The computing technology on which we are now so dependent has risen to its position of
ascendency so rapidly that few of us have had the opportunity to take a step back and wonder
where we are headed. This book urges us to do so. Taking a big-picture perspective on digital
technology Living with Computers leads the reader on a whistle-stop tour of the history of
information and information technology. This journey culminates in a deep exploration into the
meaning and role of computers in our lives and what this experience might possibly mean for
the future of human society - and the very existence of humanity itself.In the face of the
transformative power of computing this book provokes us to ask big questions. If computers
become integrated into our bodies merging with the information processing of our very DNA
will computing help to shape the evolution of biological life? If artificial intelligence
advances beyond the abilities of the human brain will this overturn our anthropocentrism and
lead to a new view of reality? Will we control the computers of the future or will they
control us? These questions can be discomforting yet they cannot be ignored. This book argues
that it is time to reshape our definition of our species in the context of our interaction with
computing. For although such science-fiction scenarios are not likely to happen any time soon -
and may in fact never happen - it is nevertheless vital to consider these issues now if we
wish to have any influence over whatever is to come. So humans let's confront our possible
destiny! James W. Cortada is a Senior Research Fellow at the Charles Babbage Institute at the
University of Minnesota. He holds a Ph.D. in modern history and worked at IBM in various
positions for 38 years including in IBM's management research institute The IBM Institute for
Business Value (IBV). He is the author of over a dozen books on management andnearly two dozen
books on the history of information technology. These include the Springer title From Urban
Legends to Political Fact-Checking: Online Scrutiny in America 1990-2015 (with William
Aspray).
