Reviews for Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World

1. Well Controlled

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2010

   
   A great book explaining much of the world around us. Be warned, it's not a quick read having almost 700pages of densely packed text, however it's written in a manner which allows you to pick it up and put down almost at will. A great exploratory look into our understanding of what is biological and what is technical.

2. Get a sneak peek into the future here!

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, July 12st, 2002

   Although first published in 1994, this book is a must read for anyone interested in sensible futurist stuff. I have been astounded at how many of Kelly's predictions have come true over the last 8 years (I read this in '96 and have kept an eye out).

   The book's style is a combination of personal observations and interviews with leaders in their field. He synthesises a number of different theories and subjects - Hive Mind, Coevolution, Emergence, Network Economics, Distributed Networks, E-Money, Genetic Algorithms, Privacy, Tipping Points and Cryptography and much more to give us a feeling of what the next 20-30 years might bring.

   Kelly (executive editor of Wired magazine) has always had a knack of predicting the future with accuracy and there are plenty of predictions in this book yet to manifest.

   I can't recommend Out of Control enough. Enjoy.

3. Provoke your mind

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, March 12nd, 2000

   Simply put, insirational. Programmers, designers, business leaders, inventors, thinkers, writers, architects, scientists - read this.

4. A must to learn how technology will change our lives

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, September 12st, 1999

   A very convincing book, describing the relationship between technology and life. It certainly helped me to further expand my thoughts on the network economy. In one word: great!