I was lucky enough to get an advance pre-release bopy of The Big Switch, Nick Carr’s new book on the socioeconomic impact of the today and tomorrow of computing. For a couple of weeks I have struggling with how to review the book. I was going to write a long review, but I believe that does not justify the diverse range of ideas that the book generates, so what I am going to do is serialize it and address different sections of the book over multiple posts.
I found Nick Carr via Vinnie Mirchandani’s blog, and realized that this was the same person who wrote the HBR article IT Doesn’t Matter, since converted into a book. As a great believer in the power of computing and the new web, my initial reaction to Nick was rather negative, but over time, I have come to grudgingly respect his thoughtfulness and ability to present a point. We might not always agree, although we seem to in the utilitarian potential of the web, but his blog is one of my must reads.
I will add one thing though. Carr is a great columnist and blogger, but I am not so sure his style necessarily translates as well into book form. If you approach the book as a collection of connected essays, it reads a lot better. The book is a must read though if you care about the power of computing, the web and how it might impact our lives in the future. Material is presented both in a historical context, but also speculates rather intelligently about our future and references abound.
Hold your breath. The next week is going to be busy.
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