5 ms·

This is interesting... The linked article is titled "Cryptonomicon", and written by Will Stephenson, and a book with the same title was written by Neal Stephen

by MR4D 5y ago

This is interesting... The linked article is titled "Cryptonomicon", and written by Will Stephenson, and a book with the same title was written by Neal Stephenson. Yet, no mention of Neal or his book in the article. So I wonder where he got the word for his title?

danielvaughn 5y ago
Right? I went in thinking it was about the book because it's been on my to-read list for a while.
- SilasX 5y ago
  Hah, yeah, I was going to say, if this went to court, it would feel like a slam dunk case of trademark infringement or IP of some kind, due to consumer[1] confusion. [1] term of art in this context, not what I'd prefer they use.
  - wrycoder 5y ago
    I don't believe you can copyright titles.
    - SilasX 5y ago
      My comment refers to "trademark" or "IP of some kind", not copyright.
webmaven 5y ago
> The linked article is titled "Cryptonomicon", and written by Will Stephenson, and a book with the same title was written by Neal Stephenson. > Yet, no mention of Neal or his book in the article. So I wonder where he got the word for his title? Usually when I run across this sort of questionable title it turns out the editor was responsible, rather than the author.
inasio 5y ago
Definitely felt like bait, the word Cryptonomicon does not even show up in the (long) article even once. I was waiting for the reveal that his dad was Neal (worried when he said his dad was into Ayn Rand...), or that he himself was Neal.
oriolid 5y ago
With all recent Metaverse stuff, it seems that Neal Stephenson is public domain now. So many things on the Internet are based on Snow Crash and Diamond Age that maybe it's time to move to different book now.
- DonHopkins 5y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29045605 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29045605 If Mark Zuckerberg trademarks "Metaverse", William Gibson should trademark "Mark Zuckerberg". https://www.wired.com/2015/04/virtual-reality-and-the-pioneers-of-cyberspace/ https://www.wired.com/2015/04/virtual-reality-and-the-pionee... >Virtual Reality and the Pioneers of Cyberspace: 25 years before Oculus, John Perry Barlow described what it was like “being in nothingness.” >[...] And they were ready to make a product. They’d made a promo video starring Timothy Leary. Gullichsen had even registered William Gibson’s term “cyberspace” as an Autodesk trademark, prompting an irritated Gibson to apply for trademark registration of the term “Eric Gullichsen.” By June, they had an implementation which, though clearly the Kitty Hawk version of the technology, endowed people with an instantaneous vision of the Concorde level. [...] moviesCyberspace: The New Explorers: Autodesk Demo Tape on Cyberspace with Timothy Leary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FC4UQDm_mQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FC4UQDm_mQ
tedunangst 5y ago
Probably the same place the other Stephenson got it. Crypto + /necro/nomicon = cryptonomicon.
- lupire 5y ago
  no "necro" here. "nomicon" means "tome".

by MR4D 5y ago

danielvaughn 5y ago

Right? I went in thinking it was about the book because it's been on my to-read list for a while.

SilasX 5y ago
Hah, yeah, I was going to say, if this went to court, it would feel like a slam dunk case of trademark infringement or IP of some kind, due to consumer[1] confusion. [1] term of art in this context, not what I'd prefer they use.
- wrycoder 5y ago
  I don't believe you can copyright titles.
  - SilasX 5y ago
    My comment refers to "trademark" or "IP of some kind", not copyright.

webmaven 5y ago

> The linked article is titled "Cryptonomicon", and written by Will Stephenson, and a book with the same title was written by Neal Stephenson. > Yet, no mention of Neal or his book in the article. So I wonder where he got the word for his title? Usually when I run across this sort of questionable title it turns out the editor was responsible, rather than the author.

inasio 5y ago

Definitely felt like bait, the word Cryptonomicon does not even show up in the (long) article even once. I was waiting for the reveal that his dad was Neal (worried when he said his dad was into Ayn Rand...), or that he himself was Neal.

oriolid 5y ago

With all recent Metaverse stuff, it seems that Neal Stephenson is public domain now. So many things on the Internet are based on Snow Crash and Diamond Age that maybe it's time to move to different book now.

DonHopkins 5y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29045605 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29045605 If Mark Zuckerberg trademarks "Metaverse", William Gibson should trademark "Mark Zuckerberg". https://www.wired.com/2015/04/virtual-reality-and-the-pioneers-of-cyberspace/ https://www.wired.com/2015/04/virtual-reality-and-the-pionee... >Virtual Reality and the Pioneers of Cyberspace: 25 years before Oculus, John Perry Barlow described what it was like “being in nothingness.” >[...] And they were ready to make a product. They’d made a promo video starring Timothy Leary. Gullichsen had even registered William Gibson’s term “cyberspace” as an Autodesk trademark, prompting an irritated Gibson to apply for trademark registration of the term “Eric Gullichsen.” By June, they had an implementation which, though clearly the Kitty Hawk version of the technology, endowed people with an instantaneous vision of the Concorde level. [...] moviesCyberspace: The New Explorers: Autodesk Demo Tape on Cyberspace with Timothy Leary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FC4UQDm_mQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FC4UQDm_mQ

tedunangst 5y ago

Probably the same place the other Stephenson got it. Crypto + /necro/nomicon = cryptonomicon.

lupire 5y ago
no "necro" here. "nomicon" means "tome".