Ellen Ullman

Ullman tries to balance her life, "close to the machine" as a computer programmer with the social and philosophical repercussions of her work.

Technophilia and Its Discontents

Close to the Machine

elif sinem

this is the novel that uncanny valley thought it was - an excellent time capsule into the San Francisco of the 90s, a mindset that we now see manifested in the likes of musty musk, narrated by a very interesting (albeit frustrating) person. the insights on programming were excellent. as much as I didnt agree with the authors ex-commie present-lib mess, I was also compelled by it. the voice and the world matched perfectly. overall I recommend it if you're looking for something left-field.

ben wolfson

Colton McCurdy

Tony

Close to the Machine: Technophilia and Its Discontents, Ellen Ullman's cult classic memoir of the world of computers in the 1980s and early 1990s, is an insight of a world we rarely see up close. "Astonishing... impossible to put down"San Francisco Chronicle "We see the seduction at the heart of programming: embedded in the hijinks and hieroglyphics are the esoteric mysteries of the human mind"Wired Close to the Machinehas become a cult classic: Ellen Ullman's humane, insightful, and beautifully written memoir explores the ever-complicating intersections between people and technology; the strange ecstasies of programming; the messiness of life and the artful efficiency of code. It is a deeply personal, prescient account of working at the forefront of computing. With a new introduction by Jaron Lanier, author ofYou Are Not a Gadget "By turns hilarious and sobering, this slim gem of a book chronicles the Silicon Valley way of life... full of delicately profound insights into work, money, love, and the search for a life that matters"Newsweek Ellen Ullman'sClose to the Machine, a memoir of her time as a software engineer during the early years of the internet revolution, became a cult classic and established her as a writer of considerable talent; with her second book,The Bug, she became an acclaimed and vital novelist;By Bloodis her third. All three titles are published in the UK by Pushkin Press. Her essays and opinion pieces have been widely published in venues such asHarper's,The New York Times,Salon, andWired. She lives in San Francisco.

Close to the Machine Technophilia and Its Discontents