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HomeShop at BookSurgeJuvenile FictionSocial IssuesSpecial NeedsVirtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future |
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 Beware of self-published books Aug 24, 2009
I'm not sure what the other reviewers think is "well written" but this is not my idea. The book seems to contain a series of blogs that Jack Myers had written on his [...] web site. I'm not sure what the second author did because fact checking was not one of them. The author cites E. Castronova's work in the field of synthetic reality but says E.C. is from the University of Indiana. "Indiana University" is, I'm just guessing here, world known. There is no University of Indiana.
About parents needing this to help their kids. "Hey parents and kids, don't ever provide your password to anyone making a request. Period." That's the one message useful in this book. And hey Bluebird, sorry, your mom doesn't know how to prevent being Internet roadkill any more than you do.
Going to [...] and [...] and reading about the sites will be much better use of time and money.
Oh, I forgot: Jack lets you know that many of his interviews are "exclusive."
This book has 150 pages. Once you consider the pictures of SecondLife and the large text, it might be about 78 pages.
Some self-published books really are OK. Just not this one.
6 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Not worth it Sep 17, 2007
I found the book a bit superficial. There book is based in one argument: western culture favors rationality and represses emotions and gut feelings. This repression makes our lives unbalanced and repressed. Virtual worlds liberate us by allowing us to act on our emotions and gut feelings not our reason. I think there is something to this argument; our lives are unbalanced and repressed, but it is not that simple. It is just not true that western society represses emotions over reason as you can tell by watching any tv commercial and any political campaign where everything is about making you feel right, not about thinking or using your reason.
This only idea in the book is acompannied by a lot of blah, blah, blah, and a lot of pictures from Second Life. However the book is unexpensive, and an easy and quick read, so if you want to hear a little more about second life, and have a few dollars and a couple of hours to spare, this might be your book.
1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 A Cogent Discussion of Reality, Simulacra and the Self Jul 27, 2007
Myers' book engages the reader with very expansive predictions on the coming changes in human social interaction, which the author manages to present in extraordinarily subtle ways. More of a philosophical discourse than an essay, Myers book manages to engage the reader in a very provocative dialectic without the reader initially realizing such. Very descriptive despite its compactness, the commentary is quietly but firmly inquisitive in ways that engage the reader beyond its instructiveness.
On the surface Myers discussion is of how humans interact with one another in simulated worlds, but far more profoundly, he mounts an almost-disconcerting discussion of how these changes will alter the way in which people are going to interact with *themselves*.
The book is a prediction (harbinger perhaps) of the ways that previous concepts of social fabric will change as people interact in the world of dreams -- but only as an allegory of interacting in worlds comprised pure *self*, unfettered by any limitations of identity. With great delicateness, Myers suggests how this unfettered self may also self-actualize, both as its own identity and also as a symbiote of the real self -- and perhaps even an adversary.
Myers leaves his book open ended, which is perhaps the only obvious allusion in the book -- that there is much more yet to come.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Important Book for Parents of Young Children Jun 26, 2007
Myers' Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future offers parents and would-be parents essential insight for understanding their children's fascination with virtual worlds. He explains why the generations born in the 21st century are learning to listen to their heart and gut and act on their emotions rather than depending almost exclusively on their brains. This subtle shift, which Myers calls rewiring the emotional DNA, will alter relationships, marketing, business, culture and society. For parents who are nervous about their children's relationship with media, this is a must-read.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
An Immersive and Powerful Read Jun 18, 2007
Myers and Weinstein do a really terrific job as our guides to the future. It would have been easy to just provide an overview of these new virtual worlds and make a few projections. Instead, they've taken the time to talk about brain science and emotions and then with a new platform for thinking, discuss some of the business opportunities. Given their experience as well-regarded media consultants and business journalists, they bring great perspective forward when talking about relationship building and the role of advertisers in the future. If you're looking to understand who these virtual worlds and their impact on us and business you'll be glad you bought this book.
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