NODE 335b42c3Re: Why I Don't Read SF Much Anymore
Hal Finney <hal@rain.org>Wed, 20 Nov 1996 18:09:15 -0800 (PST)
From: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
> The problem with straight SF for me is that computers and networks have
> changed the future so much that (in the words of the motto of the SF
> Writer's Association) The Future Ain't What It Used to Be. The science
> fictional futures of my childhood are now dead as doornails. And I can't
> enjoy contemporary SF that doesn't include a healthy dose of computers and
> networking.
I find this to be largely true as well. The cyberpunk genre does the
best job at grappling with the impact of communications tech but it is
traditionally dystopian. It would be nice to see a story about better
living through crypto.
What fiction can people recommend which presents crypto/privacy issues
realistically? How about this new book that Neal Stephenson is working
on, does anyone know what it's about? His short story, "Hack the Spew",
a few months ago (in Wired, I think?) had a strong crypto flavor.
Hal
NODE 5f68ec1fRe: Why I Don't Read SF Much Anymore
Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com>Wed, 20 Nov 1996 20:53:10 -0800 (PST)
At 9:09 pm -0500 11/20/96, Hal Finney wrote:
>What fiction can people recommend which presents crypto/privacy issues
>realistically? How about this new book that Neal Stephenson is working
>on, does anyone know what it's about? His short story, "Hack the Spew",
>a few months ago (in Wired, I think?) had a strong crypto flavor.
His, "Great Samolean Caper" for Time/Pathfinder was pure cryptoanarchy...
I don't know if it's still around though.
Cheers,
Bob
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