Reveals the gripping stories of the most significant cyber attacks of recent years and gives you a fascinating insight into the hackers' techniques, the dramatic consequences and the lessons we should all learn from them.
Which of Apple, Google, and Microsoft had a "drawer of broken dreams," and what real objects were inside? When did Microsoft have a chance to catch Google in search revenue, and who vetoed it? Why did Google test 40 shades of blue on users? How long did developers wait to write apps for Apple's iPhone after its announcement? Who suggested Microsoft should have its own music player, and why did it fail? The answers to these questions and more are explored in this insightful book by Charles Arthur, technology editor of The Guardian. Beginning in 1998, the narrative chronicles the upheaval in the internet and computing landscape driven by an antitrust case, a fledgling startup, and a tech giant's resurgence. It examines the strategies of the three leading tech companies through the perspectives of their former and current employees. Microsoft, once a titan, was on the verge of becoming the highest-valued company, while Apple was a small player and Google just emerging. By February 2012, Apple surpassed both Microsoft and Google combined in market value. To secure their positions, Apple emphasized design and customer focus; Microsoft relied on its programming talent and software monopolies; Google prioritized speed and data analysis. Exclusive insights from interviews with key figures, including former executives from all three companies, reveal the evolution of the tech industry and the fierce competition among them.
An impassioned exploration of the ways in which social media has manipulated us all ‘Witty, rigorous, and as urgent as a fire alarm’ Dorian Lynskey ‘Cooly prosecutorial’ Guardian Nobody meant for this to happen. Facebook didn’t mean to facilitate a genocide. Twitter didn’t want to be used to harass women. YouTube never planned to radicalise young men. But with billions of users, these platforms need only tweak their algorithms to generate more ‘engagement’. In so doing, they bring unrest to previously settled communities and erode our relationships. Social warming has happened gradually – as a by-product of our preposterously convenient digital existence. But the gradual deterioration of our attitudes and behaviour on- and offline – this vicious cycle of anger and outrage – is real. And it can be corrected. Here’s how.
This is a controversial examination of how the 'WikiLeaks' website has become such a prominent force in political dialogue and how this has affected its founder Julian Assange.