i in the sky is a collection of essays by over 40 experts, including leading writers Charles Handy and Don Tapscott, giving their personal vision of the future of information. Information here is given its widest meaning and includes such subjects as the Internet, electronic commerce, cybernetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, and even computers as fashion accessories.
Information as a phenomenon pervades all areas of life and its evolution has consequences for everyone. Many of the papers have central themes such as the future of computer intelligence, library and information services, interactive Internet marketing, and networked learning in higher education. One paper links the technology enabling remote and online communication to the deconstruction of the corporation and the rise of flexible working. Professor Kevin Warwick writes about cybernetics and artificial intelligence, and describes an experiment involving a surgically implanted computer chip in his arm. Other papers deal with scholarly communication, smart houses and intelligent appliances. Two of the chapters are written as fiction, one by contemporary fantasy writer, Lise Leroux, who paints a menacing vision of human error in a tale of virtual reality.