Informational Society presents a utopian design of society in
the
year 2050
which promotes discovery, invention and innovation. The design
is based
on the
advances in information technology and automation. The changes
in
economic
organization and income distribution are forecasted. A
fundamental
concern of
Informational Society is information policy. The utopian design
is
based on
promoting a community organization of society. The federal
government
is
modified to create a stronger system of checks and balances.
Governmental
functions are decentralized.
The notes provide a summary of the text. The primary focus of
the
notes is
to explain modern technology which everyone should understand in
order
to
succeed in the next century. As this technology is rapidly
advancing
the notes
are constantly being updated. There are numerous links to
outside
sources in
the notes. The more speculative parts of the text are outlined.
Click
to obtain
the text for INFORMATIONAL SOCIETY. The author made a considerable
effort
to locate
better surfing sites. Latest version of browsers from Netscape
or
Microsoft
should work. The colors, which are not invariant among
systems, are
less
important.
If you wish to audit, contact Professor Norman. If your browser
does
not
open an E-mail box, my address is norman@eco.utexas.edu
The text for this course is: Norman, Alfred Lorn, 1993, Informational
Society:
An
Economic
Theory
of
Discovery, Invention, and Innovation ,
(Kluwer, Boston)
The catalog listing is HC79 I55 N67 1993. Because Kluwer is
charging
an
outrageous price for this book, I can not use it as a text in
good
conscience.
I hope to have a paperback edition for the 2nd edition that I am
currently
writing. Kluwer has had the good sense to make the book an
e-book that
you can
access through the UT online library.
If you want some information on the author, check out his ACADEMIC VITA