What Just Happened: A Chronicle from the Information Frontier
Pantheon, 2002
Here’s some of what just happened: Millions of ordinary, sensible people came into possession of computers. These machines had wondrous powers, yet made unexpected demands on their owners. Telephones broke free of the chains that had shackled them to bedside tables and office desks. No one was out of touch, or wanted to be out of touch. Instant communication became a birthright. A new world, located no one knew exactly where, came into being, called “virtual” or “online,” named “cyberspace” or “the Internet” or just “the network.” Manners and markets took on new shapes and guises.
A collection of James Gleick’s articles from the era when the internet was born, ranging from condemnations of maddeningly pervasive bugs in Microsoft software to the invisible shackles we wear in an inescapably connected” world. Combining insight and reason with wit and passion, What Just Happened is an essential tour of our technology-driven times.
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“A marvellous journey around our technology-drenched world … The work of a master.” The Independent
“Gleick is one of America’s leading exegete of the technological revolution that, like it or not, is taking over all our lives. He spends his at the cutting edge of computer and allied sciences, returning from the front with visions of the future.” The Observer
“Spanning August 1992 to April 2001, Gleick's book details a decade's obsessions, with lucid reporting and a deft human touch.” Wired