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Exciting and Inspirational May 02, 2009
David's calm vision is refreshing. His observations on the present's impact on our future is exciting to watch and his ability to support it with similar trends in history make it compelling reading. It is wonderfully current, you feel like you are in the midst of something magical as many of his "predictions" are occurring around us as you read!
You feel smarter as you read "Shift Age!"
David Houle's life experience, warm generosity of spirit, and thirst for knowledge give the reader entree into an an exciting world of possibility.
I highly recommend "Shift Age!" The topics within are wonderful conversation starters.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Welcome to Another Planet Jun 27, 2008
I found "The Shift Age" strangely comforting. As I spin forward in my life, reaching for my cell phone while speeding along a highway, or sipping my morning coffee while reading about Earthlike worlds in the universe, or dismantling my computer with the help of a woman on the phone from India -- who calls herself Shirley, author David Houle gives me something to hold on to.
He compares what we are all experiencing to a kind of psychological earthquake - a shifting under our feet that we can't control. But to counter our concerns, he gently takes us into the past to anchor us to our humanity and then through a series of topics (technology, economy, environment, media) into a future which offers "a great transformation for us all."
Houle is an optimist with a plan; I guess that's what a futurist is. Writing about space exploration Houle says: "While it is important to search for other places than earth that might be hospitable for human life, it is even more important to look for life as we might not know it." Welcome to "The Sift Age" because living life as we might not know it is here to stay.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Just ordered more copies Jun 11, 2008
The Shift Age is one of the best books I've read this year, and I read a lot of non-fiction. I just ordered more copies to give to my friends -- I can't imagine anyone not getting some good ideas from it. What I liked the most about it is how Houle brings together research, historical perspectives, and very current political and economic issues as a basis for his "Shift Age" premises. From a snapshot of our lives in the mid-1980s to a review of the Agricultural and Industrial Ages to a look at the immense changes we're experiencing today, Houle's writing is thought-provoking and engaging. I found myself thinking and talking about his ideas and statistics days after reading a section. And that's the other thing I liked about it: he has structured the book so it can be read in relatively brief chunks and still be provocative and interesting. I just don't have time to sit down and read huge pieces at once, and Houle has recognized that fact as part of the age we're in.
Interestingly enough, the other book I've been reading the last few weeks is a wonderful account of Lewis and Clark's expedition, by Stephen Ambrose (Undaunted Courage). As Ambrose talks about life 200 years ago, it's striking how much it dovetails with Houle's points about how fundamentally different the speed of change is now. Ambrose and Houle both point out that 200 years ago, NOTHING moved faster than the speed of a horse: not information, not people, not goods. Ambrose's account, as a history, leaves the point there. For Houle, that's a jumping off point in contrasting the instantaneous transmission of information today and the impact it has on all of us.
So, I'll stop. But if you have any interest in thinking about history or where we're going next, I'd buy a couple copies of this book. You're going to want to give it to people.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
The Examined Life May 02, 2008
Illumination in a world shifting around us -now every twenty years or
even more quickly- is the genius of Houle and mission of the futurist.
Evolution Shift is a powerful navigational tool that tells us where we are and where we are heading. Don't leave home without it.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Truly Insightful Apr 24, 2008
Not only does "The Shift Age" put the past into perspective and gives us a great opportunity to see what is ahead if we don't change our ways and the exciting possibilities just a few weeks, months or years in front of us if we are willing to change. Cars running on CO2 and the ability to erase my carbon footprint for only $100 per year? Not something I would have thought possible when I woke up and blinked this morning! It is fascinating to look at how long it has taken us to get where we are today and more fascinating to see how quickly we will be moving forward tomorrow. David Houle is one of the great thinkers of the new century and has a unique way of putting our new path into a perspective that is not only easy to read and understand but incredibly thought provoking, too. This quick read book will be a must read for my friends, family and staff.
Richard Holcomb, Ph.D.
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