Commodork - Sordid Tales from a BBS Junkie by Rob O'Hara
For nearly two decades, computer-based Bulletin Board Systems were the primary
method of communication between computer users. As suddenly as they gained
popularity, they were made obsolete by the next big thing - a newfangled system
called the Internet. Commodork: Sordid Tales from a BBS Junkie takes its readers
on an exciting journey through the BBS era. Through the author's personal tales
and adventures, readers will discover more about these amazing times and what
it was like to grow up online. With tales of copyfests, BBS parties and random
acts of online debauchery, those who were there will find themselves reminiscing,
while those who weren't will enjoy learning about life ""before the 'net.""
You know, back when we used to modem uphill, both ways in the snow.
Crypto (How the Code Rebels Beat the Government Saving Privacy in the Digital
Age) by Steven Levy
The author of the 1994 sleeper Hackers reveals how a group of men developed
methods for encrypting digital transmissions for use in the private sector.
As the digital age was dawning in the late 1970s, a major stumbling block to
delivering information and conducting transactions via high-speed networks
was the lack of security from outside parties who might wish to intercept
the data (even though the National Security Agency had acres of computers
dedicated to protecting government secrets and even more designed to decode
other countries' messages). Widely available systems only began to emerge
after a range of free thinkers, including such crypto legends as Whit Diffie
and Marty Hellman, began to devote their considerable mind power to the issue.
After a slow start, Levy's story steadily builds momentum as the crypto
pioneers do battle with the NSA, look for ways to commercialize their
discoveries and fight for the federal government's approval of the strongest
encryption methods. The chief technology writer for Newsweek, Levy locates the
heart of the matter in the struggle to balance the need for the most effective
encryption possible with the government's need to decode messages that might
endanger national security, a struggle in which privacy, so far, has prevailed.
Agent, Dominick Abel.
iWoz (Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer,
Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It) by Steve Wozniak
Before slim laptops that fit into briefcases, computers looked like strange
vending machines, with cryptic switches and pages of encoded output. But
in 1977 Steve Wozniak revolutionized the computer industry with his invention
of the first personal computer. As the sole inventor of the Apple I and II
computers, Wozniak has enjoyed wealth, fame, and the most coveted awards an
engineer can receive, and he tells his story here for the first time.
Super Mario (How Nintendo Conquered America) by Jeff Ryan
The story of Nintendo's rise and the beloved icon who made it possible.
Nintendo has continually set the standard for video-game innovation in America,
starting in 1981 with a plucky hero who jumped over barrels to save a girl from
an ape. The saga of Mario, the portly plumber who became the most successful
franchise in the history of gaming, has plot twists worthy of a video game.
Jeff Ryan shares the story of how this quintessentially Japanese company found
success in the American market. Lawsuits, Hollywood, die- hard fans, and face-
offs with Sony and Microsoft are all part of the drama.
Find out about:
* Mario's eccentric yet brilliant creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, who was tapped for
the job because was considered expendable.
* Minoru Arakawa, the son-in-law of Nintendo's imperious president, who bumbled
his way to success. * The unexpected approach that allowed Nintendo to reinvent
itself as the gaming system for the non-gamer, especially now with the Wii Even
those who can't tell a Koopa from a Goomba will find this a fascinating story
of striving, comeuppance, and redemption.
The Ultimate History of Video Games From Pong to Pokemon and Bet Touched Our
Lives and Changed the World by Steven Kent
In this rollicking, mammoth history of video games from pinball to Pong to
Playstation II Kent, a technology journalist and self-professed video game
addict, covers almost every conceivable aspect of the industry, from the
technological leaps that made the games possible to the corporate power
struggles that won (and lost) billions of dollars. Anecdotes are legion.
Readers learn that early Atari, for example, had the corporate climate of
a dot-com startup, with rampant drug use and meetings staged in outdoor hot
tubs. The original name for Pac-Man turns out to be Puck-Man; its creators
changed the name after worrying that vandals in arcades would replace the P
with an F. In 1978, there were so many people playing Space Invaders in
Japan that the game caused a national coin shortage. Kent meticulously
documents the rise of home video games and the console wars of the past
decade, when Sega, Nintendo, Sony and others raced to produce the fastest,
most powerful game system. Also addressed is the public backlash of the '80s,
when video games were thought to distract students from homework, and
the '90s, when Doom and other violent games were linked to the massacre at
Columbine High School. Along the way, Kent interviews virtually every key
player in the industry. At times, Kent's comprehensiveness is exhausting
500-plus pages on video games may be a bit much, even for their most ardent
admirers. But most often Kent's infectious enthusiasm is enough to carry
the reader along. Equal parts oral history, engineering study, business
memoir, game catalogue and Gen-X nostalgia trip, Kent's book is a loving
tribute to one of the most dynamic (and profitable) industries in the world
today.
Download File Size:5.04 MB
|
