"Have You Ever Felt Like Throwing Your Computer Out The Window?"

Have you ever felt you need an engineering degree to figure out how some of our modern technology works? How often were you tempted to pick up your computer and throw it out the window?

If you were fortunate to have young children around during our present technological revolution, consider yourself lucky. They probably have become your gurus or experts, when it comes to operating the VCR, or showing you how to use the many software programs you always dreamed about, but were afraid to admit you did not have the foggiest notion how they worked.

Calm down, take a deep breath, and pick up a copy of Brian J. Nichelson's book entitled Taming Technology: You Can Control The Beast. The author of this slim book has been bringing people and technology together for the past twenty- five years researching the interactions between technology and humans.

Focusing on three principal maxims: Technology is simpler than you think: Technology equals people, and Technology is interconnected, Nichelson unfolds some of the mysteries of the beast, and counsels his readership to look at the big picture, before succumbing to a defeatist attitude.

The author illustrates, with concrete examples, how technology affects everyone. We are reminded that the "beast" controls every aspect of our life. You can't escape it- computers, VCRs, automobiles, washing machines and dryers, telephones, fax machines, toasters, copiers, scanners, tape recorders, CD players, and the list is never ending.

However, as pointed out, "understanding any given technology within the proper context is important for dealing successfully with that technology." In other words, no technology works in a vacuum. It is, as defined by the author, "humans trying to control our environment."

The key is to want to learn the fundamental principles, not to accept simple explanations such as, "that's the way it works," and always be patient. Be pro-active rather than passive, and if you can share your knowledge with others- all the better. Think of technology as a giant jigsaw puzzle, we must find the pieces and put them together, if we want to understand how it all works. Determine your needs, access the many sources available to you, and sort them out in order to reap maximum benefits.

After reading this compact book, the lingering question is- will you take the author's final words, "now go out there and make it work for you?"

Reviewed by Norman Goldman
Courtesy Bookpleasures
Posted July 31, 2003