December 18, 2007

The Big Switch: 12 Signed Pre-Release Copies For TechCrunch Readers

Michael Arrington

248 comments »

Author Nick Carr is someone I used to love to hate. He wrote blog posts that I strongly disagreed with - such as this one about the long tail of blogging, and another arguing that Web 2.0 had serious faults. We’ve had numerous direct disagreements as well - he’s called me smug and worse, and I’ve fought back.

But over time I’ve grown to respect his writing and thought process, even though he still takes the occasional mild shot at our posts. The guy just writes really, really well.

His first book, Does IT Matter?, helped change the way companies and vendors thought about technology and its place in the corporate entity. Now he’s preparing to publish his second book, The Big Switch. You can pre-order it on Amazon.

I have an early copy of the book. It’s timely and well written, arguing that computing services are turning into a utility, much as the electric grid emerged a hundred years ago. He argues that society will change drastically as a result.

I asked Carr if we could give away a dozen autographed copies of the book before it hits the market, and he agreed. If you’d like one, please leave a comment below. All you have to do is make sure to include your real email address in the comment form so that we can contact you. Tell us something interesting about yourself and why you want the book. Agree or disagree with something Nick has said on his blog (the first two links in the top paragraph above are easy targets). Or just have a good rant. The twelve most interesting responses will get the book shipped out to them asap.

Update: The winners are Rob Walters, Doug Phelps, Alex Rosen, Qiang Wang, John Dyer, Michael #21, Jeff the Great, Brad Jashinsky, Joshua Walters, Paul Speranza, Tom Comeau, Andy McKenzie.

Sphere It

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December 18th, 2007 at 1:10 pm

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Rob Walters

December 18th, 2007 at 10:04 am

Because I am wipe out trying to get blogs like TC and the likes to write anything about our new web based Energy trading game Energee Inc.

http://www.PuzzleFactory.com/Energee

So I would rather just curl up with a book for the next few weeks and maybe emerge inspired again.

Thanks…………Rob
Barry

December 18th, 2007 at 10:05 am

Agree, you have been smug a time or two… which is probably the main reason why I read your blog today.
Tracy

December 18th, 2007 at 10:07 am

oh, oh, pick me! Pick me!

Free books are awesome. Free books about tech policy are even better!
Kyle Landis

December 18th, 2007 at 10:08 am

I’ll take a copy!

I’m a newbie web developer with a whole lot to learn about where technology is headed in the future……plus now that the Harry Potter series is over I need a new read!

Thanks,

Kyle

p.s. TECH CRUNCH ROCKS!
Matt

December 18th, 2007 at 10:09 am

Sure I’ll take a copy.
Free Tech Books Are Awesome :).
James

December 18th, 2007 at 10:09 am

Hey, anyone who is willing to give a guy a shot after he critiques/criticizes the blog and the subject matter therein deserves a comment…not sure how my comments benefits you, but just pretend they do : )
Pran

December 18th, 2007 at 10:10 am

I love Nick’s deep research and clear arguments–some times, I do not get the same from techcrunch, but I keep coming back to it any way. I agree with what most Nick says but like all predictions, I take it with a grain of salt. Because no one can see the future–we all know that any way but we still seem to go ahead and make the guesses anyway.

As with all predictions, you both will be right some of the time and wrong some of the time.

Pran
Jon F

December 18th, 2007 at 10:10 am

I’d love one of these…thanks!

jon@framemedia.com
Deepak

December 18th, 2007 at 10:11 am

I am an avid Carr watcher and, like you, have a love-hate relationship with his writings and opinions. I disagree with him a lot, but increasingly find myself agreeing with his thought process. When I blogged about The Mythical WebOS, I had to mention that “The scary thing about that whole concept is that I agree with Nick Carr”, especially the underlying principles for The Big Switch.

I will continue to disagree with him on most of his thoughts on the long tail and web 2.0, but when it comes to quality writing and presenting thoughts which go against the grain, there is none better.
Paul

December 18th, 2007 at 10:12 am

Thanks, I’d love a copy. Sounds like an interesting book, and the subject’s probably been on all of our minds for quite a while now.
Solarcanine

December 18th, 2007 at 10:12 am

He raised your ire? As much as I like you, that definitely makes for a potentially interesting read…I’d love a copy of his book…animosity (even past animosity) can be entertaining…
Shane

December 18th, 2007 at 10:12 am

Entertain you…how about some mouth-fed grapes? Some soft-shoe? Anything for a free book! Put me down for one.
Ron M

December 18th, 2007 at 10:13 am

A very interesting topic. I look forward to reading it.
Chris

December 18th, 2007 at 10:13 am

Looks like an interesting read.

My question is this - will every tech book over the next few years have “Google” in the byline? Industry standard?
Duder

December 18th, 2007 at 10:14 am

Just in case someone in the above 12 forgot their email address….
Snay

December 18th, 2007 at 10:14 am

Interesting; can’t say I have read of him but the latest blog on Office 2.0 on his site is interesting. Good thing I’m a sucker for free books; I found his blog which is imho rather good.
Sanjay

December 18th, 2007 at 10:14 am

I love my Carr

Zooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmm!!!!!
Deepak

December 18th, 2007 at 10:15 am

Forgot to mention this. In full disclosure .. I have a pre-release copy of the book, but a signed one … that would be most welcome
Mat

December 18th, 2007 at 10:15 am

Well, I would like one. I am sure it is interesting. So I would buy it anyway, I suppose…..

mat
Dan

December 18th, 2007 at 10:15 am

Although I don’t always agree with Carr I do agree with the premise behind his book that (to a certain degree) computing services will become commoditized. I’d like to read how he sees society changing as a result.
Michael

December 18th, 2007 at 10:15 am

In response to this blog post: http://www.roughtype.com/archi....._hello.php

Have you ever watched “To Catch A Predator”? Young men and women are hiding information on social networks because they are afraid of attracting unwanted audiences. Although I do agree that hiding information from teachers, employers and parents is a valid argument.

I look forward to reading the book even if I do not get a free copy. Congrats on the new book, Nick!
Josep

December 18th, 2007 at 10:16 am

Just in case.
shen

December 18th, 2007 at 10:16 am

Hope I made it!
Jeff the Great

December 18th, 2007 at 10:16 am

Here is why I am interesting and deserving:

becuase unlike everyone else, I am trying to start a web 2.0 site that will incorporate local info and relevant social networking. I also started doing this fun thing you probably haven’t heard of called “blogging.” I have 3 of my own and one day you might have one too.

No one else is doing any of this yet, are they? First mover advantage, baby!

So baisically I deserve this book so I can learn from it and not be like everyone else.
Brad Jashinsky

December 18th, 2007 at 10:17 am

Listening to Nick talk about his book on the Gang podcast has been quite interesting if just to feel like I’m literally part of the panel as I debate out loud to my computer speakers. The comparison between the electric utility and the computing utility just doesn’t make for a good comparison as electricity is something that while the amount may need to be custom is not nearly as complex as computing. With the varied platforms, programs, and systems it makes no sense that computing would follow a similar path of electricity that in most cases is the same for everyone. I think Nick does make good points about how people will be able to give up full control though overtime, which I believe will happen just as people began to trust electric companies as they proved their reliability. However the one thing that remains to be seen is if a computing platform outage such as one at Amazon will be regarded in the same way as a blackout. You get mad, but you get over it. I think one serious outage could ruin the widespread outage very easily, because when the computing platform goes out you can’t just rely on the UPS or turn on the diesel generator.
Joshua Beil

December 18th, 2007 at 10:17 am

I want to know how long it will be before one of my monthly utility bills goes to Google. Please send me a copy so I can prepare accordingly.
H. Bennis

December 18th, 2007 at 10:18 am

Michael,

I’d love a copy

Why I want the book ?… To read it of course, what did you think, feed it to the cat?

Waiting for the signed copy.

Thanks
Victor S

December 18th, 2007 at 10:19 am

Me, me, me!
Manoj

December 18th, 2007 at 10:20 am

I would love to have a signed copy of this book.

Thanks!
John

December 18th, 2007 at 10:21 am

Nick Carr has written extensively about IT. As someone in the area of wireless I’d be interested in receiving this book, reading it and understanding if his thoughts can be extrapolated to the area of wireless. I’d like to be considered for the book sending. Thanks.
Joshua Walters

December 18th, 2007 at 10:21 am

Lets see…

When I was younger, my dad was in the military, so I was privileged at getting the internet probably around the time most people were starting to get computers. We got the net in ‘94, maybe ‘95, so I have had it as long as I can remember. I think this accessibility to newer technologies while I was younger helped me be more interested as I got older.

I’m a highschool student, but I do alot of free lance type stuff with the company my dad works in. I have done things such as website design/maintenance down to network and server maintenance.

Right now I’m looking at a tech field or journalism, or possibly combining them and getting into tech blogging or writing for physical media. I’ve seen that the need for the areas I’m good at (troubleshooting, web design, etc) are getting too polluted with people who just don’t have a passion. That frustrates me, and I don’t want to have to compete with people like that, because they tend not to care anyways. I don’t want to have to go way out and learn a ton of new skills simply to be able to compete either. That’s kind of what draws me to the journalistic aspects of it all.

Well, that was my try. Ill probably buy the book because I probably won’t win it.
MS

December 18th, 2007 at 10:22 am

Well…I like the analogy Nicholas draws in his post about blogging (the first one you linked). I tend to agree with him to some extent, but I think the picture he’s painting is a bit too dark - if I understood him correctly, his point was that while bloggers have the illusion of participating in a new form of information distribution where everyone has an equal chance of getting his word out there, the truth is that only a select few are actually being noticed.

I think he’s right but I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. It’s simply human nature which will direct any community into this state, and what’s important is not whether everybody is treated equally, but that everyone has the potential of getting to the top.

Other than that, I’d be happy if you sent me one of those books. I’m a business student and I’m really interested in what else he has to say. I hope you’ll have no problem with shipping to Germany.
tim sullivan

December 18th, 2007 at 10:24 am

Apple Sucks At Windows

There’s no shortage of praise for anything Apple, but how come no one ever talks about their Window’s Software short comings? If Microsoft suffered any of these deficiencies , the media would have crucified them, but somehow if you make shiny white things you are golden.

ITunes installation requires QuickTime which is the most insidious application – only second to RealPlayer in obnoxious behavior. I don’t need it on my computer but I can’t use iTunes without it. I run a lot of programs and they all want to load system programs which I don’t need. I run a modified startup using Microsoft’s System Configuration utility msconfig.exe to cut down on crap loading on my system. No matter how many times I uncheck qttask it reloads the next time I reboot. After some searching without using Google, I was able to find out that you have to uncheck “check for updates [checked by default].”

Every time Apple release a new version of iTunes, I have to perform a complete reinstall of 2 entire applications. Hey Steve, the rest of software community has this closely guarded secret called “software updates,” in which only small, affected portions of the program are changed. These changes are then sent to the customer and the program is updated - simple and elegant, like Apple’s hardware.
Faramarz Hashemi

December 18th, 2007 at 10:26 am

Can i have a copy just for asking?

Thanks

p.s. I will gladly ship out the book to another user when I’m done reading it.
Tsahi Levent-Levi

December 18th, 2007 at 10:27 am

Would be nice to have the book.
As a product manager dealing with clients, with a lot of focus on how clients are used and the technology in them, it would be nice to see the other side, where servers are going to be the computing platform used and see how that fits in with my current line of products.
As for his blog - I think his latest insights on Google Knol are quite frightening to companies who are doing too well… It simply means that they might find Google (do no evil) trying to get their share of the pie in a non competitive way.
Geoff

December 18th, 2007 at 10:27 am

My brain will explode if I don’t get a copy.

oh wait. too late……………BOOM - SPLAT
Paul Speranza

December 18th, 2007 at 10:28 am

I’s like a copy of Nick’s book.

Look around at the explosion of services. Obviously not everything will be available like a utility but I do believe that we are heading that way. End users won’t even know it, not should they unless they need to. Small apps that manage the services, or mashups, or processes running on servers will do the work for us.

This will be as transparent as flicking on a light switch. I don’t think we are there yet but we are on the way. The genie is out of the bottle. I can’t wait to see it evolve, the things we can’t even think of today. Hopefully Nick sheds some light on this.
Tom Comeau

December 18th, 2007 at 10:29 am

This book sounds like the story of my life.

My great-grandfather saw the changes, technological and social, of electrification. He was part of it: He built houses, and during his career saw the switch from pipes (for gas) to wires (for electric lights), with all the changes that would bring.

My grandfather saw the changes brought by air travel. Born three years before the Wright Brothers’ flight, by WW-II he was building high-performance aircraft engines for the Pacific Theater. When I was eight, we watched the first Moon landings. Before he died he saw Southwest Airlines replace bus companies on some medium-haul routes at roughly the same price.

I grew up around high-performance computing (an uncle worked on SAGE for the US Air Force, and early work with large commercial databases) and my first full-time job was with a networking company that would eventually become Sprint. I’ve been in the middle of the Internet since before Al Gore invented it.

With the Internet firmly established in everyday life, what will life be like for my daughter? She’s had her own email for as long as she can remember, and has had her own cell phone since she was six.

I’d like to read “Switch” in the hopes that it will give me some clues about what the next switch will be like, in her lifetime.

tc>
AJ

December 18th, 2007 at 10:30 am

As I’m graduating from college soon and looking into forming my own startup in the data-center/web services space, I think having this book as a resource would be great as it deals with the commoditization of the computing resources - exactly what I plan to provide.

Hopefully I will win this!
Andy McKenzie

December 18th, 2007 at 10:31 am

Hey,

I find it interesting that the majority of these responses probably did not read the part of the post that stated that you have to contribute something interesting. I have two explanations for this:

a) As soon as they saw the number 12 they assumed that it would be the first twelve and quickly typed, “m3333!11!1″

or b) They have invested lots of effort into writing interesting things before with no payoff, so they figure that it is probably not worth the time anyways, because they assume nobody will read it.

I would expect the latter, and it gets at the crux of what Mr Carr talked about in his post about the long tail of blogging. The likelihood of somebody reading this is small, the likelihood of somebody caring is still smaller, and the likelihood of me receiving a book is smaller still.

Nevertheless, I am posting my response. Why? Because I am young and naive. Perhaps more importantly, I am a student. I, too, write a blog that not too many people read, but I do it mostly so that I can work on my own writing and critical thinking abilities. The atmosphere in that post about the long tail was melancholy, but I think that people forgot that the main utility of blogging is not to be noticed but to improve yourself. Only once you have improved yourself will others begin take notice (or so I suppose).

So, please give me an advanced copy of this book. I plan to read 50 books in 2008, it will be one of them, and as a starving college student I can use all of the help I can get. I will review it on my blog, and maybe then even one of the A-list bloggers like Nick Carr will link to me. Thanks!

Andy
Ryan

December 18th, 2007 at 10:34 am

I find the concept of web services and computing as a utility very interesting, and I have been doing quite a lot of thought on the subject. Likening it to a power grid really resounds with me, and with the emergence of mobile computing, becomes a good metaphor for how we will plug into this new utility in the future.

If online services are to mature into an actual utility, where what we call web 2.0 now is actually a way of conducting enterprise business, much like the post office sends our letters and the city collects our garbage, much change is needed to lift us to a level where we can do more then share photos and microblog with our gadgets.

I’m very interested to read Nick Carr’s feelings on this and more in his book.
Hakan

December 18th, 2007 at 10:34 am

Hi,
I would love to have this book. Just to fullfill my curiousity about evolving technologies and web 2.0. This would be a great christmas present from TechCrunch.
Thanks.
Hakan
Paul Mignot

December 18th, 2007 at 10:34 am

As a Graduate Science and Innovation management student at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, this book is a pure necessity for me. Science is my background, Innovation my passion and change is what drives me.

As a reader of all books about technology, innovation and business (including the big “boring” academic ones) i hope to be able to get the opportunity to read this one.

Greetings from the Netherlands,

Paul
Kamal

December 18th, 2007 at 10:35 am

I am a TechCrunch reader since the days when the only posts were from Michael Arrington. I work in a large IT company and I am not too sure if we would trust all our data to google or Zoho as Nicholas Carr says in blog post ‘The Office Question’.
The question of whether google or Zoho or or the new entrant live docs will be able to conquer the office productivity market does not have a simple answer. A few small enterprises may start a trial of google docs but to talk of all enterprises to make a complete switch could be too big an ask.
And ofcourse Microsoft still holds all the aces…
Cesar Cardoso

December 18th, 2007 at 10:37 am

Nick Carr is, by far, the most original and interesting author in our field (it doesn’t mean that he’s unanimous, though). So I deserve a one signed copy.
Csalomonlee

December 18th, 2007 at 10:37 am

I went to the TechCrunch Boston meet up only to get a glance at both Monsieurs Carr and Arrington, which has only fueled my desire to read all things TechCrunch and Rough Type.

Having a signed copy of Big Switch will temporarily alleviate this longing - at least until I finish reading the book.

Sigh - to have a signed copy … sigh.
rj

December 18th, 2007 at 10:38 am

I will be writing my next book all on my cell phone thanks for the inspiration techcrunch
jason

December 18th, 2007 at 10:39 am

I’d love to read and review this book - and see if there would be any benefit for the real estate community.

After I’ve read it, I’d also agree to re-contest this book on my own blog - “win a slightly used autographed book” - giving TechCrunch full credit for the idea I’ve stolen. That’s 13 winners for the price of 12.
Matt M.

December 18th, 2007 at 10:39 am

On the back cover of Carr’s first book, Carly Fiorina (CEO of Hewlett Packard at the time) was quoted as saying that the book was “Dead wrong.” It turns out she was the one who didn’t matter when she was forced out of HP less than two years later.
Ben Ortega

December 18th, 2007 at 10:41 am

Mike,

At post number 35 or so I still have a one in three chance of getting one so I’m throwing my name in.

In presentations I’ve delivered on next gen networking, I’ve been highlighting how much electricity and next gen technology distribution have in common. Some say I’m reaching but if you look at how electricity was distributed, innovated, and ultimately how it changed pricing models for services, our current technology is doing the same thing in the markets you and your readers are in. (same one I’m in too)

I don’t know the author, nor have read anything he’s ever written but if you say its worth the read, then I’m game. I’d like to see how much of my own research and monitoring of technology distribution/evolution meets Carr’s views.

Thanks. (since your reading, thanks for the Boston Party…it was great)

5tacos
Jean Didier

December 18th, 2007 at 10:42 am

I run a small local site about Burundi (small country in Central East Africa for the geographically challenged). http://www.rondera.net(.com), It’s an AJAX web directory of sites from and about this country.

This boy’s gotta have this book! Don’t you think?
Jason

December 18th, 2007 at 10:43 am

This book would definitely parallel a lot of the trends I’ve seen, working in the IT industry for the past seven years as a systems and network engineer. The push to virtualize every service imaginable is a major first step in moving towards that “utility” model. Users need more power? Add more virtual cpus to their environment. The web service requires more memory? Bump the memory usage for that virtual machine. This mimics the model used by our power/cable/internet providers. We want more bandwidth, we call our ISP and they up the limit. Hopefully I can get my hands on this one!
Lucas

December 18th, 2007 at 10:45 am

It’s interesting how the “e-” era is comming to an end.
Ten years ago, e-commerce, e-business, e-whatever was considered something different. Innovative. Now, it’s just Business. It’s Commerce.
And I agree with Nicholas on the revolution aspect, even though it just looks like a revolution for current/past business generations. Newer generations just take all that for granted, but they are not buying books for now anyway.
Michael Krigsman

December 18th, 2007 at 10:45 am

I’ve already put forth the key issue, in my post titled “Nick Carr doesn’t understand enterprise software.”

Looking forward to receiving the book.

Michael Krigsman
Blog: http://blogs.zdnet.com/projectfailures
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mkrigsman
Jean Didier

December 18th, 2007 at 10:46 am

and by the way, I totally disagree with Carr…even though I’ve never read him
Lak

December 18th, 2007 at 10:46 am

I would love a copy of this book since I am in the process of starting up a Web 2.0 company and a book like this would give me great insight on what I am about to get into and give me a better grasp on how to deal with certain stuff.

Thanks,

Lak
Marketing Lane

December 18th, 2007 at 10:46 am

Yeah I also thought most of the commenter’s above didn’t bother reading the post. While I haven’t read Nick’s blogs or books its always interesting to read some good writing and will take a look over the holidays.

I would of thought you could of somehow gone the ‘tech’ route with the book freebies, maybe tie it into the Amazon Kindle somehow or release an ebook to the TC readers. While a signed copy is cool it really doesn’t scream tech, though you could always point out the high tech benefits of paper and ink like it never needs batteries, is very durable, doesn’t break, is writable, etc.

Happy Holidays y’all!
John Honovich

December 18th, 2007 at 10:50 am

The success of Carr’s own blog is a perfect example why his fears in the “Amorality of Web 2.0″ are unfound. Carr worries that Web 2.0 “may well restrict rather than expand our choices,” but ironically Carr’s blog has helped many readers including myself to the worth of his ideas.

When “Does IT Matter?” came out in ‘04, I dismissed it as sensationalistic dribble. Like “Dow 36000″ or similar titles, I figured it was someone trying to get publicity. Like many others, I was just beginning to follow blogs at that time and had little information from others or from Carr himself about the quality of his thoughts. Fast forward 3 1/2 years later and I am excited about the release of his new book because I know the quality of Carr’s work through his blog and from other bloggers citing him.

Web 2.0 does not undermine great quality writers like Nick Carr or columnists at the New York Times. Rather, it undermines the stale and outdated distribution mechanisms of the papers and publishers that dominated distribution for decades. Writers and thinkers like Carr now have greater freedom to capture the returns of their labor and to directly interact and share their talents with the world.

It’s thankfully a false dichotomy and, ironically enough, the success of Carr should give Carr hope of this better future.
Kevin Krejci

December 18th, 2007 at 10:51 am

I would find great utility in getting my hands on an autographed pre-release copy of Nick’s book. I’m working on a utility computing report for headquarters at Fujitsu, and this would be my chance to look really smart and connected if I can enlighten them before they see it on the book shelves…
WalterRSmith

December 18th, 2007 at 10:51 am

Here’s my “interesting” (or not) reason for wanting this book:

I’m working to better understand Decentralizing Tools/Technologies (e.g., Web 2.0) and their effect on organizations (roles/responsibilities/rights) and organizational processes.

I’ve found that there are some significant challenges in “selling” technologies that have such a potentially disruptive effect on existing processes and organizational structures. This is especially true for those that tend to “rewire” the knowledge flows/networks of the organization from the bottom up.

My current approach is to frame the context as follows:
1. Existing activities that must be reliably executed are one group of organizational capabilities (”exploitation” is Michael Tushman’s term).
2. New activities that focus on innovation/discovery are a second group of capabilities (”exploration”).
3. The key challenge is how to link these two domains, such that “decaying knowledge” (”exploitation” activities made obsolete by technology or business changes) is replaced by “refreshing knowledge” (discovered by “exploration” activities).
4. The big change we’re seeing is that all IT is starting to be deployed as connectible/composable. Which means that the POTENTIAL exists to mesh exploitation and exploration activities into a seamless whole.
5. The hard part is defining where meshing exploitation and exploration makes sense and where it doesn’t. You’ve got to focus on a specific business case.

Finally, it seems like the exploitation/exploration contrast is being highlighted by folks other than Tushman. See for example, Hagel & Seely Brown’s push programs vs. pull platforms, Singer & Edmondson’s performance vs. learning/innovation, and Moore’s Volume vs. Complex organizations.
James Urquhart

December 18th, 2007 at 10:52 am

I have been one of the computing as a utility community that has been yelling and screaming that there isn’t one “cloud” today, but a loosely coupled cloud system.

Take Amazon Web Services, for instance. With the introduction of SimpleDB, Amazon has added a new layer of service that a) increases the likelyhood that you will build your application/service/company on their platform, while b) greatly increases the cost of leaving that platform in the future. The idea that vendors will be fighting to keep customers in a competitive market today is a joke–it will be the fight to aquire new customers that will dominate the scene for years to come; that is, once a “cloud” aquires a customer, they can rest pretty easy that that customer can not afford to leave them.

Remind anyone of the OS market in the 80s?

Nick has greatly contributed to my thinking on this, and I think understands better than most what is at risk both during this lock-in phase, and when the walls finally come tumbling down.

More at http://servicelevelautomation.blogspot.com.

Oh, and I would love a signed copy of the book.

James
hrp

December 18th, 2007 at 10:52 am

Why does Google Notes keep deleting itself? I log in and there are no notes. Sure, Google works its magic and restores from backup a few minutes later, but I need my notes now, dammit! How can I trust online office apps if things like this happen!? Need to give a presentation or quickly email a client an invoice? Sorry, you’ll have to wait for one of Google’s plucky yuppie engineers to restore from backup. Besides, online apps are terrible at printing and really only good for making Christmas wishlists, which, in my case, has a signed copy of The Big Switch at the top. Peace.
John

December 18th, 2007 at 10:54 am

I wouldn’t mind some holiday reading material. I doubt the internet will turn into a bunch of paid utility type services.
Alan

December 18th, 2007 at 10:55 am

Along with Joel Sipolsky and Rod Johnson, Nick Carr is one of the few writers in the field of technology who takes a very broad critical approach to the analysis of technology trends, drawing on his deeper knowledge of the business world. The fact that he was Executive Editor of the Harvard Business Review probably provides no small amount of help in that task. I also can’t think of many technology writers who quote William Butler Yeats, as he does here:

http://www.roughtype.com/archi.....on_h_1.php

I think this post also represents a good example of why the blogosphere in general needs more writers like Nick Carr. Instead of simply regurgitating press releases or other news articles, it maintains a critical perspective on the role of technology within the culture, reminding us that while as citizens we may feel freer because of the expressive tools provided by new technology, our power position has essentially remained unchanged in the economic hierarchies in which these technologies represent merely the tools of moneyed interests and our expressions represent merely the fodder for their continued domination.
Jakob Kegel

December 18th, 2007 at 10:56 am

Recently started up a company with the objective to get the island of Malta (Europe) out of the prehistoric IT era into the 21st century, so whatever help I can get in that mission would be appreciated…
newssweb

December 18th, 2007 at 10:58 am

I like his writing style, and he makes us think, especially students. However, I fear that he falls too quickly in the trap of the deterministic motivation, either sociological or technological. His view on the amorality of Web 2.0 for example falls prey of the sociological determinism. On the contrary when we analyse the uses and gratification of web 2.0, we come across cases where users are reflexively and strategically using these tools: RSS, Youtube, Search Engine and so on. On my side, reading Carr is like working my thoughts from a different angle as he pushes me to ask questions which are helpful to my thesis preparation.
marzipan from toledo

December 18th, 2007 at 10:59 am

@15 says:
“Just in case someone in the above 12 forgot their email address….”

@22 says:
“Just in case.”

@23 says:
“Hope I made it!”

…..I say:

You idiots, read the directions. There are more of you so don’t laugh.
aandarian

December 18th, 2007 at 11:01 am

I think people misinterpreted this blog to “kiss my ass and get a free book.” But I, Michael Arrington, will do no such thing.

I should get a book because I’m a student with $37 in my bank account and can’t afford one.

Its ok though, when I get that $28,000 salary I’ve been working so diligently for, I’ll be able to get on. In yo face!
Jason Taellious

December 18th, 2007 at 11:05 am

A copy of the book should be sent to me posthaste. As I am a minor god struggling to maintain a following in a world wracked by the dueling notions of secularism and monotheism any book providing me the proverbial leg up on the competition. How can I best make use of this new utility? How can I convince people to worship the very ground on which I do not walk?
Jason Taellious

December 18th, 2007 at 11:07 am

Maybe proof reading for poor grammar will help my cause…
Daniel

December 18th, 2007 at 11:11 am

I’m a few weeks away from launching ‘ArmorGames 2.0′ which will usher in a new era of online gaming. A book like this would offer me a ton of great insight into ensuring the launch is the next ‘Big Switch’.

-Daniel
joe

December 18th, 2007 at 11:14 am

I don’t want this book and you shouldn’t want me to have it. It would distract me from reading here on TC. Seriously though, please pick me and send me one.
Perry

December 18th, 2007 at 11:16 am

Please send me one.

Thanks
Permeate

December 18th, 2007 at 11:20 am

I would like to have a copy of this book so I can wipe the stank nuggets off of my balloon knot.
Rm

December 18th, 2007 at 11:21 am

I read techcrunch everyday, i may go to it more than I would like to admit. Im kinda in the same situation between you guys, except Mr. Arrington you have no clue who I am. I probably disagree with more than half of your posts, but I keep coming back. So, give me the book and maybe I can agree with him. haha

Im 22 years old and im getting ready to move to the bay area for a startup company I want to create. I have no connection, nothing! At least let me have a book to read, while I sleep on a couch. haha no joke

Thanks,
rM
Kyle

December 18th, 2007 at 11:23 am

I’ve agreed and disagreed with Nick a few times as well, but everyone is entitled to a reasonable opinion of what he/she thinks. When it is proven with fact, then it becomes just that a ‘fact’. Blogging and the internet in general have changed the way Americans communicate and even how we act in a social atmosphere, some good…some bad. I’m a few months away from launching a site that has been needed for a long time and the book might help me to visualize the continued inspiration I need to succeed.

I realize I’m a little late but ‘PICK ME’
Jeff

December 18th, 2007 at 11:23 am

Someone once told me,
“Read books that don’t interest you and you’ll always find a new interest.”

I’m not familiar with Nick Carr, don’t understand much about long tails, and couldn’t add much value to a conversation about computing services becoming utilities.

I’d love to change all that.
JK

December 18th, 2007 at 11:29 am

1. Send me this book.
2. I become the CIO in 5 years.
3. I become the CEO in another 5.
4. …
5. Profit!

Cheers…
Dan Carr

December 18th, 2007 at 11:31 am

I’ve been reading Tech Crunch for a while now and always find the best tech news daily, though I usually don’t post comments. This is such a great offer that I had to commen though. I may buy even if I don’t get a pre-release book, since I find it interesting that he includes “Edison” in the title, which many tech books don’t.

All in all, I think the best reason for you sending it to me would be that Nick and I share the same last name (while not related (I don’t think?)).
David B.

December 18th, 2007 at 11:32 am

I want a copy so that I can scour through it to find a reason to disagree with him and then I’ll come back on here and tell you why I do.
McNeal Maddox

December 18th, 2007 at 11:32 am

I really want to understanding more about he large scale shifts in the industry toward a utility-focused view of computing services. Data clouds, utility computing, and massive multi-player open-source development (MaMOSoDe — you heard it here first) could prompt a massive increase in development and advancements in technology. As an interactive strategist, this book would fit perfectly in my collection. Right next to McLuhan’s “Understanding Media”. C’mon, I gave you a new acronym. I’ll trade you for a copy of the book.
cbmeeks

December 18th, 2007 at 11:33 am

“arguing that computing services are turning into a utility, much as the electric grid emerged a hundred years ago. He argues that society will change drastically as a result.”

I agree with this 10,000 %. As bandwidth gets cheaper and more reliable, why NOT have your average Mom-n-Pop company run in the cloud? After all, who here runs their own power grid?

I also think that Amazon is the leader in this field. Others will follow but Amazon will lead for a long time. Their AWS services are wonderful.

However, I do wish they would lower their SQS fees. $0.15 for 1500 messages? Jeesh.

cbmeeks
http://codershangout.com
Jared

December 18th, 2007 at 11:34 am

Never read him before but the idea seems like an interesting read during the long cold New England Winter nights. And really who doesn’t love something free, and even more now that I have spent all the budget on the high priced Christmas tech gadgets.
melter

December 18th, 2007 at 11:36 am

#74 Rm,

I’m moving up to the bay after I finish school, whats your email? I want to hear your idea.
Sam Garmon

December 18th, 2007 at 11:38 am

I love his work and I have also had a long love hate relationship with his work… I would love one of the signed copies of his latest book.

thanks
AG

December 18th, 2007 at 11:38 am

I promise I won’t sell it on eBay.
Lawrence Salberg

December 18th, 2007 at 11:39 am

Goodness! I’m in the 70’s! What chance do I have?

I could make the argument that I’ve never heard of Nick Carr until now and as such, he could be the guy who converts me from “Arrington Toadie”, but if Mike is picking the winner, then why would he pick my post? He could lose a fan.

Or I could talk about how in the past six months, since attending BlogOrlando, my eyes have been open to the real purity of blogging - and mention other cool hip manifesto-like books I’m reading about blogging, like Scoble’s and Shel Israel’s Naked Conversations, or “Who Let the Blogs Out?” (actually not bad, really!), but that I’m really waiting for the Authorized Biography of the Most Hated Man on the Internet: Michael Arrington (which will likely be a giant expanded version of the Wired magazine article with lots of filler about childhood memories, his first girlfriend, and the time he wrecked his dream car, blah, blah, blah, just so we can skip all that boring crap and read about the past five years which is, quite sadly, all we toadies care about). But, I don’t think that would really persuade anyone since any dork can buy and read a book.

I could make some cheesy offer about reviewing the book on my own blog (which I would, of course), but I doubt that I am anything but a speck of dirt in the eyes of most men, so why should that have any appeal?

I can’t make wild claims that I’ve been reading T/C since before the dawn of Web 2.0 (as #44 did) because I haven’t. I can’t promise you that my still-young future could be shaped by this book (as did #4, #31, #39, #40, #43 or even #67 - although I confess #67’s was at least brutally honest and made me want to vote for him), because I’m an old