Next time you take a transcontinental flight to a technical conference, skip the airline movie and just read this wonderful book cover to cover. I wish history class in high school had been this much fun. Naughton has written the definitive history of the Internet so far. For example, when the Pentagon asked AT&T to build an early prototype of the Internet for them, AT&T pooh-poohed packet switching as a worthless idea concocted by some young whippersnapper (Paul Baran of the Rand Corp.) who knew nothing about proper telephone engineering. The book is full of anecdotes and funny stories. Great reading for old fogies and young fogies alike.

What does the Internet mean for the future? An answer partially depends upon an analysis of the past, and John Naughton's Brief History of the Future is the first book to cover the entire history of the Internet's development, from those who first thought of it in the 1940s to the scientists and engineers who brought it to life. Anecdotes blend with history to provide an intriguing blend of personal and scientific observation.

Reads like a sci-fi novel while providing a solid understanding of how and why the Internet works. At times the detail is almost overdone but this only adds to the credibility of the author. I started with a Timex Sinclair computer and have lived through the period covered in this book without really understanding just what made the internet work. Now I know!

This little book is as much fun to read as watching one of your favorite films. Not only is it entertaining and informative, but it manages to be comprehensive and highly discriminating at the same time. The authors are fully aware of the "auteurs" who count, of the films that matter. I've read hundreds of film books, and I can guarantee that you won't find a better value.

This book nicely rounds out the 'Crimson Skies' series, but an actual fighter pilot should have been consulted -- in my case, my brother in the Marines. None of the aircraft depicted had good situational visibility, like the real-world P-51 Mustang. Worse yet, the large number of models is inconsistent with the series' premise of an America split into several countries, because of the enormous engineering manpower and production capital required for even a single plane. America's vast warplane production of WWII came nowhere near having this many different planes. A multi-countried America certainly could not.

The Crimson Skies Aircraft Manual is a must for anyone remotely interested in the Crimson Skies universe. The manual details the history and armaments of each aircraft as well as any weaknesses. The only problem I have with the book is that the diagrams of each aircraft are far too similar. If the planes were really made by competing manufacturers and countries, the designs would reflect that. Other than that, the book is fantastic for casual enjoyment or hardcore gameplay.