In the early 1960s, computers haunted the American popular imagination. Bleak tools of the cold war, they embodied the rigid organization and mechanical conformity that made the military-industrial complex possible. But by the 1990s—and the dawn of the Internet—computers started to represent a very different kind of world: a collaborative and digital utopia modeled on the communal ideals of the hippies who so vehemently rebelled against the cold war establishment in the first place.
Review of 'From counterculture to cyberculture' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I echo the review below that posits this is a relatively sad story. It made me curious to think what the author thinks now over 15 years later and how much computers and the internet have strayed from the countercultural ideologies he accounts for.
Overall I liked the book. It helped me understand cybernetics, a concept I struggled to grasp prior to reading this book. It started to get a bit tedious and ponderous like he was explaining the same things over and over again, I felt like, at times, he could have made the chapters quite a bit shorter. Nonetheless, I do appreciate this book and think it's an important read for people studying the history of computers and the Internet.
Review of 'From counterculture to cyberculture' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This is the rare computer-history book that takes a truly critical look at its subjects. It is not your average chronicle of successes and it's not telling us about how its subject is going to save the world. Rather, it takes a look at how networking (as in LinkedIn, not as in Internet) expert Stewart Brand managed to ride the technology rocket to the moon, and shape the discourse around technology into something palatable to his once-commune-dwelling world. It really does what [b:What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry|725789|What the Dormouse Said How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry|John Markoff|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442903066l/725789.SY75.jpg|712005] promises on its cover - explores the vaunted connection between Silicon Valley and what he calls the Whole Earth Network, but what is often taken in other accounts to represent a monolithic "counterculture." All of the big names are here: …
This is the rare computer-history book that takes a truly critical look at its subjects. It is not your average chronicle of successes and it's not telling us about how its subject is going to save the world. Rather, it takes a look at how networking (as in LinkedIn, not as in Internet) expert Stewart Brand managed to ride the technology rocket to the moon, and shape the discourse around technology into something palatable to his once-commune-dwelling world. It really does what [b:What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry|725789|What the Dormouse Said How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry|John Markoff|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442903066l/725789.SY75.jpg|712005] promises on its cover - explores the vaunted connection between Silicon Valley and what he calls the Whole Earth Network, but what is often taken in other accounts to represent a monolithic "counterculture." All of the big names are here: PARC, Homebrew Computer Club, People's Computer Company, but he does not dwell on them, but explains their actual connection to Brand/Whole Earth (if you want those histories, you're better off with [b:Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer|1427580|Fire in the Valley The Making of the Personal Computer|Paul Freiberger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387733026l/1427580.SX50.jpg|1418070] or [b:Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age|1101290|Dealers of Lightning Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age|Michael A. Hiltzik|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349086333l/1101290.SX50.jpg|1088176].) Really opens your eyes to the idea of legitimacy transfer-a great example of this is where Brand organizes a conference (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hackers_Conference) that serves not only to get everyone in [b:Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution|56829|Hackers Heroes of the Computer Revolution|Steven Levy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1435697935l/56829.SY75.jpg|1407224] into a single building, but also to bring legitimacy and cred to himself and his collaborators.
Review of 'From counterculture to cyberculture' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Pretty interesting summary of how many of the household names of cyberculture got to fame and power. And most of the critique regarding journalistic ethics and libertarianism is also spot on. The writing tends to be a bit dry & repetitive at times, but if you're interested in the history of net culture it's definitely worth a read.
