In the near future sci-fi world of Qualityland, algorithms help create an idyllic life for its citizens, but what if the perfect world wasn't built for you? Welcome to QualityLand, the best country on Earth. Here, a universal ranking system determines the social advantages and career opportunities of every member of society. An automated matchmaking service knows the best partners for everyone and helps with the break up when your ideal match (frequently) changes. And the foolproof algorithms of the biggest, most successful company in the world, TheShop, know what you want before you do and conveniently deliver to your doorstep before you even order it. In QualityCity, Peter Jobless is a machine scrapper who can't quite bring himself to destroy the imperfect machines sent his way, and has become the unwitting leader of a band of robotic misfits hidden in his home and workplace. One day, Peter receives a product from TheShop that he absolutely, positively knows he does not want, and which he decides, at great personal cost, to return. The only problem: doing so means proving the perfect algorithm of TheShop wrong, calling into question the very foundations of QualityLand itself. Qualityland, Marc-Uwe Kling's first book to be translated into English, is a brilliantly clever, illuminating satire in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and George Orwell that offers a visionary, frightening, and all-too funny glimpse at a near future we may be hurtling toward faster than it's at all comfortable to admit. So why delay any longer? TheShop already knows you're going to love this book. You may as well head to the cash register, crack the covers, and see why that is for yourself.
Marc-Uwe lives together with a kangaroo. The kangaroo is a communist and it is really into Nirvana. It's a classical Berlin flat-sharing community, where the deep questions of life are debated: Is lying in a hammock already a kind of passive resistance? Must the Kangaroo place its pouch onto the conveyor belt at the airport security check? Did the Kangaroo really fight for the Vietcong? And why is it addicted to champagne truffles?
In the prettiest parts of the Forest of Hearts, a cute little unicorn was born. Its mane was puffy, its fur SUPER fluffy... But as adorable as it looked, it didn't behave like the other unicorns in its herd. 'NO' was its favourite word! No matter how many sweet lucky clovers or soft squishy cuddles that the other unicorns offered, the answer was always 'NO'. And so this unicorn became known as the uNOcorn. It's no surprise that one day our contrary unicorn decides to break free of its cotton-candy world and have an adventure of its own. Along the way, the uNOcorn meets a raccoon who never listens ('Huh?'), a dog who doesn't care ('So what?') and a rude princess (whose favourite word is 'YES!'). What a wonderful team they make, because being stubborn is much more fun together!
THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. YES, YOU SPECIFICALLY. WELCOME TO QUALITYLAND. We hope you enjoy your trip to the happiest, most advanced place on earth. QualityLand is the world's first 2.0 country, where everything is run by infallible algorithm, including: - Society (in which everyone is ranked by level) - Shopping (orders arrive before you even know you want them) - Relationships (you will be notified instantly if there is a better match) In fact, this very algorithm selected you to visit QualityLand. If you don't like it, you're not just ungrateful - you're also wrong, because the algorithm is always right. While you're visiting, be aware there is an election going on - the perfect time to see QualityLand in action... ENJOY YOUR TRIP! * * * * * USER TESTIMONIALS: 'Nineteen Eighty-Four meets Vonnegutian slap stick in a free-wheeling satire spliced with black humour and some gloriously wicked social commentary.' The Guardian 'QUALITYLAND is very funny and very scary - my kind of book.' Mike Judge, creator of Silicon Valley & King of the Hill 'The best kind of satire, offering up a funhouse mirror version of our world that is so smart and so cutting, you have to laugh to keep from crying.' Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse 'This is spot-on satire.' Publishers Weekly 'Kling's sharp observations expose with delightful brutality how close QualityLand is to reality.' Booklist 'How much you enjoy this is in direct proportion to how much trouble you think we're all in. Sleep tight.' Kirkus Reviews 'Wow, what a hilarious yet deeply concerning joyride into the future that surely awaits us.' You, after you've read QualityLand
Willkommen in QualityLand, in einer nicht allzu fernen Zukunft: Alles läuft rund - Arbeit, Freizeit und Beziehungen sind von Algorithmen optimiert. Trotzdem beschleicht den Maschinenverschrotter Peter Arbeitsloser immer mehr das Gefühl, dass mit seinem Leben etwas nicht stimmt. Wenn das System wirklich so perfekt ist, warum gibt es dann Drohnen, die an Flugangst leiden, oder Kampfroboter mit posttraumatischer Belastungsstörung? Warum werden die Maschinen immer menschlicher, aber die Menschen immer maschineller? Marc-Uwe Kling hat die Verheissungen und das Unbehagen der digitalen Gegenwart zu einer verblüffenden Zukunftssatire verdichtet, die lange nachwirkt. Visionär, hintergründig - und so komisch wie die Känguru-Trilogie. (Quelle: buchhandel.de).
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