This book of previously published essays by the author of Chaos and Faster is an eclectic chronicle of the information revolution's first 10 years. "The last decade of the twentieth century came as a surprise," writes James Gleick. What Just Happened shows how surprising it was: in the book's first piece, from 1992, Gleick notes that "a relatively small number of personal computer users use Windows."

INTRODUCTION

CHASING BUGS IN THE ELECTRONIC VILLAGE, August 1992

THE TELEPHONE TRANSFORMED INTO At.MOST EVERYTHING,May 1993

THE INFORMATION FUTURE: OUT OF CONTROL, FOR GOOD,May 1994

OPEN, SESAME, April 1995

THIS IS SEX?, June 1995

WASHINGTON UNPLUGGED, August 1995

DIRTYTRICKS@CAMPAIGN96.0RG, September 1995

MAKING MICROSOFT SAFE FOR CAPITALISM, November 1995

REALLY REMOTE CONTROL, December 1995

HERE COMES THE SPIDER, March 1996

MANUAL LABOR, April 1996

HALL OF MIRRORS, May 1996

THE END OF CASH, June 1996

OH-OH, June 1996

BIG BROTHER IS US, September 1996

FW: FWD> FWD- (FWD) A JOKE FOR Y, September 1996

HOLD THE SPAM: MAKE MONEY, NAKED BABES... ARGGH,

December 1996

A BUG BY ANY OTHER NAME, June 1997

THE DIGITAL ATTIC: ARE WE NOW AMNESIACS? OR PACKRATS?

April 1998

CLICK OK TO AGREE, May 1998

CONTROL FREAKS, July 1998

WHAT THE BEEP, August 1998

ACCOUNTING FOR TASTE, October 1998

PLEASE HOLD FOR MA BELL, November 1998

GREED DOT COM, December 1998

MILLENNIUM MADNESS, January 1999

FLOTSAM ON THE MOVE, May 1999

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER, December 1999

PATENTLY ABSURD, March zooo

INESCAPABLY CONNECTED, April 2001

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS