Reading Response

I’ll be frank, it was a tough read. For someone, like myself, who has never really read a book like this before, it was difficult to stay on track, but I managed to do it. In retrospect, what I was reading made a lot of sense, but I guess my brain was having a hard time putting it all together.

Chapter 1 dealt, for the most part, with Charles Babbage and his inventions, the analytical and differential engines. I found this chapter particularly fascinating because I had never before considered a computer to be something so mechanical. Being a person who does not think technically, it is hard to imagine thinking up such machines. The mention of “steampunk” caught my attention because I’ve seen it recently in popular culture. A video game entitled “Bio Shock” was recently released for Xbox 360 and PC which was set in a underwater city with a steampunk theme. The thought of the Information Age and the Industrial Revolution occurring at the same time really fascinates me. The concept of technology evolving in a different, more analog way is very interesting.

Chapter 2 was a chapter that was very near and dear to my heart because I grew up hearing about analog vs. digital. My dad used to own and operate a recording studio at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He started it back in the early 80’s when everything was analog and he would record to tapes. As we got into the 90’s, however, I witnessed the studio’s transformation from analog to digital. All of the sudden, computers were everywhere. His reel-to-reels were stored in the back room and everything was recorded onto CD’s. It was kind of disappointing because my dad had used really old, cool looking equipment when he recorded to tape, but all that equipment was out the window when he switched to digital. I think there is a certain romanticism involved when it comes to analog. People sort of miss the good ol’ days.

Chapter 3 dealt with the issue of technology rendering human beings jobless and obsolete. Friedman uses examples from the movies Desk Set and 2001: A Space Odyssey to relay humans fears of being replaced or even killed by superior technology. While their fear of being killed may be a little unrealistic, the fear of being replaced is known all too well.

Chapter 4 was a great history lesson on computers. It is hard to imagine a world where computers weighed tons and had to be stored in gymnasiums. I was especially interested in ECHO, the house computer. Truly ahead of its time, ECHO was the precursor to the smart houses we know today. Freidman also talks about early computer programming, in which punch cards were implemented. I remember my dad telling me about using said punch cards to program computers in high school. How far we have come: from time-share computers to the Mac Book Air.

Chapter 5 seemed to be highly centered on the advertising campaigns of Macintosh. From the famous 1984 commercial to the infamous Lemmings commercial, Macintosh has seen its ups and downs when it comes to performance. I felt that I could relate to this chapter the best because I basically grew up as it was happening. My whole childhood I was surrounded by Macintoshes, so there was a lot of reminiscing going on as I read this chapter.