A nit: _Neuromancer_ was published in 1984, not 1983.
However, the Internet was certainly part of SF thought before then. There were many fictional representations, e.g. "True Names" (1981), _Web of Angels_ (1980), _The Shockwave Rider_ (1975) -- "A Logic Named Joe" (1946) is often cited as the first representation of general network access. There were also fans who experienced the net, as many of them had access to the ARPAnet (founded in 1969) or the early Usenet (established in 1980). Yes, this access was mostly restricted to computer people (although IIRC Usenet had a lot of college students not majoring in computers); however, a survey at the 1979 Disclave (a late lamented SF convention not noted for nerdiness), intended to show that the convention had all the talents needed for a habitat, found something like a quarter of the attendees worked with computers. (Ancient recollection -- the number might have been higher.
That's a wonderful anecdote about the translater of _The Name of the Rose_.
I don't know why I've had it in my head that Neuromancer was published in 1983, but that's been a pretty tenacious assumption.
And yes, your point is well taken, viz. earlier versions of virtuality (I'd also include Philip K. Dick's UBIK [1969] as a significant one). My exact wording was that he set the standard for cyberpunk (as a genre) and *popularized* the concept of cyberspace. He certainly didn't invent the concept, but he imagined it in a way that broke out to a wider notoriety and actually had a profound impact on the thinking of the people working with the internet in its infant stages.
As I recall, the Robarts Library looks like a fortress because it was designed to be defensible - the architects were looking far ahead and took the possibility of future civil unrest into account when making their plans. A library that couldn't easily be sacked was the result.
I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. Thank you. A few disjointed comments:
I've often wondered about whether the labyrinth of the minotaur was really a labyrinth and how that affected the plot, but never did anything further than wondering. Interesting to hear about it.
I read The Name of the Rose decades ago, long before discovering Borges. I hadn't realised the links, but that all makes so much sense.
Have you ever played the first Discworld computer game (mostly based on Guards Guards)? It uses L- space beautifully.
An absolute pleasure to read, thank you!
Thanks so much! I'm glad it resonated with you.
A nit: _Neuromancer_ was published in 1984, not 1983.
However, the Internet was certainly part of SF thought before then. There were many fictional representations, e.g. "True Names" (1981), _Web of Angels_ (1980), _The Shockwave Rider_ (1975) -- "A Logic Named Joe" (1946) is often cited as the first representation of general network access. There were also fans who experienced the net, as many of them had access to the ARPAnet (founded in 1969) or the early Usenet (established in 1980). Yes, this access was mostly restricted to computer people (although IIRC Usenet had a lot of college students not majoring in computers); however, a survey at the 1979 Disclave (a late lamented SF convention not noted for nerdiness), intended to show that the convention had all the talents needed for a habitat, found something like a quarter of the attendees worked with computers. (Ancient recollection -- the number might have been higher.
That's a wonderful anecdote about the translater of _The Name of the Rose_.
I don't know why I've had it in my head that Neuromancer was published in 1983, but that's been a pretty tenacious assumption.
And yes, your point is well taken, viz. earlier versions of virtuality (I'd also include Philip K. Dick's UBIK [1969] as a significant one). My exact wording was that he set the standard for cyberpunk (as a genre) and *popularized* the concept of cyberspace. He certainly didn't invent the concept, but he imagined it in a way that broke out to a wider notoriety and actually had a profound impact on the thinking of the people working with the internet in its infant stages.
As I recall, the Robarts Library looks like a fortress because it was designed to be defensible - the architects were looking far ahead and took the possibility of future civil unrest into account when making their plans. A library that couldn't easily be sacked was the result.
Good to know. :-) Sort of goes to my point.
We always used to debate whether it was designed to look like a giant turkey or a viking ship.
I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. Thank you. A few disjointed comments:
I've often wondered about whether the labyrinth of the minotaur was really a labyrinth and how that affected the plot, but never did anything further than wondering. Interesting to hear about it.
I read The Name of the Rose decades ago, long before discovering Borges. I hadn't realised the links, but that all makes so much sense.
Have you ever played the first Discworld computer game (mostly based on Guards Guards)? It uses L- space beautifully.
Unfortunately, I missed all the Discworld games. I came to Pratchett late, and so wasn't really aware of the series when the games were all current.