Interested in learning more about technology? Here are some of our favorite books and podcasts.
Best books about technology to read in 2024
Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines
By: Joy Buolamwini, Ph.D.
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publish Date: Oct. 31, 2023
Joy Buolamwini, Ph.D., describes herself as a “poet of code.” She combines AI research, art and advocacy work to shed light on biases that can appear in algorithmic decision-making. You might remember Buolamwini from the documentary Coded Bias that profiled the aftermath of her discovery that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab’s facial recognition software could not recognize dark-skinned faces.
Unmasking AI tells the story of how Buolamwini uncovered discrimination and exclusion and the action she took by founding the Algorithmic Justice League. The book is a combination of memoir and critical reflection that breaks down the biases within the technology through an intersectional lens.
Code to Joy: Why Everyone Should Learn a Little Programming
By: Michael L. Littman
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publish Date: Oct. 3, 2023
What if programming was like reading and everyone learned it? This might be possible. In Code to Joy, Michael L. Littman illustrates the ease of learning to code with the help of technology developments that explain it to us as we learn. The rise of artificial intelligence has accelerated fears about machines controlling all aspects of our lives—including the workplace.
Littman argues that learning a little code can improve our relationships with machines. When you think of computer programming as telling a machine to do what you want, the intimidation factor often fades.
Web3: Charting the Internet’s Next Economic and Cultural Frontier
By: Alex Tapscott
Publisher: Harper Business
Publish Date: Sept. 19, 2023
If you get confused when you hear words like “blockchain,” “metaverse” or “NFT,” you are certainly not alone. In Web3, Alex Tapscott, an investment firm manager and co-author of the critically acclaimed Blockchain Revolution, breaks down the vision for a new, decentralized internet and the economic opportunities it could offer. With increasing concerns about data privacy, Tapscott argues that Web3 gives users more control over their data.
Tapscott predicts a technology revolution that will be the biggest shake-up yet to the business and finance sectors. Web3 argues that the web is entering a new age that allows users to become participants in the internet’s vast landscape. Tapscott takes this thought a step further, introducing the concept of “read-write-own web,” where people who use the internet in a participatory way can maintain ownership of their data and trade assets securely through blockchain technologies.
Best technology podcasts to stay informed in 2024
Hard Fork
Hosts: Kevin Roose and Casey Newton
If you’re looking for a lighthearted take on the latest tech developments, Hard Fork will both inform you and make you chuckle. It’s hosted by The New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose and Platformer’s Casey Newton. You might remember Roose as the guy that Bing’s AI fell in love with, attempting to convince him to leave his wife. Roose did not leave his wife, but he did write a viral article about Bing’s alter ego, Sydney, and its proclaimed love for him. (Bing hurried to fix their AI soon after.)
Their guests have included Steve Huffman, chief executive of Reddit, and Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic. It’s an easy listen with a lot of information that will keep you up to date. The casual yet insightful conversations will make you feel like a Silicon Valley insider—and give you something to talk about at your next meeting.
Darknet Diaries
Host: Jack Rhysider
Did you know that you should cover your web camera? Are you really sure that email isn’t a phishing attempt? If you haven’t been thinking much about your business’s cybersecurity practices lately, you will be after a few episodes of Darknet Diaries. The addictive podcast is hosted by Jack Rhysider, who launched the podcast in 2017 and quickly amassed a cult following.
If you’ve ever wondered what actually happens on the darker side of the internet, Darknet Diaries tells it the best. Each episode covers a single topic using interviews and narrative to give listeners a stronger understanding of cybercrime and how it could affect them. This format and Rhysider’s skill for explaining complicated topics to an everyday audience makes the show appealing even to the least computer literate. Rhysider’s guests include both criminals and cybersecurity experts to teach valuable lessons about hacking, cracking, insider threats and social engineering.
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2024 issue of SUCCESS Magazine. Photo by GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com