning, impact and use of the Internet with great insight and wisdom. He left me understanding how profoundly important the Internet is and how deeply it is affecting our society. It's not just another technological advance...it changes everything.I realize that some people just don't get it, won't get it and can't get it, despite the crystal clarity of Weinberger's prose. But some people never get it. Even Alexander Graham Bell was initially convinced the phone would be best used for transmitting music over long distances and I believe there was a fellow by the name of Watson who predicted the US would never need more than five computers. If Weinberger had been around then and writing books about telephoine and computers, they might have better understood the potential of their creations.If you want to understand what the Internet means for us today and what it might mean tomorrow, I can think of no better basis than "Small Pieces Loosely Joined." His ideas will resonate in your mind long after you've finished the book.

"Small Pieces Loosely Joined" is not just an apt title describing a unified theory of the World Wide Web. It also describes what it means to be a member of a family, a tribe, a community, a metropolis. It explains how democracy works and the functioning of what the philosopher Charles Taylor calls "nested public spheres." It details the principles of what Steve Johnson calls "emergence" -- the self-organizing principles that let ant colonies, brain cells, cities and eBay all work effectively and collectively.Mr. Weinberger reminds us of what it means to be human -- to care passionately about the things that move us, to move in very human bodies that experience the world in particular ways, to experience each other through our common interests. He describes how much we are wronged by, and wrong about, our default philosophies of individualism, realism and relativism. He reminds us that passion, togetherness, imperfection and hope are among the human dimensions that draw us to the Web -- even as they are drained from institutions and professions designed to serve us.I wish that everyone in my profession (journalism) might rediscover these human dimensions, which are all too often squeezed out of news coverage and commentary. I expect every profession would benefit from the lessons of this book.The more one knows about the Web, I suppose, the more the "small pieces" of this book will resonate. But you only need to know about people to recognize and respond to its plain-stated wisdom. It is a joy to read and reflect upon.

Thanks to The Newspaper of Record, we now know that Web is boring; the Web has gotten old, and the frontier thrills of exploration and discovery have evaporated. Fortunately, no one told David Weinberger.Weinberger's book Small Pieces, Loosely Joined proposes not only that the Web isn't boring, but that the excitement is only just beginning. We haven't missed the main event, only the previews of coming attractions.He sees the promise of greater things yet to come in the ways that culture's engagement with the Web has already begun to influence the English language. He adopts seven key terms ("space," "time," "perfection," togetherness," "knowledge," "matter," and "hope") and illustrates the ways that their conventional usage might be seen to apply simply and directly to the Web. Then he goes further to show how these terms warp and crack with the torsion engendered by their roles in articulating Web experiences. After they have circulated online, these terms return to colloquial use with changed textures--space, perfection, hope, all signify very differently after their circulation on the Web.Weinberger gracefully invites technological newcomers into the party. He has a gift for epigrammatic phrases, and regularly summarizes his exposition in memorable sound bites. He cites both familiar and less well-known examples of ways the Web has changed over its brief history, and of ways the Web has changed us. The heart of the book, however, lies in Weinberger's ardent affirmation of the positive possibilities that the Web opens for humanity. Without concealing the seamier dimensions of the Web, he urges readers to take up the opportunity to be better people in new ways, online.Thus far one might construe the book--at the prompting of its title--as a new, improved theory of the Web. That would miss the point: Weinberger really hits his stride not as a pitchman for e-commerce or a disneyfied futurama, but as a reflective advocate for humanity. The subtitle might more appropriately suggest that Weinberger here offers a theory of how human beings may live more richly human lives in conjunction with the Web.This mixed thematic impetus provides a great strength to the book. Weinberger writes with passion addressed to his readers' passions, in a way that distinguishes his work from "For Dummies" introductions or technological snake-oil pitches. Weinberger sings the opportunities that reside in the Web not with a self-interested voice, but as one who earnestly wants others to share the excitement he feels.The mixed thematics also set Weinberger up to frustrate some readers. A book as ambitious as this one will evoke the hopes and passions of its readers, and will inevitably disappoint some. More technically-inclined readers, for instance, may wish for more detail in the discussions of the Web itself. Some readers interested in media theory may wish for fewer anecdotes and more analysis. But this is not a book that should satisfy readers; on its own terms, the b

Sometimes the web seems like Calibans's mirror, where those who look for the dark parts of mens souls will find ample confirmation.David Weinberger looks into this mirror and finds connections between people. Messy, uncontrolled, unauthorised, unplanned but full of authentic voices. As he says "Yelling, joking, teasing, provoking, criticizing, grieving, and flirting are all forms of connecting. "The recent technological and financial hype of the Web have clouded the deeper changes that are happening to our world view because of it. David examines the detailed impact of the Web on Space, Time, Perfection, Togetherness, Knowledge, Matter and finally, like Pandora, offers Hope.Throughout it all he explains deep ideas through clear writing and precise examples with enough epigrams to fill a .sig file.Read this book. Think about it. Join the conversation.