Genre: Nonfiction, Technology
Publication date: September 5, 2020
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55429824-keeping-up?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=4fjgb1g195&rank=1
Amazon India – https://www.amazon.in/-/hi/David-Clinton-ebook/dp/B08HL9WQ1H/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1602396771&sr=1-6
Amazon.com – https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Up-Backgrounders-technology-trends-ebook/dp/B08HL9WQ1H
My Thoughts
I picked up this book because it talks about technology concepts that I want to understand better. I read about the Cloud, IoT, blockchain, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) in articles and newspaper reports but I don’t really know what they mean. This book explains all these terms and other technology-related concepts lucidly.
I’ll be honest: I don’t understand everything fully after reading the book, but these concepts are certainly much clearer to me now!
The author has simplified the concepts to a certain extent to enable technologically-challenged people like me to understand them, but you’ll still need to pay close attention to grasp what’s being discussed.
I felt a sense of helplessness because the digital world seems beset by so many different types of threats. I’m just a regular computer user and I never thought it could be so dangerous to do anything online. But, the future is digital and there’s no escaping these technologies. So the best way to fight off these threats is to educate yourself as much as you can.
I found Chapter 4: Understanding Digital Connectivity to be the most interesting. It talks about the Internet of Things and its applications in the military, smart homes, smart cities, etc. It also talks about the problems that IoT technology poses.
I also enjoyed reading Chapter 10 regarding big data, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, neural networks, and machine learning. I occasionally read about these things on other platforms so it’s nice to have some background about them. It’s a brief introduction but it’s good for beginners like myself.
The book is written in a friendly, straightforward tone and should appeal to just about anybody who wants to learn more about the latest trends in technology, the benefits, the threats, and the solutions. You can read the book in any order you want–I picked the chapters that caught my eye first such as chapter 4 and chapter 10.
(I received an ARC from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for an honest review.)
Synopsis
(from Reedsy Discovery)
“Keeping Up” as a quick, fun, and accessible guide to the current state of the tech industry and the big trends that will likely define its future. We’ll discuss, at a high level, the major drivers of technology innovation and investment, and how it all interfaces with everything else. If you’re responsible for making technology-based business decisions, looking for inspiration for new opportunities, thinking about a new career, or just curious about the world around you, getting all this information in one place can make for more intelligent and faster decisions.
Who might want to read this book?
• Managers and business decision makers
• Individuals plotting their career/educational trajectories
• Individuals looking for ideas/inspiration for new or undefined projects
• Curious people seeking to understand their world
• Journalists looking for quick context
About David Clinton
David Clinton is an AWS solutions architect, Linux administrator, and the author of more than a dozen technology books, including titles for Wiley/Sybex, Manning, and Apress. He also authored 25 courses on Pluralsight covering AWS and Linux administration, IT security, and server virtualization.
Book Reviews by Satabdi 
What do you think?