Wired for Thought

How the Brain Is Shaping the Future of the Internet

De: Jeffrey Stibel

Narrado por: Erik Synnestvetd

In this age of hypercompetition, the Internet constitutes a powerful tool for inventing radical new business models that will leave your rivals scrambling. But as brain scientist and entrepreneur Jeffrey Stibel explains in Wired for Thought, you have to understand its true nature.

The Internet is more than just a series of interconnected computer networks; it's the first real replication of the human brain outside the human body. To leverage its power, you first need to understand how the Internet has evolved to take on similarities to the brain. This engaging and provocative book provides the answer. Stibel lays out:

How networks have changed and what that implies for how people connect and form communities

What the Internet - and online business opportunities - will look like in the future

What the next stage of artificial intelligence will be and what opportunities it will present for businesses.

Stibel shows how exceptional companies are using their understanding of the Internet's brainlike powers to create competitive advantages - such as building more effective websites, predicting consumer behavior, leveraging social media, and creating a collective consciousness.

©2009 Jeffrey M. Stibel (P)2009 Gildan Media Corp

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Stibel bridges the gap between business and the brain in his thinking, his numerous Internet innovations, and his writings. Wired for Thought helps us understand the Internet at a new, and more intelligent, level. This vision will influence our futures." (Dan Ariely, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Economics, MIT Sloan School of Management)

Get to the fucking point! ...oh wait there is none

What disappointed you about Wired for Thought?

Lacks a common thread. Some of what he talks about are things that seem kinda related to what you think is supposed to be the theme of the book, but he doesn't really do a good job of tying it all together, and some topics are just plain uninteresting.

Usually in a book like this, you have some "fluff" like anecdotes and background information that is entertaining or interesting in the moment, but only really given meaning retroactively by the actual substance of the book, and if that doesn't come or isn't good enough it just feels frustrating and pointless that you waded through all the fluff with no payoff. That happens a lot in this book, and also I think there was just too much fluff.

There is certainly interesting insight to be found here, but it's not good enough, clear enough or frequent enough.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator (Erik Synnestvetd) was mostly fine but sometimes just as he'd end a "line" (like a sentence, or a pause preceded by a comma), his pronunciation would become really annoying at the last syllable. I guess it sounded vaguely "whiny"? Not sure what would be a good word for it, but it was grating and felt unprofessional, like he could say it properly but just didn't bother.

Any additional comments?

Rating: 20%, rounded to 1 on a 0-4 scale, or 2 on a 1-5 scale.

Simplistic and Unscientific

Very disappointing book.
The book is full of simplistic statements ("the internet is a brain" repeated over and over ad museum, without any real substantiation) and is more of a self promotional ad for the author and his businesses than it is a serious exploration of the topic.