To some readers this collection of nine short stories may seem like just that — another collection of stories. It’s so much more though.

The major theme throughout is Asimov’s ability to condense human ethics down to three laws that machines must follow. These three laws seem perfect.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The robots — run amok though. Maybe the three laws aren’t perfect. Maybe humanity’s idea of ethics is wrong.

Asimov creates a compelling world, one where essentially humans make the errors. The three laws are, afterall, created by humans.

I was unfortunate enough to only find a copy with the Will Smith cover that said, “One man saw it coming.” If you’ve seen the movie, but haven’t read the book, you’ll be in for a real shocker. They’re nothing alike. The movie (I assume because I haven’t read the other books in the Robot novels) is loosely based off the novel’s theme of robots going wrong.

The tales throughout are nonetheless gripping. I hardly put the book down, finishing in one night. I’m not sure if Asimov’s intentions were to warn against advancing technology or to just have fun, but I feel there’s some message here — if we are to create highly-intellingent beings, we need to know what we’re getting into. Artificial Intelligence isn’t bad, but it might not necessarily be controlled by what humans view as right/wrong.

Asimov is a wonderful storyteller. No matter what your views are on technology. No matter whether you like science fiction. You should give this book a read.

I started reading Thomas L. Friedman’s book sometime in late December or early January. It was a bit of a long book. Well, I read a lot of other things since then and now. But, I’m finally finished and am astounded. The book has opened my eyes to the situation America is in, that the world is in.

First, you must understand what he means when he says the world is flat. To define it simply, it means that there is now a level playing field, that everything isn’t necessarily controlled from the top down. America is still the world’s superpower, but the rest of the world is steadily catching up. Many will soon catch up and quite possibly surpass us economically and technologically.

He gives a detailed analysis of the 10 flatteners effecting the world right now, starting with the date 11/9/89 — the fall of the Berlin Wall. Next up was the date Netscape went public, 8/9/95. If there are any two dates you might want to know about before stepping into this book, those would be the two. They changed the world forever.

Another date to keep in mind is 9/11/2001. There’s no need to explain what happened that day on the surface, but underneath, something else resulted — America started shutting its doors in ways that could possibly make it not so super-powerful in the coming years.

The world is catching up with education. Fewer and fewer students are graduating in the vitally important fields of mathematics and science. However, in places such as India and China, most students get degrees in those fields, and we are closing our doors to many of those students. That factor, and many others, are causing us to lose ground. More American companies are going global, and they’ll hire the best from anywhere. “And we still do hire lots of Americans,” said Craig Barrett, Intel’s chairman. “But today we can hire the best talent around the world and be successful.”

Many services are being outsourced. Called any customer support number anytime in the last few years? There’s a good chance you didn’t talk to an American.

Friedman isn’t arguing that the flattening of the world is a bad thing. He’s arguing that America needs to wake up. It’s hard to stay innovative when you’re at the top. Those other countries have something to shoot for — America. America has to create something to shoot for, which is harder.

“Does your society have more memories than dreams,” Friedman asks. When you have dreams, you have a goal you’re aiming for. When you have memories, you’re thinking about the past. Let those memories overtake the dreams, and you’re country is doomed to lose its ground.

What the author wants to stress as the most important thing of all for America is education, specifically education in science and math. The moment we took over the world is the moment JFK decided to make these fields more important. It was the moment America decided that math and science would save our country. The moment it became something to strive for. And largely, America has lost that. Nobody’s interested in those fields anymore. That’s probably why I’ve encountered few American math or science teachers.

The next most important thing is that America cannot wall itself in. It will only slow our progress down. If we’re shutting out those people who are the best and brightest in those fields, we’re losing the people who will carry us into the future as leaders. We’re cutting off globalization, and that’s a bad thing.

I have to note that a major part of the book focuses on how anyone can make a name for him or her self. Since the world is becoming flat and losing the top-down heirarchy of previous workplaces, the little guy can actually make a difference in this new world. Take a look at YouTube or Ebay. There’s a definite change happening. Cultures are starting to understand other cultures. The little guy is making money with his Internet-based business. The world is changing drastically.

I can hardly cover the amount of material Friedman covered in his book. He focused on many fields, companies, and countries while researching. You must know that the Internet is a driving force behind the flattening of the world. There are also those who can take new technology and destroy this process. Mostly, the flattening of the world means better lives for everyone. He’ll ask you how many countries have gone to war with each other that has a McDonald’s. You’ll see there’s none, except for a few minor skirmishes.

Overall, Friedman does a good job laying out where we are now, what the future holds, and what we must do about it. America might not stay on top forever, but we should at least be prepared to live and work in a flat world.

Since I’ve just come off a streak of reading nonfiction books about genetic engineering, Patterson’s pageturner was a relief.

Max, Fang, Iggy, Gasman, Nudge, and Angel are back for a second round of action, running from Erasers, outsmarting the whitecoats. The six genetically engineered bird kids and their talking dog, Total, pick up where the last round left off. They have information that might lead them to their parents. Max’s Voice is driving her crazy. And, they’re going to school (the real kind).

Ari, the genetically engineered Eraser (half-wolf, half-human), finally shows his human side. This was the one thing the first book, The Angel Experiment, was lacking. We see that he is not just a monster, but he has retained his human feelings after all of his alterations. But, we are also reminded that he is 7-year-old boy beneath that grown exterior.

Most of the story is told through the eyes of Max. She becomes jealous of the FBI agent who takes them in and plays the mother role to the kids for a while. She becomes jealous, or at least mad, at the girl who kisses Fang at school.

Patterson focuses on character development throughout most of the book. Nothing happens that actually moves the story along, and I was left wanting a little more. It felt like the major storyline left off in the same place that it began.

It’s hard not to like the action. Not to like the easy-flowing style. The characters that you come to love.

Overall, it’s not a bad addition to the series. I hope he answers some of the big questions in the next book though. Otherwise, the series will probably lose its appeal.

Not to end on a bad note, because I did enjoy reading School’s Out — Forever, I want to say that you should definitely read this series if you’re looking for something a little lighter and want to have fun.

Patterson will not disappoint.

I’ve also posted this review of School’s Out — Forever at Books In Bed, my new book community and review site.

Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future

Anyone who’s kept up with some of my book reviews knows that I’ve been reading about biological enhancement and what the future holds for the human race. When I first saw the title of James Hughes’ book, I immediately thought I would read about further proof that we are on the brink of a biological uplifting of our society—a social change so vast that the world as we know it will be redefined.

But, Hughes brings us sci-fi optimists back down to planet earth. It’s all right there in the subtitle, “Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future.” So, what does he mean by “respond”?

He means we, as a society, need to have a conversation about what the next 100 years will bring, and what exactly we’re going to do about it. The next 50 years. The next 10 years.

He recognizes that there is a need for a serious discussion of bioethics. He recognizes that Francis Fukuyama, appointed to the President’s Council on Bioethics, was the wrong man for the job.

Most importantly, he notes that the term “citizen” will have to be redefined.

I think he may go a little off-chart by putting the great apes in the same classification as human children and demented and mentally disabled adults. But, I won’t argue too much there because numerous studies have shown that those great apes might have something that we attribute to consciousness, self-awareness.

He notes that he attended a conference where a transgendered person spoke of being the first of the transhumans. So, is this the first step? Thus far, the U.S. hasn’t been extremely tolerant of the transgendered, but I can see that changing in the future. We’re never tolerant of difference at first. Eventually, people start seeing things differently as time passes on. We’ve seen that with women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement, and are now beginning to see a gay rights movement.

The next movements may involve the transhuman movement—rights for the biologically enhanced. This is where the trouble may start. In the other movements, humans were equal in intelligence and physical attributes, for the most part. However, without a serious discussion of the dos and don’ts of biological enhancement, we may create a species of man that is vastly more intelligent and physically superior.

Without the proper steps taken to ensure their rights, we could put ourselves on the brink of another civil war. Or, a world in which humans version 1.0 are enslaved.

With writers such as Philip K. Dick and other greats, whose words tell how humans must fight against future technology, we’ve become accustomed to think of danger when we think of technological advancement. Hughes believes that “If there is to be a future for progressive politics it has to come from a rebirth of a sexy, high-tech vision of a radically democratic future, a rediscovery of the utopian imagination.”

Maybe that’s what we’ve lost, the ability to imagine a future where things might just actually work. A future where disease is erradicated. Where war is rare. Life is fullfilling.

Hughes is an optimist. However, he also has a realistic view of our world. With so much argument over moral permissibility in today’s society, how are we going to face tomorrow’s? We must respond.

I’ve been so out of touch with certain parts of the technological world lately that I can’t decide on a phone.

Apple iPhone

Obviously, Apple’s iPhone won’t be out for a few months, but I might wait for it. The biggest downside there is price. However, by the time it’s released I’ll have graduated from Auburn, and I hope to have a decent enough job not to worry about cost. What capabilities I do understand seem pretty exciting. I’m definitely leaning toward this phone right now, but I don’t know if I should wait it out.

• Price: $499 (4GB)
• Screen Size: 3.5 inches
• Input Method: Multi-touch
• Operating System: OS X
• Storage: 4GB or 8GB
• Camera: 2.0 MP
• Battery: 5 hours talk, 16 hours audio
• Dimensions: 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches
• Weight: 4.8 ounces

Samsung BlackJack

Before I knew that the rumors of the iPhone were true, I was looking at Samsung’s BlackJack. What really caught my eye with this phone is its design, weight, and dimensions. However, its screen size is nonexistent compared to the iPhone. I wish it had a at least a 2 MP camera and more than 64 MB of storage space. I want this phone because of its aesthetics more than anything (of course, the iPhone looks great too).

• Price: $199
• Screen Size: 2.2 inches
• Input Method: QWERTY keyboard
• Operating System: Windows Mobile 5.0
• Storage: 64MB
• Camera: 1.3 MP
• Battery: 5 hours talk time, 264 hours stand by
• Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.3 x .5 inches
• Weight: 3.5 ounces

Palm Treo 680

I hadn’t really thought about getting a Palm Treo until I saw one at the Cingular store the other day. It seems to be about as good as the BlackJack as far as the specs go, but not quite as pretty. I have heard some good things about this phone from others, so I’m keeping it on the list as I research.

• Price: $199
• Screen Size: 2.2 inches
• Input Method: QWERTY keyboard & touch screen
• Operating System: Palm OS 5.4.9
• Storage: 64 MB
• Camera: ? MP
• Battery: 4 hours talk time, 300 hours stand by
• Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.3 x.8 inches
• Weight: 5.6 ounces

I didn’t list all of the details of each phone because that would’ve taken up way too much space. I’m at a loss as to what I should buy right now. Should I wait for the iPhone until June? I might be simply pulled in by the hype surrounding it right now, but I think it will be revolutionary.

My $45 Sony Ericsson from Wal-Mart isn’t cutting it anymore. It’s good for calling people, except that you’re not supposed to put your finger over this green bump on the back because it’s the antenna.

I’m looking for a phone that will last at least a two years. I’m not sure what kind of work I’ll be doing once I graduate, but it will probably be journalism. If that’s the case, then I’ll need the ability to send things over the Web while on the go. I want to listen to music, but that’s not a priority. A decent camera phone would be ideal, but since I have a 8.2 MP camera, it’ll be hard to look at anything less.

I want an all-in-one package. I want a cheap all-in-one package. Since, that’s not exactly happening right now, I want at least the next best thing.

Which would you choose, and why? Or, would you take another route altogether.

I don’t know if it’s the sheer number of books that I’ve read on human enhancement recently or what, but the contents of this book seem to have blended with every other thing about the subject.

Ramez Naam is an optimist about the future of biological enhancement, but he calls himself a “cautious optimist.” He believes that upcoming scientific breakthroughs will do more harm than good. However, we must account for ethics and social needs first.

As recently as 1999, when a friend told him about future technology, he waved it off as if it was just crazy sci-fiction-nerd talk. A breakthrough came that year when Phil Kennedy implanted an electrode into a paralyzed patient’s brain that allowed the patient to move a cursor on a computer. The patient moved the cursor by thought alone.

This was one of many sci-fi-like phenomena that happened in that year. Suddenly, the world was starting to change.

Naam’s report on advancements and social concerns brings to light what could actually be happening in the decades to come and how we should prepare for it. He writes about designer babies, Methuselah’s genes, and choosing our minds and bodies.

The book is short though. It doesn’t cover as much ground as it needs for the many subjects he brings into the discussion. However, it does offer somewhat of an introductory to biological enhancement.

What the author does offer is good, rational reasoning to seeing this thing through. He makes logical claims as to why we need the science of the future, and backs them up with solid examples. He makes his case socially and ethically, allowing for his optimistic view of the coming years.

Naam writes in an easy, free-flowing prose that will keep you interested from start to finish. Just don’t look for a comprehensive look at the future. It will serve as a good starter book for anyone interested in reading about human enhancement. But, if you’re like me, and have read quite a bit on the subject matter, then you might want something a little more in-depth.

I admit it. I’m a sucker for reading books about upcoming scientific breakthroughs. Yes, that may make me a bit of a nerd, but I like reading them anyway.

Joel Garreau has written one of the easier-to-read books of the variety though. This book was meant for an audience outside the realm of people who haven’t left the science lab since the ’80s.

This is the book for the rest of us.

Garreau even mentions our old pal Ray Kurzweil (from The Singularity is Near) and Bill Joy, Kurzweil’s nemesis (and you can read a 10 page research paper on Joy and Kurzweil by me, just ask if you’re interested). He explains what these guys have been saying for years, only in terms that the Bubbas and Suzies of the world can understand.

The most interesting parts of the book is the three scenarios he sets up to explain where humankind is heading. The Heaven Scenario. The Hell Scenario. The Prevail Scenario.

The Heaven Scenario is Kurzweil’s idea of The Singularity, where humans may become godlike. Technology takes control, and humans are merely spectators in this prediction. However, this technology is driving human advancement past what we consider science fiction today conquering disease, famine, and death itself.

The Hell Scenario is the opposite, which is why Joy argues against scientific advancement. He doesn’t want us to destroy ourselves with our technology (just read his article, Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us, he might convince you). Signs that we are entering the hell scenario: large numbers of people die off, the biosphere is being eaten away, there is no discussion of stopping technology from advancing.

In the Prevail Scenario he states that “Humans have an uncanny history of muddling through” (224). Humans will inevitably forge their own futures against overwhelming odds and come out all right. This is the scenario upheld by Jaron Lanier.

This is an easy read for people who wouldn’t be able to make it through an issue of Popular Science without saying, “Huh.” Garreau breaks down each part, and explains with clarity what the future might lead to.

The discussion on future technology is a discussion in which everyone should take part. However, we must understand what all the fuss is about to do so. This book will give you the key terms and the major players, allowing a new understanding of what the future of our race might be.

This is a long overdue review, especially since it’s been almost two months since I finished reading Ray Kurzweil’s signature piece. Kurzweil has been bashed, laughed at, and called a lunatic many times over, but his book speaks for itself. There are facts, statistics, and scientific laws that provide plentiful proof to his findings.

The Singularity was an assigned book for my Technology, Literacy, & Culture class last semester, and I would have never picked it up otherwise. If by some chance I did pick it up (while browsing at Books-a-Million, I’d imagine) and read through a few lines, I definitely wouldn’t have read it. It’s a heavy read.

Once I got the feel for his scientific language, I started understanding what he was talking about. He was uncovering the truths of scientific progress and the possibilities of the very near future leading to The Singularity. What is the Singularity?

…technological change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history. The implications include the merger of biological and nonbiological intelligence, immortal software-based humans, and ultra-high levels of intelligence that expand outward in the universe at the speed of light.
~ Ray Kurzweil The Law of Accelerating Returns

Sounds a bit crazy, right? I might not be a hardcore believer in The Singularity, but I am a believer in many of the accomplishments that are inevitable in scientific progress in the coming years. And we are coming to a major biological and technological upheaval of progress in the next half century.

This book is more than just far-fetched science fiction-like claims. It has substance. It has charts and graphs and a notes section that is big enough to be a book itself. Kurzweil has done his homework, and he deserves some credit for laying out the future of mankind.

Bill Gates is even quoted as saying that Kurzweil is “The best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence.” He is right in saying that. Kurzweil has been accurate beyond belief in predicting AI for many years. He may be on to something that the rest of are not.

However on or off Kurzweil is with his predictions, I’m ready to see this thing play out. I’m ready to see society transformed in ways that we never thought possible.