reviewed by Harry {doc} Babad

Informit.com Overview

This book examines both the positive and negative sides of these issues and summarizes the consequences of what will clearly be a revolution.

From the RFID tags now embedded in everything from soda cans to the family pet, to smart buildings that subtly adapt to the changing flow of visitors, to gestural interfaces like the ones seen in Minority Report, computing no longer looks much like it used to. Increasingly invisible but present everywhere in our lives, it has moved off the desktop and out into everyday life–affecting almost every one of us, whether we're entirely aware of it or not. Author Adam Greenfield calls this ubiquitous computing "everyware." In a uniquely engaging approach to this complex topic, Greenfield explains how such "information processing dissolving in behavior" is reshaping our lives; brief, aphoristic chapters explore the technologies, practices, and innovations that make everyware so powerful and seem so inevitable. If you've ever sensed both the promise of the next computing, and the challenges it represents for all of us, this is the book for you. ÒEverywareÓ aims to give its reader the tools to understand the next computing, and make the kind of wise decisions that will shape its emergence in ways that support the best that is in us.Ó

Review Introduction

I have based on articles in Business week, Consumer Reports and Time, with Tidbits I Scientific American, gotten intrigued with the idea of ubiquitous computing [UbiCom].

[Folks, the acronym of UC {pronounced uck is too close yuck for my taste.]

What was all the fuss about? Was this an issue that the Electronic Freedom Foundation www.eff.org, should be concerned about?

Questions had already been festering in my mind:

How could the development and emplacement of RFID technology lead to encroachments in our daily lives? [See my review of RFID Essentials by Bill Glover and Himanshu Bhatt OÕReilly) in the June 2006 macC.]

How could I avoid encroachments, not only of my own and grandchildrenÕs privacy but ultimately for having them live in world in which Big Brother is always watching and responding?

What would it be like to live in a world, or at least for my children to do so, in which their lives were invisibly intruded upon by signals from their clothes, furniture, transportation and even the building in which they lived and worked?

Genetic engineering of living things and even the idea of human gene tinkering to heath purposes donÕt spook me. I safely made a career in nuclear energy and unfortunately have lived down wind from coal powered generating stations-ick. Nevertheless, as a devout and devoted reader of science fiction, UbiCom pushes my buttons.

Therefore, when the opportunity to Review Adam GreenfieldÕs Everware, arose, I jumped the chance to review it.

The Book Itself

Introductory sections, Section One, Thesis 1-8, deal with: What is Everyware? The theme that everyware is information processing embedded in the objects and surfaces of every day life is introduced and expanded upon. The differences between an embodied everyware and our present approach to interfacing with computers, networks and all their associated systems are clearly identified. A key message that UbiCom, computing everywhere also of necessity means information everywhere. It all begins, (e.g., RFID tags, band width) when computational resources become so cheap that they become ubiquitous.

Such information sets the stage for Adam Greenfield to step out and share: How is everyware different from what weÕre used to? (Section Two, Thesis 9-26). A simplistic way of illustrating one element of this difference is to consider, as Greenfield does, is change changes everyware makes in the user experience in interacting with a computer system or computer driven environment. Of course, human system interfaces in which interaction errors that canÕt be Command-ZÕs (Control-Z or PC folks) away start to raise their ugly heads. Specifically, (page 39) Òdesigners of user experiences for standard systems rarely have to worry about questions of the following sort:

ÒWhen I address a system, how does it know I am addressing it?

ÒWhen I ask a system to do something how do I know it is attending?

ÒWhen I issue a command (such as save, execute or delete), how does the system know what it relates to?

ÒHow do I know the system understands my command and is correctly executing my intended action?

ÒHow do I recover from mistakes?"

Are you beginning to hear the message Adam Greenfield is trying to share? ItÕs all about the you in the equation. An almost random gleaning of section 2 foci – the potential characteristics of everyware:

Its scale is enormously variable extending from your own body, to the rooms you live or work in, every building you may visit or public space in general.

In Section 3, WhatÕs driving the emergence of everyware? Adam seems to answer: Because it can be done, the profit motive, an aging population needing help, 9/11 associated security-safety, dealing with technical complexity in society, and crime in the streets and last but not least government control freaks. What, Adam, no apple pie? Yet, despite my sarcasm, there is too much inevitability in section 3 for my comfort. Moreover, as well are reminded throughout the book and daily by our news media available information can be accessed everywhere, mined and manipulated or mal-used.

Section 4, Thesis 34-51: What are the issues we need to be aware of? Below I provide you with a gleaning of section 4 foci. Of course, these are at times annotated in parenthesis to express my clarifications.

Section 5, Thesis 45-51 is short and to the point. Who gets to determine the shape of everyware? In particular, I was thrilled with Thesis 49: Present IT development as applied to everyware will result in unacceptably bad user experience. Therefore, whatÕs new, that axiomatic for most IT products IÕve been forced to use over my technical career.

From my perspective the paranoia and heat at starts in Section 6, Thesis 52-69. When do we need to begin preparing for everyware? Below I provide you with a gleaning of section 5 foci. Of course, these are at times annotated in parenthesis to express my clarifications.

Indeed the quintessence of the ideas in Section 6 can be summarized by AdamÕs thoughts that despite technical ÒreadinessÓ There are days, in fact, when it can seem to me that the entire endeavor has arisen out of some combination of the technically feasible and that which is of interest to people working in human-computer interaction. Or worse, much worse: out of marketing, and the desire to sell people yet more things for which they have neither a legitimate need nor even much in the way of honest desire.

Section 7 is the section of the book of either hope or despair, depending on your worldview. Are you technophilic or technophobic? The section addresses: How might we safeguard our prerogatives in an everyware world? I paraphrase the issue as: If we are not vigilant: stupidity, short sightedness, a rush to market, greed or a lust for control will take maters out of our hands.

Thesis like Adam's: It will not be sufficient to say ÒFirst do no harmÓ (Thesis 70) do not comfort me. Nor do they comfort the author. From my perspective medicine, as practiced in America, is a prime of patient care decisions made under conflict-of-interest conditions. [Read John CareyÕs article Medical Guesswork in Business Week May 29, 2006, pages 72-79.] Ponder upon how business and the governments protect our privacy data. IÕll not walk you through all the remaining thesis that were of most interest to me, but as noted below, the core of the authors principles of everyware development and deployment lie in Thesis 73-77, AdamÕs five principals. I do have a concern with what I read to be a feeling of laisez-faire in the authorÕs final recommendations. The book is not a call to arms, alas, but rather a call to reason. But from reading his BIO, Adam Greenfield is that sort of a human being.

Kudos, and a Feeling of Disquiet

There were many (perhaps a myriad) places where a phase or image made some thought or theme of AdamÕs clearer to me. Not all were pleasant – e.g., the concept of hived minds as an example of UbiCom. Although that image transforms itself in the ideas of unobtrusive and invisible ambient networks, a background of a spider web of attentive back ground computing focusing on my being and actions still trouble me. Paranoid, perhaps — Inappropriate, not necessarily.

Disquiet — The author seems to have too much faith in the ultimate goodness of institutions, when realities show the contrary. His five principals (listed below) plus the good will of businesses and governments do not seem protective of my right to remain invisible.

Everyware must default to harmless (Thesis 73)

Everware but be self disclosing (Thesis 74)

Everyware must be conservative of face (Thesis 75)

Everyware must be conservative of time (Thesis 76)

Everywhere must be deniable (Thesis 77) (e.g., you can opt out)

Discomforts

Where can I Read More — The book liberally names-names, cites the applicable literature, references ongoing studies and debate without providing any references. This is a serious flaw in an otherwise scholarly document, one that cripples the readers ability to follow up on the ideas presented in the authorÕs 81 essays (called thesis.) – Adam has posted a list of sources, in response to reader feedback at:

I spot-checked a few of the sites for subjects of interest to me — Hurrah!

The Overall Structure of the Book — This book is about advocacy, making you understand the potential riches of and risks of UbiCom. Most contemporary books that deal rationalizing and expounding on advanced technology have adopted a stronger pattern of information presentation.

Tell what youÕre going to tell me

Tell in detail, and

Tell what you told me in an encapsulated form focusing on major points

Help me remember, I cry out, key concepts more easily. This is something I wish the author had done more of. It would have served to better pull together the seven sections of the book. [See Spring Into Technical Writing for Scientist and Engineers by Barry J. Rosenberg (Addison-Wiley) review in the September 2005 macC.]

Fog, Fog and More Fog – let me count a few of the ways. None of these terms were in the online WebsterÕs unabridged dictionary but the wikipedia.org site helped for a few of the words I blanked out on included: Global mnemotechnical system; gestural, exformation [found in Wikipedia.]; ambident (not ambient) findability; to limit myself to four of dozens IÕve highlighted or searched.

A good dictionary at your fingers or mouse is essential, even for you MENSA types, if you want to get the most out of this insightful book. Moreover, I love learning new words, but then I out-mensaÕd MENSA in my youth.

In Closing

The books, after the initial ÒthesisÓ is not easy read and understand. ItÕs neither the Economist nor even Scientific American in semantic complexity. It is linguistically complex, more so the reading Kierkegaard, TS Eliot or Spinoza. However, although, it took a little time, my overall all conclusions about the book is that if you care: you will make the time to understand the authorÕs premises and analyses. I spend day reading and reading the book — It was worth the while. If I were younger, I might start a movement or a crusade aimed at the gaining the benefits with out the burdens of everyware.

If we want protection from everyware by stealth, we will need to start assuring it for ourselves. The authorÕs suggests (below) are a good start, but will they be enough. Perhaps my grandchildren will have the answer to that question.

á            Educate ourselves as to the nature of the various technologies I have here grouped under the rubric of everyware;

á            Decide which of them we will invite into our lives, and under what circumstances;

á            Demand that the technologies we are offered respect our claims to privacy, self-determination, and the quality of life; and (hardest of all)

á            Consistently act in accordance with our beliefs at work, at the cash register, and at the polls.

In conclusion, the overwhelming message in this book is that by following MooreÕs Law, UbiCom is coming to a life near you. [E.g., according to the June 2005 In Magazine, Last year human beings produced more transistors (and at a lower price) than grains of rice. So, how can we deliver the promise of everyware while forestalling some of the pitfalls that are already apparent? How can we, as users and consumers, hope to influence something that is already in the process of unfolding? Read the book, become aware and start some grassroots action if you find things getting as dicey as the protection of our personal data. Rating 4.5 macCs

Author BIO

ADAM GREENFIELD is a writer, user experience consultant and critical futurist. Before starting his current practice, Studies and Observations, Adam was lead information architect for the Tokyo office of well-known Web consultancy Razorfish; prior to that, he worked as senior information architect for marchFIRST, also in Tokyo. He's also been, at various points in his career, a rock critic for SPIN Magazine, a medic at the Berkeley Free Clinic, a coffeehouse owner in West Philadelphia, and a PSYOP sergeant in the US Army's Special Operations Command.

With a particular interest in the interplay between mobility and the user experience, Adam organized the highly successful First International Moblogging Conference in Tokyo in 2003, acclaimed as the world's first symposium devoted to the practice of Web publishing from mobile devices. More recently, Adam sat on the final jury for the Fusedspace competition on novel uses of information technology in public space.

Adam lives and works with his wife, artist Nurri Kim, in New York City.