I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

Do you ever obsess about your body? Do you lie awake at night, fretting about the state of your career? Does everyone else’s life seem better than yours? Does it feel as if you’ll never be good enough?

Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life tackles head on the pressure cooker of comparison and unreachable levels of perfection that social media has created in our modern world.

In this book, Katherine Ormerod meets the experts involved in curating, building and combating the most addictive digital force humankind has ever created. From global influencers - who collectively have over 10 million followers - to clinical psychologists, plastic surgeons and professors, Katherine uncovers how our relationship with social media has rewired our behavioural patterns, destroyed our confidence and shattered our attention spas.

Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life is a rallying cry that will provide you with the knowledge, tactics and weaponry you need to find a more healthy way to consume social media and reclaim your happiness.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Katherine Ormerod is a fashion journalist, social media influencer and a fashion beauty and lifestyle brand consultancy. Published in 2018 this readable book aimed at young women is ripe for an update, mixing academic research and anecdotes from influencers to explain why social media is so bad for your well being but it downplays the role of the mass media in feeding into trends and is quiet on solutions to abuse within the fashion industry.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Today Google and Facebook receive 90% of the world’s news and ad-spending. Amazon takes half of all commerce in the US. Google and Apple operating systems run on all but 1% of cell phones globally and 80% of corporate wealth is now held by 10% of companies - not the Gas and Toyotas of this world, but the digital titans.

How did we get here? How did once-idealistic and innovative companies come to manipulate elections, violate our privacy and pose a threat to the fabric of our democracy? In Don’t Be Evil, Financial Times global business columnist Rana Foroohar documents how Big Tech lost is soul - and became the new Wall Street.

Through her skilled reporting and unparalleled access, she shows the true extent to which the ‘Faang’s (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) crush or absorb any potential competitors, hijack our personal data and mental space and offshore their exorbitant profits. Yet Foroohar also lays out a plan for how we can resist, creating a framework that fosters innovation while also protecting us from the dark side of digital technology.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Rana Foroohar is global business columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times and CNN’s global economic analyst. Published in 2019 it’s an absorbing and frightening look at how Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google hoard data and intellectual property to maintain market dominance, influence politics and maintain their value and a prescient warning given how the companies are now jostling to influence the incoming Trump presidency.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Simply - Artificial Intelligence

Sometimes less really is more. This smart but powerful little guide unlocks the inner workings of artificial intelligence, from the first computer programs to the internet of things.

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The Verdict:

Part of Dorling Kindersley Limited’s SIMPLY SERIES, this is a useful book for anyone interested in understanding the basics of artificial intelligence (“AI”). I found the sections looking at AI’s history to be the most interesting as once it gets into the science I found the explanations pitched at a level a little too high for me to follow while the chapters looking at problems with AI (including societal issues) were disappointingly brief.

SIMPLY - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Life Online

What do you do to keep safe online?

What should you share online? How do you search safely? How can you be a good online friend? In this book find out all about Internet safety and how to behave in an online world.

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The Verdict:

Sarah Ridley writes and edits educational books for children and young people. Anne Rooney is an experienced writer of non-fiction for children and adults. Ryan Wheatcroft is an experienced children’s book illustrator. This solid introduction to online safety for readers aged 6+ (part of a series) covers most of the core issues but I wished it had addressed in-game purchases and in-game currency as it’s something children need to understand.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A new look at the future of life on Earth by the great scientific visionary of our age.

James Lovelock, creator of the Gaia hypothesis and the greatest environmental thinker of our time, has produced an astounding new theory about the future of life on Earth. He argues that the anthropocene - the age in which humans acquired planetary-scale technologies - is, after 300 years, coming to an end. A new age - the novacene- has already begun.

New beings will emerge from existing artificial intelligence systems. They will think 10,000 times faster than we do and they will regard us as we now regard plants - as desperately slow acting and thinking creatures. But this will not be the cruel, violent machine takeover of the planet imagined by sci-if writers and film-makers. These hyper-intelligent beings will be as dependent on the health of the planet as we are. They will need the planetary cooling system of Gaia to defend them from the increasing heat of the sun as much as we do. And Gaia depends on organic life. We will be partners in this project.

It is crucial, Lovelock argues, that the intelligence of Earth survives and prospers. He does not think there are intelligent aliens, so we are the only beings capable of understanding the cosmos. Maybe, he speculates, the novacene could even be the beginning of a process that will finally lead to intelligence suffusing the entire cosmos. At the age 100, James Lovelock has produced an important and compelling new work.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

James Lovelock is a Fellow of the Royal Society and the originator of the Gaia Theory that the Earth is a self-regulating organism. Bryan Appleyard is a journalist. This is an interesting but light weight and contradictory book that asserts humanity is entering a new age called the novacene where cyborgs (essentially AI machines) will become dominant but, due to the nature of Gaia, will partner with humans due to their equal dependence on Earth.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

As technology races ahead, what will people do better than computers?

What hope will there be for us when computers can drive cars better than humans, do intricate legal work, identify faces, scurry helpfully around offices and factories, even perform some surgeries, all faster, more reliably, and less expensively than people.

It’s easy to imagine a frightening future in which computers simply take over most of the tasks that people now get paid to do. While we’ll still need high-level decision makers and computer developers, those tasks won’t keep most working-age people employed or allow their living standard to rise. The unavoidable question - will millions of people lost out, unable to beat the machine? - is increasingly dominating business, education, economics and policy.

The bestselling author of TALENT IS OVERRATED explains how the abilities that will prove most essential to our success are no longer the technical, classroom-taught left-brain skills that economic advanced have demanded from workers in the past. Instead, our greatest advantage lies in what we humans are most powerfully driven to do for and with one another, arising fro our deepest, most essentially human abilities - empathy, creativity, social sensitivity, storytelling, humour, building relationships, and expressing ourselves with greater power than a machine mind can ever achieve. This is how we create durable value that is not easily replicated by technology - because we’re hardwired to want it from humans.

These high-value skills create tremendous competitive advantage - more devoted customers, stronger cultures, breakthrough ideas, and more effective teams. And while many of us regard these abilities as innate traits - “he’s a real people person,” “she’s naturally creative” - it turns out they can all be developed. Leading business, medical clinics and even the US Army are now emphasising human interactions and empathy in their training programmes.

Meanwhile, studies have shown that our increasing reliance on technology for interaction and entertainment is not only making us less happy, trusting and likely to achieve good grades, it is also damaging our abilities to recognise emotion and harmonise with others - the very skills we will need to prosper.

As technology advances, we shouldn’t focus on beating computers at what they do - we’ve lost that contest. Instead, we must develop our most essential human abilities and teach our children to value not just technology but also the richness of interpersonal experience. They will be the most valuable people in our world because of it. Colvin proves that to a far greater degree than most of us ever imagined, we already have what it takes to be great.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Geoff Colvin is a journalist and senior editor at large for FORTUNE magazine. This is an interesting book about how softer people skills will be more important for the future jobs market than traditional problem solving and engineering. However, it’s troubling how the emphasis is put on individuals rather than corporations to develop these skills and the profit motive will incentivise companies to find ways to replace people to save cost.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

There is no Blurb On The Back. Instead there are the following quotes:

”Gavet has delivered a very important piece of work which highlights the issues around technology, information, democracy, and the human condition. Everyone will benefit from reading her analysis.”
ROBERT SIEGEL, Lecturer in Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business

“Gavet proposed a number of remedies - not quick fixes, but fundamental shifts into more equitable, long-term thinking that will actually make everyone much happier without the addictive highs of 100x returns and CEO worship.”
ESTHER DYSON, Founding Chair, ICANN; Executive Founder, Wellville

“Despite being a tech insider, Maëlle Gavet successfully applies outside-in thinking to the tech backlash. The future of tech depends on it.”
CHRISTA QUARLES, Former CEO, OpenTable; Board Member, Kimberly-Clark and Affirm

“Gavet doesn’t just discuss the current and emerging problems confronting the tech industry and those of us who use their products; she recommends thoughtful and implementable solutions. This is a book for anyone who cares about the future of technology and the technology industry.”
LARRY IRVING, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce; Member, Internet Hall of Fame

“Maëlle Gavet has written a book that should be an alert to us all - not by pointing a finger, but through sound diagnosis leading to a credible course of action. A great contribution to inform a public debate that needs to happen now.”
RICHARD STRAUB, Founder and President, Global Peter Drucker Forum

“Trampled By Unicorns is essential reading for anyone who leads or aspires to lead people and companies.”
SHAN-LYN MA, CEO, Zola

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Maëlle Gavet was CEO of OZON.ru (Russia’s largest e-commerce site) and executive VP of Operations at Priceline Group. This is a breezy look at the well-documented issues surrounding big tech companies and suggests how to fix it (the most interesting being on taxation and privacy). Gavet emphasises “empathy” but doesn’t defines it and given the demands of venture capital and shareholders, it’s not clear how it’s supposed to work in practice.

TRAMPLED BY UNICORNS: BIG TECH’S EMPATHY PROBLEM AND HOW TO FIX IT was released in the United Kingdom on 9th October 2020. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

We stand at the beginning of a new era. What was once science fiction is fast becoming reality, as AI transforms war, crime, justice, jobs and society - and even, our very sense of what it means to be human. More than any other technology, AI has the potential to revolutionise our collective future.

How can we grow our prosperity through automation, without leaving people lacking income or purpose? How can we ensure that future AI systems do what we want without crashing, malfunctioning or getting hacked? Will AI help life flourish as never before, or will machines eventually outsmart us at all tasks, and even, perhaps, replace us altogether?

Life 3.0 gives us the tools to join what may be the most important conversation of our time, guiding us through the most controversial issues around AI today - from super intelligence to meaning, consciousness and the ultimate physical limits of life in the cosmos.

What sort of future do you want?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Max Tegmark is professor of physics at MIT and president of the Future of Life Institute (which aims to keep AI beneficial). Published in 2017, this is a ‘big idea’ book that focuses on the positives of AI and where it can take us rather than on the risks and dangers (although it does consider them) but it was too broad in scope for me and I struggled with some of the physics (especially the cosmology) and how white and male the AI field is.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Are you being digitally manipulated?

Authors Imran Rashid and Soren Kenner have sparked an international debate by revealing the “mind hacks” Facebook, Apple, Google, and Instagram use to get you and your children hooked on their products.

In Offline, they deliver an eye-opening research-based journey into the world of tech giants, smartphones, social engineering, and subconscious manipulation. This provocative work shows you how digital devices change individuals and communities for better and worse.

A must-read if you or your kids use smartphones or tablets and spend time browsing social networks, playing online games or even just browsing sites with news and entertainment.

Learn how to recognise ‘mind hacks’ and avoid the potentially disastrous side-effects of digital pollution. Unplug from the matrix. Learn digital habits that work for you.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Imran Rashid is an IT entrepreneur and family physician who served as Head of Innovation for Aleris-Hamlet Private Hospitals. Soren Kenner is an on-line marketeer and entrepreneur who used to chair McCann MRM EMEA. Although sloppily written at times and somewhat general, this is an informative look at how tech companies work to keep your attention on their product and the adverse affects this might have on your emotional and mental health.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Adopt AI-solutions to meet real-world business problems.

Artificial Intelligence In Practice is a practical resource that demystifies how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning can be used to solve common business challenges and open the door to opportunities that often exceed expectations. The book is filled with insights from some of the most important AI giants including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, ALibaba, and other forward thinking industry leaders. It also presents compelling case studies from traditional businesses and startups, that detail how AI is being applied in the real world of business.

Bestselling author and AI expert Bernard Marr offers detailed examinations of 50 companies that have successfully integrated AI into their business practices. He provides an overview of each company, describes the specific problem AI addressed and explains how AI offered a workable solution. Each case study contains a comprehensive overview, some technical details as well as key learning summaries.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are the most important modern business trends that are driving today’s (and tomorrow’s) successes. As the book’s myriad cases demonstrate, AI can be used in industries ranging from banking and finance to media and marketing. By adopting AI technology, any business, no matter what size, sector or industry, can advance innovative solutions to their most demanding challenges.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Bernard Marr is a futurist and author who owns a digital transformation consultancy where Matt Ward works as research lead. This shallow book (little more than a collection of press statement extracts and industry clippings) looks at how 50 companies have used AI but there’s no analysis here, no consideration of hurdles and little thought to the ethical implications, making it a disappointing read that I got little use from.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.