The Real World of Technology

by

Paperback, 209 pages

English language

Published Jan. 4, 1999 by Anansi.

ISBN:
978-0-88784-636-6
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(5 reviews)

In this expanded edition of her bestselling 1989 CBC Massey Lectures, renowned scientist and humanitarian Ursula M. Franklin examines the impact of technology upon our lives and addresses the extraordinary changes since The Real World of Technology was first published.

In four new chapters, Franklin tackles contentious issues, such as the dilution of privacy and intellectual property rights, the impact of the current technology on government and governance, the shift from consumer capitalism to investment capitalism, and the influence of the Internet upon the craft of writing.

3 editions

reviewed The Real World of Technology by Ursula M. Franklin (CBC Massey lecture series)

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this

Really fantastic book. I reference the first chapter constantly when describing technology as a system of practice. It'll take you an afternoon or two to finish but it will help clarify so much.

reviewed The Real World of Technology by Ursula M. Franklin (CBC Massey lecture series)

Quote from 'Count Zero'

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from @geekmomprojects@mastodon.social

"This quote from Count Zero by the very prescient William Gibson (@GreatDismal) keeps popping into my head...

"And, for an instant, she stared directly into those soft blue eyes and knew, with an instinctive mammalian certainty, that the exceedingly rich were no longer even remotely human."

reviewed The Real World of Technology by Ursula M. Franklin (CBC Massey lecture series)

Technology History in the Present

This series of lectures originally published in 1990, with a follow-on in this edition in 1999, provides a fascinating perspective of the world before and after the public roll-out of the world wide web. Franklin considers contemporary technology from a historical perspective, understanding that the current trends are just part of a larger narrative. As a result, some of the lectures were quite prophetic in predicting the actions of technology companies in the 21st Century. The writing is easy as it was originally delivered as spoken lecture, and the content, although not unique, is very well structured.

reviewed The Real World of Technology by Ursula M. Franklin (CBC Massey lecture series)

feminism & pacifism meet technology & engineering

This is sheer delight and smarts. I wanted a feminist working out of how gender and society interact with technologies, and this is it. I'm so taken I'm actually thinking I might listen to the CBC's recordings of the original lectures as I try to work out how this might help me thinking about feminist bibliography.

avatar for gedankenstuecke@bookwyrm.social

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Subjects

  • Technology -- Social aspects.