Comments on: Neuromancer http://www.tekstadventure.nl/branko/blog/2006/08/neuromancer Three atheists walk into a bar ... wait, that's not funny! Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:52:31 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Ross Presser http://www.tekstadventure.nl/branko/blog/2006/08/neuromancer/comment-page-1#comment-11817 Ross Presser Wed, 16 Aug 2006 13:38:28 +0000 http://www.tekstadventure.nl/branko/blog/?p=433#comment-11817 What is ridiculous -- or at least seemed ridiculous at the time: 1) the idea that such vast computing resources would be "wasted" on the audiovisual shared hallucination of the Matrix. What's the point of rendering a firewall as a medieval castle? In the Real Internet you can tell "where" things are without having to see them. 2) the further idea of "jacking in" -- that neural-computer interfaces could possibly be so advanced, easy to use, and safe that almost everyone would one one. Why bother? Video displays plus speakers have done a great job so far, and you can't fry your brain with them. At least not directly. What is ridiculous — or at least seemed ridiculous at the time:
1) the idea that such vast computing resources would be “wasted” on the audiovisual shared hallucination of the Matrix. What’s the point of rendering a firewall as a medieval castle? In the Real Internet you can tell “where” things are without having to see them.
2) the further idea of “jacking in” — that neural-computer interfaces could possibly be so advanced, easy to use, and safe that almost everyone would one one. Why bother? Video displays plus speakers have done a great job so far, and you can’t fry your brain with them. At least not directly.

]]> By: brankl http://www.tekstadventure.nl/branko/blog/2006/08/neuromancer/comment-page-1#comment-11809 brankl Tue, 15 Aug 2006 22:18:51 +0000 http://www.tekstadventure.nl/branko/blog/?p=433#comment-11809 Please tell me more. The book was at times hard to read, and I am sure I will have to read it a second time to get the finer points, so I am curious: what is ridiculous about his vision? Sure, the future is likely not as bleak as he is painting it, but I consider pessimistic and optimistic world views recurring fads in SF, I am guessing you weren't talking about that. Please tell me more. The book was at times hard to read, and I am sure I will have to read it a second time to get the finer points, so I am curious: what is ridiculous about his vision?

Sure, the future is likely not as bleak as he is painting it, but I consider pessimistic and optimistic world views recurring fads in SF, I am guessing you weren’t talking about that.

]]> By: Martin Wisse http://www.tekstadventure.nl/branko/blog/2006/08/neuromancer/comment-page-1#comment-11790 Martin Wisse Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:30:38 +0000 http://www.tekstadventure.nl/branko/blog/?p=433#comment-11790 To be honest, a lot of people who were familiar with what was then the internet/usenet when Neuromancer came out immediately realised Gibson didn't have clue one about what a computer network would really be like... His vision, when you start to think about it, is fairly ridiculous and overtly complicated, but also genuinely compelling. I did read it only a few years after it came out ('88 or '89) and it made me want to "jack into the mainframe" to coin a phrase --five years later and I could. Thank you cs.vu.nl for introducing me to the internet! To be honest, a lot of people who were familiar with what was then the internet/usenet when Neuromancer came out immediately realised Gibson didn’t have clue one about what a computer network would really be like… His vision, when you start to think about it, is fairly ridiculous and overtly complicated, but also genuinely compelling.

I did read it only a few years after it came out (’88 or ‘89) and it made me want to “jack into the mainframe” to coin a phrase –five years later and I could. Thank you cs.vu.nl for introducing me to the internet!

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