Reviews and Comments

A fun, quick, snackable read (each chapter is only a few pages, and focuses on a single “idea that changed the web”). For a book that is nearly 10 years old, it holds up fairly well - although with the pace of change, there are obviously a number of ideas and historical references which seem very dated now (companies and technologies that have gone away, etc). I learned a few things along the way, so it was a worthwhile read.

Nearly halfway through. Nice short snackable chapters in here. It’s nearly 10 years old and it shows (unsurprising with any book about the Internet), but I’ve learned a lot of fun things about the rise and fall of some of my favourite older services (e.g. Geocities), as well as about some of the more enduring ones. Also, made notes on some cool stuff around online computer art, useful for an upcoming talk I’m giving.

The opening chapter is not making me super optimistic about the sustainability of our technology, so let's see where this goes...

Useful, with a few excellent sections.

This is exactly what happened. I enjoyed seeing Manu’s cartoons when we worked at Twitter at the same time, and I’m glad he carried on documenting the end of the company after the layoffs.

As recommended by Ryan on #Techgrumps...

Some fun stories here!

Good story on this book thenewstack.io/online-community-fights-big-techs-chokepoint-capitalism/

This is probably the best overall introduction to 3D printing methods, materials and terminology that I’ve found so far (and, to be honest, it has made me think about whether a Prusa printer would be a good thing for my workshop, which is obviously part of the point of the book). I found the descriptions of the different settings, and differences between material types, very useful. I think it could have gone slightly further in a few places, but overall, perfect for my needs and pretty quick to read and absorb.

Will be interested to see how this compares to what the past few years have given us so far…

Just flipping across from the "all the issues in the system" section to the "ideas to fix the issues in the system" part of the book. Fascinating stuff so far.

Currently listening to the audiobook, and at the midway point. The book is dividing roughly in half, part one covering the ways in which big tech and media companies have vertically and horizontally integrated to “choke” the ability of creators to make a living from their work and to stifle the ability of consumers to choose. Part two covers potential ways to open up these anticompetitive patterns - looking forward to that! Excellent analysis of the past 15 years of internet culture as well as a much broader look at the book and music industries across decades.

Really interesting, pleasingly clear journey through the history of money. We enjoyed this.