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```In the novel The Diamond Age, author Neal Stephenson posits a future in which the world is divided into competing nation-tribes, or phyles. The most powerful
by mixxit 5y ago
```In the novel The Diamond Age, author Neal Stephenson posits a future in which the world is divided into competing nation-tribes, or phyles. The most powerful of these phyles have extensive nanotechnology capabilities, and use nanotech in various ways to gain an edge over their competitors and neighbors. Most notably, they create various sorts of airborne nanotech robots -- known as mites -- to infiltrate one another's territory and perform espionage or sabotage. Naturally, the other phyles retaliate with antibody mites, which hunt out and disable the invading mites, turning them into inert black dust, or toner. And so it goes.
The phyles' populaces themselves rarely see this conflict in their own airspace. Rather, it plays itself out in the Leased Territories and no-man's-lands between phyle enclaves. The thetes (classless members of no phyle, who live in these no-man's-lands), on the other hand, intermittently find their air full of clashing mites, flashing lidar, and the resulting microscopic debris. ```
- mysterious_hat 5y agoCame here for this comment. Thought the exact same thing as soon as I saw this.
- saargrin 5y agoi think diamond age is going to become a reality ,as might most of his other imagined societies ...
- MR4D 5y agoIn some ways, Cryptonomicon already has become reality. We have bitcoin used as national currency in Central America, and things like stable coins (probably the closest real world analogue to the gold backed crypto in the book). I think this is one of the reasons he has such a loyal following - he gets current tech trends and knows how to extrapolate it into the future very well.
- virtualritz 5y ago> Most notably, they create various sorts of airborne nanotech robots -- known as mites -- to infiltrate one another's territory and perform espionage or sabotage I suggest Stanisław Lem’s “Weapon systems of the 21st century.”
- fennecfoxy 5y agoKill Decision by Daniel Suarez also covers killer drones, albeit it makes for lighter reading (and some eyeroll inducing archetypes) than Neal's work.