In his Introduction to this beautifully curated collection of essays, Steven Johnson heralds the arrival of a new generation of technology writing. Whether it is Nicholas Carr worrying that Google is making us stupid, Dana Goodyear chronicling the rise of the cellphone novel, Andrew Sullivan explaining the rewards of blogging, Dalton Conley lamenting the sprawling nature of work in the information age, or Clay Shirky marveling at the 'cognitive surplus' unleashed by the decline of the TV sitcom, this new generation does not waste time speculating about the future. Its attitude seems to be: who needs the future? The present is interesting enough on its own. Packed with sparkling essays culled from print and online publications, "The Best of Technology Writing 2009" announces a fresh brand of technology journalism, deeply immersed in the fascinating complexity of digital life.

Steven Johnson is the author of six books, including the recent bestsellers The Invention of Air, The Ghost Map, and Everything Bad Is Good for You. He writes for the New York Times Magazine, Wired, the Guardian, Discover, and other publications, and has made numerous appearances on Charlie Rose, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report.

"The ubiquity of the digital lifestyle has forced us to write and think about technology in a different way." Steven Johnson"