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I loved Rainbows End. Recently I read Daemon/FreedomTM, and it paints a very different picture. But this technology could be used to create the Darknet the alt

I loved Rainbows End. Recently I read Daemon/FreedomTM, and it paints a very different picture. But this technology could be used to create the Darknet the alternative web/economy in the books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(book_series) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(book_series)

freehunter 12y ago
Daemon was a game changer for me. Ever since I've read the book (recommended by a colleague), I've dreamed of what could be possible. That book (along with a small handful of others) made near-future scifi my favorite genre. Any other suggestions?
- jitl 12y ago
  I really enjoyed Accelerando by Charles Stross. The book spans from present-day to post-singularity, and plays with the idea of what AI is along the singularity curve. There's also the even-closer-future of REAMDE by Neal Stephenson.
- ehsanu1 12y ago
  > That book (along with a small handful of others) made near-future scifi my favorite genre. Any other suggestions? Which others? If you've read Daemon and Freedom (TM), maybe you've already read Kill Decision, also by Daniel Suarez. It's about autonomous, swarming drones used in the military. Daemon is a better book though IMO. There's Hieroglyph: Stories & Visions for a Better Future, which is a collection of short stores in the near-future sci-fi genre. Neal Stephenson found Project Hieroglyph with the intent of advancing positive (non-dystopian) sci fi in the near future, and thus spurring on the next generation of scientists and engineers to go ahead and create it. Peter Watt's Blindsight and Echopraxia are also good (currently still reading the latter). It has scientifically plausible zombies and vampires, so that's something. Ramez Naam's Nexus has very interesting ideas on what happens to the world with very good brain-computer interfaces. It's set in the near-future, but I do think the tech is implausible here for so soon. William Hertling's Avogadro Corp is about a paperclip maximizer built by mistake by a Google-like company, with a Gmail-like service that is manipulated by said paperclip maximizer.
  - freehunter 12y ago
    >Which others? The Martian (Andy Weir), Mind's Eye (Douglas Richards), and Wool/Shift/Dust (Hugh Howey, set quite a bit in the future, but the story started (chronologically) in with near-future sci-fi) I haven't read Kill Decision yet, I've heard mixed reviews. The thing I loved most about Daemon and The Martian is that it's all completely plausible that these things could happen in my lifetime. Hell, they could happen right now if someone was willing to put forth the money. Nothing is particularly outlandish or impossible. I'll have to check out your suggestions, thanks. It's my favorite genre, but I struggle to find worthwhile books in that genre.
pavel_lishin 12y ago
I think that the HUDs in Daemon/FreedomTM are the least necessary to the possible future Suarez paints. Being able to see virtual stuff is impressive, but having a stable digital currency, an actually democratic political system, the manufacturing technology required to create self-sustaining local polises, etc., etc.
josephpmay 12y ago
Daemon/FreedomTM was what first got me interested in Augmented Reality back when I was in Middle School. They're excellent reads.

freehunter 12y ago

Daemon was a game changer for me. Ever since I've read the book (recommended by a colleague), I've dreamed of what could be possible. That book (along with a small handful of others) made near-future scifi my favorite genre. Any other suggestions?

jitl 12y ago
I really enjoyed Accelerando by Charles Stross. The book spans from present-day to post-singularity, and plays with the idea of what AI is along the singularity curve. There's also the even-closer-future of REAMDE by Neal Stephenson.
ehsanu1 12y ago
> That book (along with a small handful of others) made near-future scifi my favorite genre. Any other suggestions? Which others? If you've read Daemon and Freedom (TM), maybe you've already read Kill Decision, also by Daniel Suarez. It's about autonomous, swarming drones used in the military. Daemon is a better book though IMO. There's Hieroglyph: Stories & Visions for a Better Future, which is a collection of short stores in the near-future sci-fi genre. Neal Stephenson found Project Hieroglyph with the intent of advancing positive (non-dystopian) sci fi in the near future, and thus spurring on the next generation of scientists and engineers to go ahead and create it. Peter Watt's Blindsight and Echopraxia are also good (currently still reading the latter). It has scientifically plausible zombies and vampires, so that's something. Ramez Naam's Nexus has very interesting ideas on what happens to the world with very good brain-computer interfaces. It's set in the near-future, but I do think the tech is implausible here for so soon. William Hertling's Avogadro Corp is about a paperclip maximizer built by mistake by a Google-like company, with a Gmail-like service that is manipulated by said paperclip maximizer.
- freehunter 12y ago
  >Which others? The Martian (Andy Weir), Mind's Eye (Douglas Richards), and Wool/Shift/Dust (Hugh Howey, set quite a bit in the future, but the story started (chronologically) in with near-future sci-fi) I haven't read Kill Decision yet, I've heard mixed reviews. The thing I loved most about Daemon and The Martian is that it's all completely plausible that these things could happen in my lifetime. Hell, they could happen right now if someone was willing to put forth the money. Nothing is particularly outlandish or impossible. I'll have to check out your suggestions, thanks. It's my favorite genre, but I struggle to find worthwhile books in that genre.

pavel_lishin 12y ago

I think that the HUDs in Daemon/FreedomTM are the least necessary to the possible future Suarez paints. Being able to see virtual stuff is impressive, but having a stable digital currency, an actually democratic political system, the manufacturing technology required to create self-sustaining local polises, etc., etc.

josephpmay 12y ago

Daemon/FreedomTM was what first got me interested in Augmented Reality back when I was in Middle School. They're excellent reads.