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You've just been reading the wrong science fiction. One of the great concepts in Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge is a galaxy wide internet and the malevolen
by hartror 16y ago
You've just been reading the wrong science fiction.
One of the great concepts in Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge is a galaxy wide internet and the malevolence in it is effectively just a super virus. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson has something what you describe also with a great "information economy", albeit earth based.
- wildwood 16y agoAlso, in Deepness in the Sky, it goes into the Qeng Ho's practice of broadcasting an encyclopedia of general technology throughout known space, to accelerate planets' development until they were advanced enough to trade with. It's sub-light, but so is travel, at least in that zone.
- hartror 16y agoOh yes forgot that!
- bitserf 16y agoA Fire Upon The Deep is one of my favourite sci-fi novels...I thought the idea of high technology (FTL, intelligences living in manufactured substrates, etc) only working in certain parts of the galaxy was pretty unique. I read it before I knew what the Internet was, so when I first got access to Usenet after reading it, imagine my surprise. FYI, Children of the Sky (sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep) is planned for October, but I'm sure you probably know :)
- Unseelie 16y agoA lot of that has to do with the age of the information technology. There's been a great deal of science fiction written about space ships and aliens, throughout the last century, but the concept of an information economy emerged, quite to humanity's surprise, rather recently. Science fiction of the digital bent hasn't had much time to mature.