vnprc on Nostr: Book Review True Names and the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier Vernor Vinge The ...
Book Review
True Names and the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier
Vernor Vinge
The short story that inspired this collection is truly a masterpiece. Unfortunately, the collection as a whole does not meet the same standard. My biggest issue with this book is that they put the best part at the end and filled the beginning with thick and heavy adulation that is at times difficult to wade through. There is plenty of good commentary on issues of privacy, self-sovereignty, and the slippery slope towards a surveillance panopticon. This part is no doubt very eye-opening to someone unfamiliar with these concepts. However, the True Names spoilers sent me over the edge. If you pick up this book and have never read True Names, do yourself a favor and start at the end. Then, if interested, circle back to the beginning and read the commentary.
Timothy May gives a good overview of the history and importance of crypto-anarchy. Habitat: Reports from an Online Community is a fascinating case study on perhaps the first instance of what we would today call an MMORPG, including many astute observations about human social patterns. The afterward by Marvin Minsky is downright prophetic in the age of LLMs. Definitely don't skip this one.
True Names is an epic tale: well-paced, action packed, and truly fantastical in scope. I powered through in one sitting and was left wanting more. Vernor Vinge introduces the concept of cyberspace and masterfully illustrates the divide between the digital realm and the physical realm. Vinge correctly predicts how the digital realm is the only place one can truly be free, the dangers posed by our physical reality and the authorities that dominate it, and the global reach and impact available to individuals of extraordinary skill in the digital realm. True Names is a must read for any aspiring cypherpunk.
#bookstr
https://bookstr.xyz/book/9780312862077
True Names and the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier
Vernor Vinge
The short story that inspired this collection is truly a masterpiece. Unfortunately, the collection as a whole does not meet the same standard. My biggest issue with this book is that they put the best part at the end and filled the beginning with thick and heavy adulation that is at times difficult to wade through. There is plenty of good commentary on issues of privacy, self-sovereignty, and the slippery slope towards a surveillance panopticon. This part is no doubt very eye-opening to someone unfamiliar with these concepts. However, the True Names spoilers sent me over the edge. If you pick up this book and have never read True Names, do yourself a favor and start at the end. Then, if interested, circle back to the beginning and read the commentary.
Timothy May gives a good overview of the history and importance of crypto-anarchy. Habitat: Reports from an Online Community is a fascinating case study on perhaps the first instance of what we would today call an MMORPG, including many astute observations about human social patterns. The afterward by Marvin Minsky is downright prophetic in the age of LLMs. Definitely don't skip this one.
True Names is an epic tale: well-paced, action packed, and truly fantastical in scope. I powered through in one sitting and was left wanting more. Vernor Vinge introduces the concept of cyberspace and masterfully illustrates the divide between the digital realm and the physical realm. Vinge correctly predicts how the digital realm is the only place one can truly be free, the dangers posed by our physical reality and the authorities that dominate it, and the global reach and impact available to individuals of extraordinary skill in the digital realm. True Names is a must read for any aspiring cypherpunk.
#bookstr
https://bookstr.xyz/book/9780312862077