cover image What Will Be: How the World of Information Will Change Our Lives

What Will Be: How the World of Information Will Change Our Lives

Michael L. Dertouzos, Dert Dertouzos. HarperOne, $25 (352pp) ISBN 978-0-06-251479-0

Dertouzos is head of MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science and author of Made in America: Regaining the Productive Edge. Thus his prognostications concerning the impact of new and emerging information technologies on education, business, entertainment, manufacturing, government, politics and daily life are definitely worth considering. He envisions a world of automated kitchens, smart cards that eliminate currency, interactive art forms and automobiles equipped with navigational systems. Groupwork and telework modules will enable individuals in different locations to work on a task simultaneously with colleagues around the globe. Health care consumers will electronically access their medical records and consult specialists online. Despite the pedestrian, tutorial writing style, Dertouzos has a command of specifics that makes this more than just a pie-in-the-sky exercise. His book is a mind-expanding roadmap to the coming information revolution. $100,000 ad/ promo; author tour. (Mar.) FYI: This title launches the HarperEdge imprint.