Tools for Thought by Howard Rheingold:
Chapter One
Q1: Rheingold discusses how, 'Books were just the vehicle by which the ideas escaped from the provate libraries of the elite'. Do you think technology in the future will reside with the wealthy and elite only? Will this technology be affordable to the people in the middle and lower class?
Q2: Rheingold stated that, "Thirty years ago... computer technology was believed to be to fragile, complicated, and complicated for nonspecialists". With that, how do you suppose computers became so widely accepted, produced, and used. Do you think this will happen with technology that is considered to advanced for us today?
Q3: "While most scientists and engineers remained in awe of the giant adding machines, this majority insisted on thinking about how computers might be used to assist the operation of human minds in non-mathematical ways". In what ways are they suggesting?
Q4: Rheingold suggested we will use comuters to assist in the way we think, act and process information. Do you think this will make us homogeneous human beings? Will we be all on the same playing field? What will this mean for the job market if we are able to get any information we need at any time for any task?
Q5: Overall, with some parts of the world not exposed to technology, and some not able to use it to its full potential, how will this exponential growth of technology affect this technology gap between different peoples?
Q6: In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, Montag's wife, is insensitive to just about everything. She sits in her living room and is exposed to just about anyone and anything she wants. Rheingold suggests that is where we are headed. What does this mean for the human species in terms of health, insensitivity, exploration, multitasking, etc? Do you think we will mimic Mildred's insensitivity in the near future?
Q7: Charles Babbage and Ada unsuccessfully designed an 'analytical engine' in a scheme to win a fortune at horse races. If someone pioneers a computing device that is capable of doing such a thing and gets into the public's hands, will this eliminate the need for gambling and betting? (Casinos)
Q8: If a computer is able to do anything a human could do but better, as some project, what will this mean for the job market and employment?
Chapter Two
Q1: How do you pronounce 'Babbage'?
Q2: Rheingold states how, 'Babbage proved that the cose of accepting and assigning a value to every price of mail according to the distance it had to travel was far more expensive than the cost of transporting it'. What were the factors and inputs he considered when finding this? How long did the British empire do this before Babbage came along?
Q3: With instant communication, as many anticipate, will that means of communication solve many of the world's problems or create more? The access to information will be at the tip of your mind, but will this over exposure of information lessen our attention and concentration and leave us uninterested in reading information?
