Comments on: Snowcrash

By: Defenestrating Thoughts from the Bivouac » The Tipping Point

Defenestrating Thoughts from the Bivouac » The Tipping Point — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 23:07:56 +0000

[...] in itself is a pretty old and established concept (for example, it’s an important part of Snowcrash). After all, if viruses are spread with people coming into contact with each other, and ideas are [...]

By: Vijay

Vijay — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:02:13 +0000

I forgot that it was written so long ago. You’re right that his ideas about the Metaverse are eerily accurate.
What’s more impressive is how developed his idea of religion as a virus is, considering that whole subject area wasn’t very mainstream until recently.

Most hackers aren’t very athletic though. They would be more likely to hurt themselves with a katana. :-)

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:35:59 +0000

Correction — the US is competetive in TWO markets: pizza delivery and software.

I mostly love this book for four reasons:

1. NS’s vision of the future, and cultural observations in that setting, are very interesting, at times eerily prophetic and at other times cleverly satirical. Keep in mind this book was written in 1992, well before the internet was commercialized. And now, online worlds like Second Life are becoming very similar to the “Metaverse”.

2. The whole concept of religion as a virus is fascinating and really got me thinking. While there are some weak points in the verbose explanation and I certainly don’t buy it literally, it does provide a whole new perspective on some baffling cultural phenomena.

3. The dry humor and wit found throughout the book are great, especially in the opening chapters as the setting and characters are introduced. Unfortunately I guess NS was in rare form, because I have not found his other books quite up to the same level.

4. Hackers wield the real power in the world. Now, where did I put my katana…