I started this book on Wednesday, so I’ve only read a little of it… the “Prologue.” I’ve never read anything by David Weinberger before this, but I have a feeling that this book will be very engaging. He begins by making observations about the way the physical world is ordered, based on his visit to the the Staples Prototype Lab, the “testing ground for making shopping at Staples easier for customers.” The lab is used to find ways to create an environment in which the customer doesn’t have to walk very far to get everything he or she needs.

Weinberger asserts that the limitations of the physical world are so much a part of our lives that we don’t even recognize them:

  • In physical space, some things are nearer than others.
  • Physical objects can be in only one spot at any one time.
  • Physical space is shared, so there can be only one layout, even though we all have different needs.
  • Human physical abilities are limited, so the amount of information provided to us is constrained by our ability to see.

He gives an example of how these limitations hinder us in the physical world by pointing out that, in the case of a Staples store, no matter how well the store is organized, if he goes in the store looking for only a few items, all of the other items get in the way:

    If I come in with a shopping list of fifteen items, the other 7,185 items Staples stocks not only are irrelevant, they hide what I’m looking for.

(Here comes the fun part!)

Weinberger goes on to say that there is an “alternative universe … the digital world,” and in this environment, it doesn’t matter how much stuff is out there; things get rearranged and sorted depending on each person’s needs. But there’s a problem, according to Weinberger. We have been trying to organize our digital world (i.e., the world of knowledge) according to what we know about the physical world. It is the limitations of the physical world that have limited how we’ve organized the digital world.

He finishes the prologue by suggesting that as we strive to move away from traditional ways of organization, we will discover not only that information wants to be free, but that it “wants to be miscellaneous,” too!

I can’t wait to continue reading!!! Stay tuned….