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Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway
In Silicon Snake Oil , Clifford Stoll, the best-selling author of The Cuckoo's Egg and one of the pioneers of the Internet, turns his attention to the much-heralded information highway, revealing that it is not all it's cracked up to be. Yes, the Internet provides access to plenty of services, but useful information is virtually impossible to find and difficult to access. Is being on-line truly useful? "Few aspects of daily life require computers...They're irrelevant to cooking, driving, visiting, negotiating, eating, hiking, dancing, speaking, and gossiping. You don't need a computer to...recite a poem or say a prayer." Computers can't, Stoll claims, provide a richer or better life.
A cautionary tale about today's media darling, Silicon Snake Oil has sparked intense debate across the country about the merits--and foibles--of what's been touted as the entranceway to our future.
A cautionary tale about today's media darling, Silicon Snake Oil has sparked intense debate across the country about the merits--and foibles--of what's been touted as the entranceway to our future.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
5 people are currently reading
477 people want to read
About the author
Clifford Stoll
3 books107 followersClifford Paul "Cliff" Stoll is an astronomer, author and teacher. He is best known for his investigation in 1986, while working as a systems administrator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, that led to the capture of hacker Markus Hess, and for Stoll's subsequent book The Cuckoo's Egg, in which he details the investigation.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 5, 2010
i can't even explain how much i loved reading this book. he is just WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING in such a delightful way. i've never seen such an extraordinary lack of foresight. cliff stoll is a smart guy who just spent a lot of time in the 90s being wrong, wrong, wrong about the future of the internet.
December 13, 2010
I agree with many of Clifford Stoll's thoughts, but find that many of his predictions about social networking, etc. have been proven wrong. Not that what he thought social networking would do hasn't been accurate, but the fact that it has taken over as much as it has, unfortunately shows that most people don't have the foresight that he expressed in his early opinions about the internet. The social implications were pretty often spot on. Most people have moved in a direction that shows that they are more caught up in the glamour of the internet than in the realization that much valuable time is wasted in their lives because of the hollow results of the time spent.
the book is now a bit dated, but should be studied by those who are continuing to develop the internet and social networks. Perhaps if some of Stoll's wisdom and observation were included in the programming efforts, less damage to society would occur.
the book is now a bit dated, but should be studied by those who are continuing to develop the internet and social networks. Perhaps if some of Stoll's wisdom and observation were included in the programming efforts, less damage to society would occur.
April 9, 2009
I first came across Clifford Stoll while reading the excellent
Cuckoo's Egg. It's a griping real life story about how he discovered
and chased down one of the early Internet hackers. This is why when I
was in a second hand bookstore I picked up a copy of Silicon Snake
Oil. The subtitle, "Second Thoughts on the Information Highway" gives
an indication about what it's about.
The first thing to note is this is a book that really shows it age.
Published in 1995 it was when the Internet was moving from a cosy
academic network used by scientists to the first commercial ISPs and early
influx of AOLers. This when the World Wide Web was still know by the browser
Mosaic. As will soon become apparent 13 years ago counts as ancient
history when it comes to the 'net.
The books central thesis is one of scepticism of the promises that the
advocates of the so called Information Superhighway where making. Stoll deals with the
issues of information overload, signal to noise on Usenet and whether
this technology will really turn people into infonauts or just passive
consumers of the fire hose of information coming from another glowing
box on our desks. He saves most of his reservations for the trend at
the time to computerise education and worries the educational benefits
of computers and 'net access are being oversold. Time and again he
worries we will turn into one dimensional beings denied the
"authentic" experiences of actually seeing, touching, smelling and
interacting with things in the real world. There may be some
interesting ideas that are still relevant for discussion today however
it's hard to tell because of the numerous predictions that in
hindsight completely wrong.
I don't blame Stoll for this. Predicting the future is always a tricky
business. The 'net has grown up so fast and is consistently surprising
the world with new inovations growing out of it. He's also not a
reactionary Luddite, he "looks forward to the time when our Internet
reaches every town and trailer park". However at the time he wrote
this book he was clearly having a crisis of faith in what the
futurists where promising.
A few illustrative predictions are worth quoting. When discussing
shopping he asserts "no electronic shopping can compare with the
variety, quality, and experimental richness of a visit to even the most
mundane malls". This is before Amazon gave the bricks and mortar book
shops a serious run for their money. He talks of the frustration of
searching for information by keywords in titles of documents through
various gopher services. This is before the all powerful Google
"solved" the problem of search by using links to information to rank
the usefulness of a page.
One thing that becomes clear is many of the obstacles he mentions has either
been solved or is in the process of improving. The ease of use of
computers which is another bugbear of his, usability has been late in
the game of software development but people like Apple take problems
like getting Grandma on the 'net very seriously. Humans have proved
remarkably ingenious at solving seemingly insurmountable problems.
There are some areas he flags for concern that may still be
relevant today. He wonders if the instant response of email is
affecting our ability to write properly. If the ability to self
publish will drown the 'net is a sea of dross. If social interactions
on the screen can ever replace physically meeting people. However so
much of this is mixed in with problems I know are now solved it's hard
to not just write them off as excessive pessimism on Stoll's part.
In summary I would recommend reading the book if you want to remind
yourself of where the 'net came from and what the early days looked
like. However if your looking for a clear treatise on the potential
downsides of the information world I suggest looking for a more recent
book on the subject.
Cuckoo's Egg. It's a griping real life story about how he discovered
and chased down one of the early Internet hackers. This is why when I
was in a second hand bookstore I picked up a copy of Silicon Snake
Oil. The subtitle, "Second Thoughts on the Information Highway" gives
an indication about what it's about.
The first thing to note is this is a book that really shows it age.
Published in 1995 it was when the Internet was moving from a cosy
academic network used by scientists to the first commercial ISPs and early
influx of AOLers. This when the World Wide Web was still know by the browser
Mosaic. As will soon become apparent 13 years ago counts as ancient
history when it comes to the 'net.
The books central thesis is one of scepticism of the promises that the
advocates of the so called Information Superhighway where making. Stoll deals with the
issues of information overload, signal to noise on Usenet and whether
this technology will really turn people into infonauts or just passive
consumers of the fire hose of information coming from another glowing
box on our desks. He saves most of his reservations for the trend at
the time to computerise education and worries the educational benefits
of computers and 'net access are being oversold. Time and again he
worries we will turn into one dimensional beings denied the
"authentic" experiences of actually seeing, touching, smelling and
interacting with things in the real world. There may be some
interesting ideas that are still relevant for discussion today however
it's hard to tell because of the numerous predictions that in
hindsight completely wrong.
I don't blame Stoll for this. Predicting the future is always a tricky
business. The 'net has grown up so fast and is consistently surprising
the world with new inovations growing out of it. He's also not a
reactionary Luddite, he "looks forward to the time when our Internet
reaches every town and trailer park". However at the time he wrote
this book he was clearly having a crisis of faith in what the
futurists where promising.
A few illustrative predictions are worth quoting. When discussing
shopping he asserts "no electronic shopping can compare with the
variety, quality, and experimental richness of a visit to even the most
mundane malls". This is before Amazon gave the bricks and mortar book
shops a serious run for their money. He talks of the frustration of
searching for information by keywords in titles of documents through
various gopher services. This is before the all powerful Google
"solved" the problem of search by using links to information to rank
the usefulness of a page.
One thing that becomes clear is many of the obstacles he mentions has either
been solved or is in the process of improving. The ease of use of
computers which is another bugbear of his, usability has been late in
the game of software development but people like Apple take problems
like getting Grandma on the 'net very seriously. Humans have proved
remarkably ingenious at solving seemingly insurmountable problems.
There are some areas he flags for concern that may still be
relevant today. He wonders if the instant response of email is
affecting our ability to write properly. If the ability to self
publish will drown the 'net is a sea of dross. If social interactions
on the screen can ever replace physically meeting people. However so
much of this is mixed in with problems I know are now solved it's hard
to not just write them off as excessive pessimism on Stoll's part.
In summary I would recommend reading the book if you want to remind
yourself of where the 'net came from and what the early days looked
like. However if your looking for a clear treatise on the potential
downsides of the information world I suggest looking for a more recent
book on the subject.
March 15, 2023
Thought provoking read in this advent of the AI revolution
September 26, 2011
A lot of this book is outdated (since it's 15 years old), but there are also some points which are still valid. When he talks about what computers can do, he's normally wrong, e.g. saying that online shops don't display photos of what you're buying. However, when he talks about what computers should do then he's worth listening to.
Basically, he's saying that there are only so many hours in the day, and time spent on computers is time that you don't spend doing other things, so computers can get in the way of living your life. The main snag is that this gets quite repetitive, so it would work better now as a chapter rather than a book, e.g. an extended essay.
Most of his prophecies about computers were wrong, but I think he did accurately predict some future trends. Look at all the people who go to music concerts (spending a lot of money on tickets) and then spend the whole time holding up their phone/camera to film it. I don't understand that mindset at all: either watch it on TV (bigger screen and cheaper) or enjoy the live performance.
Basically, he's saying that there are only so many hours in the day, and time spent on computers is time that you don't spend doing other things, so computers can get in the way of living your life. The main snag is that this gets quite repetitive, so it would work better now as a chapter rather than a book, e.g. an extended essay.
Most of his prophecies about computers were wrong, but I think he did accurately predict some future trends. Look at all the people who go to music concerts (spending a lot of money on tickets) and then spend the whole time holding up their phone/camera to film it. I don't understand that mindset at all: either watch it on TV (bigger screen and cheaper) or enjoy the live performance.
January 25, 2018
This book shows its age, but I'm so happy I read it. As growing up in the first generation of young people with the INTERNET, I missed out on the small community on the Usenet. As part of the youtube generation, remembering a time when we had to dial in, and a simple HTML web page took minutes to load, was well worth it. Yes it's easy to criticize his opinions about the Usenet 22 years later, but he still had perspective. Most people would not criticize the highway system but it's true that now we spend more time in traffic commuting than years ago when we had small communities. Clifford Stoll is a treasure for the IT community and I highly recommend his book, yes even all these years later.
February 22, 2009
Goodness, there's a name out of the blue. I had totally forgotten Clifford Stoll. I read the Cuckoo's Egg years ago and then when this book came out it was requested by all the Luddites on campus (many of them good friends) who were terrified by the Internet and computers. Stoll became their god for a while since here was someone on the inside with doubts. Of course, Stoll was mostly wrong, and that's why we don't hear much from him anymore.
February 20, 2008
Disappointing follow up to The Cuckoo's Egg. Lots of cynical rantings about technology and the internet in this book.
June 28, 2013
Outdated. Even at the time read it I felt most of what he was saying was going to be proven wrong.
January 8, 2015
I had to read this for Introduction to Sociology. There are some good points, but I was not impressed.
December 17, 2021
A bit dated, but I enjoyed the perspectives of 25 years ago and how people thought technology was going to be much more egalitarian. That's just not the case.
June 21, 2023
Silicon Snake Oil: The Road to Hell
"This ain’t no technological breakdown, oh no, this is the road to hell. This ain’t no upwardly mobile freeway, oh no, this is the road to hell." Chris Rea (1999).
So it is. As Astronomer Clifford Stoll foresaw in his 1995 book, Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway, about computers and civilization, the Internet, and information technology. “A place where there’s plenty of talkers and few listeners.” Where “Conversations are strangely vacant of substance.” (p.113)
Keep in mind, this was before social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Zoom. There was no Google, Amazon, Goodreads, or WordPress. Never even mind Instagram, Tiktok, or Tinder. Chat GPT? not even a pipe dream. Wireless internet, Netflix, YouTube? Not in anyone’s wildest imagination.
Smart phones? Ha! In fact, in 1995, I didn’t even have a personal computer, much less a cell phone. Nevertheless, I was in college and learning about computers and the internet. I did have an .edu email address. Moreover, I tried writing in html code.
Like many others, I thought this just might make all the difference and transform humans to the next level. A higher level where peace and prosperity was shared, and there’d be no need for war. Ha!
Man! Was I wrong. But Stoll wasn’t. Oh, he did get a lot wrong. For sure. However, what he got wrong was the tech stuff. All the problems he wrote about have been solved. That is, those regarding access, time, speed, bandwidth, and money.
What he got right was human nature and the damage we can wreck on ourself and each other.
The Damage Done
might not be reversible. When I googled Stoll I discovered that he is now “heartbroken”, with what the information highway has become. In the book he said this:
“The Internet began as a technological community, with convivial neighbors who’d help each other. Its friendly anarchy promised to revolutionize social interactions and transcend political boundaries. With time, it developed into something less." (p.112-3)
Don’t blame Trump for what happened. That’s just plain lazy, rigid, and self-serving. Stoll recognized our lazy nature right away, or “the principle of least effort.” (aka social loafing.) Writing about “search engine optimization” (SEO), before it was a thing:
“most researchers, even serious scholars, will choose easily available information sources, even when they are low quality. Researchers are usually satisfied with whatever can be easily found rather than expending more effort to dig up better sources. Confronted with a variety of pathways to an answer, people choose the one that requires the least amount of work. People are lazy. Put something online��anything–and researchers will love it, whether or not it’s right." (p.185)
There it is. Nearly thirty years ago. Now, it’s not only “researchers and scholars” – it’s everyone.
This is the road to hell.
Oh yeah. Now what? I don’t know. Even my psych-girl is doubtful the damage can be undone. Try as she might. That is her job, after all.
On the wall, by the door in her office, is a hand-stitched sign: “Warning – social media may be hazardous to your health.”
The difference between talking with someone face-to-face and “talking” on-line is day and night. Light and dark. And yet, everything is on-line.
Can We Change?
Can we save ourselves from this road to hell? Stoll, again and again, emphasized the need and beauty of “In Real Life”. Very few have listened. He warns: “the big-time disasters creep up on us.” (p.174)
Recently, I watched a movie, The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008). It, too, tries to warn. Keanu Reeves, the alien, says to Jennifer Connelly, the scientist, “The problem is not technology. The problem is you. I cannot change your nature.” Jennifer pleads: “Please. We could change.”
Change is really, really hard. In the above movie another character tells Connelly that only when we are on the brink, at the precipice, will we alter course.
Hmmm. What do you think? Have you tried to change? Do you think we can change our nature?
In the movie, Reeves, the alien sent to save the planet by killing all the people, believes her. (Jennifer Connelly could convince me, too. Of anything.)
In Conclusion
I loved the book. Five stars. I love the Internet. But then, I’m retired and have nothing better to do than watch movies and shows all day long.
And eat, pray, love? Drink. Listen to music streamed on Spotify. Watch live sports. Podcasts, and introverted neurotic girls selling themselves, their “brand”, on YouTube.
After all, the brilliance that is the Internet gave me said movie, because I “like” Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. The Internet brings me everything I want. Almost.
We have an upgrade problem.
Stoll concludes, “For all the promises of virtual communities, it’s more important to live a real life in a real neighborhood.” (p.235) I agree.
Tagged: behavior, Clifford Stoll, happiness, health, the road to hell
"This ain’t no technological breakdown, oh no, this is the road to hell. This ain’t no upwardly mobile freeway, oh no, this is the road to hell." Chris Rea (1999).
So it is. As Astronomer Clifford Stoll foresaw in his 1995 book, Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway, about computers and civilization, the Internet, and information technology. “A place where there’s plenty of talkers and few listeners.” Where “Conversations are strangely vacant of substance.” (p.113)
Keep in mind, this was before social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Zoom. There was no Google, Amazon, Goodreads, or WordPress. Never even mind Instagram, Tiktok, or Tinder. Chat GPT? not even a pipe dream. Wireless internet, Netflix, YouTube? Not in anyone’s wildest imagination.
Smart phones? Ha! In fact, in 1995, I didn’t even have a personal computer, much less a cell phone. Nevertheless, I was in college and learning about computers and the internet. I did have an .edu email address. Moreover, I tried writing in html code.
Like many others, I thought this just might make all the difference and transform humans to the next level. A higher level where peace and prosperity was shared, and there’d be no need for war. Ha!
Man! Was I wrong. But Stoll wasn’t. Oh, he did get a lot wrong. For sure. However, what he got wrong was the tech stuff. All the problems he wrote about have been solved. That is, those regarding access, time, speed, bandwidth, and money.
What he got right was human nature and the damage we can wreck on ourself and each other.
The Damage Done
might not be reversible. When I googled Stoll I discovered that he is now “heartbroken”, with what the information highway has become. In the book he said this:
“The Internet began as a technological community, with convivial neighbors who’d help each other. Its friendly anarchy promised to revolutionize social interactions and transcend political boundaries. With time, it developed into something less." (p.112-3)
Don’t blame Trump for what happened. That’s just plain lazy, rigid, and self-serving. Stoll recognized our lazy nature right away, or “the principle of least effort.” (aka social loafing.) Writing about “search engine optimization” (SEO), before it was a thing:
“most researchers, even serious scholars, will choose easily available information sources, even when they are low quality. Researchers are usually satisfied with whatever can be easily found rather than expending more effort to dig up better sources. Confronted with a variety of pathways to an answer, people choose the one that requires the least amount of work. People are lazy. Put something online��anything–and researchers will love it, whether or not it’s right." (p.185)
There it is. Nearly thirty years ago. Now, it’s not only “researchers and scholars” – it’s everyone.
This is the road to hell.
Oh yeah. Now what? I don’t know. Even my psych-girl is doubtful the damage can be undone. Try as she might. That is her job, after all.
On the wall, by the door in her office, is a hand-stitched sign: “Warning – social media may be hazardous to your health.”
The difference between talking with someone face-to-face and “talking” on-line is day and night. Light and dark. And yet, everything is on-line.
Can We Change?
Can we save ourselves from this road to hell? Stoll, again and again, emphasized the need and beauty of “In Real Life”. Very few have listened. He warns: “the big-time disasters creep up on us.” (p.174)
Recently, I watched a movie, The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008). It, too, tries to warn. Keanu Reeves, the alien, says to Jennifer Connelly, the scientist, “The problem is not technology. The problem is you. I cannot change your nature.” Jennifer pleads: “Please. We could change.”
Change is really, really hard. In the above movie another character tells Connelly that only when we are on the brink, at the precipice, will we alter course.
Hmmm. What do you think? Have you tried to change? Do you think we can change our nature?
In the movie, Reeves, the alien sent to save the planet by killing all the people, believes her. (Jennifer Connelly could convince me, too. Of anything.)
In Conclusion
I loved the book. Five stars. I love the Internet. But then, I’m retired and have nothing better to do than watch movies and shows all day long.
And eat, pray, love? Drink. Listen to music streamed on Spotify. Watch live sports. Podcasts, and introverted neurotic girls selling themselves, their “brand”, on YouTube.
After all, the brilliance that is the Internet gave me said movie, because I “like” Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. The Internet brings me everything I want. Almost.
We have an upgrade problem.
Stoll concludes, “For all the promises of virtual communities, it’s more important to live a real life in a real neighborhood.” (p.235) I agree.
Tagged: behavior, Clifford Stoll, happiness, health, the road to hell
September 8, 2023
“Of my many mistakes, flubs, and howlers, few have been as public as my 1995 howler … Now, whenever I think I know what’s happening, I temper my thoughts: Might be wrong, Cliff …” -- Clifford Stoll comment on Boing Boing about this book / his article that seeded the book.
OK, so this book is an unpopular book to love. When I first read it as a young technologist I looked at what he said / predicted and thought "how can he say this?". But I had enough of a love of his Cuckoo's Egg book that I pondered it and even reread it a few times.
When this book came out we were on a rapid hype curve, the Internet had just broken into the public consciousness. Many people saw and understood elements of what Cliff was commenting on, but to me this book served as a lightning rod, collecting all of the vague doubts and fears.
Keep in mind that in 1995 the US was restricting the export of software that could perform encryption outside the US, and pushing for implementation of the Clipper chip that would let the NSA decrypt all in the US communications using that "secure" system.
SSL V2.0 came out of the draft process to be a IETF standard (SSL V1.0 was DOA). So encryption was not a common thing on web servers, and even in the early 2000's there were web servers that were happy to take your credit card number on an unencrypted link.
Without strong end to end encryption commerce and sales couldn't really happen. E-Commerce in the early day really sucked... In fact, part of what was supposed to make SSL secure was that getting a certificate for a website cost hundreds of dollars per year. With the idea that the scarcity would prevent hucksters from wanting to pretend to be another entity.
So with this background it is hardly surprising at Cliff's views, but that isn't why I love the book. I find his counter hubris very instructive. Anytime I find myself cheering hard for a new development I have learned thanks to this book to look for the rough edges, and decide if they need a fundamental change, or just some filing or even just padding. Cliff wasn't against any of the great things the Internet could / would do for us, he was against the people wearing rose colored glasses and believing every bit of what was being sold without asking if it was worth the side effects.
Based on that, this is a great book to read to get a counter view of the early Internet days.
OK, so this book is an unpopular book to love. When I first read it as a young technologist I looked at what he said / predicted and thought "how can he say this?". But I had enough of a love of his Cuckoo's Egg book that I pondered it and even reread it a few times.
When this book came out we were on a rapid hype curve, the Internet had just broken into the public consciousness. Many people saw and understood elements of what Cliff was commenting on, but to me this book served as a lightning rod, collecting all of the vague doubts and fears.
Keep in mind that in 1995 the US was restricting the export of software that could perform encryption outside the US, and pushing for implementation of the Clipper chip that would let the NSA decrypt all in the US communications using that "secure" system.
SSL V2.0 came out of the draft process to be a IETF standard (SSL V1.0 was DOA). So encryption was not a common thing on web servers, and even in the early 2000's there were web servers that were happy to take your credit card number on an unencrypted link.
Without strong end to end encryption commerce and sales couldn't really happen. E-Commerce in the early day really sucked... In fact, part of what was supposed to make SSL secure was that getting a certificate for a website cost hundreds of dollars per year. With the idea that the scarcity would prevent hucksters from wanting to pretend to be another entity.
So with this background it is hardly surprising at Cliff's views, but that isn't why I love the book. I find his counter hubris very instructive. Anytime I find myself cheering hard for a new development I have learned thanks to this book to look for the rough edges, and decide if they need a fundamental change, or just some filing or even just padding. Cliff wasn't against any of the great things the Internet could / would do for us, he was against the people wearing rose colored glasses and believing every bit of what was being sold without asking if it was worth the side effects.
Based on that, this is a great book to read to get a counter view of the early Internet days.
September 1, 2025
I really enjoyed Stoll's other book and I saw people mentioning this book several times and how big of a miss it was. I was curious if there was anything relevant to the current state of the internet in the book. I didn't see much outside of obvious takes like social interactions online pale in comparison to real life for example.
My favorite parts of the book were his personal stories and anecdotes, the few bits and pieces of history throughout, and chapter 12 1/2. I don't think I've ever read a book that had a completely negative outlook from cover to cover like this one has.
My favorite parts of the book were his personal stories and anecdotes, the few bits and pieces of history throughout, and chapter 12 1/2. I don't think I've ever read a book that had a completely negative outlook from cover to cover like this one has.
November 30, 2025
Early critique of tech that made valid points for its time, but the tech world has changed so much—for the worst in many cases.
November 14, 2009
I've wanted to read this 1995 book about a wary view of the developing internet for a while. I read Cliff's book "The Cuckoo's egg" about tracking down a hacker. This book is dated. In that I mean this was written pre-explosion of the WWW. The internet had grown in a text based, bulletin-board, that was dominated in academia by mainframes running UNIX. The multi-media driven web it is now.
The author's aim was to offer an anti-view against the emerging Web as it robs individuals of real and true-life experiences. The humanity of activities is pared down - the aesthetics of living changed. For example,
writing an email is not the same as sitting down to write a letter. For an email, your type up what your want, do some quick editing, and maybe do a spellcheck but hardly a grammar check. You're done in 1 minute.
Writing a physical letter implies a real commitment and desire to communicate with someone. Time is spent thinking about what to communicate and how. A mistake means eraser marks or cross-outs. When done, there addressing and postage. When you may be waiting up to 1-2 weeks the meaning of the letter becomes more important. The quality and will to communicate has been diminished by the ease & informality of email.
He addresses e-books, online chat and role-playing games.
He's definitely off on the majority of his predictions on where the internet (and the web built on top) is going. e stated money transactions would never work. Way off.
I was more interested in the concepts he would touch on that speak more to psychology and the replacement of the physical experience with a virtual or electronic-dependent experience. Take for example the difference between reading an old classic bound book with the same book on a Kindle. Why make friends online while not engaging in the
society in your own geographic community.
His main point is that the tactile and physical interactive world in his eyes is much richer than the poorly represented and impersonal electronic proxy of avatars. A web-dependent society is one disconnected from real human experiences.
I'd be interested in reading an update version with the authors comments on his "pre WWW" vs. now.
The author's aim was to offer an anti-view against the emerging Web as it robs individuals of real and true-life experiences. The humanity of activities is pared down - the aesthetics of living changed. For example,
writing an email is not the same as sitting down to write a letter. For an email, your type up what your want, do some quick editing, and maybe do a spellcheck but hardly a grammar check. You're done in 1 minute.
Writing a physical letter implies a real commitment and desire to communicate with someone. Time is spent thinking about what to communicate and how. A mistake means eraser marks or cross-outs. When done, there addressing and postage. When you may be waiting up to 1-2 weeks the meaning of the letter becomes more important. The quality and will to communicate has been diminished by the ease & informality of email.
He addresses e-books, online chat and role-playing games.
He's definitely off on the majority of his predictions on where the internet (and the web built on top) is going. e stated money transactions would never work. Way off.
I was more interested in the concepts he would touch on that speak more to psychology and the replacement of the physical experience with a virtual or electronic-dependent experience. Take for example the difference between reading an old classic bound book with the same book on a Kindle. Why make friends online while not engaging in the
society in your own geographic community.
His main point is that the tactile and physical interactive world in his eyes is much richer than the poorly represented and impersonal electronic proxy of avatars. A web-dependent society is one disconnected from real human experiences.
I'd be interested in reading an update version with the authors comments on his "pre WWW" vs. now.
June 21, 2008
An old book by Clifford Stoll on the perils of uncritical incorporation of online everything into our daily lives. It's remarkable how well the criticisms in this book hold up. The Internet and online resources have changed a lot since this book was written, but the uncritical way we interact with it -- and with related networks -- remains the same.
Of course, Stoll writes in a long skeptical tradition, and he acknowledges it: "Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end. We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate." (Thoreau -- Walden, naturally. Quoted at the start of chapter two. The quote is appropriate both for the attitude and for the dated technical reference -- magnetic telegraphs for Thoreau, 8-bit color depths for Stoll.)
Recommended to anyone who believes e-mail has made the US Postal Service obsolete; anyone who checks a Blackberry just because it's there; and anyone who has, without any sense of irony, sent an instant message to someone sitting less than fifty feet away.
Of course, Stoll writes in a long skeptical tradition, and he acknowledges it: "Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end. We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate." (Thoreau -- Walden, naturally. Quoted at the start of chapter two. The quote is appropriate both for the attitude and for the dated technical reference -- magnetic telegraphs for Thoreau, 8-bit color depths for Stoll.)
Recommended to anyone who believes e-mail has made the US Postal Service obsolete; anyone who checks a Blackberry just because it's there; and anyone who has, without any sense of irony, sent an instant message to someone sitting less than fifty feet away.
September 15, 2015
I was interested in this book because of its commentary on the internet from what is now 20 years in the past. And it was indeed interesting to see the insight the author had about the effect of and problems with the internet. However, some of the problems he mentioned have been resolved, but I agree with him that there are a variety of ways in which computers are less efficient than paper.
Overall, the book was seemingly random in its organization, but an easy read, nonetheless. I particularly enjoyed his commentary on the role of the internet in education, its effect on libraries, and the problems of maintaining records and compatibility over long spans of time.
In the end, I would like to read the author's first book (which is somewhat strangely promoted in this one), and would recommend this book to a few of my technology-zealous colleagues to give them a bit of perspective.
Overall, the book was seemingly random in its organization, but an easy read, nonetheless. I particularly enjoyed his commentary on the role of the internet in education, its effect on libraries, and the problems of maintaining records and compatibility over long spans of time.
In the end, I would like to read the author's first book (which is somewhat strangely promoted in this one), and would recommend this book to a few of my technology-zealous colleagues to give them a bit of perspective.
June 2, 2012
This was the first book I ever read that made me think technology is not all this it is cracked up to be. It's a good message for our society. Since then, I've continued to realize how IT represents a double edged sword if we're not careful. Still, I'm uncertain if people will enjoy this book as much as Stoll's first book, The Cookoo's Egg. That's because it's a straight non-fiction about technology. True, so was his previous book. But unlike TCE, we miss all the mystery about nameless hackers that are being hunted. That doesn't mean this is a bad book, just not the same as before. Expectations should be adjusted accordingly.
August 7, 2013
Written in 1995 - this is Stoll's perspective that the internet is a time-wasting, soul-sucking device that removes a lot of the best parts of Life by tying the user to the keyboard. His lamentable position is nothing new - and has been extolled many times since then in print, tv, and in face-to-face lectures and discussions I have attended as a student. Some of his predictions - such as the one detailing eCommerce as a non-viable commercial entity - are not only laughable but also downright embarrassing. Still, it provides an interesting snapshot of how the internet looked just as the information revolution was taking its first step of infancy.
June 3, 2016
I remember this being too preachy but I still finished it as I had enjoyed his previous book, The Cuckoo's Egg. This book is more like, "See here, I've earned the right to tell you what's what after what I caught that hacker and earned my Ph.D, so listen up! The internet is trouble! Watch yourself!"
He got it all wrong. But, at the time, it was a scary new thing for an old IT--er--hacker--er--ASTRONOMY MAJOR, as I recall. After catching the hacker, I think Stoll should have gone back to his observatory and looked at the stars, and left the internet alone.
He got it all wrong. But, at the time, it was a scary new thing for an old IT--er--hacker--er--ASTRONOMY MAJOR, as I recall. After catching the hacker, I think Stoll should have gone back to his observatory and looked at the stars, and left the internet alone.
October 31, 2015
IDK if I've ever given such a low rating before, but this was painful. I had to read it for a school book review or else I probably couldn't finish it. I was tempted to give it one star, but I learned a few things, so it wasn't the absolute worst. After some thought that could change. I won't say much more besides that my book review isn't gonna be that nice. My school books aren't usually this eye-roll inducing..
July 8, 2014
And then, in this book, Stoll goes from being a funky grad student with a problem to solve to a cranky old man, insisting that the kids stay off his yard. And turn down that racket they call "music". I give the man props for being an important voice in internet safety, but that's really all he knows.
You can give this one a miss.
You can give this one a miss.
March 6, 2011
Nowadays, it's funny to go back and read Stoll's description along the lines of "what, they really expect me to buy books and newspaper on the internet? that's nonsense". But at the time I read it (circa 2000) it was an interesting, thought-provoking piece, regardless of whether it was ultimately wrong.
October 18, 2015
Self professed geek is really an iconoclast. Everything Internet he touts as impossible and absurd has come about - a reverse prophesizer too ignorant and limited in vision to conceive of possible futures.
"They're [computer] irrelevant to cooking, driving, visiting, negotiating, eating, hiking, dancing, speaking, and gossiping."
I wonder what Stoll's doing now.
"They're [computer] irrelevant to cooking, driving, visiting, negotiating, eating, hiking, dancing, speaking, and gossiping."
I wonder what Stoll's doing now.
September 30, 2007
Althought a bit on a soapbox, Stoll excellently refutes some common 'this must be correct' thoughts about what improvements in computer technologies will do for us. A lot like, but a much easier read, the book Data Smog.
June 19, 2017
I read this as a teenager right when it first was published. I really respect Mr. Stoll but I disagree with pretty much everything he said in this book. I don't remember much about it and would like to re-read it. But I believe time has proven him somewhat wrong in this book.
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June 21, 2007I'm a bit mixed on this book. The first time I read it, I thought that Clifford had some good points. The second time I read it I just felt that he might be a little jaded.
October 13, 2007
... information highway. Speeds us up? or just gives us more to do, fills time, vacuum of time. Clifford knows.
August 2, 2008
Stoll explains why the Internet is highly overrated and a waste of much of our time. I liked this as it has that "Luddite" flavor.
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