Patrick Tucker

I didn't warm quickly to Patrick Tucker's "The Naked Future." Early in the book he spends a lot of time talking about what great strides retailers have made in predicting what we might buy and when. But the premise of the book, "what happens in a world that anticipates your every move," is direly important. Just as our brains construct the world with predictions and estimates, so too more of the technological blanket enveloping us is doing the same thing, for better or for worse.

"Although the future will soon feel very different, it will remain fundamentally what it has always been: a state we create through our decisions but cannot in fact experience."

That is a a recipe for a continuous sense of alienation in our lives, but also an environment where the mounds of data available will inevitably fall into our hands and give us the power to lift ourselves out of ignorance.… (meer)

I didn't know any of these except for one. I feel kind of bad about that.

The first age group (20) didn't do anything for me. It wasn't until the 30's that I found pieces that I liked; Doubt, A Parable by John Patrick Shanley and Raised in Captivity by Nicky Silver (I laughed during this one). I found a few more in the 40's age group such as; Kvetch by Steven Berkoff (Loved this one!), Conversations with My Father by Herb Gardner, Lips Together, Teeth Apart by Terrence McNally, Dumb Show by Joe Penhall, and It's Ralph by Hugh Whitemore.

Sadly, there wasn't much in the 50's and over crowd. Wrong Mountain by David Hirson, A Month of Sundays by Bob Larbey (Good character and pacing), and The Retreat from Moscow by William Nicholson were all good.

It is a quick read, much like a collection of short stories but more like character stories. Many are plays and so I don't know how I would watch them. Would love to though.… (meer)