That’s true. Even nonprofits let their focus drift from community mobilization to corporate branding.
Schismatrix is still my favorite.
Frankly I find Gibson’s latest few books very difficult to read because they are so annoyingly obssessed with branding now. The one about the jeans… literally a “marketing thriller” with a few not terribly exciting science fiction elements thrown in, and lovingly detailed descriptions of light fixtures and who designed them in what country.
Bring back cyberpunk 
3 Likes
Can I just say: Woo Yay for mentioning Sheckley, Bill.
Fantastic writer and thinker, genius of comedy and humanity, criminally overlooked (sometimes) as a first-rank SF legend. The love and devotion that goes Douglas Adams’ way should IMHO be doubled for Sheckley, from whom Adams took many major ideas (admittedly adding his own magic sauce, though).
1 Like
Ray Bradbury had a solution…
2 Likes
Memorization isn’t most people’s cup of tea. 
1 Like
4 Likes
I still need to read that Sterling, I only read Islands in the Net. Thanks for the reminder!
Let The Peripheral wash over you. Be fine with the fact that the first chunk of it makes no sense. By the end of the book you’ll get it, and then you’ll re-read it, more slowly than the first time, and you’ll be like, Oh Shit! 
2 Likes
I certainly won’t argue with your characterization, but on many levels he’s just keeping up with reality, right? Everything is branding, now. Way beyond even where things were at a couple decades ago. But you’re right, if you’re a product/manufacturing/fashion aficionado, you will definitely appreciate recent Gibson more than other folks might.
Nothing to add other than a thanks for the additions to the reading list!
2 Likes
Shoot, if we’re talking awesome cyber books that might not get enough exposure, let me throw out a few others that I think are key shit:
• John Brunner’s The Shockwave Rider, originally published in '75 I believe. Full on cyberpunk before it had even been invented yet! Crazy visionary.
• Rudy Rucker’s Ware Tetralogy, beginning with '82’s Software. Awesome trippy spiritual cyberpunk masterpiece. Also check out his more recent Postsingular, which is a hoot! Rudy is awesome, he’s a mathematician and really enjoys theoretical physics, and responds to fan mail I will add. 
• John Shirley’s Eclipse trilogy, which was from the early 80’s but was re-released with some updates a few years ago. Scary fascist cyberpunk, sort of like what might happen if Cruz gets elected, hah!
• Pretty much anything by Charlie Stross, although I really think Accelerando is a great starting point. It’s a little sloppy and disjointed, as it was written as a series of connected mini-novellas, but holy cow is it hilarious and amazing. Halting State and Rule 34 are absolutely essential as well, some of the most realistic and prescient super-near-term sci-fi I’ve read, and in 2nd-person perspective to boot!
4 Likes
Six sided TV screens?
Thank you for the suggestions! Kindle sample’d. Which is delightfully cyber all by itself, in the sort of way we’re so used to nowadays.
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
