Following on the heels of last week's roundtable discussion on the future, I make another appearance in Time Magazine this week, this time in the form of an essay defending what they're calling Generation M (presumably for "multitasking.") It's all part of a cover package they've put together on both the perils and promise of kids growing up in the age of iPod, MySpace, et al. I think in some ways it marks a bit of a turning point -- it's precisely the sort of cover package that a few years ago would have been full of scaremongering about the dangers of all these new technologies. But this issue is quite balanced; they certainly voice some concerns about the impact of 24/7 multitasking, which of course is entirely appropriate, but they also talk about the positive aspects. And they gave me an entire page to do my riff.
The Basics
- I'm a father of three boys, husband of one wife, and author of seven books, and co-founder of three web sites. We spend most of the year in Marin County, California though I'm on the road a lot giving talks. (You can see the full story here.) Personal correspondence should go to sbeej at earthlink dot net. Media requests should go to Matthew.Venzon at us.penguingroup dot com. If you're interested in having me speak at an event, drop a line to Wesley Neff at the Leigh Bureau (WesN at Leighbureau dot com.)
My Books
Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
An exploration of environments that lead to breakthrough innovation, in science, technology, business, and the arts. I conceived it as the closing book in a trilogy on innovative thinking, after Ghost Map and Invention. But in a way, it completes an investigation that runs through all the books. Sold more copies in hardcover than anything else I've written.The Invention of Air
The story of the British radical chemist Joseph Priestley, who ended up having a Zelig-like role in the American Revolution. My version of a founding fathers book, and a reminder that most of the Enlightenment was driven by open source ideals.The Ghost Map
The latest: the story of a terrifying outbreak of cholera in 1854 London 1854 that ended up changing the world. An idea book wrapped around a page-turner. I like to think of it as a sequel to Emergence if Emergence had been a disease thriller. You can see a trailer for the book here.Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter
The title says it all. This one sparked a slightly insane international conversation about the state of pop culture -- and particularly games. There were more than a few dissenters, but the response was more positive than I had expected. And it got me on The Daily Show, which made it all worthwhile.Mind Wide Open : Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life
My first best-seller, and the only book I've written in which I appear as a recurring character, subjecting myself to a battery of humiliating brain scans. The last chapter on Freud and the neuroscientific model of the mind is one of my personal favorites.Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software
The story of bottom-up intelligence, from slime mold to Slashdot. Probably the most critically well-received all my books, and the one that has influenced the most eclectic mix of fields: political campaigns, web business models, urban planning, the war on terror.Interface Culture : How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create and Communicate
My first. The book I wrote instead of finishing my dissertation. Still in print almost a decade later, and still relevant, I think. But I haven't read it in a while, so who knows what's in there!
Steven,
I am an educator in Texas and I came across your article "Don't Fear the Digital" in the March issue of Time. I want to THANK YOU for giving voice to the concerns and thoughts of so many educators.
I hope you don't mind, but I quoted your article in a recent posting on my blog http://musingsfromtheacademy.blogspot.com/
Again, thank you!
Posted by: astephens | March 22, 2006 at 04:53 PM
We're open to all discussions. But any meeting will have to be on the basis of withdrawing the First Job Contract. There have been five one-day public sector strikes in which millions of workers and students took part. An employers group has warned the protests are starting to hurt the economy. No Pasaran!
Posted by: Linsday Fox | April 05, 2006 at 07:12 AM