X-Message-Number: 11125
From: "Philip Rhoades" <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #11121 - #11123
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 21:22:21 -0000

Hello al,

>Message #11121
>From: 
>Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 09:28:17 EST
>Subject: Broderick's better book
>
>Yesterday I posted some comments on Ray Kurzweil's recent book, THE AGE OF
>SPIRITUAL MACHINES. Today I want to say a little about a competing book,
>Damien Broderick's THE SPIKE, subtitled ACCELERATING INTO THE UNIMAGINABLE
>FUTURE, published in 1997 by Reed in Australia.
>
>As writing projects, the two books are very similar, looking at
technological
>acceleration into the next century and beyond, including computers and
>nanotech and their potential effects on human life and thought.
>
>As to credentials, Kurzweil has the advantage of hands-on personal
>contributions to existing technology, with patents etc. Broderick is
primarily
>a writer in science and science fiction, with over twenty books published
as
>well as many articles. He has an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in literature and
>science from Deakin University.
>
>But the books must stand on their own, and in my opinion Broderick not only
>did it earlier, but did it better. He has more range, more balance, and
more
>meticulous accuracy. And while Kurzweil is no slouch as a writer, Broderick
is
>better--more graceful and gifted in language, and just as entertaining. (Of
>course, many other writers have dealt with these same topics, some long
ago,
>but at the moment we are interested in recent works that may have
contemporary
>impact.)


I have not read Kurweil's book but found "The Spike" to be very good albeit
it with
some minor annoyances - phrase repetitions and style constructs. I would
recommend
it to anyone.

Regards,

Phil.
(Cryonicist getting organised)

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