Out of Control

Out of Control by Kevin Kelly is one of the most incredible books that I have ever read.

It is a rambling tome about emergence and technology and complexity and evolution, and it is wonderful. Kelly is the excited narrator who leads the reader into a fantastic new world where creativity and order and intelligence are a result of networked simple parts interacting and learning.

It really is too ambitious to describe in a blog post. Usually books written about current and future technology feel dated and anachronistic within a few years. Out of Control was written in 1994, but the trends that Kelly identified and explored are so deep and long-reaching that the book won't outlive its relevance for a long time.

This book will affect my thinking in many areas and in many ways. I highly recommend it. Just read it.

P.S. Kevin Kelly's new book, What Technology Wants, came out today. He described it as an extension of Out of Control. I can't wait.