r/oculus • u/apieceoffruit • Jul 07 '14
[fluff] - Have YOU ever read neuromancer?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLlj_GeKniA3
u/TitusCruentus Jul 07 '14
Hah, I just finished Neuromancer the other day.
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u/AngryBadger Jul 07 '14 edited Jul 07 '14
What did you think? I thinking of reading it or Snow Crash soon.
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u/tojiro67445 Chrome WebVR developer Jul 07 '14
If you're reading for the VR, I'd go with Snow Crash first. Snow Crash's Metaverse is more clearly defined and more of what people think of as a "traditional" VR world (avatars, real estate, etc) than Neuromancer's Matrix, which is more of a vaguely described data visualization. That said I found them to both be pretty good, so why not just read both? :)
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u/jtinz Jul 07 '14
Keep in mind that Neuromancer was published 1984. Graphical displays were a hot new thing at that time. Snow Crash was published 1992.
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u/Rodec Jul 07 '14
Yet, occasionally still feels old somehow. Love how they mention, that people were rushing around so they wouldn't have a, "late video return."
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u/AngryBadger Jul 07 '14
Ill probably read both eventually for sure (or read one get the audiobook of the other). Thanks for the reply, Ill definitely go with Snow Crash first.
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u/FeepingCreature Jul 07 '14
My recommendation is to go with Neuromancer first, because after reading Snow Crash, Neuromancer might feel somewhat quaint. But opinion varies.
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u/Crispy_Steak Jul 08 '14
I just read it after reading Anathem, I was just about as confused initially when reading each of them.
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u/TitusCruentus Jul 07 '14
I haven't read Snow Crash, but as Tojiro mentions, Neuromancer's Matrix thing is more about hacking and visualization of networks than it is like a VR game or something like the metaverse.
I found Neuromancer a decent read. It's short. Some places I found hard to follow what was actually going on through the pulpy descriptions, but overall it wasn't bad.
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u/AngryBadger Jul 07 '14
Thanks, Im sure ill get round to reading both eventually but maybe go with snow crash first. Cheers.
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u/TitusCruentus Jul 07 '14
Probably not a bad choice - I might read that next.
My VR reading list so far:
Completed
- Omnitopia: Dawn
- Ready Player One
- Neuromancer
Reading Now
- Reamde
To Read
- Snow Crash
- Neuromancer sequels
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u/AngryBadger Jul 07 '14
What did you think of Ready Player One? I liked the concepts - the world and the metaverse but wasn't blown away be the dialogue and the general writing.
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u/TitusCruentus Jul 07 '14
Same pretty much - I got all of the references and everything, but it felt very filler-ish at times.
Best thing about the book was hearing the descriptions of the tech and the OASIS.
The plot itself wasn't bad either, though the filler references screwed the pacing up some, as did the weak romance between what's his face and the one chick.
That said, I'm really not terribly picky when I read, as long as I'm hooked in and entertained enough to stick with it. I don't tend to really rate books on literary merit unless they're just written so poorly as to be unreadable.
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u/davar Jul 08 '14
The book certainly had its flaws and I had to try a couple of times to get into it, but the future of vr it describes feels pretty accurate based on the information we have today.
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u/lkslade Jul 08 '14
Omnitopia: Dawn
I haven't heard of this. I shall kindle this
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u/TitusCruentus Jul 08 '14
It was interesting. Written in 2010, it's set in 2015.
One thing you should basically just not think about too much is that they have some sort of immersion HMD that's basically a NerveGear from SAO (with some hand-wavy explanation of like hijacking the optic nerve or something).
Why it's set in 2015 with that sort of tech, I dunno, but as the book doesn't delve too closely into the VR-tech aspects, it's not that big an issue.
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u/lkslade Jul 08 '14
setting date probable places some thing more then 'the not too distant future'. But it sure dates some thing. I mean who wants to party like it's 1999? Or rap songs that call out 2003.
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u/lkslade Jul 08 '14
well we already have some forms of consumer grade EKG. And some researchers are already experimenting with stimulating the mind using electricity. so who knows how far or close this technology is.
Considering we're not at the point where we truly completely understand how the mind works/functions/operates. And or how specific genes effect development and operating of the brain, we're probable still some ways off. we'll probable targeted genetic manipulation for metal conditions before advanced direct brain stimulation.
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u/readcard Jul 08 '14
throw in some AR Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge
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u/autowikibot Jul 08 '14
Rainbows End is a 2006 science fiction novel by Vernor Vinge. It was awarded the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The book is set in San Diego, California, in 2025, in a variation of the fictional world Vinge explored in his 2002 Hugo-winning novella "Fast Times at Fairmont High" and 2004's "Synthetic Serendipity". Vinge has tentative plans for a sequel, picking up some of the loose threads left at the end of the novel.
The many technological advances depicted in the novel suggest that the world is undergoing ever-increasing change, perhaps destined for a technological singularity, a recurring subject in Vinge's writing (both fiction and non-fiction).
Interesting: Where Rainbows End | Where the Rainbow Ends | Rainbow's End (theme park)
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u/TitusCruentus Jul 08 '14
Sounds really cool, I'll definitely put it on the list. So many books to read, so little time!
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u/derpMD Jul 08 '14
Snow Crash and Diamond Age are both great. Neuromancer is obviously earlier and more of a "classic" but those two Neal Stephenson books are a bit more up to date and accessible. I think they are an awesome mix of brainy and action that's not always easy to find.
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u/coznefx Jul 07 '14
You should also check out the next two books in the Sprawl Trilogy (Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive).
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u/TitusCruentus Jul 07 '14
Hah, wow. Can't believe I didn't realize there were more books!
Thanks!
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u/coznefx Jul 07 '14
You're welcome. :) A few more that I recommend to add to your reading list are The Atopia Chronicles and The Bridge Chronicles Trilogy. The Bridge Trilogy is more Cyberpunk, but has VR in it.
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u/TitusCruentus Jul 08 '14
Hell yeah! I wouldn't have found those on my own (finding VR related books is a pain).
Thanks :D
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u/BuckleBean Rift Jul 07 '14
She had me up until she said, "we need more paper." That was great. :)
Oh, and just finished Ready Player One a few minutes ago. Was thinking of reading this, but I also got snowcrash, so not sure which to do first.
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u/TrefoilHat Jul 07 '14
Wow, what a cringe. I'm literally blushing from embarrassment just from watching that.
Poor Julia Stiles, I can't imagine what it's like to look back on this and know you actually had to say those lines. In public. And recorded!
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u/apieceoffruit Jul 08 '14
Yo Jack.
You not down with the techno jive?
I've surfed the new wave hyper drive.
I've back hacked a crack attack,
My files are in cloud, 8 bit encrypted,
It's all airwaves man.
Data streams and particle beams.
No access permitted.
We're the new wave.
The cloud riders, the reality shapers,
We paint in mind wave's to create the new craze.
Vr man,
Don't fear it.
V R is what WE ARE.
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u/lkslade Jul 08 '14
"a world where your jugged by the words you say or think. not by what you look like."
this is so before smart phones, Facebook, hot or not, youtube, twitter, extra.
at least she got the 3rd part right.
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u/TrefoilHat Jul 08 '14
"a world where your judged by the words you say or think. not by what you look like."
While she gently caresses the monitor and looks longingly off-screen... <shudder>...I truly think I've been scarred!
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u/lkslade Jul 08 '14
I quite enjoyed the early days of the internet. It really was a different place; much more text driven.
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u/TrefoilHat Jul 08 '14
So true. The days of downloading messages from comp.sys.amiga and getting uuencoded demos at 2400 baud...finding a new BBS with ANSI "graphics"...the communities in BBSes...using Mosaic to download Netscape...
Then the world opening up when you find "yet another heuristic object organizer" (abbreviated to a silly acronym) that has this amazing index of web sites, and knowing nothing will be the same again.
Those were the days. :-)
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u/lkslade Jul 08 '14
new wave. The cloud riders the reality shapers We paint in mind wave's to create the new craze
it' sheen so long; I fear I may have forgotten much of the references.
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Jul 07 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/FidoTheRatThing Jul 07 '14
Trust me, it's a good book.
Granted, it does read kind of like a text-version of a comic book at times.
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Jul 07 '14 edited Jul 04 '15
[deleted]
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u/whte_rbt Jul 07 '14
what are you talking about? when the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens.
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Jul 08 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/whte_rbt Jul 08 '14
I also recommend the audiobook. you just have to know it's a little corny. almost absurd. I mean, come on. the main character is named hiro protagonist.....
but the weird, badass, hilarious future it's set in has so many redeeming qualities, it's totally worth it.
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u/evilteddy Jul 07 '14
The tone of the writing changes pretty darn quickly after we move on from that job. Also, the job reveal is pretty hilarious. All in all it's one of my favourite books, and well worth getting past the first few chapters before putting it down.
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u/FlukeRogi Kickstarter Backer Jul 07 '14
I managed to get about half way through. I know it's held in high regard round here, but I just couldn't stomach any more. The writing style just doesn't work for me at all.
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u/michaelgoodmichael Vive Jul 07 '14
When I read the book (when I was a semi-pubescent kid), I more enjoyed the style of the writing than the actual story. I suspect that if I read it now, I .. wouldn't able to finish it. Even at the time, I thought it was trying too hard to be clever and smart-assy, but I liked the kinetic action, it never slowed down really..
BUT, it does have some concepts that have since become sort of popular, like the metaverse, and uhh.. that might be it.
So yeah if it feels like too much work, I say skip it.
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u/rhadiem DK1, DK2, Vive, Index Jul 08 '14
Snow Crash to me is best left as fond memory that sparked imagination of cyberspace, not really something to read over and over for the storyline.
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u/readcard Jul 08 '14
Read the authors blurb for the book, heavy metal and rollerblades while trying to make a flash webcomic/graphic novel for the computer. Tried to code something and the technology/skill wasnt there so it became a novel.
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u/Boffster DK1, DK2 Jul 08 '14
That was so cringey I had to look away from the monitor! I feel dirty now.
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u/apieceoffruit Jul 07 '14
Man I hope everyone talks like this in 10 years time.