Dear sf enthusiasts,
I just finished re-reading Count Zero. Last time I read it was probably 25 >years ago. I've read Neuromancer countless times, but never re-read any of >the other books in the Sprawl trilogy.
Surprisingly the book was better than I remembered so if Neuromancer was a >5/5 in my book (pun intended) I'd say that Count Zero is a 4/5.
Some fun notes/thoughts:
1. Todays billionaires are boring. I can't wait until they start to leave >their bodies for brains in a vat, clones and trying to merge with an AI.
2. Todays AI is boring. Let's see when they reach the levels in these
books, then we can start to talk about existential threats and the next >level of evolution!
3. I think Gibson got psychological profiling right! In the book >billionaires can build psychological profiles of people and know them
better than people know themselves. This sounds just like social media nad >Facebook to me.
4. Will cyberspace ever be a reality as envisioned by Gibson? I've worked >with computers all my life, and I cannot see it. It just seems so >inefficient to float around in some 3D space compared with what I can do >with a few commands on a command line. Yet, Zuckerberg & Co can't let it >rest, but are throwing billions at it, again and again and again.
Will probably read Mona Lisa Overdrive during my upcoming vacation and >currently I'm thinking about if I should read Rich mans sky next.--
On 30/03/2024 09.37, D wrote:
Dear sf enthusiasts,
I just finished re-reading Count Zero. Last time I read it was probably 25 >> years ago. I've read Neuromancer countless times, but never re-read any of >> the other books in the Sprawl trilogy.
My hat is off to you. I read _Neuromancer_ in 1993 and _Mona Lisa Overdrive_ in 1994, and hope to never subject myself to any more Gibson.
1. Todays billionaires are boring. I can't wait until they start to leave
their bodies for brains in a vat, clones and trying to merge with an AI.
I'd be willing to help most of them in these endeavors.
3. I think Gibson got psychological profiling right! In the book
billionaires can build psychological profiles of people and know them
better than people know themselves. This sounds just like social media nad >> Facebook to me.
Then, there's what some are calling the "digital after life": <https://spectrum.ieee.org/digital-afterlife>
My hat is off to you. I read _Neuromancer_ in 1993 and _Mona Lisa
Overdrive_ in 1994, and hope to never subject myself to any more
Gibson.
"Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> writes:
My hat is off to you. I read _Neuromancer_ in 1993 and _Mona Lisa
Overdrive_ in 1994, and hope to never subject myself to any more
Gibson.
The Blue Ant trilogy is a whole 'nother thing. You should reconsider
and read at least Pattern Recognition -- go on to Spook Country and
Zero History if you revise your opinion.
Gibson was somehow pattiducking the vibes of the time with those books
and I think they're great. But whatever superpower that was seems to
have ended. In his own words:
It used to be, Gibson had told me, that a defensive membrane
divided his life from his work. He could consider the future as
a professional, without picturing his own life, his kids'
lives. "I never wanted to be the guy thinking about 'Mad Max'
world,' he said. "I had some sort of defense in
place. . . . It's denial, some kind of denial. But denial can
be a lifesaving thing, in certain lives, in certain times. How
on earth did you get through that? Some reliable part of you
just says, It's not happening." The membrane, he went on,
"which I very, very much miss, actually held until the morning
after Trump's election. And I woke up and it was gone, whatever
it was. It was just gone, and it's never come back."
-- William Gibson & Joshua Rothman, Ney Yorker, Dec. 2019
On 3/30/2024 9:37 AM, D wrote:
Dear sf enthusiasts,...
I just finished re-reading Count Zero. Last time I read it was probably 25 >> years ago. I've read Neuromancer countless times, but never re-read any of >> the other books in the Sprawl trilogy.
Surprisingly the book was better than I remembered so if Neuromancer was a >> 5/5 in my book (pun intended) I'd say that Count Zero is a 4/5.
Some fun notes/thoughts:
1. Todays billionaires are boring. I can't wait until they start to leave
their bodies for brains in a vat, clones and trying to merge with an AI.
2. Todays AI is boring. Let's see when they reach the levels in these
books, then we can start to talk about existential threats and the next
level of evolution!
I am rewatching "The 100" on Netflix. I had forgotten that one of the AIs in 2051 got the nuclear launch codes and radiated Earth to reduce the human population. That is way too exciting for me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100_(TV_series)
and
https://www.amazon.com/100-Kass-Morgan/dp/0316234494
Lynn
It is an interesting thought! What series of events would lead a human to >give nuclear launch codes to _one_ AI? There must be an enormous level of >trust and proven good behaviour. Even then it is hard to imagine not
having some kind of double key setup.
On 3/30/2024 9:37 AM, D wrote:
Dear sf enthusiasts,...
I just finished re-reading Count Zero. Last time I read it was probably
25 years ago. I've read Neuromancer countless times, but never re-read
any of the other books in the Sprawl trilogy.
Surprisingly the book was better than I remembered so if Neuromancer was
a 5/5 in my book (pun intended) I'd say that Count Zero is a 4/5.
Some fun notes/thoughts:
1. Todays billionaires are boring. I can't wait until they start to
leave their bodies for brains in a vat, clones and trying to merge with
an AI.
2. Todays AI is boring. Let's see when they reach the levels in these
books, then we can start to talk about existential threats and the next
level of evolution!
I am rewatching "The 100" on Netflix. I had forgotten that one of the
AIs in 2051 got the nuclear launch codes and radiated Earth to reduce
the human population. That is way too exciting for me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100_(TV_series)
and
https://www.amazon.com/100-Kass-Morgan/dp/0316234494
On 4/1/2024 10:52 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 17:57:01 -0500, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
On 3/30/2024 9:37 AM, D wrote:
Dear sf enthusiasts,...
I just finished re-reading Count Zero. Last time I read it was probably >>>> 25 years ago. I've read Neuromancer countless times, but never re-read >>>> any of the other books in the Sprawl trilogy.
Surprisingly the book was better than I remembered so if Neuromancer
was
a 5/5 in my book (pun intended) I'd say that Count Zero is a 4/5.
Some fun notes/thoughts:
1. Todays billionaires are boring. I can't wait until they start to
leave their bodies for brains in a vat, clones and trying to merge with >>>> an AI.
2. Todays AI is boring. Let's see when they reach the levels in these
books, then we can start to talk about existential threats and the next >>>> level of evolution!
I am rewatching "The 100" on Netflix. I had forgotten that one of the
AIs in 2051 got the nuclear launch codes and radiated Earth to reduce
the human population. That is way too exciting for me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100_(TV_series)
and
https://www.amazon.com/100-Kass-Morgan/dp/0316234494
The series was exciting.
And yet, at the end of each episode, when I asked what had /happened/
in the sense of "progress toward a goal", the answer was generally
"not much". Each season, of course, achieved a goal, if slowly.
But that seems to be the case with most online series, which is one
reason I've pretty much given up on them.
The TV series is like a supercharged version of The Hunger Games. They
are continuously killing people off due to the harsh environment and the harsh people. Life has no value to theses people whatsoever.
On 4/1/2024 10:52 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 17:57:01 -0500, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
On 3/30/2024 9:37 AM, D wrote:
Dear sf enthusiasts,...
I just finished re-reading Count Zero. Last time I read it was probably >>>> 25 years ago. I've read Neuromancer countless times, but never re-read >>>> any of the other books in the Sprawl trilogy.
Surprisingly the book was better than I remembered so if Neuromancer was >>>> a 5/5 in my book (pun intended) I'd say that Count Zero is a 4/5.
Some fun notes/thoughts:
1. Todays billionaires are boring. I can't wait until they start to
leave their bodies for brains in a vat, clones and trying to merge with >>>> an AI.
2. Todays AI is boring. Let's see when they reach the levels in these
books, then we can start to talk about existential threats and the next >>>> level of evolution!
I am rewatching "The 100" on Netflix. I had forgotten that one of the
AIs in 2051 got the nuclear launch codes and radiated Earth to reduce
the human population. That is way too exciting for me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100_(TV_series)
and
https://www.amazon.com/100-Kass-Morgan/dp/0316234494
The series was exciting.
And yet, at the end of each episode, when I asked what had /happened/
in the sense of "progress toward a goal", the answer was generally
"not much". Each season, of course, achieved a goal, if slowly.
But that seems to be the case with most online series, which is one
reason I've pretty much given up on them.
The TV series is like a supercharged version of The Hunger Games. They
are continuously killing people off due to the harsh environment and the >harsh people. Life has no value to theses people whatsoever.
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