Smarter Than You Think Book Review

Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better

· Written by: Clive Thompson (Graduate of Toronto University.  Runs Collision Detection, his blog, that I started to follow.  My favorite is the Star Wars Story Scroll and I don’t even like Star Wars.)

· Narrated by: Jeff Cummings

· Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins 

· Format: Unabridged

 

I listen to a lot of audio books, but not a lot of technology books. I don’t even read books about technology.  I usually expect them to be dull and dry.  Not the case this time and what I love about this book was that it was A) positive and B) it made sense.   The content was engaging and interesting and when you combine that with a talented narrator, it takes the book to a different level.

Starting out the author points out, that feeling apprehension and wariness of new technology is nothing new.   Dime Novels, telephone, magazines....even coffeehouses have something in common.  They had once been deem, the downfall of the human mind.

At first when he started to talk about chess and the computers, but as the book went on, I started to reflect on that more and more.  It also made so much more sense when he talked about Jeopardy playing Watson, (Another computer).

One of the things that I want to bring up is the subject of Life Loggers.  It was absolutely astonishing to me.  I had never heard of them before.   The wearable computers, the recorders, people setting up their houses to be recorded and why….It blew my mind.  I’m afraid of giving too much away, but listening and reading (I also read the kindle version when I could not listen to audio) to the way they had used technology and what it made them realize, was enlightening.  Parts of this book made me start to wonder if I was remembering things the way they were or if my organic was remembering them the way it think they should be.

One of the best statements of this book says that we will not know exactly what new technology will be for until everybody has it and it becomes common.    One of the beautiful about this is that while the author makes his case, he still allows for you to come up with your own conclusion.

On a little side note:  I love that he mentions DBSK!  One of my favorite Korean boy bands EVER!!!!