In this entertaining, thought provoking and rich-in-metaphors book, Rawlins explores and explains the computer, from its modest origins to its most immodest potential relationship with humans. A pleasant 'must' for anyone who cares about the broader 'what', 'how' and 'how far' of these machines.
Michael L. Dertouzos, Director, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science; author of What Will Be
Slaves of the Machine is a scintillatingly written exploration of machines, of computers, of life, and of human nature. Filled with original analogies and metaphors, crammed with humor and cynicism, this book is both light and deep at the same time—no small achievement. Any thinking being who picks it up will find it engrossing, disorienting, disturbing, and deliciously provocative.
Douglas Hofstadter, author of Gödel, Escher, Bach, Le Ton beau de Marot, and Metamagical Themas
[H]ere's something completely different: a computer book for smart people—folks who may not know much about PC's but who don't enjoy being talked down to, either.... It's an elegant, thought-provoking little book, full of literary references and history.
John Schwartz
Washington Post