BKISMUAF.RVW   951110
 
"Information Superhighways: Multimedia Users and Futures", Stephen J. Emmott
ed., 1995, 0-12-238360-5
%A   Stephen J. Emmott, ed. sje@bigthink.demon.co.uk
%C   525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA   92101-4495
%D   1995
%G   0-12-238360-5
%I   Academic Press
%O   619-699-6362 fax: 619-699-6380 app@acad.com 800-321-5068
%P   278
%T   "Information Superhighways: Multimedia Users and Futures"
 
Having read a great number of infommercial supercliche books, I approached this
one with trepidation.  Add in the multimedia buzzword, and it was almost
guaranteed to be a copy of any of the prevailing crop of blue-sky, ill-
informed, and trivial productions attempting to milk current preoccupations. 
Instead, what I found was the most practical and useful guide to the future
communications technologies I've yet seen.
 
Part one is an excellent and clear-eyed introduction by Emmott.  Part two looks
at the issues of information and communications in work, domestic and social
life.  The studies in part three concentrate primarily on the use of video, but
in functional work situations.
 
The fact that this is primarily a collection of academic and research papers
will likely cause some from industry and the general public to dismiss it out
of hand.  This is a pity, since I found more realistic help and advice in this
than in a year's worth of business seminars and any number of popular works. 
(Some of the papers seem to be in esoteric areas of study, but even they
provide valuable suggestions in areas such as the necessary level of video
quality.)
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKISMUAF.RVW   951110

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