{ "attachments": [], "comments_archived": true, "date": "2003-04-21T18:30:20.000Z", "layout": "post", "title": "Further Bitchun Reading...", "wordpress_id": 405, "wordpress_slug": "down-and-out", "wordpress_url": "http://www.decafbad.com/blog/?p=405", "year": "2003", "month": "04", "day": "21", "isDir": false, "slug": "down-and-out", "type": "entry", "postName": "2003-04-21-down-and-out", "html": "

Finally got around to reading Cory Doctorow's Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom,\nand though I loved it, I wish it were longer. Or, at least,\nI'd love to see more stories from the same setting or playing with the\nsame themes of the Bitchun Society. I have seen some of these things\nin stories before, though. So, hey, I haven't posted anything here in\na few days - have some babble and book links (feel free to comment and\nleave some more links):

\n

Of course I love the notion of ubiquitous computing and personal\nHUD's. I've babbled about that at length for sure. If you want more\nof that, go check out Vernor Vinge's\nFast Times at Fairmont High.\nMediated reality with P2P computing woven into clothing and projected\nacross contact lens displays. A little less obtrusive than\nseisure-inducing in-brain electronics, but just as post-human.

\n

And then there's backup-and-restore and the cure for death. Although\nin David Brin's\nKiln People,\nthings start with disposable\ndoppelgangers, survival of personality after bodily death is promised\nin the ending. What could change human nature more than transcending\nmortality?

\n

As for deadheading, check out Vinge's\nAcross Realtime\nseries. In\nparticular, read up on bobbling in Marooned in Realtime. There's also\nOrson Scott Card's The Worthing Saga.\nA one-way trip into the far future\nthrough geological periods of time seems particularly external to\nknown human experience, especially when combined with immortality.

\n

One thing I've yet to see much in stories or speculations is how\nsociety could function in a post-mortality and post-scarcity\nconditions. I've never been satisfied with the way Star Trek dodges\nthe day-to-day realities of a post-capitalistic Federation of plenty.\nWalter Jon Williams' Aristoi\nexplores an interesting track with a\nmeritocratic society whose top members have godlike powers matched to\ngodlike creativity and self-possession (not to mention possession by\nmultiple selves).

\n

But so far, Whuffie and its currency in reputation is the best game\nI've seen yet. Since, even if the problems of mortality and material\nscarcity are solved, human attention and cooperation will never be\ngratis. So, how else do you herd the cats when you can neither\nthreaten nor reward them via any physical means? Seems like the\nblogosphere, gift culture, and open source noosphere brought to\nreality.

\n

Kinda makes me want to get back to fiction writing meself and finally\nget out the dozen or so stories I've had bouncing around in my head\nthese past years. Doesn't necessarily mean I'd churn out anything\ngood, but who knows? Maybe after some work and some stumbling I could\nproduce something passable. All those creative writing classes in\ncollege and short stories in spiral-bound notebooks from high school\nhave to count for something. I'd even love to squat in the Bitchun\nSociety for a few stories, but that might be a bit presumptuous, even though\nMr. Doctorow himself has let on\nthat he's not likely to write more\ntales from the same Bitchun universe.\nBetter to get some practice in before jamming in someone else's club.

\n\n\n\n

shortname=down_and_out

\n

Archived Comments

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n", "body": "Finally got around to reading Cory Doctorow's Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom,\r\nand though I loved it, I wish it were longer. Or, at least,\r\nI'd love to see more stories from the same setting or playing with the\r\nsame themes of the Bitchun Society. I have seen some of these things\r\nin stories before, though. So, hey, I haven't posted anything here in\r\na few days - have some babble and book links (feel free to comment and\r\nleave some more links):\r\n

\r\nOf course I love the notion of ubiquitous computing and personal\r\nHUD's. I've babbled about that at length for sure. If you want more\r\nof that, go check out Vernor Vinge's\r\nFast Times at Fairmont High.\r\nMediated reality with P2P computing woven into clothing and projected\r\nacross contact lens displays. A little less obtrusive than\r\nseisure-inducing in-brain electronics, but just as post-human.\r\n

\r\nAnd then there's backup-and-restore and the cure for death. Although\r\nin David Brin's\r\nKiln People,\r\nthings start with disposable\r\ndoppelgangers, survival of personality after bodily death is promised\r\nin the ending. What could change human nature more than transcending\r\nmortality?\r\n

\r\nAs for deadheading, check out Vinge's\r\nAcross Realtime\r\nseries. In\r\nparticular, read up on bobbling in Marooned in Realtime. There's also\r\nOrson Scott Card's The Worthing Saga.\r\nA one-way trip into the far future\r\nthrough geological periods of time seems particularly external to\r\nknown human experience, especially when combined with immortality.\r\n

\r\nOne thing I've yet to see much in stories or speculations is how\r\nsociety could function in a post-mortality and post-scarcity\r\nconditions. I've never been satisfied with the way Star Trek dodges\r\nthe day-to-day realities of a post-capitalistic Federation of plenty.\r\nWalter Jon Williams' Aristoi\r\nexplores an interesting track with a\r\nmeritocratic society whose top members have godlike powers matched to\r\ngodlike creativity and self-possession (not to mention possession by\r\nmultiple selves).\r\n

\r\nBut so far, Whuffie and its currency in reputation is the best game\r\nI've seen yet. Since, even if the problems of mortality and material\r\nscarcity are solved, human attention and cooperation will never be\r\ngratis. So, how else do you herd the cats when you can neither\r\nthreaten nor reward them via any physical means? Seems like the\r\nblogosphere, gift culture, and open source noosphere brought to\r\nreality.\r\n

\r\nKinda makes me want to get back to fiction writing meself and finally\r\nget out the dozen or so stories I've had bouncing around in my head\r\nthese past years. Doesn't necessarily mean I'd churn out anything\r\ngood, but who knows? Maybe after some work and some stumbling I could\r\nproduce something passable. All those creative writing classes in\r\ncollege and short stories in spiral-bound notebooks from high school\r\nhave to count for something. I'd even love to squat in the Bitchun\r\nSociety for a few stories, but that might be a bit presumptuous, even though\r\nMr. Doctorow himself has let on\r\nthat he's not likely to write more\r\ntales from the same Bitchun universe.\r\nBetter to get some practice in before jamming in someone else's club.\r\n\r\nshortname=down_and_out\r\n\r\n
\r\n

Archived Comments

\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
\r\n ", "parentPath": "./content/posts/archives/2003", "path": "2003/04/21/down-and-out", "summary": "Finally got around to reading Cory Doctorow's Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom,\nand though I loved it, I wish it were longer. Or, at least,\nI'd love to see more stories from the same setting or playing with the\nsame themes of the Bitchun Society. I have seen some of these things\nin stories before, though. So, hey, I haven't posted anything here in\na few days - have some babble and book links (feel free to comment and\nleave some more links):\nOf course I love the notion of ubiquitous computing and personal\nHUD's. I've babbled about that at length for sure. If you want more\nof that, go check out Vernor Vinge's\nFast Times at Fairmont High.\nMediated reality with P2P computing woven into clothing and projected\nacross contact lens displays. A little less obtrusive than\nseisure-inducing in-brain electronics, but just as post-human.\nAnd then there's backup-and-restore and the cure for death. Although\nin David Brin's\nKiln People,\nthings start with disposable\ndoppelgangers, survival of personality after bodily death is promised\nin the ending. What could change human nature more than transcending\nmortality?\nAs for deadheading, check out Vinge's\nAcross Realtime\nseries. In\nparticular, read up on bobbling in Marooned in Realtime. There's also\nOrson Scott Card's The Worthing Saga.\nA one-way trip into the far future\nthrough geological periods of time seems particularly external to\nknown human experience, especially when combined with immortality.\nOne thing I've yet to see much in stories or speculations is how\nsociety could function in a post-mortality and post-scarcity\nconditions. I've never been satisfied with the way Star Trek dodges\nthe day-to-day realities of a post-capitalistic Federation of plenty.\nWalter Jon Williams' Aristoi\nexplores an interesting track with a\nmeritocratic society whose top members have godlike powers matched to\ngodlike creativity and self-possession (not to mention possession by\nmultiple selves).\nBut so far, Whuffie and its currency in reputation is the best game\nI've seen yet. Since, even if the problems of mortality and material\nscarcity are solved, human attention and cooperation will never be\ngratis. So, how else do you herd the cats when you can neither\nthreaten nor reward them via any physical means? Seems like the\nblogosphere, gift culture, and open source noosphere brought to\nreality.\nKinda makes me want to get back to fiction writing meself and finally\nget out the dozen or so stories I've had bouncing around in my head\nthese past years. Doesn't necessarily mean I'd churn out anything\ngood, but who knows? Maybe after some work and some stumbling I could\nproduce something passable. All those creative writing classes in\ncollege and short stories in spiral-bound notebooks from high school\nhave to count for something. I'd even love to squat in the Bitchun\nSociety for a few stories, but that might be a bit presumptuous, even though\nMr. Doctorow himself has let on\nthat he's not likely to write more\ntales from the same Bitchun universe.\nBetter to get some practice in before jamming in someone else's club.", "needsBuild": true, "prevPostPath": "2003/04/16/opml-vs-oml", "prevPostTitle": "OPML vs OML - Fork but don't fight!", "nextPostPath": "2003/04/22/shitstorms-abound", "nextPostTitle": "Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Bloggers" }