I have the benefit of hindsight that comes with reading this book almost 10 years after publication, so found it interesting from several perspectives. I enjoyed it as an overview of where technology has benefitted mankind but felt the author was too optimistic at times. However, this was written before Covid, Trump and Putin's war in Ukraine, and also the malign influence of Elon Musk and other oligarchs on civilisation.

The author mostly took the view that the widespread availability of technology would eventually help humans become more equal, prosperous and (often) with less income disparity. He acknowledges that the latter has not turned out to be the case so far - there are more billionaires now and more people living on the breadline, and this doesn't just apply to 'developed' countries. He points out that this is ultimately due to globalisation, and that rising inequality along with the easiness of seeing how other countries live leads to societal harm and anger. Governments have three ways to ameliorate this - through tax, spending and regulation. The author points out that Scandinavian governments, which utilise all three to great extent, lead some of the happiest countries in the world.

The author was over-optimistic on several technological advances, e.g. having autonomous cars by 2020 - they might available but we're not ready for them. On the matter of creativity - "art, entertainment, communication and expression... is dazzlingly bright" whereas these are being firmly encroached upon by Artificial Intelligence; also that prosperity means the decline of war - unfortunately we still have despots and tyrants focused on feathering their own nests and using technology to con a population into believing that this is in their interest.

He discussed several aspects of technology which continue to be of concern - social isolation, being seduced by the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship (thanks, Facebook) and the lack of privacy.

Overall, this is a good read despite being dated, or perhaps because of it. There are no startling revelations but I found the hit-and-miss predictions very interesting, as I say, with hindsight.

I'm sorry I was not able to read and review this book before it was archived due to serious health issues