Gadgets Galore - Where will man take us? by Atul Jalan

Source: Amazon.in

Not many moons ago, when Siri was launched, I remember the craze it had managed to generate among people. It could save you from suicide, help you do things and be your companion. Today times have changed, and Siri has of course only improved with time. We now have Alexa along with many other such 'techie companions' as my friend calls them. 

“First we thought the PC was a calculator. Then we found out how to turn numbers into letters with ASCII — and we thought it was a typewriter. Then we discovered graphics, and we thought it was a television. With the World Wide Web, we've realized it's a brochure.” ― Douglas Adams

As a kid, sci-fi and futuristic books/movies always fascinated me. I was curious to know how the world would be in 2030 and if actually cars would fly by then. Today every time I hold my cell phone in my hands I realize the progress technology has made. That small box in my palm is a reminder of the constant progress it is still making. From making calls and sending texts, it can now count your foot-steps, remind you of your missed appointments, book tables for you in restaurants and what not. It is like having a personal assistant at your fingertips.

Few years ago, I remember being awed after watching the movie Her. I wanted that software the hero uses and apparently falls in love with. I wanted it to keep a tab on my thoughts, endless and epic, I seldom recollect what I was think few seconds ago. I wanted it to reply to my emails, shelve them according to their importance and talk to me when I would get lonely. After all, a human being can back stab you, scream at you, cheat you or ditch you but a machine cannot. And that is what I wanted, a dependable and trustworthy companion. Little did I know that the whole world at that moment for praying for this very miracle in their lives!

My joy was short-lived till I saw the ending of the movie and understood the gravity of the whole situation. Our lives have become so lonelier with the onset of social media, though funnily social media was supposed to bring us all closer. From a phase where we hid our secret diaries to ensure people do not read it, we now seek validation from complete strangers online by revealing some of our most darkest secrets. We display our vulnerability as we think strangers can cause no harm while actually risking a lot of things. That is when you get to hear thinks like man married his PS4, woman got engaged to her robot - we have been reduced to a bunch of confused souls who are unable to trust anyone around us. Leaving behind the emotional aspect of technology, from the utility perspective technology is truly a live saver in many ways. It has made everything available at the click of our button. Our fingertips are immensely powerful now as we can achieve so much merely by clicking some buttons without moving an inch.

Where will man take us? is an interesting take on discussing the various aspects of the growth in technology and also what are the different possibilities in future that we foresee. Overall, it is an extremely interesting read that dissects the hear-says of it all and lays it all open for a reader to analyse, understand and look forward.

About the Author

Atul Jalan, forever on the lookout for the next exciting idea and the next exciting thing to do, is an entrepreneur who is always on the move.

Source: Amazon.in

A childhood interest in technology transformed into a lasting love-life-technology intersections-through which he now explores how the technology man built is transforming him and the institutions he has created. What interests him the most about this merging of biology with technology is the fact that there is no end to it.

There is always something new, something exciting, something surprising around the corner. When not peeking at how technology impacts life next door, Jalan likes to travel-preferably on the bicycle he's built himself with the aid of a few tech tools he is testing.

A science storyteller and futurist, Jalan is the founder-CEO of a pioneering AI venture, Manthan, by day. It is his fourth successful venture as an entrepreneur, and there is no knowing where he might take us next. For more about him, visit https://atuljalan.com/.

Backed with immense research and of course, his own personal expertise in this field, author Atul Jalan brings forth a both that not only is mind-boggling but is also a great food for thought. Combining together the primary drivers of the change in today's times, he talks at length about artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and bio-engineering.

Neatly divided into  five sections namely the drivers of change, the new society, the magic of math, the end of mystery and the new man, the sections are further divided into 26 chapters which practically cover everything from the basic philosophy behind AI and nanotechnology, to love and sex, religion, the   extraterrestrial to being considered next to God. Debunking a lot of myths that we have been harboring thanks to the plethora of internet articles we are flooded with, he talks about nothing but the truth.   

Written in extremely lucid language and in a conversational tone, the book is an engrossing read. I enjoyed the detailed explanations along with the bibliography which has opened a floodgate of relevant reading material for me. For someone like me who is extremely curious about the future of technology, not the forget the huge cons that are staring at us like data privacy and ethics, this book was a true eye-opener.

However, for me the most favourite part of the book was the story of Wanda in the prologue. In many ways it sets the tone for the book and what can you expect from it. To be honest, I was skeptical if this book would end up being heavy on information and low on the understanding ability of a reader. And I was glad, it maintained a perfect balance between the topics discussed and the ease of understanding. It can be easily enjoyed even by a layman who is curious about technology and its growth.

I would recommend this book, strongly, to all technology lovers and curious cats like me who are keen to know what the future holds for us. This one-of-a-kind read is like a Pandora's box, you can open out of curiosity and it continues to enthrall you till the last page or perhaps even after that with the amount of information &/ secrets it holds within.

Grab your copy from Amazon