James Gleick provides a chronicle of the history of information, which he views as the most pivotal aspect of the human condition. Biographical sketches of key figures such as Samuel Morse, the creator of Morse Code, are included. Narrator Rob Shapiro’s friendly, resonant tones are well suited to the material. However, his dynamic performance does little to enhance or make more approachable the academic and scientific arguments and frameworks presented. Discussions of the communication roles of African drums, the telegraph, the telephone, transistors, television, and the flood of bits and bytes in the computer age lead to the listener’s growing awareness that there is limitless growth in our capacity to store and use information. While this idea and the evidence that supports it are fascinating theoretically, neither Gleick nor Shapiro makes this book an absorbing listen.
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780307914972
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The author describes her efforts to implement a meaningful sustainability initiative for Wales and the world at large. An educator and minister of the environment, sustainability, and housing in her tiny country, she's a wonderful narrator who sounds at once relaxed and passionate, likable and dignified. Her voice is a perfect vehicle for amplifying her humanitarian intentions as well as the breadth of her methodical thinking. But what makes this audio so inspiring are the personal asides she shares throughout concerning her willingness to be vulnerable and her calm resolve to do something for the world's future generations. Davidson's descriptions of the laborious process of cultural transformation would have been dry listening without her pleasing UK speaking voice.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Lisa Flanagan has a wonderful vocal personality--lithe with a broad palette of pitch patterns and a range of believable emotional tones. Her friendly voice works well with this lighthearted overview of how dramatically the Internet has changed the world in the past 30 years. Though being digitally connected has improved life in many ways, the author says we've lost many of the interpersonal experiences that used to sustain us. We have less privacy, don't need all those reference books, and have largely forgotten how to have vocal conversations with other people. The audiobook is entertaining nostalgia for anyone who feels incompetent navigating the World Wide Web, and a soothing reminder that those of us who miss the simplicity of the pre-Internet era are not alone.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593418055
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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