"Moths to the Flame is a heady mixture of futuristic prophecy and historical perspective covering all aspects of computer technology, some frightening, some practical, some fanciful. It seems that technology is spinning out of control, though Rawlins reminds us that computers can only reflect the needs and values of their users. He covers the topics of the paperless book, the problems of privacy and censorship and crime and the power computers have over our lives. Computers are already displacing many workers, but human error will always be a factor. 'The more complex the system, the harder it is to get it right.' He cautions that smart bombs, smart mines and smart weapons are only as 'smart' as the humans who develop and control them. Luckily, intelligent lay readers will find that Rawlins, although a professor of computer science mathematics at Indiana University and a specialist in AI, is plenty smart without being obscurantist. Economic effects of such high speed change are also unpredictable and somewhat chilling as are some of Rawlins's 21st-century scenarios. Ultimately, his stance is a cautious one: 'Computers won't bring about a better world -- perhaps nothing can do that. But they certainly can change the world: in some ways for the better; in others, for the worse.'"

Publishers Weekly, July 29, 1996

"In eight essays, Rawlins...speculates on the exciting, scary new world computers are bringing us... Rawlins's comments on book publishing...offer a fascinating scenario for the next 10 or 20 years. It is now cheaper to produce a book electronically than to print it, and publishers, Rawlins suggests, will soon offer inexpensive subscriptions to their lists of upcoming books, in much the way that the cable TV industry works. Many publishers will resist, as movie producers resisted video, but then will find that they cannot exist without electronic books. All that is needed to set the chain of events in motion is a cheap, user-friendly electronic reader. Rawlins is also insightful on the economics of computers: The frighteningly short cycle of invention and obsolescence, and the manner in which software climbs up the organizational charts, performing ever more complicated and vital functions, eliminating not just typists but executives, too. Careers will turn over and over, and few of us, he suggests, will know with any certainty what the rapidly evolving machines are doing. Rawlins also touches on the most vexing problem of all: the poor. Knowledge, expressed by technology, is power. The numbers of those left out of this equation are growing exponentially. Will the economic benefits of the computer ever trickle downward? Is there any way to avoid the creation of an increasingly small elite controlling access to many of technology's most important uses? Does utopia lie ahead -- or endless poverty and war? Such questions have no answers, but Rawlins asks them brilliantly."

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1996

"Reactionaries have long warned against the dehumanizing effects of technology. But the warning comes with new urgency now that the computer has so evolved that it has taken over many of the intellectual, social, linguistic, and creative endeavors that formerly defined our humanity. It is indeed dehumanization that looms as the most frightening of the dangers Rawlins identifies as he describes the world that computer technology is now rapidly creating... Yet Rawlins holds out hope that if we develop the computer's capabilities with imagination and daring, we can yet create an empire of the mind in which the human spirit will flourish, not disappear. By helping readers understand the perils -- and promise -- of the computer, the author brings that ideal empire a step closer to reality."

Booklist, September 1, 1996

"This is the book I would like to give people who ask what is so enthralling about computer systems. Through analogies and anecdotes, Rawlins conjures up images of present and future communications between computers and people for home, commercial and military use... This is not a book full of maths and algorithms. In 182 pages, the author tells the stories of the development of computers, the increasing human dependence on them and a vision of a time when they are no longer dependant on us."

Computing (London), November 7, 1996

"This text is a stimulating and, at times, provocative exploration of the social, economic, political, and technological consequences of contemporary and future computer technology. The book is written for a general audience and requires no facility in science or engineering. The author alternatively makes his points by the use of history and vignettes of future lives. He cleverly extrapolates history to discuss potential sociopolitical flash points that may be created or caused by computer technology... Rawlins skillfully unfolds the evidence for how computer technology has become a personal matter and why this technology will determine the character of our future lives. Moreover, he does this difficult task with finesse and great humor... This work is excellent reading for anyone interested in the future impact of computer technology and would be fine collateral reading for any college course dealing with technology, public policy, sociology, economics, psychology, or the future."

Science Books & Films, November 1996