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The Language of New Media
by Lev Manovich • 2001
Why a film is now a database, a screen is a control panel, and cinema became animation.
3.86
1k+
The Language of New Media Summary
The Language of New Media 91%
Why a film is now a database, a screen is a control panel, and cinema became animation.
by Lev Manovich 2001
3.86
1k+ ratings
The Gutenberg Parenthesis
by Jeff Jarvis • 2023
Before print, knowledge was conversation. Then books fenced it in. The fences are coming down.
3.83
218
The Gutenberg Parenthesis Summary
The Gutenberg Parenthesis 90%
Before print, knowledge was conversation. Then books fenced it in. The fences are coming down.
by Jeff Jarvis 2023
3.83
218 ratings
Estéticas liminales
by Valentina Tanni • 2023
What if vaporwave, creepypasta wikis, and liminal spaces are the real heart of contemporary art?
4.32
428
Estéticas liminales Summary
Estéticas liminales 89%
What if vaporwave, creepypasta wikis, and liminal spaces are the real heart of contemporary art?
by Valentina Tanni 2023
4.32
428 ratings
Technopoly
by Neil Postman • 1992
When a culture worships its tools, the old stories that held it together quietly disappear.
3.97
5k+
Technopoly Summary
Technopoly 89%
When a culture worships its tools, the old stories that held it together quietly disappear.
by Neil Postman 1992
3.97
5k+ ratings
Indiana Jones and Philosophy
by Dean Kowalski • 2023
Beneath the fedora: a philosophy seminar on heroism, faith, aging, and who really owns the past.
3.71
21
Indiana Jones and Philosophy Summary
Indiana Jones and Philosophy 89%
Beneath the fedora: a philosophy seminar on heroism, faith, aging, and who really owns the past.
by Dean Kowalski 2023
3.71
21 ratings
A History of India, Vol. 1
by Romila Thapar • 1990
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
3.63
2k+
A History of India, Vol. 1 Summary
A History of India, Vol. 1 89%
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
by Romila Thapar 1990
3.63
2k+ ratings
Amusing Ourselves to Death
by Neil Postman • 1985
The real danger isn't censorship. It's a culture so entertained it forgets how to think.
4.17
39k+
Amusing Ourselves to Death Summary
Amusing Ourselves to Death 89%
The real danger isn't censorship. It's a culture so entertained it forgets how to think.
by Neil Postman 1985
4.17
39k+ ratings
Perfecting Sound Forever
by Greg Milner • 2009
A century of recording breakthroughs produced one thing: new illusions our ears accepted as real.
4.17
1k+
Perfecting Sound Forever Summary
Perfecting Sound Forever 89%
A century of recording breakthroughs produced one thing: new illusions our ears accepted as real.
by Greg Milner 2009
4.17
1k+ ratings
Persuasive Games
by Ian Bogost • 2007
A videogame's rules are arguments. Learning to read them changes how you see every screen.
3.84
360
Persuasive Games Summary
Persuasive Games 89%
A videogame's rules are arguments. Learning to read them changes how you see every screen.
by Ian Bogost 2007
3.84
360 ratings
Decoding the Heavens
by Jo Marchant • 2009
Sponge divers pulled a 2,000-year-old computer from the sea. Decoding its gears took a century.
4.10
566
Decoding the Heavens Summary
Decoding the Heavens 88%
Sponge divers pulled a 2,000-year-old computer from the sea. Decoding its gears took a century.
by Jo Marchant 2009
4.10
566 ratings
Digimodernism
by Alan Kirby • 2009
The internet did not just add screens. It ended postmodernism and installed a new cultural logic.
3.49
78
Digimodernism Summary
Digimodernism 88%
The internet did not just add screens. It ended postmodernism and installed a new cultural logic.
by Alan Kirby 2009
3.49
78 ratings
Cities
by Monica L. Smith • 2019
Cities were never about efficiency. They were about all the things you cannot get alone.
3.26
446
Cities Summary
Cities 88%
Cities were never about efficiency. They were about all the things you cannot get alone.
by Monica L. Smith 2019
3.26
446 ratings
Introduction to Documentary
by Bill Nichols • 2001
Reality does not speak for itself. How documentary turns observation into argument, frame by frame.
3.77
484
Introduction to Documentary Summary
Introduction to Documentary 88%
Reality does not speak for itself. How documentary turns observation into argument, frame by frame.
by Bill Nichols 2001
3.77
484 ratings
The Right to Oblivion
by Lowry Pressly • 2024
Privacy isn't about controlling your data. It's about keeping whole regions of life unrecordable.
4.01
254
The Right to Oblivion Summary
The Right to Oblivion 88%
Privacy isn't about controlling your data. It's about keeping whole regions of life unrecordable.
by Lowry Pressly 2024
4.01
254 ratings
Hertzian Tales
by Anthony Dunne • 1999
Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.
4.26
125
Hertzian Tales Summary
Hertzian Tales 88%
Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.
by Anthony Dunne 1999
4.26
125 ratings
The Book on the Bookshelf
by Henry Petroski • 1999
Why books once faced the wall and wore chains: the bookshelf as a history of engineering.
3.75
1k+
The Book on the Bookshelf Summary
The Book on the Bookshelf 88%
Why books once faced the wall and wore chains: the bookshelf as a history of engineering.
by Henry Petroski 1999
3.75
1k+ ratings
Networks of New York
by Ingrid Burrington • 2016
Orange lines on the pavement mark fiber-optic cables: a field guide to the visible internet.
3.80
232
Networks of New York Summary
Networks of New York 88%
Orange lines on the pavement mark fiber-optic cables: a field guide to the visible internet.
by Ingrid Burrington 2016
3.80
232 ratings
Analyser un film, de l'émotion à l'interprétation
by Laurent Jullier • 2012
Great films work on you before you understand them. The method for closing that gap.
3.33
21
Analyser un film, de l'émotion à l'interprétation Summary
Analyser un film, de l'émotion à l'interprétation 88%
Great films work on you before you understand them. The method for closing that gap.
by Laurent Jullier 2012
3.33
21 ratings
Visual Methodologies
by Gillian Rose • 2001
Seven methods for interpreting images, one demand: know your own position and why it matters.
3.87
278
Visual Methodologies Summary
Visual Methodologies 88%
Seven methods for interpreting images, one demand: know your own position and why it matters.
by Gillian Rose 2001
3.87
278 ratings
Four Lost Cities
by Annalee Newitz • 2021
Lost cities didn't vanish; their people walked away when rulers chose monuments over working sewers.
3.78
7k+
Four Lost Cities Summary
Four Lost Cities 88%
Lost cities didn't vanish; their people walked away when rulers chose monuments over working sewers.
by Annalee Newitz 2021
3.78
7k+ ratings
Gods and Robots
by Adrienne Mayor • 2018
Ancient Greeks imagined robots, AI, and the ethics we still wrestle with, long before the tech.
3.73
718
Gods and Robots Summary
Gods and Robots 88%
Ancient Greeks imagined robots, AI, and the ethics we still wrestle with, long before the tech.
by Adrienne Mayor 2018
3.73
718 ratings
A People’s History of Computing in the United States
by Joy Lisi Rankin • 2018
The PC erased a decade of shared computing where users were creators, not customers.
3.49
193
A People’s History of Computing in the United States Summary
A People’s History of Computing in the United States 88%
The PC erased a decade of shared computing where users were creators, not customers.
by Joy Lisi Rankin 2018
3.49
193 ratings
Everything Bad is Good for You
by Steven Johnson • 2005
IQ scores keep rising, and your video game habit may explain why.
3.49
5k+
Everything Bad is Good for You Summary
Everything Bad is Good for You 88%
IQ scores keep rising, and your video game habit may explain why.
by Steven Johnson 2005
3.49
5k+ ratings
The Anarchist In The Library
by Siva Vaidhyanathan • 2004
The web set free-sharing anarchists against control-hungry oligarchs, and neither side is winning.
3.50
175
The Anarchist In The Library Summary
The Anarchist In The Library 88%
The web set free-sharing anarchists against control-hungry oligarchs, and neither side is winning.
by Siva Vaidhyanathan 2004
3.50
175 ratings
The Perfectionists
by Simon Winchester • 2018
From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.
4.15
7k+
The Perfectionists Summary
The Perfectionists 88%
From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.
by Simon Winchester 2018
4.15
7k+ ratings
The Image
by Daniel J. Boorstin • 1961
Most news is manufactured. We know it. And we still prefer the show over the real.
4.07
1k+
The Image Summary
The Image 88%
Most news is manufactured. We know it. And we still prefer the show over the real.
by Daniel J. Boorstin 1961
4.07
1k+ ratings
A History of the World in 100 Objects
by Neil MacGregor • 2010
The full sweep of human history, read not from texts but from 100 physical objects.
4.19
9k+
A History of the World in 100 Objects Summary
A History of the World in 100 Objects 88%
The full sweep of human history, read not from texts but from 100 physical objects.
by Neil MacGregor 2010
4.19
9k+ ratings
The Things We Make
by Bill Hammack • 2023
Engineering isn't applied science: it's the art of solving problems before anyone understands them.
3.75
1k+
The Things We Make Summary
The Things We Make 88%
Engineering isn't applied science: it's the art of solving problems before anyone understands them.
by Bill Hammack 2023
3.75
1k+ ratings
Lurking
by Joanne McNeil • 2020
Quiet observers were the heart of the early web. Then the internet turned them into data.
3.75
889
Lurking Summary
Lurking 88%
Quiet observers were the heart of the early web. Then the internet turned them into data.
by Joanne McNeil 2020
3.75
889 ratings
You Are Not a Gadget
by Jaron Lanier • 2010
The internet reduces people to data points. The people who built it call that wisdom.
3.57
6k+
You Are Not a Gadget Summary
You Are Not a Gadget 88%
The internet reduces people to data points. The people who built it call that wisdom.
by Jaron Lanier 2010
3.57
6k+ ratings
National Security Cinema
by Matthew Alford • 2017
The Pentagon secretly approved or killed your favorite movies, one script at a time.
3.81
113
National Security Cinema Summary
National Security Cinema 88%
The Pentagon secretly approved or killed your favorite movies, one script at a time.
by Matthew Alford 2017
3.81
113 ratings
Biblical Archaeology
by Eric H. Cline • 2009
Biblical archaeology set out to prove scripture. It built a science that asked better questions.
3.91
340
Biblical Archaeology Summary
Biblical Archaeology 88%
Biblical archaeology set out to prove scripture. It built a science that asked better questions.
by Eric H. Cline 2009
3.91
340 ratings
Forbidden Archeology
by Michael A. Cremo • 1993
Modern human fossils appear in Miocene strata. For over a century, science has looked away.
4.05
1k+
Forbidden Archeology Summary
Forbidden Archeology 88%
Modern human fossils appear in Miocene strata. For over a century, science has looked away.
by Michael A. Cremo 1993
4.05
1k+ ratings
Cinema Speculation
by Quentin Tarantino • 2022
How a child snuck into adult movies in 1970s Los Angeles and came out a filmmaker.
4.04
15k+
Cinema Speculation Summary
Cinema Speculation 88%
How a child snuck into adult movies in 1970s Los Angeles and came out a filmmaker.
by Quentin Tarantino 2022
4.04
15k+ ratings
Program or Be Programmed
by Douglas Rushkoff • 2010
Digital tools have biases. If you can't read their code, someone else writes your behavior.
3.72
2k+
Program or Be Programmed Summary
Program or Be Programmed 88%
Digital tools have biases. If you can't read their code, someone else writes your behavior.
by Douglas Rushkoff 2010
3.72
2k+ ratings
Glitch Feminism
by Legacy Russell • 2020
The glitch is not a mistake to fix; it’s a weapon against the binary body.
3.76
3k+
Glitch Feminism Summary
Glitch Feminism 88%
The glitch is not a mistake to fix; it’s a weapon against the binary body.
by Legacy Russell 2020
3.76
3k+ ratings
Filterworld
by Kyle Chayka • 2024
Your Netflix queue reshapes what artists make: the global aesthetic is now algorithm-friendly.
3.62
5k+
Filterworld Summary
Filterworld 88%
Your Netflix queue reshapes what artists make: the global aesthetic is now algorithm-friendly.
by Kyle Chayka 2024
3.62
5k+ ratings
You Are What You Watch
by Walter Hickey • 2023
Horror films thicken your blood. Violent movies cut crime. What we watch remakes us without asking.
3.65
761
You Are What You Watch Summary
You Are What You Watch 88%
Horror films thicken your blood. Violent movies cut crime. What we watch remakes us without asking.
by Walter Hickey 2023
3.65
761 ratings
The Light Ages
by Seb Falk • 2020
Eclipse math, precision clocks, a six-foot computer: the medieval laboratory inside the monastery.
3.67
2k+
The Light Ages Summary
The Light Ages 88%
Eclipse math, precision clocks, a six-foot computer: the medieval laboratory inside the monastery.
by Seb Falk 2020
3.67
2k+ ratings
The Quiet Before
by Gal Beckerman • 2022
Why the movements that changed the world began with letters and zines, not viral posts.
3.79
485
The Quiet Before Summary
The Quiet Before 88%
Why the movements that changed the world began with letters and zines, not viral posts.
by Gal Beckerman 2022
3.79
485 ratings
Hidden History
by Brian Haughton • 2007
Twelve ancient mysteries where the evidence outlasts every explanation archaeologists have offered.
3.71
233
Hidden History Summary
Hidden History 88%
Twelve ancient mysteries where the evidence outlasts every explanation archaeologists have offered.
by Brian Haughton 2007
3.71
233 ratings
Concrete Planet
by Robert Courland • 2011
Concrete is older than the wheel, built Rome, and now silently corrodes the modern world.
3.89
218
Concrete Planet Summary
Concrete Planet 88%
Concrete is older than the wheel, built Rome, and now silently corrodes the modern world.
by Robert Courland 2011
3.89
218 ratings
Hitchcock/Truffaut
by François Truffaut • 1985
A bomb under the table, a document nobody cares about: Hitchcock decodes suspense for Truffaut.
4.47
10k+
Hitchcock/Truffaut Summary
Hitchcock/Truffaut 88%
A bomb under the table, a document nobody cares about: Hitchcock decodes suspense for Truffaut.
by François Truffaut 1985
4.47
10k+ ratings
Documentary Storytelling
by Sheila Curran Bernard • 2010
From research to final cut: the craft rules for making nonfiction films that grip like fiction.
4.00
148
Documentary Storytelling Summary
Documentary Storytelling 88%
From research to final cut: the craft rules for making nonfiction films that grip like fiction.
by Sheila Curran Bernard 2010
4.00
148 ratings
The Inner History of Devices
by Sherry Turkle • 2008
Your devices are confidants, not just tools. What they reveal about the self you're becoming.
3.83
81
The Inner History of Devices Summary
The Inner History of Devices 88%
Your devices are confidants, not just tools. What they reveal about the self you're becoming.
by Sherry Turkle 2008
3.83
81 ratings
The Hacker Crackdown
by Bruce Sterling • 1992
One AT&T crash, one Secret Service raid, and the accidental birth of digital civil liberties
3.80
3k+
The Hacker Crackdown Summary
The Hacker Crackdown 88%
One AT&T crash, one Secret Service raid, and the accidental birth of digital civil liberties
by Bruce Sterling 1992
3.80
3k+ ratings
The People's Platform
by Astra Taylor • 2012
Digital abundance set culture free and made it cheap. Platforms got rich; creators got precarious.
4.04
610
The People's Platform Summary
The People's Platform 88%
Digital abundance set culture free and made it cheap. Platforms got rich; creators got precarious.
by Astra Taylor 2012
4.04
610 ratings
Coding Freedom
by Gabriella Coleman • 2012
They built a free software revolution while insisting they were not political at all.
3.82
280
Coding Freedom Summary
Coding Freedom 88%
They built a free software revolution while insisting they were not political at all.
by Gabriella Coleman 2012
3.82
280 ratings
The End of Absence
by Michael Harris • 2014
The last generation to know life before the internet reveals what constant connection has hidden.
3.63
2k+
The End of Absence Summary
The End of Absence 88%
The last generation to know life before the internet reveals what constant connection has hidden.
by Michael Harris 2014
3.63
2k+ ratings
Doppelganger
by Naomi Klein • 2023
Mistaken for her alt-right double, a leftist author maps the mirror world devouring our politics.
4.19
37k+
Doppelganger Summary
Doppelganger 88%
Mistaken for her alt-right double, a leftist author maps the mirror world devouring our politics.
by Naomi Klein 2023
4.19
37k+ ratings
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