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Splinternet
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Splinternet

How Geopolitics and Commerce are Fragmenting the World Wide Web

Scott Malcomson
OR Books, 2015

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Overview
  • Background

Recommendation

The 1940s military industrial complex and the Cold War spawned innovations that became the foundation of today’s information society. The United States government had a role in developing computer screens, the Internet and the venture capital industry, all as part of military efforts. Communications consultant Scott Malcomson’s slim volume spells out this little-known history. Essentially, he writes, the government guided the development of the computer age for decades. getAbstract recommends his compelling overview and fascinating anecdotes to students, entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers who will benefit from this overlooked story’s rich information on where the Internet came from and cautionary notes about where it’s going.

Take-Aways

  • The US military industrial complex spawned the Internet.
  • The Civil War proved the advantage of mechanization as the industrialized North beat the rural South.
  • In World War I, a naval battle between Britain and Germany confirmed the superior accuracy of automated firing systems.

About the Author

Communications and political risk consultant Scott Malcomson wrote four previous books and served as foreign editor of The New York Times Magazine from 2004 to 2011.

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