Many have predicted what emerging technology will mean for society. Michael Dertouzos, an Internet pioneer and Head of MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science, has been among the few who've been pretty much right so far. Now he reaches into the coming century to paint a compelling, rationally developed picture of what's ahead. Dertouzos' fluid freedom from the pollyanna-ism or paranoia that afflict so many of his contemporaries brings to his visions the ring of both conviction and plausibility--and excitement as well. His crystal explanations and fascinating examples are irresistible. The result is a book as enjoyable as it is important.Michael Dertouzos has been an insightful commentator and an active participant in the creation of the Information Age.Now, in What Will Be, he offers a thought-provoking and entertaining vision of the world of the next decade -- and of the next century. Dertouzos examines the impact that the following new technologies and challenges will have on our lives as the Information Revolution progresses:

• all the music, film and text ever produced will be available on-demand in our own homes
• your "bodynet" will let you make phone calls, check email and pay bills as you walk down the street
• advances in telecommunication will radically alter the role of face-to-face contact in our lives
• global disparities in infrastructure will widen the gap between rich and poor
• surgical mini-robots and online care will change the practice of medicine as we know it.

Detailed, accessible and visionary, What Will Be is essential for Information Age revolutionaries and technological neophytes alike.