The Sustainable Network: The Accidental Answer for a Troubled Planet

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"O'Reilly Media, Inc.", Oct 16, 2009 - Computers - 366 pages

"Companies with a stake in the technology industry or that have staked on the Internet (ala Google or Amazon or any of the thousands of small ecommerce companies around the world) are likely to pluck multiple nuggets of wisdom from her book."

-- Heather Clancy, business journalist

What technologies do we need to solve the complex environmental, economic, social, and political challenges facing us today? As this thought-provoking book reveals, one tool for enacting change is already at our fingertips: the global network.

Consider the private domains of companies, governments, and institutions along with the public Internet: we have an immense communications network that connects billions of people in ways we never thought possible. In this book, author Sarah Sorensen clearly demonstrates why this network is the best sustainable technology available to help us tackle a wide range of problems.

If each of us represents a node on this network, then it's time we realize the potential we hold. The Sustainable Network is a call to action, urging individuals, governments, markets, and organizations to put the power of this network to good use.

  • Discover how the sustainable network connects us all, with examples of how it's already effecting change
  • Understand how this network magnifies the impact of even the smallest change and newest idea
  • Explore the role that various market and political forces play
  • Learn how the network can be improved to better address environmental, economic, and social conditions
  • Get practical advice that you or your business can follow now

From inside the book

Contents

Information Is King
177
Evolution
183
Network Time
191
Political Sustainability
197
Rocking the Vote
205
The Right to Network Usage
215
Challenges of the Networked World
221
Network Defenses Dependon How Traffic Is Sent
229

The Networks Green Factor
57
Carbon Footprints
61
Net Efficiencies Maximizing Resources While Minimizing Waste
71
Whats So Smart About
79
Dematerialization
91
Detravelization
97
What Is the Network How Is Telecommuting Enabled?
107
Pushing the Boundaries
113
Data Center
127
Energy Efficiency Measurement
137
Doing Good by Doing Right
143
Is Broadband Really That Important?
149
Sustainable Providers
155
Net Neutrality
163
Tearing Down Economic Boundaries
169
I Am on the Net Therefore I Am Vulnerable
237
Antisocial Network Engineering
245
Protect the Net
251
The Last Best Place to Attack Your Mobile
261
Governments Role in Protecting the Networks Integrity
269
21stCentury Warfare Cyberattacks
277
Social Sustainability
281
The Health Net
287
Not by Accident Social Networking
293
Our Relationship with the Network
299
A Quick Cheat Sheet of Common Terms
303
Notes
313
Index
337
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