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  • The Inevitable

  • Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future
  • By: Kevin Kelly
  • Narrated by: George Newbern
  • Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (268 ratings)

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The Inevitable

By: Kevin Kelly
Narrated by: George Newbern
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Publisher's Summary

A New York Times Best Seller

From one of our leading technology thinkers and writers, a guide through the 12 technological imperatives that will shape the next 30 years and transform our lives.

Much of what will happen in the next 30 years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion. In this fascinating, provocative new book, Kevin Kelly provides an optimistic road map for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives - from virtual reality in the home to an on-demand economy to artificial intelligence embedded in everything we manufacture - can be understood as the result of a few long-term, accelerating forces. Kelly both describes these deep trends - interacting, cognifying, flowing, screening, accessing, sharing, filtering, remixing, tracking, and questioning - and demonstrates how they overlap and are codependent on one another.

These larger forces will completely revolutionize the way we buy, work, learn, and communicate with each other. By understanding and embracing them, says Kelly, it will be easier for us to remain on top of the coming wave of changes and to arrange our day-to-day relationships with technology in ways that bring forth maximum benefits. Kelly’s bright, hopeful book will be indispensable to anyone who seeks guidance on where their business, industry, or life is heading - what to invent, where to work, in what to invest, how to better reach customers, and what to begin to put into place - as this new world emerges. 

©2016 Kevin Kelly (P)2016 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The Inevitable

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    3 out of 5 stars

Good picture of future tech

The authors knowledge of future tech is ourstanding. However, his libertarian premis and viewpoint limits his understanding of potential applications to primarily market based applications which is exceptionally disappointing, especially as he mentions how surprised he is at how successful more socially oriented applications have been. Such surprises would suggest that he needs to re-evaluate his world view and delve deeper into social psychology to get a more detailed vision of how tech and humans will interact in the future.

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3 people found this helpful

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Great book to make you think!

Insightful book on what’s likely coming in the next 10-20 years. Seems like it’s all on track being 2023 and many of his hypothesis are coming true. It got me thinking about the positives of the future and how to be involved in it. Really liked it.

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great book and still relevant

This book is thought provoking and very insightful. interesting how it is almost a decade old but still very relevant though it is talking about cutting edge technology. Serval of the predictions mentioned are happening at full speed right now. I def recommend the read

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  • Max
  • 14-11-2022

I learnt a lot

found the concepts easy to grasp and explained very well, will recommend to my friends.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Lots of words

It would appear that the author and I are of a similar age. I doubt you would find two different types. I find his predictions to be believable and have a good basis for their possibility to occur. I do not take part in his world as I do not do facebook, twitter, instagram, locations tracing or sharing. This is not because of some fear but more because I just don't care about other people. The book is great to listen to as the reader has a lovely voice. It is worth buying as the view is comprehensive and well thought out.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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It's inevitable - must read/listen

Excellent story and food for thought. Listened before read, must get it now. Do it.

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  • Ace
  • 07-09-2018

Balanced, pragmatic, experienced-based perspective

Having been around, seen and done a lot, not many are better positioned to speak authoratively on the subject as he. With his sage-like views on technology he shows us that it is an unimaginably special time in human history and through his eyes, that we're on the cusp of a unbelievably bright and exciting future!

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mindblow

This book absolutely blew my monkey mind.
I highly recommend for all types of people

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Eye opening

I personally found chapters 2 and 11 resonate with me.

The book talks about the next 30 years and where we are going.

It’s very abstract as such there are no tangable actions one can and should do now. It’s a precursor to something tangable I believe.

I really liked how this books identifies and discusses novelty to commodity, any euntrepemures dream.

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An eye-opening peek into our future

An engaging and entertaining tale which extrapolates from where we are now to where we are headed. My conclusion: What a time to be alive!

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