Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Guardian Unlimited | Big Brother takes a controlling interest in chips:
"At the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy (CFP) conference, held in Washington, DC, last month, Vernor Vinge, a retired computer scientist and the author of Rainbows End, provided a compelling explanation of how developing technology and powerful interests could create a society far more invasive and controlled than anything Orwell dreamed of.
The scenario he describes is the background he researched for Rainbows End. Set in 2025, the characters are surrounded by logical extensions of today's developing technology. Wearable computing is commonplace. Tagging and ubiquitous networked sensors mean you can look at the landscape with your choice of overlay and detail. People send each other silent messages and Google for information within conversations with participants who may be physically present or might be remote projections. One character's projection is hijacked and becomes the front for three people. The owner of another remote intelligence is unknown. Several continents' top intelligence operatives try to solve a smart biological attack that infects a test population with the willingness to obey orders."
"At the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy (CFP) conference, held in Washington, DC, last month, Vernor Vinge, a retired computer scientist and the author of Rainbows End, provided a compelling explanation of how developing technology and powerful interests could create a society far more invasive and controlled than anything Orwell dreamed of.
The scenario he describes is the background he researched for Rainbows End. Set in 2025, the characters are surrounded by logical extensions of today's developing technology. Wearable computing is commonplace. Tagging and ubiquitous networked sensors mean you can look at the landscape with your choice of overlay and detail. People send each other silent messages and Google for information within conversations with participants who may be physically present or might be remote projections. One character's projection is hijacked and becomes the front for three people. The owner of another remote intelligence is unknown. Several continents' top intelligence operatives try to solve a smart biological attack that infects a test population with the willingness to obey orders."
