Kaeru Male, 29, In a relationship. Utrecht, Netherlands

“In the end, the design of technology cannot leave us as spectators or consumers, but must let us actively practice at something, however humble. Taking part in locale is one such activity.”

For anyone who believes design is about more than "problem-solving", the appropriate response to emerging pervasive technologies is neither neo-Luddism nor uncritical optimism and places hold values beyond that which modern economics accounts for, this is an essential read.

I found it slow-going at first, but from the third section onwards McCullough delivers a passionate argument for the value of interaction design that is grounded in place.

This book literally changes the way you look at cities. It's main argument is delivered in a small number of pages (which is good) but the additional material in the back nicely complements it. I loved the little sketches in the margins that illustrated concepts in the main text and the many maps that illustrate how the "method" is applied.

You don't need me to tell you this is an awesome book. I particularly enjoyed the way Burgess plays with language -- the "nadsat" slang he invented is poetic and gives the book an otherworldly character. I was also struck by the way this book prophesies the way we deal with problematic youth nowadays -- anesthetize and if that doesn't work, criminalize them. If you've only seen the film, read this for the ending as the author intended it. It gives the book a hopeful character, as opposed to the nihilistic point where Kubrick leaves the tale hanging.