The Read Aloud Cloud

<p><i>What is “the cloud”? Is it here or there? Should it be allowed? Should I even care?</i></p> <p>Have you ever imagined the internet as a giant Rube Goldberg machine? Or the fast-evolving cloud computing space as a literal jungle filled with prehistoric beasts? Does a data breach look like a neo-noir nightmare full of turned-up coat collars and rain-soaked alleys? Wouldn’t all these vital concepts be easier to understand if they <i>looked </i>as interesting as they <i>are?</i> And wouldn’t they be more memorable if we could explain them in rhyme? Whether you’re a kid or an adult, the answer is: YES!</p> <p>The medicine in this spoonful of sugar is a sneaky-informative tour through the past, present and future of cloud computing, from mainframes to serverless and from the Internet of Things to artificial intelligence. Forrest is a professional explainer whose highly-rated conference talks and viral cartoon graphics have been teaching engineers to cloud for years. He knows that a picture is worth a thousand words. But he has plenty of words, too.</p> <p><i>Your hotel key, your boarding pass,<br /></i><i>The card you swipe to pay for gas,<br /></i><i>The smart TV atop the bar,<br /></i><i>The entertainment in your car,<br /></i><i>Your doorbell, toothbrush, thermostat,<br /></i><i>The vacuum that attacked your cat,<br /></i><i>They all connect the cloud and you.<br /></i><i>Maybe they shouldn’t, but they do.</i> </p> <p>As a graduation gift (call it “Oh the Places You’ll Go” for engineering students), a cubicle conversation starter, or just a delightfully nerdy bedtime story for your kids, “The Read-Aloud Cloud” will be the definitive introduction to the technologies that everyone uses and nobody understands. You can even read it silently if you want. But good luck with that.</p>