hi roland,<br><br>there are some good reviews on amazon too<br><br>M. McDonald has a chapter by chapter review<br><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2EVRBUTB7KUY7/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R2EVRBUTB7KUY7">http://www.amazon.com/review/R2EVRBUTB7KUY7/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R2EVRBUTB7KUY7</a><br>
<b><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2c8a5a">http://tinyurl.com/2c8a5a</a><br><br></b>I think Carr has just picked up on a general trend of capitalism towards monopoly and wealth polarisation and applied it to IT, the internet<br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Mar 14, 2008 at 1:01 AM, Roland Gesthuizen <<a href="mailto:rgesthuizen@gmail.com">rgesthuizen@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
The Age just published a book review for "The Big Switch: Rewiring The World, From Edison to Google" by Nicholas Carr. From what I can glance, argues that computing will change from its current DIY state to a "utility" model where most information processing and storage is done on the Internet. Carr argues that this transformation will have far-reaching effects including the concentration of wealth in the hands of a small number of individuals, further widening the divide between the haves and the have-nots.<br>
<br><div style="margin-left: 40px; font-style: italic;">"Computer systems, in general, and the internet, in particular, put enormous power into the hands of individuals, but they put even greater power into the hands of companies, governments, and other institutions whose business is to control individuals." <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2d4uv7" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/2d4uv7</a><br>
</div><br>Creepy reading but it is good to chew these IT issues over. Your students might enjoy the discussions about their future after reflecting on this review extract (printable version attached). <br><br>Anybody else interested in reading this book?<br>
<br>-- <br>Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College<br><a href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au" target="_blank">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a><br><br>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead<br>
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