Joi Ito and Jeff Howe

Harvard Book Store welcomes JOI ITO—activist, entrepreneur, and director of the MIT Media Lab—and JEFF HOWE—Northeastern University professor and contributing editor at Wired—for a discussion of their book, Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future.

About Whiplash

"The future," as the author William Gibson once noted, "is already here. It's just unevenly distributed." Whiplash is a postcard from that future.

The world is more complex and volatile today than at any other time in our history. The tools of our modern existence are getting faster, cheaper, and smaller at an exponential rate, just as billions of strangers around the world are suddenly just one click or tweet or post away from each other. When these two revolutions joined, an explosive force was unleashed that is transforming every aspect of society, from business to culture and from the public sphere to our most private moments.

Such periods of dramatic change have always produced winners and losers. The future will run on an entirely new operating system. It's a major upgrade, but it comes with a steep learning curve. The logic of a faster future oversets the received wisdom of the past, and the people who succeed will be the ones who learn to think differently.

In Whiplash, Joi Ito and Jeff Howe distill that logic into nine organizing principles for navigating and surviving this tumultuous period. From strategically embracing risks rather than mitigating them (or preferring "risk over safety") to drawing inspiration and innovative ideas from your existing networks (or supporting "pull over push"), this dynamic blueprint can help you rethink your approach to all facets of your organization.

Filled with incredible case studies and leading-edge research and philosophies from the MIT Media Lab and beyond, Whiplash will help you adapt and succeed in this unpredictable world.

Praise

"This provocative gem is a must-read for anyone interested in the cutting-edge research and exploration happening at MIT's Media Lab, innovation at countless universities and companies worldwide, or futuristic thinking in general." —Publisher's Weekly

"This exhilarating and authoritative book actually makes sense of our incredibly fast-paced, high-tech society. A standout among titles on technology and innovation, it will repay reading—and rereading—by leaders in all fields." —Kirkus, starred review

"This book is a brilliant and provocative guide to reading the tea leaves of technological change. It's a great mix of stories, analysis, and practical tips. Read it or get left behind." —Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Steve Jobs