GDP - a measure from the past?

I've been using the Financial Times article here, linked to a new book by David Pilling on the use of GDP as a development indicator.
It seems that there are some issues with relying on GDP as a measure of development and economic growth, although we usually use it alongside other measures in an index.
There are some fascinating quirks in the way that GDP is measured that are picked up in a review of the book in the Guardian from a few weeks back.
This includes the impact of things like online checkins at airports, which are not counted in the same way as if a person checked you in...