- Steven Levy
- One of the best non-fiction writers I've read. Levy writes for Wired, and Newsweek as well as the author behind several tech books, Crypto and Hackers.
- Where Wizards Stay up Late
- Where Wizards Stay up Late is one of the better books I've read on the internets beginings as the ARPAnet as well as the work put into modern email systems and various protocalls. Its written in a flashback format steming from a reunion of the internets true pioneers in the late 90's
- Alfred Bester
- Bester is a Science Fiction author that wrote The Demolished Man and The Stars my destination among others. He writes of a future though not bleak and doomed as Orwell's 1984 it is one where privacy is hard to achieve except by the wealthy, where the mind has great powers and few are truly safe. I personalylike the fact that relegion is outlawed yet words (specificaly curses) are permitted as they are well rooted in the lexicon of the society.
- Apple Design: the work of the Apple Design Group
- Apple design is, if you can forgive the many obvious spelling and editing errors, is a great book about not only apples design history, but the companies history and some of the thought that went into many of the products.
- Orson Scott Card and his Ender/Bean series
- Scott card is an amazing Sci Fi writer, winning numerous awards for Enders Game, and its sequels/prequels. The depth he has managed to write into his charters is amazing. The plot is basicaly child geniuses in the future trained as military leaders from a young age to defeat an invading race. This plot is finished up quickly, but the idea of what happens to these children after the events leads to several other books. As Ender eventualy goes off to colonize other worlds (first 3 or 4 books- the Ender Series) we are left with many other brilliant children on Earth. This sets the stage for the newer books (also known as the Bean Series). Personaly I favor the Bean series but Scott Card is great at what he does. As I was reading these well over a year ago I was suprised to find that Card lives in a nearby city and just released a new book in the Bean series. If you don't want to read the books you can wait a few years for the movie (2004 or 2005 from WB) but I suspect that you will miss much of the story.
- PC Roadkill: Twisted Tales from Silicon Valley
- A book written by Micheal Hyman on the culture of tech companies from expos and Tee shirts to pranks and code names. A very light hearted read and has an ability of keeping your intrest. I've read this book as a referance, scorce of inspiration and just for fun.
- The Art of Deception
- Written mainly by famed hacker (not cracker) Kevin Mitchnik this book argues that the weekest link of any security is not the hardware or software but rather the human element. As he can't write of his hacking past he uses his history and a social engineer and in various fictional but probable stories he shows how easy it is to use social engineering to gain access to simple "candy" security to tougher time based security with several layers of protection. When I picked it up I didn't want to put it down for any long period of time. Great read even if you're only remotly interested in the topic.
- The Media Lab: Inventing the Future at MIT
- A book on the famed MIT Media Lab written by Stuart Brand, who worked at the Media Lab to write the book. This is an amazing read. What it coved in the mid 80s is still true today, plus its offers some great insight and if you get into it like I have will broaden your horizons.
- William Gibson
- Gibson, according to some, is the new Orson Wells (1984 and other anti utopian novels) Gibson writes of technology in a dim dark way that can be shockingly true. His short stories are amazingly detailed, enough so that one was the base of a feature length movie (Johnny Mnemonic). His full novels are just a detailed and well crafted. He is also responcible for coinging several techno terms like cyberspace.
- Project Orion
- A book dedicated to what is arguably the best "would have been" idea our government has cooked up in the last 100 years, and as one author has said "may still be". A 400 ton spaceship moved by lots of nuclear bombs. With one of these you don't need to build a base, just land the ship and unload.
- Robert A. Heinlein
- If you haven't read Heinlein, I feel sorry for you, he's one of the best science fiction writers with a vivid imagination and the the ability to convey those ideas to the rest of the world.
- Tom Clancy
- Clancy is a amazing. Like Douglas Adams he doesn't stop at books - branching into movies, video games, and even politics. Clancy's books are thick, yes, but if you can get through them you'll be more than compensated for the effort. He recreates the world and explains everything he uses.
- Cory Doctorow
- Blogger, author, EFF wonk. Docrotrow is a member of modern scifi writers brave enough to publish material deaing with the singularity, a tech revolution so massive it will leave everything else in the dust. Plus he releases his material under a creative commons liscence - he encourages people to share his work, which is amazing. I'd still reccomend bying a dead tree version, but you can do an honest try before you buy thing.
- Catch-22
- Excellent book, I wouldn't recommend it for a quick read (500 pages as a trade paperback) and even then with sparknotes at your side (even for casual reading), but it is well worth the time. By the time you're done you will be wondering about your own sanity. It reminds me of Douglas Adams plots in HHGTTG in a way, darker but just as funny in parts. In all a much wider range of emotions when reading it than compared to HHGTTG.
- Murry Leinster
- A nice writer. He's written some of the best science fiction that I've read recently. The Med Ship stories he wrote create a wonderful balance of Real Science with wild fictious stories and plots. Many praise him as "The first Dean of Science Fiction" (Others argue that Robert Heinlein, who is another fine writer, is the "Dean of Science Fiction")
- Douglas Adams
- Famed mac user, author, and futurest Adams is one of the few english authors that is capable of making any sence what so ever IMO. Adams works (most notably the 5 part hitch hikers trilogy) are funny and light hearted but can suggest many things about man kind and our obsesions. He also worked on various projects, at least 2 video games, H2G2 website, and various non fiction works. His creatins on nearly indescrible, just pick them up and enjoy.
- Cyborg: Digital Destiny & Human Possibility
- A book by Steve Mann, who has been the driving force behind wearable technology. Not only does this book cover the technology of being a cyborg it also covers the ideas behind cyborgs and the social issues (right down to the fact that unless you're a nudist you're a cyborg)
- Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix
- Essays on the Matrix and its deeper meanings. Its also probably going to be the connections to what I'm reading this summer. Definatly thought provoking and well worth reading.
- Jenifer Government
- Intersting work with the idea of business taking over the US, and the US taking over a large part of the world (bar Africa and the European Union) Schools have been comercilized, your last name is the name of your company, what we think of non-profit groups (NRA, hospitals) are out to make a profit, and most people don't know first aid because they are afraid of being sued if they use it. Even the government won't help you if you can't put up a budget. As I said, very good read, expecialy if you like Gibsons concepts.
- Cory Doctorow
- A very good writer who ranges from Blogging at technology blog Boing Boing to singluarity fiction. Most of his stuff has been printed but he has released his books under a creative commons agreement, IOW free with more than reasonable limitations. Pick it up at his site Craphound.com
