Synopses & Reviews
Computers are at the heart of war today, but even the best missile defense system envisioned by the military would have been useless against box-cutters on September 11th. Creator of the cult classic Cyborg Handbook and author of Cyborg Citizen, hailed by Wired magazine as "a ripping good yarn," author Chris Hables Gray argues that rapid technological development is the order of the day, and our future will be determined by who uses it and for what; terror or peace.
A visionary and disarming overview of cyberwar in the twenty-first century, Peace, war, and Computers looks beyond the gadgets of techno-warfare and the early predictions of a purely "cyberspace" war to reveal how electronic culture has changed the way we wage war and strive for peace. Unmanned aircraft (soon to be followed by remote-control naval fleets) may appear to make warfare more sterile, less bloody. But as the fighting in Iraq has shown, superior technology does not guarantee quick or bloodless victories.
Essential reading for anyone interested in computers, politics, and the cutting edge of military strategy and theory, Peace, War, and Computers unlocks the power and pitfalls of computers for war and peace in a world where total war is as unthinkable as apocalyptic war is possible.
Synopsis
Computers are at the heart of war as we know it and this visionary overview of cyber war in the twenty-first century studies how electronics have changed the way we fight. Using informatics and chaos theory, this is a disarming, yet enthralling read.