The End of Patience: Cautionary Notes on the Information Revolution

David Shenk has a gift for giving voice to my nagging anxieties, and an ability to discover the essential features of complex problems. I think he is a truly fine essayist, and all of the ones in this slender volume are wonderful. "Stealing Calm," however, is in a very rare class. It even approaches the likes of Loren Eiseley's "The Bird and the Machine," and for me, there are no higher accolades.

The End of Patience: cautionary notes on the information revolution by David ShenkThis is a very fast, fun read, and I found it simultaneously interesting and frustrating. Every chapter/article is a reprint of a previously published (either in print or online) essay - for the material that is 2-3 years old - I would have liked to also read additional current follow-up or commentary. It would be fascinating to know, in this time of exploding commercial enterprise on the web if the author still holds the same opinions about the need for a World Wide Library ("a regimented, filtered, ultra-reliable segment of the World Wide Web") as he did in mid-1997. And how he thinks it might be accomplished given the current free market boom. Every essay provided food for thought, even if only to wonder "is this still true?" The author writes clearly, humorously and cogently. I would be pleased to see book length treatments of many of the themes he treats in just 2 or 3 pages ("Hall Pass to the Twenty-first Century: the problem with putting schools online" would be a particularly juicy book topic). In light of the coming anti-trust judgment remedies in the Microsoft case - a book extrapolating on the essay "Hating Gates: the culture of Microsoft bashing" could be quite provocative. His conclusion that "as long as Microsoft keeps its focus on itself, maintains that hungry feeling, and stays (more or less) within the bounds of the law, they're bound to succeed ... [but] technology has a way of turning the tables rather suddenly. Regardless of Microsoft's foresight, toughness, breadth of investment, and research, Gates knows as well as anyone that his days as technology king could come to a fairly swift end" (p. 88) seems especially prescient. The concluding section on Technorealism, while 2 years or more old - still resonates and is a very appropriate way to end a book by the person who coined the phrase "data smog". I think it is important to try and retain a sense of proportion about the high-tech "information society" - and his basic principles are a good thing to keep in mind: 1. Technologies are not neutral 2. The Internet is revolutionary, but not utopian [...] 4. Information is not knowledge 5. Wiring the schools will not save them. [...]I highly recommend this book for anyone who is trying to find a point of equilibrium between boosterism and neo-Luddite rejection of high tech and the changes it is bringing to us all.

David Shenk writes with wit and warmth about profound matters that affect us all, and manages to make high tech information intelligible and enjoyable. I was introduced to Mr. Shenk's work in "Data Smog", an earlier publication about the impact of technology on us mortals. Time and time again, I experienced that 'click' of recognition, as Mr. Shenk articulated what I had been feeling, but unable to voice.Mr. Shenk hasn't let us down with his current work, "The End of Patience". One warning, though - this book will make information technology addicts very grumpy. For those of us who have embraced this technology without question and spend most of our lives 'plugged in' on an endless quest for more and better and faster, Mr. Shenk's insights will not be welcome.For the rest of us, those who just want to retain our humanity in cyber-world, it's a must-read.This is especially true for those who are privileged to work in developing our information technology and communication systems, and have the power to deeply impact our futures.Mr. Shenk does not advocate disrespect for our modern miracles. On the contrary, he reminds us that it is in the nature of miracles to overwhelm those who are touched by them.

I enjoyed The End of Patience very much. I had to laugh at how many of David Shenk's insights I could relate to, although I had never slowed down enough to consider them. I highly recommend this book. If you've never considered the effect of the constant barrage of digital information The End of Patience will be an eye opener.

Faster is not always better. Our linear minds do not "click" too well in this evergrowing hypertextual world. You have the right to feel overwhelmed by this new speed dogma. This book tells us it's a normal feeling we shouldn't be afraid of admitting. It's clever but never forgets to be down to earth and witty. It's clearly a great gift for anybody living in our fantastic and hysterical world of bits and speed.