Time's Up!: An Uncivilized Solution to a Global Crisis,   ISBN:9781900322485

Customer Rating: 

Unlike the two people who posted 1* reviews of Farnish's book, no doubt as a result of the recent spate of bloggers calling him a "terrorist", I have read Time's Up! In fact I had to read it twice: the first time I was drawn into the fascinating stories of scale, became slightly more self-conscious during the examination of the nature of humans, became downright scared when faced with our lack of connection and the feeling that there was so much conspiring against us that nothing could ever improve, and finally sceptical that the apparently superficial response in the last section could do anything to reconnect us with the real world. But something kept bugging me, and I went through it again - and only when I had reached that last section a second time did I realise that the thing that so many people have recently been attacking was probably the only way out of this mess.

The idea of sabotaging (or Undermining, as the printed version calls it - I guess for legal reasons) the "Tools of Disconnection" in order to free civilized people from the yoke of industry makes perfect sense, yet it has never been elucidated so clearly as in this book. In fact Time's Up! specifically rails against the direct-attack "symbolic" actions Farnish has been attacked for apparently promoting, because they are a waste of time - the Tools of Disconnection keep us disconnected, so we keep consuming, voting, working for the system that we have become. Undermining these tools is the key to allowing a new wave of people to make the necessary changes to their lives, and then start the process again for a larger group of people. There is so much more to this book than the negative reviews would like people to think; perhaps they are scared people will read it and start thinking for themselves.

Terrorism it is not. Common sense it is.

Customer Rating: 

Looks like The Great Global Warming Hoax is here to stay, sigh. When will people wake up and realize that this is an attempt to enslave mankind? Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early 21st centurys developed world went into hysterical panic over a globally average temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree under the basis of grosse exaggerations and highly uncertain computer projections. If the author wants to do his bit maybe he should stop wasting trees with his nonsense and go and live off the land away from people.

Customer Rating: 

I had high hopes, judging by the title and a cover blurb review. But it doesn't say anything, really. Surely nothing that anybody who would even think of buying this book doesn't already know.

Customer Rating: 

"Never forget that you have time to laugh - it really helps when contemplating annihilation."
- Keith Farnish, from Time's Up!

Simply put, this book is a pleasure to read, illuminating exactly why we should give a damn. It uses numerically based anecdotes and data-rich stories and examples to illuminate how important our ecosystems are, and what kind of crap we're doing to it as civilized humans. Don't worry though, all the while Keith's charming humor will keep you from depression, not to mention that the book will help you come up with some pretty good answers for how you can actually help (none of that "screw in energy saving light-bulbs to help save the world" kind of stuff either, Keith is ready to discuss the real nitty-gritty changes we need to make).

If you already care about our Earth, this book will provide much more fodder for that Thanksgiving (US holiday) or Christmas family face-off, and will aid in your continual grounding and humility. If you don't care about our Earth and our role within our own ecosystems, well, please read this book.

Customer Rating: 

"The only acceptable outcome for humanity is one in which humans reduce their impact on the planet, such that they are able to continue to remain part of the global ecosystem. The other option is self-annihilation. Humans have a choice, but in order to make this choice they must reject and remove the systems that are preventing them from choosing the outcome."
I can get tired of reading books which create disillusionment with the world we live in yet offers no solutions. This book DOES offer solutions. It is well worth the read.