Dark side of technology.

Humans accept the good aspects of technological innovation and tend to ignore many of the negative realities that come along with the changes inherent in new devices and methods. In the near future, human existence may depend on a better understanding of both sides of technology, for numerous problems are being caused by the increasing reliance on digital information access, processing, and storage--to a degree that is becoming overwhelming. In The Dark Side of Technology, Townsend (emer., experimental physics in engineering, Sussex Univ., UK) discusses how dangers lurk everywhere. For example, power grids and communication systems can be quickly demolished by one gigantic solar storm; the repair could take weeks to months. Another example is the problem of accessing digital storage formats, since many formats from the 1970s to 1980s, such as digital tape and older floppy discs, are now obsolete. This thorough book indicates that humans must learn to manage the potential problems very soon, or else "undesirable consequences" will materialize, including devastating criminal access to financial, medical, and personal information far beyond the damages that have occurred. Regrettably, the book does not contain pictures, graphs, references, or an index. Nonetheless, the extensive table of contents will help the reader locate information. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. --Franklin Potter, University of California, Irvine