David Weinberger has posted the prologue and first chapter of his wonderful book Everything is Miscellaneous to the web. David's book is a great mix of esoteric web stuff that even seasoned geeks may not have considered and a lucid, easy to follow discussion of what it all means.
But we all know how reality works, so why worry about what might be possible in some sci-fi alternative universe?
Because the alternative universe exists. Every day, more of our life is lived there. It's called the digital world.
Instead of atoms that take up room, it's made of bits.
Instead of making us walk long aisles, in the digital world everything is only a few clicks away.
Instead of having to be the same way for all people, it can instantly rearrange itself for each person and each person's current task.
Instead of being limited by space and operational simplicity in the number of items it can stock, the digital world can include every item and variation the buyers at Staples could possibly want.
Instead of items being placed in one area of the store, or occasionally in two, they can be classified in every different category in which users might conceivably expect to find them.
Instead of living in the neat, ordered shelves we find in the Prototype Labs, items can be jumbled digitally and sorted out only when and how a user wants to look for them.
(via Kottke)
See also Everything is Miscellaneous – how the Web destroys categories, disciplines and hierarchies
